Potential risks associated with meal replacement for weight loss
Dieticians and nutritionists have identified that one of the potential complications and side effects that can arise with the usage of meal replacement products to aid and assist in weight loss objectives is that the dieter may become psychologically dependent upon them; given their relative ease of use and the convenience they can provide.
Stringent laws have been passed to ensure that meal replacement products for weight loss contain a minimum amount of both protein and vitamins (in the Unites States, this requirement is currently fixed at 200-400 calories per meal replacement product; with the additional requirements that there is a minimum protein ratio of 25% in addition to 23 of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals identified as being essential to dietary wellbeing).
However, a common side effect and concern associated with meal replacement products for weight loss is that they are lacking in dietary fibre and so this can cause potential problems and health risks for the dieters which are considered in more detail as follows.
Potential health complications associated with lack of dietary fibre
Certain types of dietary fibre are also known as fermentable fibres by virtue of the fact that the probiotic bacteria present within the gastrointestinal canal of the body will lead them to be fermented. A happy by product of this fermentation process is the production of the following:
- propionic acid
- acetic acid
- butyric acid
Of these, propionic acid is perhaps the most immediately significant to the overall health and wellbeing of the dieter and the reason for this that propionic acid itself serves to both reduce and effectively limit the production of the enzyme commonly known as HMG-CoA (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A).
This is significant because scientific studies have identified a potential link between the presence and concentration of HMG-CoA in the body, and an increase in both the production and intensity of low density lipoproteins. This in turn means that the cholesterol in the body will solidify resulting in a dramatic surge in the presence of arterial plaque.
Therefore, dieters who are currently committing themselves to a meal replacement for weight loss should be very cautious about their overall health and wellbeing; and maintain close contact with their physician at all times to ensure that they are doing more harm than good.
Benefits associated with meal replacement for weight loss programs
One of the most common remedies utilised with regards to the controlling and reducing problematic excess weight is that the obese person will be required to keep a journal in which they will outline and record their daily intake of food.
The purpose of this is to not only provide both the dieter and the healthcare professionals involved in the management of their case with an objective reference point with which they can assess the overall intake of essential nutrients; namely, protein, essential fats, vitamins, dietary minerals and of course, carbohydrates.
Part of the problem with many types of traditional food is that it is very difficult as well as tedious to try and measure the relative values of each of these different dietary requirements, and in some cases this maybe unrealistic, for example, where the dieter elects to eat in a restaurant.
The benefit of a meal replacement product in this specific context is that it will centralise the values of the various dietary requirements for the dieter; thereby making it far easier to monitor and track the intake of the various macronutrients.
In addition, these meal replacement products will effectively enable the dieter to be able to regulate their appetite more properly; thereby ensuring that capricious fluctuations in the blood glucose level of their body is not triggered. This is of significance because as clinical studies have clearly established, the skipping of breakfast will invariably result in greater temptation occurring for the consumption of a food item rich in refined sugar to compensate for the energy slump.
A common dilemma that many people will face in light of trying to strive for that all essential balance between obtaining the various macronutrients and dietary minerals in the diet and maintaining good health is trying to get protein without the presence of trans fats, and cholesterol.
Meal replacement for weight loss products tend to be very nutritionally dense, meaning that per unit of measurement (be it weight or volume), they contain a very high proportion of the aforementioned macronutrients. Specifically however, meal replacement products have a very high protein content meaning that the dieter will be able to consume these items without concerns of increasing the presence of triglycerides and the subsequent increase they have in the presence of low density lipoproteins (LDLs).
Meal replacement for weight loss products already have been reduced to the states that they would be had they been digested by the gastrointestinal system, and so the peptides of amino acids (which are the fundamental building blocks of proteins) are ready for immediate absorption and digestion within the body.
For people who have impaired gastrointestinal systems, or who are currently afflicted with starvation related apathy will find that meal replacement for weight loss products provide a convenient, metabolically complementary method of acquiring the various minerals and macronutrients for wellbeing.
When used properly and in the manner specifically mandated by the manufacturer/physician prescribing them, meal replacement for weight loss products can be an excellent ally in the weight reduction and control process. Some of the concerns raised in this article, specifically; the lack of dietary fibre that such products provide, can easily be rectified with some creativity and minor modifications to the diet of the person. In conclusion, a meal replacement for weight loss product is like anything else in life: when used in moderation, it is beneficial to health.