New Study! Belly Fat Drops Faster on High-Protein — With Autophagy Still Active

Optimal Protein Podcast with Vanessa Spina

Vanessa Spina

Fitness, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.5 • 758 Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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In today's solocast, we break down a brand new clinical trial that tested whether a high-protein diet really shuts down autophagy — and what it means for fat loss and body composition.

For years, many believed that eating more protein would block the body's cellular clean-up process, and that only low-protein fasting diets could deliver longevity benefits. But does the science actually back that up?

This new randomized controlled trial put high-protein and low-protein diets head-to-head, measuring weight loss, belly fat, metabolic health, and markers of autophagy. The results may surprise you — and they could change how we think about protein for fat loss and longevity.

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We'll explore:

Why autophagy matters for health and aging
How the trial compared high vs. low protein under calorie restriction
What the researchers found on belly fat, IGF-1, and cellular clean-up
What this means for your fat loss and body recomposition goals

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📱 Follow @ketogenicgirl for the latest studies and strategies on fat loss and protein optimization

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💬 Join the Facebook group: Optimal Protein Podcast Community

🎙 The content in this podcast is for informational purposes only and not nutritional or medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making major dietary or lifestyle changes.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Optimal Protein Podcast. I'm Vanessa Spina. Hello, my friends. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm your host, Vanessa, and I am so pumped for today's episode because we are diving deep into a brand new study that was just published this month in clinical nutrition about high protein diets and their effects on autophagy in adults.
0:23.3	So this is a randomized controlled trial that was done in human subjects.
0:28.3	And they really put high protein diets to the test to establish whether or not protein
0:34.8	shuts down autophagy when we consume more of it. I am so excited to see that
0:42.0	this study was done and the results surprised a lot of people and challenged some long-held
0:47.8	assumptions in both the nutrition and longevity world. So I am so excited to unpack this
0:53.2	study in detail from the background to
0:56.2	the study design and methods, the key findings on autophagy markers, fat loss, muscle retention,
1:03.4	and longevity signals. And we're also going to compare these findings to some earlier research
1:07.3	on fasting, caloric restriction, and low protein diets that have been touted as the
1:13.2	sort of gold standard to promote autophagy. So I'm going to share some quotes and insights,
1:19.0	discuss the implications for fat loss and body recomp, which is a big interest of mine,
1:24.8	and I know many listeners, and which is a big interest of ours here on the podcast
1:29.5	and highlight any limitations or nuances to keep in mind. By the end, you'll have a clear
1:34.5	understanding of what this brand new study means for those of us who love a high protein
1:39.7	lifestyle, but also care about healthy aging and longevity. So whether you're a fitness enthusiast worrying that your high protein intake may be impacting
1:49.2	your longevity in a negative way or a biohacker trying to balance muscle gains with cellular
1:54.9	cleanup, this episode is for you.
1:57.5	We're going to start with a quick primer on what autophagy is and why it matters, especially
2:02.5	in the context of diet and nutrition. Now, I cannot wait to break it all down for you today in the
2:08.3	episode, and we're going to jump right in after this quick break. Hi, friends, if you have ever felt
2:14.7	bloated after eating a big meal or a high protein meal, or maybe wondering
	...

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