Should you drink protein for weight loss?

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It all depends on your diet.

What is protein

Protein powder is a dietary supplement that consists of protein separated from other components. It is obtained from milk, eggs, soybeans, peas and other high-protein foods.

Once in the body, protein behaves in the same way as protein in food - it is broken down into amino acids and used to produce energy, create enzymes and build new tissues.

Typically, people buy protein in an attempt to build muscle: a high amount of protein is essential for muscle hypertrophy. However, protein supplements are also useful for those who just want to lose those extra pounds.

How protein helps you lose weight

Numerous scientific works show,,,, that a high amount of protein helps to get rid of extra pounds of fat, moreover, both during strict diets and without any restrictions on the number of calories.

For example, in one experiment, over six months of a high-protein diet (25% protein, 30% fat, 45% carbohydrates), participants lost 9 kg of weight and 7, 6 kg of fat. At the same time, people ate as much as they wanted, and chose the dishes on their own.

Below we will take a closer look at the mechanisms by which protein helps to lose weight.

Reduces the feeling of hunger

Protein increases the amount of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GGP-1), cholecystokinin (CCK) and peptide YY - hormones that affect the feeling of satiety, and also reduces the level of the "hunger hormone" ghrelin.

In addition, a high amount of protein in the diet increases the synthesis of enzymes that trigger the production of glucose in the liver and its subsequent conversion into glycogen. The brain receives a signal that there are enough nutrients, and the feeling of hunger subsides.

These protein features help you feel fuller longer after a meal and generally eat less even without calorie restrictions.

Increases resting energy expenditure

After eating, the body needs a certain amount of energy to process and absorb it. This effect is called food thermogenesis.

The assimilation of fats takes only 0–3% of their nutritional value, carbohydrates require a little more - 5–10%. But in order to process protein, the body has to spend 20-30% of the energy received from food.

Thus, due to nutritional thermogenesis, protein increases the metabolism at rest: you spend more calories without any exercise, which helps to get rid of extra pounds faster.

Supports Lean Muscle

When the body is at rest, about 50-80% of all energy is spent on maintaining muscle mass, while adipose tissue spends almost no calories. Thus, the more muscles a person has, the more energy he spends.

In the process of losing weight, you lose not only fat, but also a certain percentage of muscle mass, and the stricter the diet, the more muscle will burn. Protein helps maintain muscle mass and a high metabolic rate even without strength training, and even increase it with training.

Who Should Try Slimming Protein Powder

In most studies on the benefits of protein for weight loss, protein accounted for 27-30% of total calories, or 1-1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight.

You can easily get this amount from simple foods and get all the benefits described above, as well as vitamins and minerals.

Consider buying a protein powder if you:

• Eat small and irregular meals … Drinking a protein shake is much easier and faster than eating 200 g of chicken breast or a pack of cottage cheese.
• Eat a vegetarian diet … Protein from plant foods is less digestible than protein from animal sources, so it can be problematic to reach your daily requirement without meat, dairy products and eggs.
• Afraid to overdo it with calories … Protein powder is much lower in carbs and fats than regular foods, so with a supplement, you can cover your protein needs without making too much dietary choices.

Who Shouldn't Use Protein for Weight Loss

The oxidation of protein amino acids increases the burden on the kidneys and, in the long term, increases the risk of stone formation.

In healthy people, even 2.8 g of protein per kg of body weight per day does not affect kidney function, but if you have problems with this organ, it is worth considering other methods of losing weight.

How to choose a protein for weight loss

There are many types of protein powder:

• Whey - protein from cow's milk, effective for losing weight and maintaining muscle mass, and at the same time quite cheap. Whey protein concentrate contains 10–55% lactose, isolate - only 0.5% milk sugar. If you are lactose intolerant or have a strict carbohydrate restriction, choose the latter. But keep in mind that it costs more.
• Casein is another protein derived from milk. It is rich in calcium and phosphorus, is well absorbed by the body and slows down the emptying of the stomach. From reaction with stomach acid, casein turns into a clot, which is slowly digested, gradually giving up amino acids and providing a feeling of fullness for a long time.
• Egg is the best protein for satiety, but also one of the most expensive. It's no coincidence that scrambled eggs have become a classic breakfast dish: egg white is almost completely absorbed by the body, suppresses hunger for a long time and makes people eat less in the next 24 hours.
• Beef - even better than whey for weight loss. In one experiment, participants on this type of protein lost 2.5% more fat than those who drank whey.
• Pea - Suitable for vegetarians, provides the same feeling of fullness as whey protein and casein.
• Soy and rice - also suitable for vegetarians. These types are less effective than whey protein for reducing fat, waist circumference and hunger, but still give better results than carbohydrate supplements or no extra protein.

How to consume protein for weight loss

Protein powder is diluted in water or milk, and is also added to dishes and desserts: cookies, pancakes, muffins, cheesecakes.

To find out how many grams of protein you need to eat per day, determine your daily protein intake, and then at least roughly calculate how much you eat in your regular meals.

For example, if you weigh 70 kg, your daily allowance would be 70–112 g of protein. If you eat three times a day and get about 25 g of protein from regular foods in each meal (75 g total), you will have to drink another 37 g of protein to completely cover your protein needs.

If you consume less protein with your regular meals, you can increase the dose of protein, but try to consume it in portions of 20-25 g at a time: this amount is guaranteed to be absorbed by the body.

How Long Can You Drink Weight Loss Protein?

High-protein diets lasting 6 to 12 months are not harmful to health, but whether it is safe to eat this way for a longer period is unknown.

For example, one cohort study found a relationship between high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets (averaging 76 grams of protein and 208 grams of carbohydrates per day) and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Perhaps these results are associated with a high intake of meat and milk - both of these foods are high in protein, but at the same time increase the risk of cancer. It can be assumed that if you increase your protein levels with powdered protein, it will not cause negative health effects.

To reduce the risks, add more healthy foods with carbohydrates to your diet: grains and legumes, vegetables, fruits and berries. They will provide the vitamins, antioxidants and fiber you need to keep your cardiovascular system healthy and reduce inflammation in your body, which is the cause of many serious diseases, including cancer.