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Literature Review: Overview about HPD

Yifan Wang

Writing 2: Academic Writing

June 13, 2021

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Our body is made up of thousands of proteins, so it is essential for human beings to

consume protein in their diets. It is precisely because people realize the importance of protein

intake that high protein diets (HPD) have gradually become popular. The weight loss effect of

HPD induces HPD has wide acceptance. Some people blindly follow HPD regardless of their

physical condition. HPD has become a controversial topic regarding its benefits and potential

harm among the public since non-academic people cannot have a full look at HPD. Due to their

limited academic knowledge, they are blindly adherent to trends. This literature review builds a

relatively comprehensive understanding about HPD by considering both positive and adverse

effects of HPD and from both physical and psychological aspects. Through examining and

analyzing two peer-reviewed articles in the disciplines of biology and psychology and three

non-academic resources from Youtube and online blogs, this literature review provides an

exhaustive view of HPD by showing its benefits, potential harm, and future development

orientation.

Two Korean internal medicine majored students Jaecheol Moon and Gwanpyo Koh’s

peer-reviewed article, “Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight

Loss”, offers us an overview of the several major positive influence of HPD, such as reducing

body weight an enhancing body composition by decreasing fat mass while preserving fat-free

mass, and some potential drawbacks like harmful to the bones and kidneys. They conclude that

“HPD is an effective and safe tool for weight reduction that can prevent obesity and

obesity-related diseases”.1 Through analyzing and summarizing past research data and results

about the effects of HPD, such as the reduction in body weight (BW), and decrease of fat mass,

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Jaecheol Moon and Gwanpyo Koh. “Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight
Loss,” Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome 29, no. 3 (September 2020): 167,
https://doi.org/10.7570/jomes20028.
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Moon and Koh provide a persuasive and solid information background related to HPD. This

information integration also provides readers the rationality of their article unconsciously. After

introducing the clinical outcomes with HPD, they offer their own explanations and

understanding about the rationales behind this topic. The detailed and data-based explanation

enables other researchers to dive deeper into the mechanisms of HPD. Among various factors

that play a role in HPD, Moon and Koh focus on energy expenditure and satiety hormones.

These two factors are two most important contributors to weight loss. Instead of doing their own

research related to the effects of HPD, Moon and Koh take advantage of existing clinical trials to

indicate HPD induces weight loss and improvement of body composition and focus on providing

an exhaustive combination of contributing factors that lead to the benefits of HPD. However,

Moon and Koh’s scopes on HPD are limited in the only physical aspect, that is weight reduction

and persevering fat-free mass (FFM). The influence of HPD on psychology is absent in their

article and waiting to be explored.

The research conducted by Cherrie Calletly, Lisa Moran, et al., who are Australian

researchers from different disciplines such as Psychiatry and Reproductive Medicine, focus on

the potential psychological benefits of HPD on obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome

(PCOS). The participants are 25 women who fit this requirement. This research shows a positive

correlation between high-protein low-carbohydrate (HPLC) diet and a significant reduction in

depression and improvement in self-esteem among participants who are randomly assigned to the

HPLD group. The research focuses on the psychological influence (depression, anxiety, and

self-esteem) of HPD rather than the physical one. This research also has its limitations. One is

that it is uncertain if the result is “related to the higher protein, the lower carbohydrate, the

combination of the two, or other factors”.2 Other limitations are uncontrollable external
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Cherrie Galletly, Lisa Moran, Manny Noakes, Peter Clifton, Lisa Tomlinson, Robert Norman,
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pressure-related events, different levels of satiety between two diets, single type of obese

participants, and small sample size.

Tons of research has examined the positive effects of HPD and already proved HPD's

effectiveness to reduce weight. Given such benefits, HPD becomes a widely accepted diet by

people who want to lose weight no matter what reasons. On the other hand, the potential harms

of HPD are not fully confirmed by research. Over commonly eaten high protein foods, protein

powder is considered one of the most effective ways to consume enough high-quality protein.

Some people may over-consume protein power in order to maintain a high protein intake. The

overconsumption of protein could result in some harmful effects on health. Unfortunately, this

conjecture is still not proved by research.

In Dr. Ankit’s Youtube video “Is Protein Powder Bad For You? | Acne, Hair Loss and

Kidney Damage”, he briefly discusses three common concerns of consuming a large amount of

protein. These concerns are that it may result in kidney damage, accelerate hair loss, and make

acne worse.3 For the first concern, if HPD can cause kidney damage, Dr. Ankit’s answer is

double-sided. High protein intake can cause some negative effects on people who already have

damage. Nevertheless, based on the result of research, he argues that “high protein diet does not

appear to have a negative effect on kidney function on healthy adults.”4 Meanwhile, there is no

research that shows there is no clear and direct cause-and-effect relationship between high

protein intake and hair loss. The other two research presented in this video also validates this

statement by saying that “protein intake had no effect on testosterone levels,” which is a

“Psychological benefits of a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet in obese women with polycystic ovary
syndrome—A pilot study,” Appetite 49, no. 3 (2007): 592, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2007.03.222.
3
DocUnlock, “Is Protein Powder Bad For You? | Acne, Hair Loss and Kidney Damage,” Youtube, April 15, 2019,
video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoVB7oIbq_4.
4
DocUnlock, 2:08.
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chemical that can contribute to hair loss for men who are genetically at risk of hair loss.5 In fact,

there is no direct evidence showing the relationship between protein intake and acne, but two

researches show that it is possible that whey protein may contribute to worsening acne. The logic

behind this is that milk consumption could increase the level of insulin-like growth factor (IGF).

IGF is a chemical that can lead to sebaceous gland active, and therefore cause worse acne.6 The

three possible negative effects of HPD Dr. Ankit mentioned in his video are of the greatest

concern to the public. Therefore, his explanations can effectively relieve some people's concerns

about HPD. At the same time, he argues that many possible side effects of HPD have not been

directly proved by systematic experiments. The gaps between the conjectures of potential harm

of HPD and existing discussion about it provide interesting topics for researchers to further

consider.

Katherine Zeratsky who works at Mayo Clinic and is certified in dietetics by the state of

Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association writes about the potential harm of HPD to her

patients. Zeratsky’s blog supplements other negative effects on the body resulting from HPD, in

addition to the overlap with other resources. This blog provides an easily fathomable material to

explain some potentially harmful effects of HPD, such as higher kidney pressure for kidney

disease people, insufficient intake of high-quality carbohydrates, and higher risk for heart

diseases.7 Among those possible negative effects of HPD, increasing pressure on the kidney

seems to be the most concerning because it is also mentioned in Moon and Kah’s peer-reviewed

article and Dr. Ankit’s video. This attention can promote researchers to do further research to

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DocUnlock, 3:23.
6
DocUnlock.
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Katherine Zeratsky, “Are high-protein diets safe for weight loss?” last modified July 2, 2020, accessed May 6,
2021,
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/high-protein-diets/faq-200
58207.
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figure out the relationship between kidney damage and protein intake. At the same time,

Zeratsky emphasizes the importance of carbohydrate intake to inform her reader it is of

importance to balance different nutrient intakes.

There have been many experiments and studies that have proved the positive clinical

effects of HPD, so does HPD play a role in treating or promoting recovery from COVID-19? The

answer is Yes. The article entitled “How Protein Bolsters COVID-19 Recovery” conforms

several pieces of research done based on the clinical data on COVID-19 to show how high

protein intake plays a positive role in fighting with COVID.8 Research shows that amino acids

can alleviate the over-release of cytokines that is one complication of COVID-19, therefore

mitigating the inflammatory response caused by the disease.9 In addition, researchers indicate

that sufficient protein intake can prevent the loss of muscle mass and function caused by

catabolic response to COVID-19 and other inflammatory diseases. 10 The article also provides

clinical evidence to prove that increased protein intake does positively affect patients by

improving their immune systems and preventing muscle loss. It offers a new scope to examine

HPD’s effects for COVID-19 patients. It is highly possible that in the future, HPD also works in

the treatment of and recovery from various diseases.

The scope of each resource about HPD is distinctive, and they also have some overlap

somewhere. When they are integrated, we can see a more comprehensive understanding of HPD.

Reading this literature review about HPD, people can have some basic understanding about

physical and psychological benefits and some possible harm about it. This understanding can not

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“How Protein Bolsters COVID-19 Recovery,” last modified December 1, 2020, accessed May 21, 2021,
https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2020/december/columns/nutrition-and-
diet-how-protein-bolsters-covid-19-recovery.
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“How Protein Bolsters COVID-19 Recovery.”
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“How Protein Bolsters COVID-19 Recovery.”
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only help ordinary HPD adopters and people who are interested to try HPD decide whether they

are suitable to continue this diet, but also provide an inclusive overview for other HPD

researchers. Hopefully, this literature review will help further researchers who are interested in

doing research about HPD to find some inspirations for their studies.
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Bibliography

DocUnlock. “Is Protein Powder Bad For You? | Acne, Hair Loss and Kidney Damage.” Youtube.
April 15, 2019. Video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoVB7oIbq_4.

Galletly, Cherrie, Lisa Moran, Manny Noakes, Peter Clifton, Lisa Tomlinson, Robert Norman.
“Psychological benefits of a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet in obese women with polycystic
ovary syndrome—A pilot study.” Appetite 49, no. 3 (2007): 590-593.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2007.03.222.

“How Protein Bolsters COVID-19 Recovery.” Last modified December 1, 2020. Accessed May
21, 2021.
https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2020/decem
ber/columns/nutrition-and-diet-how-protein-bolsters-covid-19-recovery.

Irvin, L. Lennie. “What Is ‘Academic’ Writing?” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, 7.

Johnson, Julie. “Ending the Essay: Tips on Writing an Effective Conclusion.” Gauchospace.

Moon, Jaecheol and Gwanpyo Koh. “Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein
Diet-Induced Weight Loss,” Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome 29, no. 3
(September 2020): 166–173, https://doi.org/10.7570/jomes20028.

National Council of Teachers of English. "Rhetorical Situation." College Composition and

Communication. 2010. Gauchospace.

Zeratsky, Katherine. “Are high-protein diets safe for weight loss?” Last modified July 2, 2020.
Accessed May 6, 2021.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers
/high-protein-diets/faq-20058207.