Many popular commercial diets focus on protein as a way to control hunger and put you on the fast track to weight loss. These diets may put meats such as beef, lamb and pork on your daily menu. The Harvard School of Public Health casts some doubt that high-protein, meat-heavy diets are a healthy way to lose weight. The saturated fat in these foods may ultimately complicate your health.
High-Protein Diets
Of the six nutrients your body needs for optimal health, only three provide calories: carbohydrates and proteins give you 4 calories per gram, while fat gives you more than twice that number, at 9 calories per gram. But the claims behind some high-protein meat diets are that carbohydrate calories influence weight gain more than calories from other nutrients. Take the Atkins diet, for example, a popular commercial diet devised by cardiologist Robert C. Atkins in the early 1970s. According to MayoClinic.com, Atkins asserted that carbohydrates from sugar and refined grains make your body release more insulin, which in turn leads to weight gain and obesity. Prior to 2003, the meat-heavy Atkins diet was revised to restrict saturated fat and trans fat--one of the more pressing concerns Harvard and MayoClinic.com experts have about the effect of high-protein meat diets on your health.
Fat and Cholesterol
Diets high in saturated fat can raise your low-density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol levels, which puts you at risk for heart disease. Saturated fat is present in many meats, including fatty cuts of pork, beef and lamb, regular ground hamburger, sausage, bacon, hot dogs and many processed lunch meats. Dietary cholesterol, also a contributor to high blood cholesterol, is present in organ meats, such as liver. A 3-oz. serving of broiled prime rib has 330 calories and 18g of protein--but it also has 30g of total fat, 12 of which are saturated, and 70g cholesterol. Compare prime rib to a protein-rich, plant-based food: pinto beans. A cup of cooked pinto beans has 230 calories and 14g protein, but no dietary fat or cholesterol.
Other Concerns
High-protein meat diets--and high-protein diets in general--can contribute to existing liver or kidney problems, says dietitian Katherine Zeratsky for MayoClinic.com. Harvard Medical School researchers published results of a study in the March 2003 issue of "Annals of Internal Medicine" that revealed the effects of a high-protein diet on 1,624 women ranging in age from their early 40s to late 60s. A high-protein diet didn't affect kidney function in healthy women. However, research noted that "high total protein intake, particularly high intake of nondairy animal protein, may accelerate renal function decline in women with mild renal insufficiency." The Harvard School of Public Health also notes that consuming copious amounts of red meat and processed meats may increase your risk of colon cancer.
Why They Work
Carbohydrates won't make you gain weight; however, eating too many of them can. The Harvard School of Public health indicates that high-protein diets may result in more rapid weight loss--at least for the short-term. Meat, poultry, fish and beans move through your digestive tract at a leisurely pace, so you feel full longer. Protein also keeps your blood sugar from rising precipitously, which means you don't experience sudden hunger pangs. Harvard suggests that in the long run, a reduced-carbohydrate, reduced-fat Mediterranean diet gives you weight loss results that are just as favorable. If you do choose a high-protein meat diet, choose skinless chicken breast, fish, beans and lean cuts of beef and pork. To avoid potential health problems, Zeratsky recommends restricting a high-protein diet to no more than three or four months.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Fat and Calories
- MayoClinic.com; High-protein diets: Are they safe?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.; November 2010
- Harvard School of Public Health: Protein: Moving Closer to Center Stage
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source: Protein
- American Dietetic Association: Do Carbohydrates Cause Weight Gain?
- Nutrient Facts: Whole Broiled Prime Rib; Boiled Pinto Beans
Member Comments