Download High Protein Diets for Weight Loss May Cause Your Body to Lose

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High Protein Diets for Weight Loss May Cause Your Body to
Lose More than Just Fat
The popularity of high-protein diets is skyrocketing as evidenced by
the overwhelming number of low-carb dinner entrées, snack bars,
and beverages found on grocery store shelves. Although many
followers of high-protein diets attest that they do lose weight, such
diets may cause a deficiency of key minerals and vitamins in the
body.
High-Protein Diets for Weight Loss: How Do They Work?
So, you’ve read about the Atkins diet or perhaps you’ve talked to a few friends and acquaintances
and learned about the weight-loss and health benefits of following a high-protein diet. For several
years now, the high-protein diet fad has swept the United States. A quick glance at grocery-store
shelves brimming with low-carb alternative bars, juices, breads, sauces, dressings, and other lowcarb offerings attests to the widespread appeal and popularity of these diets.
Promoters of high-protein diets assert such diets trigger weight loss because protein—not
carbohydrates—helps the body burn more calories when it converts protein to glucose, also known
as gluconeogenesis.
High-protein diet advocates also argue that such diets help people shed pounds because by
switching to a high-protein diet and eliminating carbs, it triggers a state called ketosis whereby a
person’s metabolism switches from a carbohydrate-burning metabolism to a fat-burning metabolism.
People on protein diets often state that increased protein helps them stay satiated and feel full longer.
Protein seems to act as an appetite suppressant, which can significantly curb or eliminate the calories
people might consume from snacks between meals.
The purpose of this article is not to answer the question whether high-protein diets are effective or
not. The research is inconclusive; some clinical studies report they are effective while others do not.
To answer that question, there are a multitude of articles one can find on the Internet expressly
High-Protein Diets for Weight Loss May Cause Your Body to Lose More than
Just Fat
devoted to debating the effectiveness of high‐protein diets for weight loss. Rather, the purpose of this article is to draw attention to specific health concerns and issues each individual should consider in relation to his/her overall health and well‐being before deciding whether these diets are right for him or her. Losing More than Fat
If you are considering switching to a high‐protein diet or if you are currently following such a diet, you should be aware that high‐protein diets may affect the nutritional status of crucial minerals and vitamins. Unlike certain vitamins, such as vitamin D, which are manufactured by the body, your body can’t make minerals. You must obtain them from your diet and/or supplementation. Minerals are the building blocks for health. Single‐handedly and combined with vitamins found in the foods we eat, they perform numerous critical biological and biochemical functions. The late Mildred S. Seelig, M.D., M.P.H., M.A.C.N, a founding member of the American College of Nutrition, documented that a high‐protein diet increases the excretion of magnesium.1 Magnesium is an essential mineral. It is a co‐factor in over 300 enzyme reactions in the body, especially those reactions which involve the metabolism of food components and the formation of new compounds essential for good health.2 The body also uses magnesium for enzymatic reactions in the body that convert adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy storage molecule, into active energy. Besides these important functions, magnesium participates in protein synthesis, DNA manufacture, fatty acid synthesis, the breakdown of glucose; and the removal of toxic substances, such as ammonia, from the body.2 For women, magnesium teams with calcium to build, support, and maintain strong, healthy bone structure. “High‐protein diets can deplete magnesium, calcium, important trace minerals, and vitamins.” Besides magnesium, high‐protein diets can deplete calcium, important trace minerals, and vitamins. High‐protein diets may cause a marked acid load to the kidney, decrease calcium balance, and increase the risk for bone loss.3 Calcium is necessary for bone and teeth formation, but the body also uses it for muscle contraction and relaxation. Like magnesium, calcium is required to activate certain enzymes, and it participates in important metabolic functions of involving vitamins A, C, D, and E, phosphorus, and magnesium. More than 99 percent of the bodyʹs calcium is stored in the bones and teeth, while the physiologically active ionized form of calcium is found in the blood.4 In the U.S., there are approximately 1.5 million fractures annually with an associated price tag of $13.8 billion in medical care costs.4 Women already have an increased risk for osteoporosis and those who are following a weight‐loss diet should be aware of the potential impact their food choices can have on their long‐term health and quality of life. 2
High-Protein Diets for Weight Loss May Cause Your Body to Lose More than
Just Fat
An additional health concern associated with a diet emphasizing protein is the increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers at Wageningen Center for Food Sciences and Wageningen University in the Netherlands found in a study of healthy men ages 18 to 44 that eating a diet high in protein increases postprandial levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked with heart disease and stroke. Homocysteine can be lowered with folate and vitamins B‐6 and B‐12.5 A final health concern that high‐protein diets present is the limited access to a range of fruits and vegetables, which provide essential nutrients your body requires and reduce the risk of developing certain diseases. Many people who eat high‐protein diets eschew fruits and vegetables, yet feel they can eat as many high‐fat, high‐protein foods as they want. Limiting one’s diet to only include high‐
protein foods not only severely restricts one’s food choices, but eliminates important and beneficial macro‐ and micro‐ nutrients from one’s diet. Essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, trace minerals such as boron, and antioxidant vitamins, like A,C, E, are found in many fruits and vegetables. Besides providing vitamins and minerals, vegetables and fruits also provide fiber, which reduces one’s risk of developing colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of death in the U.S. A 2002 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association urged adults to take a multi‐
vitamin/mineral supplement because first, most people do not consume an optimal amount of nutrients from diet alone, and second, suboptimal intakes of certain vitamins are a risk factor for certain chronic conditions.6 A multi is a good idea for anyone eating a high‐protein diet, as is considering supplementing with additional essential elements such as magnesium and calcium. Although dietary supplements are not a substitute for a well‐balanced diet, they, when combined as part of a holistic health plan involving exercise and eating a balanced diet, offer an additional tier of support. Supplements can help bridge the nutritional gap by providing additional essential vitamins, minerals, other important micronutrients to help meet your body’s complex daily nutrient requirements.
References:
1. Seelig MS. “Human Needs for Magnesium are Not Met by Most People” (2001) Mineral Resources
International.
2. Magnesium. The American Society for Nutritional Sciences. Retrieved April 22, 2005 from
http://www.nutrition.org/nutinfo/content/magn.shtml
3. Reddy ST, Wang CY, Sakhaee K, Brinkley L, Pak CY. Effect of low-carbohydrate high-protein diets on
acid-base balance, stone-forming propensity, and calcium metabolism. Am J Kidney Dis. 2002, Aug;
40(2):265-74.
4. Calcium. The American Society for Nutritional Sciences. Retrieved April 22, 2005 from
http://www.nutrition.org/nutinfo/content/calc2.shtml
5. Verhoef P, van Vliet T, Olthof MR, and Katan MB. A high-protein diet increases postprandial but not
fasting plasma total homocysteine concentrations: a dietary controlled, crossover trial in healthy
volunteers. Amer J Clin Nutr. 2005, Sep; 82(3):553-58.
6. Fletcher RH, Fairfield KM. Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: clinical applications.
JAMA. 2002 Jun 19; 287(23):3127-9.
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