In its new “Talking Points” report, RaboResearch, Rabobank’s food and agribusiness division, highlights three questions the food industry should ask about protein leveraging and its importance in regulating the diet. The organization expects the approach to gain wider recognition with consumers.

“Consumers are thinking more about their diets and are already primed to think about protein and its importance, with many attempting to get more protein. There’s a growing interest in personalized nutrition that may drive interest in protein leverage,” the report states.

The need for protein governs the overall eating patterns of humans and has an “outsized impact” on the number of calories they eat. According to consumer foods senior analyst Nicholas Fereday, who compiled the report, protein leverage suggests a plausible explanation for the impact of highly processed foods on health.

“As we continue to explore the relationship between diet and health outcomes, understanding our consumption of protein may help us to understand the dietary causes behind obesity and how it might impact or create new opportunities for the food industry.”

Five appetites to satisfy
Protein leverage is the body’s demand for protein, which drives eating patterns — an idea used in nutrition science but not in the food industry. RaboResearch predicts that will change, especially since consumer interest in weight management and new dietary patterns was at an all-time high at the beginning of the year.

Protein leveraging was conceptualized in 2005 by entomologists David Rabuenheimer and Stephen Simpson while trying to discover how living things know what to eat. They found that the average proportion of calories from protein in the US gradually decreased from 14% in 1961 to 12.5% in 2000 — calories from fats and carbohydrates made up the difference.

Their research indicates that US citizens could only maintain their target protein consumption to increase total calorie intake, creating an energy surplus and subsequent weight gain. They posited that by overly focusing on the rise in consumption of fats and carbohydrates, the food industry had ignored the “potential contributory role of protein in causing weight gain.”

Another pressing concern is the extent to which the way we regulate protein consumption explains the high rates of obesity. They have refined their research to consider the implications and opportunities for the food industry.

The foundational premise of “protein leveraging” is that our strong regulation of protein drives the amount of food we eat, depending on the protein level in the diet. People eat food until their daily protein requirement is met, regardless of the number of calories consumed or total energy intake.

“If consumers buy into the protein leverage concept, it could provide food companies with an answer to criticism around ultra-processed foods. If companies recognize that consumers want to prioritize protein in the future, they can work to reformulate their recipes and increase the amount of protein in their products,” the report states.

Humans have evolved specific appetites for carbohydrates, fats, protein, and micronutrients, sodium and calcium. When a healthy, balanced diet is not possible due to scarcity or a changing food environment, the body prioritizes protein over other dietary components.

Even a slight decrease in protein leads to a higher intake of calories from fats and carbohydrates. Diluting protein by one or two percent can cause a 10% or more increase in total calorie intake, which is the body’s goal to reach the same absolute protein intake that it requires to function.

That is the question
The three “protein leveraging” questions RaboResearch believes the food industry should prioritize are “What if protein leverage is one of the mechanisms that helps explain the poor health outcomes associated with a diet high in ultra-processed foods? — “Reformulation to the rescue?” — “Are we likely to see mainstream consumers adopting “The Protein Leverage Diet?

The first question addresses the need for the food industry to explore further how the rise in ultra-processed food consumption contributes to the dilution of protein in the diet using cheaper fats and carbohydrates. Several studies observed an inverse relationship between UPF consumption and protein density in the diet.

One study found that as calories from UPFs rise, there is a decrease in energy from protein, an increase in overall energy intake and not much change in the absolute level of protein intake. The added calories lead to weight gain as the body searches for protein. The diet has been diluted by fats and carbohydrates, especially from energy-dense foods with little fiber and water content.

The second observation posits reformulation options to fortify products with protein and reduce the energy density of the food with dietary fiber. Companies could make protein relevant to their offerings with meal solutions at breakfast, as consumers might want to prioritize protein at the start of the day.

“Assuming the consumer buys into the protein leverage thesis, then the concept gives food companies something to work with. After all, reformulating recipes, including fortification, is well within the food industry’s expertise. This is what they know how to do.”

In the third instance, the report indicates that consumers are primed for protein because popular diets tap into it to build muscle and facilitate weight loss. A nuanced point of achieving the right amount is recommended. Protein leveraging is a good fit with personalized nutrition, which has seen significant growth and will continue to do so.

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