Protein vs. Energy for Improved Body Composition and Healthspan

Ted Naiman MD is a board-certified Family Medicine physician in the Department of Primary Care at a leading major medical centre in Seattle. His research and medical practice are focused on the practical implementation of diet and exercise for health optimization. He is also the author of The P:E Diet, which breaks down the success of every dietary strategy into one simple metric: Protein vs. Energy.

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall interviews Ted about the basic levers that govern physiology and how to achieve mastery over your own body composition. Ted talks about the Protein:Energy (P:E) Ratio and why how much you eat depends on what you eat. He discusses why adequate protein is necessary for longevity and healthspan, and the differences between plant and animal sources of this critical macronutrient.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Ted Naiman:

[00:01:10] Ted's background and interest in diet.

[00:04:57] Protein vs. non-protein energy (carbs and fats) - P:E ratio.

[00:09:32] Protein + resistance exercise to failure for building muscle.

[00:09:54] Lean body mass and resistance exercise for metabolic health.

[00:10:19] Who needs to pay attention to P:E ratio?

[00:13:29] Satiety per calorie: how much you eat depends on what you eat.

[00:17:38] Plant vs. animal protein.

[00:23:44] Nutrient deficiencies with plant based diets.

[00:25:06] The problem with eating carbs and fats together.

[00:27:54] Podcast: The True Cause of Insulin Resistance and Obesity (and What To Do Instead), with Peter Dobromylskyj.

[00:28:42] Improving P:E ratio.

[00:30:39] 3 types of hunger: Nutrients, Energy, and Hedonic.

[00:33:05] Satiety per calorie of Bulletproof Coffee.

[00:34:28] Refined fats: why to avoid them.

[00:36:41] People who are turned off by protein.

[00:39:46] Satiety per calorie of plants.

[00:41:30] Plant based diet vs. animal-based keto diet; Study: Hall, Kevin D., et al. "Effect of a plant-based, low-fat diet versus an animal-based, ketogenic diet on ad libitum energy intake." Nature Medicine 27.2 (2021): 344-353.

[00:43:52] Triglycerides as a marker of metabolic health.

[00:47:16] Protein needs for longevity and healthspan.

[00:49:31] Adults aged 70-79 not getting enough protein; Study: Houston, Denise K., et al. "Dietary protein intake is associated with lean mass change in older, community-dwelling adults: the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study." The American journal of clinical nutrition 87.1 (2008): 150-155.

[00:50:24] Muscle mass as a predictor of longevity; Study: Srikanthan, Preethi, and Arun S. Karlamangla. "Muscle mass index as a predictor of longevity in older adults." The American journal of medicine 127.6 (2014): 547-553.

[00:50:52] Positive association between bone density and protein intake.

[00:53:14] Industry driving the diabetes and obesity epidemic.

[00:55:01] Increase protein to 30% of calories to reverse prediabetes in 100% of subjects; Study: Stentz, Frankie B., et al. "Remission of pre-diabetes to normal glucose tolerance in obese adults with high protein versus high carbohydrate diet: randomized control trial." BMJ open diabetes research and care 4.1 (2016): e000258.

[00:55:48] As we become more insulin resistant, protein needs go up, driving increased protein consumption; Study: Simpson, Stephen J., and David Raubenheimer. "Obesity: the protein leverage hypothesis." obesity reviews 6.2 (2005): 133-142.

[00:57:13] Behavior change and hyper-palatable food.

[00:59:04] High protein ice cream.

[00:59:46] Book: The P:E Diet: Leverage Your Biology to Achieve Optimal Health, by Ted Naiman.

[01:00:28] Find Ted on Twitter and Instagram.

[01:01:17] Podcast: Why You’re Probably Not Eating Enough Protein (How to Know for Sure).