Plant-based food for weight loss
This collaborative project between researchers from Norway, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Great Britain investigates the effects of certain amino-acids on obesity. These amino-acids, the so-called sulfur amino-acids (SAA), are present in high amounts in animal-derived proteins and much less in plant-derived proteins. Within the Dutch part of the project we used a large population-based study, i.e. The Maastricht Study, to investigate if persons who consume a high amount of SAA, e.g. who normally consume substantial amounts of animal–derived foods, generally have a higher body weight and/or more fat. Other project partners will investigate whether a plant-based diet that is low in SAA induces weight-loss in overweight or obese persons. According to the World Health Organization, currently over 2 billion people are overweight and 700 million are obese. This poses a major threat to society because it is a major contributor to the global epidemic of e.g. diabetes and cardiovascular disease and it predisposes to certain types of cancers. This has a strong negative impact on quality of life and the global economy. Based on the full data generated in STAY (so including the intervention in Norway), we can say that a plant-based diet with low intake of SAA (=lower consumption of the amino-acids methionine and cysteine) leads to a modest weight loss. The observational information obtained in The Maastricht Study is in line with this. Data derived from The Maastricht Study suggest that this weight loss might be partly contributed to activity of an enzyme that converts saturated to unsaturated fatty acids. If future (translational, multicenter, multinational) research into the effects of reduced dietary intake of SAA also show weight loss and/or a better metabolic profile in persons with obesity, this may contribute to improved lifestyle-based treatment options for obesity. This may help in the prevention and treatment of obesity and related comorbidities.
