Peer-reviewed study
High protein protects the cut
Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss
Source details
PubMed-linked citation target.
- Authors
- Longland et al.
- Journal
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2016.
- Identifiers
- PMID 26817506 · DOI 10.3945/ajcn.115.119339
Claim guardrail
What this page should prevent.
This was a specific short-term protocol with intense exercise. Do not promise simultaneous lean gain and fat loss for everyone.
Geebs coaching takeaway
The study only matters if it changes a behavior.
A cut should protect training and lean mass. Protein is the first macro to defend.
Content angles
Safe ways to translate it.
Do not diet the muscle off
Protein is the cut's seatbelt
The deficit needs guardrails
Exact answer pages
Questions that cite this source.
Protein and recomp answer
How much protein do you need for body recomposition?
Protein is one of the most reliable supports for body recomposition, but it is not magic by itself. Training creates the adaptation signal; protein helps support satiety, recovery, and lean-mass retention while calories are managed.
Fasting and fat-loss answer
Is intermittent fasting better than calorie restriction?
Intermittent fasting can work, but the responsible claim is that it works when the eating window makes the calorie deficit easier to sustain. It is not automatically better than ordinary calorie restriction, especially if the shorter window makes protein harder to hit.
Fat loss and muscle answer
How do you lose fat without losing muscle?
The muscle-protecting version of fat loss is not a crash diet. It is a controlled deficit, hard resistance training, enough protein, and cardio placed so it supports the plan without stealing recovery from the lifts.
Protein and hunger answer
Does protein help you stay full?
Protein can help many people feel fuller and make a fat-loss plan easier to repeat, but it is not a hunger off-switch. Its best coaching use is as a meal-structure anchor that protects lean mass and reduces the odds of random grazing.
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