How does protein improve fat loss?

You may have heard before that having a somewhat high-protein intake helps you lose more fat. But exactly how does protein improve fat loss? And how much protein is enough? Let’s dive into!
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The first reason a high-protein diet is beneficial is that protein has a high thermic effect. The thermic effect of food refers to how many calories your body burns to digest nutrients. Per 100 kCals of protein that you consume, roughly 20-30 kCals are burned for digestion [1]. This is higher than the thermic effect of carbohydrates or fats. So when you increase your protein intake, you increase your daily energy expenditure. The increased energy expenditure helps you create a larger calorie deficit.
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Also, protein is usually quite filling. Multiple research reviews show protein is more filling than carbohydrates and fats, making it easier to feel satisfied while in a calorie deficit. [2, 3]. Lastly, protein improves muscle maintenance [4]. If you consume enough protein in a day, the majority of your weight loss while in a calorie deficit comes from fat and not from muscle. See the last slide of this post for more details.
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As to how much protein you should consume per day, anywhere between 1.6-2.2g/kg of your body weight is a good aim [5]. Overweight and obese individuals can also use goal bodyweight to calculate protein needs.
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References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8400596/
2. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/5/1558S.full
3. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0174-y
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19927027
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28698222