Research paper
Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A, Wycherley TP, Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Luscombe-Marsh ND, Woods SC, Mattes RD. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015;101(6):1320S-1329S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.084038
Why we cite it
An expert consensus review from Protein Summit 2.0, published in an AJCN supplement and authored by eight protein and appetite researchers. It is a consensus statement from a convened summit, which is a specific kind of evidence — expert synthesis rather than new measurement — and worth naming as such wherever it is cited. The paper synthesizes 20 years of evidence that higher-protein diets improve weight management primarily through appetite modulation — not metabolic advantage. For the project, it provides the evidence base for the satiety hierarchy (protein > carbohydrate > fat), the practical 25–30 g per meal threshold, and the daily 1.2–1.6 g/kg recommendation. The compliance finding is equally important for the project’s messaging: the gap between short-term efficacy and long-term results is explained almost entirely by adherence, reinforcing that dietary strategies must be sustainable to work.