Individuals who want to lose weight may want to consider cutting back on the amount of meat they eat, according to the findings of a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers studied more than 370,000 individuals for a period of five years.

According to Reuters, they found that both men and women gain an average of about a pound each year. However, the more meat individuals consumed, the more weight they gained, even if they were consuming the same amount of calories overall.

"Our results suggest that a decrease in meat consumption may improve weight management," the study’s authors wrote.

Researchers say poultry was associated with the biggest weight gain, followed by processed meats and red meat.

They say the reason meat eaters may gain more weight may be contributed to the fact that meats are more energy-dense than other foods since they contain more calories by weight than fruits and vegetables.

Researchers suggest that individuals who want to lose weight cut their daily meat intake by about a half-pound.

"More importantly, our results do not support that a high-protein diet prevents obesity or promotes long-term weight loss, contrary to what has been advocated," the authors wrote.