Protein bars are definitely admired by fitness enthusiasts. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and flavors. Many people choose protein bars as a quick breakfast or snack option. The amount of protein promised on the label is the main reason for its popularity among fitness enthusiasts. But what if a protein bar can help you lose weight? According to a new Spanish study, protein bars show potential as a weight loss agent.New research was presented at this year’s European Obesity Conference (ECO 2025) and published in the Journal Nutrition Protein bars that show collagen-containing protein may be a safe and effective weight loss supplement. Collagen, a protein commonly found in connective tissue. The researchers found that people with collagen-rich protein bars are rich in collagen and gain twice the weight compared to those who did not eat them. Participants also showed reduced blood pressure, waist circumference and liver function improvement.They may also add skeletal muscle and fat-free lumps.
“Many weight loss pills are very expensive. We are interested in collagen because it is a cheap and easy to access and is not aware of any side effects. It is also a compound familiar to the public. It is crucial that the structure of collagen can be modified so that it can absorb additional water, thereby increasing it in size. Weight loss,” Dr. Paola Mogna-Peláez, a researcher at the University of Navarra in Spain, said in a statement.
The researchers conducted a 12-week randomized controlled trial among 64 adults aged 20 to 65 with an average body mass index (BMI) of 29.65. All participants are advised to follow a Mediterranean-style diet. Half of the group were asked to eat a chocolate-flavored protein bar that contained 10 grams of collagen before lunch and dinner. Collagen comes from cattle and has been treated to absorb excess water, so the size of water consumption increases.At the end of the study, the protein bar group lost an average of 3 kg (6.6 lbs) in the control group, compared with 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) in the control group.
The collagen group was more hungry and fuller than the control group. The level of leptin is a hormone that induces satiety, and both groups fall in both groups, but is higher in the collagen group than in the control group. No side effects were reported.Previously, in animal experiments, collagen showed that collagen was reduced, a hormone, an appetite-stimulating hormone. The supplement’s original size in gastric acid also expanded almost 20 times, and has a lower digestibility.
“Our results indicate that, by swelling in the stomach, the collagen made the participants feel less hungry, which would have led to them eating less and so losing weight. Collagen may also have led to the participants building muscle, and we know that muscle burns more calories than fat. It is also possible that collagen changes the make-up of bacteria in the gut, which may aid with weight loss and appealite control,” Dr Mogna-Peláez said.
