There are different currents of thought on which is the best
diet of this kind, on how many proteins it should contain and on the timing of
implementation, it being understood that the diet should always be prescribed
by the qualified professional who can "design" it ad-hoc for specific
needs. of the subject.
We must also point out that the term high-protein diets
refers, in some cases but not always, to a slimming diet and which therefore
aims to reduce body fat.
However, it must be said thatfor example, body builders
follow high-calorie and even high-protein diets if we refer to the maximum
values of net proteins per gram of body weight which are recommended in the
LARN (recommended nutrient intake levels) and which do not exceed 0.8g per kg
of weight.
However, remember that a high-protein diet, if you do not
have to lose weight or increase muscle mass, has no reason to be and indeed can
become harmful, as we will see better later.
High-protein diet: slimming and hypertrophic benefits
As in everything, it is necessary to observe both sides of
the coin to fully understand what the advantages and disadvantages of a diet
like the high-protein one can be, let's start with the first ones.
Following a diet rich in protein, and low in calories and
carbohydrates, determines a series of effects that are undoubtedly very
interesting for those who want to lose weight or maintain mass, let's see them:
• high
amounts of proteins and therefore of amino acids in the blood associated with a
low presence of carbohydrates (glucose), keeps the levels of insulin low and
constant , a powerful hypoglycemic hormone which, among other things, can be
responsible for an easier accumulation of fat and nay manifestation of
appetite;
• it
improves the speed of the basal metabolism and therefore increases the
expenditure of calories at rest, a factor strictly connected with weight loss
since it makes it easier to satisfy an essential requirement for weight loss,
we are talking about the daily negative caloric balance;
• promotes
lipolysis also thanks to a greater thermogenic component of proteins, factors
that further promote the reduction of body fat for the same total calories
introduced into the body;
• it supports
the drainage of liquids as proteins are much more diuretic than carbohydrates
which, on the contrary, retain water in the tissues.
These are the positive and slimming effects associated with
the high-protein diet, instead we see those, always appreciable, but
attributable to improved results in maintaining the hypertrophic mass , and we
emphasize the word "maintenance" as it is not possible to increase
the mass without a caloric surplus, and therefore:
• increase
in the release of hormones such as testosterone and somatotropin (GH) ,
compounds capable of increasing the operating efficiency of cells in the
synthesis of new proteins and therefore of new muscle tissues, moreover
testosterone also acts very well on physical strength, another factor closely
connected with the increase in hypertrophic mass;
• direct
support for protein synthesis since the proteins that are introduced with the
high-protein diet contain the essential amino acids that our body uses as basic
building blocks for building new muscles.
The disadvantages of the high-protein diet
Even if you are completely healthy and very active in terms
of physical activity, a diet that is too rich in proteins and prolonged over
time can have side effects and also be very harmful in the long run.
Here are the main negative factors linked to a high-protein
diet, this time, both low-calorie and high-calorie , although it must be said
that in the case of high- calorie damage, the damage can be greater, as we will
see better later.
But here is an exhaustive list of the problems that can be
linked to the high-protein diet and therefore to an excessive presence of amino
acids in the blood:
• increase
in hepatic transamination and deamination processes which are the two metabolic
stages of the degradation of amino acids that takes place, in fact, in the
liver;
• increase
in the urea cycle process aimed at eliminating ammonia which is produced as a
sub-metabolite of the processes of degradation of amino acids and which is
particularly toxic for humans;
• incentive
to renal filtration processes as excess protein is excreted in the urine but it
must be said that some currents of thought report that it is a physiological
adaptation and not a manifestation that can result in kidney damage.
When to avoid a high-protein diet and when to follow it?
There are mainly two reasons that should lead us to avoid a high-protein diet, we are talking about problems related to kidney failure and calculosis pathologies , the latter very common today, affecting about 40% of the adult population.
The second reason that makes us avoid the high-protein diet
is linked to the absence of a real reason connected either with the need to
lose weight or with an increase in amino acid requirements induced by heavy
sports training, in particular by those with weights that are capable of
causing greater tissue damage to the muscles that requires greater quantities
of plastic substrates to be "repaired".
The reasons that instead lead us to try such a diet,on the
contrary, they are linked to the need to decrease body fat and increase lean
muscle mass.
In the first case the diet must be high-protein, low-calorie
and low-carbohydrate, while in the second it must necessarily be high-protein,
high-calorie and "hyper-glucidic".
High-protein diet for weight loss and mass, what are the differences?
From the considerations just made we can deduce that in
reality it is the calories that make us increase mass or decrease fat, while
proteins act as secondary support in the sense that in slimming diets they will
avoid excessive muscle catabolism and help lipolysis, while in those for weight
loss the mass will also be decisive for protein synthesis and therefore for
post-workout tissue recovery.
In any case, the main rule remains valid that sees the
negative or positive daily caloric balance as the main requirement to be met if
you want to lose weight or increase muscles.
Without going into the specific merit of diets high in
protein, whether they are slimming or hypertrophic, we can make ageneral
overview to understand what are the substantial differences between the two
types of nutrition , without prejudice to what we said at the beginning of this
article and that is that a diet must always be prescribed by a nutritionist or
dietician qualified to practice this profession.
All the advice and considerations that we will make below
can be taken into consideration by the reader at the full responsibility of the
same, as they do not in any way want to replace the professional's opinion.
Here are two practical examples of high-protein slimming and bulking diets:
• hyperproteic
slimming , will have a protein content from 0.9g to 1.5g net per kilo of body
weight according to the LAF, i.e. the level of physical activity, will then be
sized with low quantities of carbohydrates and medium-high quantities of
lipids;
• hyperprotein
to increase mass , it will be practically very similar to the previous one with
only two differences, even carbohydrates will have to make an important part of
the daily calories while fats will be consumed with a much smaller quantity,
let's say about 15-20% of the total calories.
In any case, these simple but effective tips should always
be followed to try to get the most out of your diet with the least chance of
incurring side effects or nutritional imbalances:
• prefer
white meat and fish as the main source of protein but do not completely exclude
the red one as the greater presence of cholesterol in it will be decisive for
the endogenous synthesis of some anabolic hormones such as testosterone;
• also
consumes dairy products but those with low fat content , slightly seasoned or
fresh and possibly also low in lactose, a sugar characteristic of milk
derivatives that brings with it unpleasant intestinal side effects, see
flatulence;
• completely
eliminate sausages , especially those with a high fat content and check that
what you eat, if preserved, does not contain nitrites and nitrates;
• alternate
legumes with meat and fish for part of the protein quota you take and do it at
least three times a week;
• take the
fraction of fat you need from dried fruit, extra virgin olive oil and whole
eggs, do not consume butter and other saturated fats in general.
The most famous high-protein diets
Among the diets of this kind we can undoubtedly recall some
very well-known ones that over the years have seen a considerable number of
"followers", although, in our opinion, there is also a factor linked
to the fashions of the moment to be considered.
Scardsale diet : it is a so-called lightning diet that is to be followed for short periods of time given its narrowness. It is characterized by high amounts of protein and low in both carbohydrates and fats (these taken only through protein foods), promises very, very sudden and difficult to recover weight loss by following a simple and not very stressful additional maintenance diet. Allowed foods are lean red and white meats, low-fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables.
Plank diet: another high protein much criticized over the
years but also loved by some who have achieved striking results in just two
weeks, is based on an almost complete absence of sugars, fibers, dairy products
and alcohol, practically only dimensioned with protein foods such as meats,
eggs and some salad is expected but lightly seasoned. It is a diet that aims at
a metabolic change that promises to maintain the results obtained for up to 3
years, all this theoretically.
Dukan diet, perhaps one of the most famous and appreciated
designed by the nutritionist of the same name Pierre Dukan and is characterized
by 4 phases, the first two to reduce weight and the last two to maintain it.
You can eat large quantities of the 100 foods provided, including oat bran
which is the main one and has a protein content of 17% crica, therefore very
close to that of red meat which has 20%. All the foods contained in the
relative list take us back to the origins of man at the beginning of times when
we were wandering hunters and gatherers.
There are also many other high-protein diets that promise to
give us striking results both in terms of weight loss and mass gain, but the
reality is that,in our opinion, the best diet is the one balanced in all
nutrients to which, necessarily, physical activity must be combined , both if
you want to lose weight and increase muscles, since sport is first of all a
means to feel good at a psychophysical level and not just a way to achieve
aesthetic results.
Which supplements for the high-protein diet?
As always if the diet is well dimensioned with normal foods
and is followed diligently, supplements can be regarded as superfluous.
The reality, however, is that in today's rather hectic life,
full of work and family commitments, in most cases it becomes very difficult to
consume all the meals provided only with normal food.
We therefore make a logistical discourse of practicality of
use , think for example of long work meetings that prevent us from consuming a
classic meal that can be replaced with a shaker or a protein bar, much simpler
and more discreet to consume even in presence of other people.
It should also be considered that some nutrients, useful for
the body for example as an aid to mass, are scarcely present in the foods we
generally eat , see for example:
• branched
bcaa enriched in leucine , an amino acid that is essential for muscle growth
processes;
• phosphatidylserine
, phospholipid that controls the presence of cortisol by decreasing the
potential catabolism caused by it;
• draining
and hepatoprotectors such as dandelion and milk thistle to decrease liver
stress and promote the elimination of toxins introduced with the high amounts
of proteins;
• replacement
meals in pre-dosed bags , these are mixtures of proteins, carbohydrates and
other anabolic or slimming compounds and will be chosen according to the goal
you want to achieve, therefore weight loss or muscle mass.
We conclude by remembering that the preventive opinion of the doctor is understood both to size the specific diet and to take supplements within it , especially if, as in the case of the high-protein diet, it is extreme and very restrictive.