Protein intake and body weight, fat mass and waist circumference: an umbrella review of systematic reviews for the evidence-based guideline on protein intake of the German Nutrition Society

Sabine Ellinger¹, Anna M Amini², Julia Haardt², Andreas Lehmann², Annemarie Schmidt², Heike A Bischoff-Ferrari^{3

4}, Anette E Buyken⁵, Anja Kroke⁶, Tilman Kühn^{7

8

9

10}, Sandrine Louis¹¹, Stefan Lorkowski^{12

13}, Katharina Nimptsch¹⁴, Matthias B Schulze^{15

16

17}, Lukas Schwingshackl¹⁸, Roswitha Siener¹⁹, Gabriele I Stangl²⁰, Dorothee Volkert²¹, Armin Zittermann²², Bernhard Watzl¹¹, Sarah Egert²³; German Nutrition Society

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Human Nutrition, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 166a, 53115, Bonn, Germany. corresponding_author@dge.de.
² German Nutrition Society, Bonn, Germany.
³ Department of Aging Medicine and Aging Research, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
⁴ City Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
⁵ Institute of Nutrition, Consumption and Health, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany.
⁶ Department of Nutritional, Food and Consumer Sciences, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, Germany.
⁷ The Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
⁸ Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Heidelberg, Germany.
⁹ Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
¹⁰ Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
¹¹ Department of Physiology and Biochemistry of Nutrition, Max Rubner-Institut, Karlsruhe, Germany.
¹² Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
¹³ Competence Cluster for Nutrition, Cardiovascular Health (nutriCARD) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Jena, Germany.
¹⁴ Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany.
¹⁵ Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany.
¹⁶ Institute of Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
¹⁷ German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich-Neuherberg, Germany.
¹⁸ Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
¹⁹ Department of Urology, University Stone Center, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
²⁰ Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
²¹ Institute for Biomedicine of Aging, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nuremberg, Germany.
²² Clinic for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen, Ruhr University Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
²³ Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Nutritional Physiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

PMID: 37794213
PMCID: PMC10799103
DOI: 10.1007/s00394-023-03220-x

Protein intake and body weight, fat mass and waist circumference: an umbrella review of systematic reviews for the evidence-based guideline on protein intake of the German Nutrition Society

Sabine Ellinger et al. Eur J Nutr. 2024 Feb.

. 2024 Feb;63(1):3-32.

doi: 10.1007/s00394-023-03220-x. Epub 2023 Oct 4.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Human Nutrition, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 166a, 53115, Bonn, Germany. corresponding_author@dge.de.
² German Nutrition Society, Bonn, Germany.
³ Department of Aging Medicine and Aging Research, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
⁴ City Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
⁵ Institute of Nutrition, Consumption and Health, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany.
⁶ Department of Nutritional, Food and Consumer Sciences, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, Germany.
⁷ The Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
⁸ Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Heidelberg, Germany.
⁹ Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
¹⁰ Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
¹¹ Department of Physiology and Biochemistry of Nutrition, Max Rubner-Institut, Karlsruhe, Germany.
¹² Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
¹³ Competence Cluster for Nutrition, Cardiovascular Health (nutriCARD) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Jena, Germany.
¹⁴ Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany.
¹⁵ Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany.
¹⁶ Institute of Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
¹⁷ German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich-Neuherberg, Germany.
¹⁸ Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
¹⁹ Department of Urology, University Stone Center, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
²⁰ Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
²¹ Institute for Biomedicine of Aging, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nuremberg, Germany.
²² Clinic for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen, Ruhr University Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
²³ Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Nutritional Physiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

PMID: 37794213
PMCID: PMC10799103
DOI: 10.1007/s00394-023-03220-x

Abstract

Purpose: This umbrella review aimed to assess whether dietary protein intake with regard to quantitative (higher vs. lower dietary protein intake) and qualitative considerations (total, plant-based or animal-based protein intake) affects body weight (BW), fat mass (FM) and waist circumference (WC).

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for systematic reviews (SRs) with and without meta-analyses of prospective studies published between 04 October 2007 and 04 January 2022. Methodological quality and outcome-specific certainty of evidence of the retrieved SRs were assessed by using AMSTAR 2 and NutriGrade, respectively, in order to rate the overall certainty of evidence using predefined criteria.

Results: Thirty-three SRs were included in this umbrella review; 29 were based on randomised controlled trials, a few included cohort studies. In studies without energy restriction, a high-protein diet did not modulate BW, FM and WC in adults in general (all "possible" evidence); for older adults, overall certainty of evidence was "insufficient" for all parameters. Under hypoenergetic diets, a high-protein diet mostly decreased BW and FM, but evidence was "insufficient" due to low methodological quality. Evidence regarding an influence of the protein type on BW, FM and WC was "insufficient".

Conclusion: "Possible" evidence exists that the amount of protein does not affect BW, FM and WC in adults under isoenergetic conditions. Its impact on the reduction in BW and FM under hypoenergetic conditions remains unclear; evidence for an influence of protein type on BW, FM and WC is "insufficient".

Keywords: Body weight; Fat mass; Protein intake; Umbrella review; Waist circumference.

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Conflict of interest statement

A list of any possible conflicts of interest is provided in Supplementary Material 8.

Figures

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References

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Protein intake and body weight, fat mass and waist circumference: an umbrella review of systematic reviews for the evidence-based guideline on protein intake of the German Nutrition Society

Affiliations

Protein intake and body weight, fat mass and waist circumference: an umbrella review of systematic reviews for the evidence-based guideline on protein intake of the German Nutrition Society

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical