A study conducted utilizing the data of PREVIEW trial which compared the long-term effects of two diets high protein (HP)-low GI vs. moderate protein (MP)-moderate GI and two physical activity (PA) programs [high intensity (HI) vs. moderate intensity (MI)] on subjective appetite sensations during weight-loss maintenance (WLM) after revealed that a combination of high protein, low glycemic index (GI) diet and physical activity (PA) can suppress hunger and won’t contribute to weight regain after weight loss.

      According to the researchers, this is the first long-term, large-scale randomized intervention to report that a HP-low GI diet was superior in preventing an increase in hunger, but not weight regain, during 3-years WLM compared with a MP-moderate GI diet. Data for the study was extracted from the 3-years PREVIEW randomized intervention study. Appetite sensations including satiety, hunger, desire to eat, and desire to eat something sweet during the two phases (at 0, 8 weeks and 26, 52, 104, and 156 weeks) were assessed based on the recall of feelings during the previous week using visual analogue scales. Differences in changes in appetite sensations from baseline between the groups were determined using linear mixed models with repeated measures.

      The study revealed that a decrease in hunger was significantly greater in HP-low GI than MP-moderate GI. The researchers opined that the role of exercise intensity in weight loss requires further investigation.