If you have been reading iFit&Healthy for a while, you are probably well aware of the fact that protein promotes satiety, helps prevent overeating and when it comes to weight loss, protein is your friend.

But did you know that whey protein supplements pretty much work the same way? Yep, whey protein promotes the feeling of fullness and could also help prevent overeating. How does it do that?

The body tries to maintain a constant weight that scientists call the weight set point. Go on a diet and lose 20 pounds and the weight set point control mechanisms increase hunger and slow metabolism.

Protein and Weight Loss Connection High-protein meals help people lose weight because they prevent hunger. One reason may be that the amino acids that make up proteins are converted to blood sugar in the liver, which maintains a steady flow of nutrients to the brain.

A study from the University of California, Davis showed that whey protein increases the secretion of appetite-controlling hormones such as cholecystokinin. The main controlling center for the weight set point is in the hypothalamus, located in the lower part of the brain.

Brain chemicals and brain centers are part of a sophisticated system that regulates hunger, satiety, energy absorption, food transit time in the gut and metabolic rate. Cholecystokinin, released while eating whey protein, promotes satiety and prevents overeating. [sources: Physiology & Behavior, FitnessRX]