| heal.abstract |
There is cumulative evidence that there is a relationship between diet and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. The majority of studies have focused on the role of carbohydrate and fat on CHD risk; yet the role of protein has, until recently, been neglected. The effects of dietary protein on modulating CHD risk factors are still unclear. The aim of this review is to summarise available data from epidemiological and randomised control trials on the effects of animal and vegetable protein intake on markers of CHD risk; that is, obesity, hyperlipidaemia, glucose intolerance, diabetes and hypertension. Regarding the management of body weight, reviewed data suggest that there is no convincing evidence that higher protein (HP) diets enhance weight loss compared with low protein (LP) diets, but there is some evidence that HP diets may lead to better weight maintenance. Moreover, HP diets seem to have a more favourable effect on triglyceride levels than LP diets, but on the other hand, there is no convincing evidence that there is a significant beneficial effect on total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. In the literature, there is also a concern that higher protein intakes may increase blood glucose levels and may aggravate glycaemic control. Currently, data suggest that HP diets may have a favourable effect on postprandial glucose and glycated haemoglobin levels, whereas there is no convincing evidence on their effects on fasting glucose and insulin levels. There has also been concern that higher protein intakes may increase arterial blood pressure because of higher levels of sodium in protein-rich foods. The data we reviewed suggest that HP diets may be more beneficial in ameliorating hypertension than LP diets. Finally, the effect of a higher protein intake on kidney function has been debated. © 2008 The Authors. |
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