Fat is the Regulating Nutrient for Body Composition, Not Protein

This essay first published on August 27th 2010. A major study released in 2023 very loosely supporting this theory.

I’ve had this on my mind since the Spring of 2010. I even wrote a rough draft of what follows before my travels to Europe.

I have since scrapped that, and have decided to begin anew.

As the title suggests, my working hypothesis is this: fat intake is the defining factor for body composition.

Now, for those neck deep in conventional wisdom, this makes a lot of sense – if taken to mean that fat intake will determine whether or not one is “fat”.

“Eat fat get fat.”

“Eat less fat get skinny.”

Yikes.

Well, for those that are long time readers of this blog, or otherwise aware that fat is a gift from Zeus himself, you know very well that this is not the idea I am supporting or looking to perpetuate in any way.

What I am suggesting more literally is this: (proper) fat intake determines body composition in all senses of the term.

Not only body fat levels, but muscle mass as well – contrary to popular opinion that excessive protein intake is the be all end all for promoting muscular hypertrophy within th…