by Elena Meli
A good amount of protein helps you get on the scale easily and without losing lean mass. Beware of high protein diets, they can be dangerous
If a good amount of protein is introduced into the diet, the overall quality of the diet improves and it is possible to lose weight but without losing lean body mass: this was underlined by research published in Obesity for which data from various clinical trials were reanalysed for weight loss.
Just increase the amount a little
If the amount of protein increases by a couple of percentage points on total calories (considering that in a normal diet without an increase in protein the amount is around 15 percent) the overall quality of food choices tends to improve, to the full advantage health as well as weight loss.
High protein fad diets
Many unbalanced slimming diets, in fact, lead to weight loss which however also implies a loss of muscle, not just excess fat as one would like. Protein diets, on the other hand, avoid all of this, guaranteeing weight loss that does not affect lean body mass, which, moreover, contributes most to keeping energy consumption up: having more muscles also means having a higher basal metabolic rate for the same body weight. Diets in which there is a lot of emphasis on proteins are also widespread because they work: proteins have a great satiating power, because they are stationed more in the stomach during the digestion phase, are absorbed slowly and therefore keep the appetite at bay for times longer. Diets with a high protein content are therefore easier to follow and naturally help reduce portions, furthermore insulin in the blood remains more constant, also reducing hunger peaks. By increasing proteins and reducing carbohydrates, as occurs in protein diets, the body no longer has adequate quantities of its usual fuel, glucose, and draws on fat reserves which are therefore reduced.
Precautions
Watch out for: if you only increase the proteins in the diet without cutting calories and therefore the other categories of nutrients at the same time, you will get the opposite effect, because the excess proteins are used to produce glucose and this can favor fat storage. With frankly high-protein diets caution is needed: they can only be feasible for healthy adults who want to lose weight, losing a few pounds relatively quickly and then returning to a balanced diet, but they need medical support and advice and must be followed for a period limited, adapting them to the conditions of those who practice them; trouble is almost certain with DIY and above all if the diet lasts for a long time.
The negative consequences
A high-protein diet can be followed for a few weeks, then causes consistent general imbalances that can ask a heavy bill for the kidneys and liver: excess proteins are managed by the liver and then filtered and eliminated by the kidneys, therefore a consistent protein load can compromise these organs, especially if their functionality is not perfect as can happen in people with diabetes or liver disease. The process of using fat instead of glucose as an energy source also produces ketones, substances which in excess become toxic causing generalized malaise, nausea, tiredness, digestive problems, headaches, electrolyte imbalances and therefore dehydration and muscle cramps. Furthermore, the brain, if forced to use ketones like petrol, loses lucidity and the mood worsens. Furthermore, many high-protein diets can compromise the correct absorption of mineral salts and vitamins or reduce their quantity in circulation, especially if they are rigid and restrictive and eliminate many categories of foods rich in complex carbohydrates such as legumes, fruit and vegetables; these being abundant in fibers, an almost immediate consequence is constipation. If they are unbalanced they can increase inflammation and oxidative stress in the intestine, altering the microbiota or the population of bacteria we live with in the digestive tract.
The choice of proteins
Furthermore, to follow a protein regimen that is also healthy, it is necessary to choose proteins well because they are not all the same: in order not to exceed with saturated fats, it is advisable to limit processed meats and cured meats, preferring white meats or lean cuts of beef or fish, which provides good polyunsaturated fatty acids. Protein-rich plant foods do not contain all the essential amino acids (they are the building blocks of proteins and those of animal origin are called noble because they also provide the eight amino acids that we cannot synthesize on our own), but they are excellent because they provide fiber and they do not weigh down the fat and calorie bill: legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas or soy or pseudo-cereals such as buckwheat, quinoa or amaranth, but also dried nuts, must and can be part of a high-protein diet. Vegetable proteins can account for at least half of the total protein intake, with clear advantages also in terms of environmental sustainability.
June 23, 2023 (change June 23, 2023 | 07:01)
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