Here's a new study looking at the ratio of carbs to protein in weight loss.

Theola

__________________________
Human Nutrition and Metabolism
A Reduced Ratio of Dietary Carbohydrate to Protein Improves Body Composition
and Blood Lipid Profiles during Weight Loss in Adult Women1,2
Donald K. Layman*,3, Richard A. Boileau,**, Donna J. Erickson*, James E.
Painter*,, Harn Shiue, Carl Sather and Demtra D. Christou**

* Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition,  Division of Nutritional
Sciences and ** Department of Kinesiology, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801

3To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [log in to unmask]

Claims about the merits or risks of carbohydrate (CHO) vs. protein for
weight loss diets are extensive, yet the ideal ratio of dietary carbohydrate
to protein for adult health and weight management remains unknown. This
study examined the efficacy of two weight loss diets with modified
CHO/protein ratios to change body composition and blood lipids in adult
women. Women (n = 24; 45 to 56 y old) with body mass indices >26 kg/m2 were
assigned to either a CHO Group consuming a diet with a CHO/protein ratio of
3.5 (68 g protein/d) or a Protein Group with a ratio of 1.4 (125 g
protein/d). Diets were isoenergetic, providing 7100 kJ/d, and similar
amounts of fat (50 g/d). After consuming the diets for 10 wk, the CHO Group
lost 6.96 ± 1.36 kg body weight and the Protein Group lost 7.53 ± 1.44 kg.
Weight loss in the Protein Group was partitioned to a significantly higher
loss of fat/lean (6.3 ± 1.2 g/g) compared with the CHO Group (3.8 ± 0.9).
Both groups had significant reductions in serum cholesterol (10%), whereas
the Protein Group also had significant reductions in triacylglycerols (TAG)
(21%) and the ratio of TAG/HDL cholesterol (23%). Women in the CHO Group had
higher insulin responses to meals and postprandial hypoglycemia, whereas
women in the Protein Group reported greater satiety. This study demonstrates
that increasing the proportion of protein to carbohydrate in the diet of
adult women has positive effects on body composition, blood lipids, glucose
homeostasis and satiety during weight loss.

http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/133/2/411?etoc