Diets, protein and health
Some of the healthy eating regimes regularly featured in women’s magazines, especially as summer approaches, are far from being fad diets. And from the prevention of health risks associated with being overweight and worries about obesity, to the obsession with being thin, there are many different reasons for dieting.
Real risks exist however, and some of the star diets (like the Dukan, Atkins etc.) could provoke various deficiencies, which are potentially harmful to health. Even worse, according to a recent American study, diets based on a high intake of animal protein could actually increase the risk of mortality. And to top it all off, according to a recent French report, 8 out of 10 people who follow such a diet will put the weight back on in the space of a year!
Overall, it’s difficult to know which diet method to follow. However, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine1, it might be possible to avoid putting the weight back on after a weight loss programme, as long as you follow the way of eating afterwards…
Successful dieting to begin with…
As part of a large-scale European Commission funded project, a study was led over six months with the objective of finding a diet regime that would help prevent obesity. The study in question is called DIOGenes, for ‘Diet, Obesity and Genes’ 2.The method used was relatively simple: initially, a low calorie diet was followed by people deemed to be overweight (with an average BMI of 34). The same people then tried out different other types of diets so that the impact on how they managed to maintain their target weight could be measured afterwards.
In this way, 938 people from 8 different countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) followed a diet for 8 weeks whereby the daily amount of calories was based on 800kcal (up to 1000kcal maximum).
As a reminder, the recommended calorie intake for a normal diet is around 2000kcal, even though it can vary considerably according to gender, age, weight and level of physical activity (an inactive women of 38 does not have the same requirements as a sporty 20 year old man etc.).
In practical terms, this low calorie diet consisted of food substitute meals as well as a daily portion of 400g of fruit or vegetables. It is important to note that the substitute meals conformed to the European Commission health guidelines.3
At the end of the study, out of the 938 participants, 773 completed the 8-week diet, showing an average weight loss of 11kg, each of them having lost an average of 8% of their starting weight.
The best ‘after-diet’ diet…
Once the desired weight was reached, the participants were divided into 5 groups: one control group, and four others in which the diets varied in terms of GI, and carbohydrate and protein intakes. These diets were then followed for 26 weeks, totalling six months.Of course, the participants were not left to fend for themselves; they had the support of a dietician (every week for six weeks, and then once a month after this). It is interesting to note that one of the truly original aspects of this study was that participants included families as well as individuals. Researchers were of the opinion that if the whole family kept to the same diet, the participants would adhere to the regime more successfully. More than this, recipes and advice for cooking were passed around in families.
Out of the 773 participants who completed the six months, only 548 assiduously followed the diet regime assigned to them. After analysing the results, researchers found that the low GI and/or high protein diets prevented participants from regaining weight (just less than 1kg on average in six months).
Prof Arnes Astrup at the University of Copenhagen, and coordinator of the DIOGenes study, explains: “This confirms that the choice of diet after a period of slimming plays an important role in maintaining the target weight. Above all, it proves that there is value in a high protein intake during and after a diet, and that it can avoid muscle wastage and encourage the feeling of being full.”
Are high protein diets dangerous for your health?
The problem is that ‘high-protein’ diets have not had good press recently, and consumers are asking many legitimate questions about their safety. They sound like a good way to lose weight and stay thin, but at what overall price for health?The French food safety authority (Anses) has pointed the finger at high protein diets, outlining the risks of deficiency in essential nutrients as well as the risk of a yo-yo effect (rapidly losing and gaining weight). Another study, American this time, underlines the dangers of animal protein in such diets, instead advocating diets that are based on more vegetable proteins.
In a weight loss diet or during a regime to stabilise weight, the essential thing is not just to get enough protein in order to feel full, but also enough other foods to protect health – such as GI foods, like fruit, pulses and oleaginous fruit and nuts.
So the bottom line appears to be that ‘high-protein’ works to keep weight off, but too much animal protein can have negative health effects… so what should you do? Get out the nuts, seeds, wholegrains and pulses, and boost your post-diet protein intake without unreasonably increasing animal protein intake (meat, dairy).
