Hyderabad: Prescription of protein supplements to pregnant women, teenagers indulging in sports, and enthusiasts looking for quick ways to lose weight has seen a sharp rise.
Interestingly, even non-vegetarians are being prescribed proteins despite following high-protein diets, raising doubts about the manner in which these supplements are being doled out by nutritionists and physicians.
Dr Anand Joshi, an intensivist and physician said, “Non-vegetarians get lots of proteins in their food and they do not need extra protein. Pregnant women are prescribed protein only when they are found to be deficient.
“The first option is to get the patient to eat high protein food so that the body gets it naturally. Despite that, if there exists a deficiency are supplements prescribed. But only for a short while,” Dr Joshi said.
Protein supplements are prescribed to body builders and athletes for muscle mass and a good physique but they are not needed for regular gym workouts where fitness levels are the priority.
The protein supplement business has grown exponentially into a billion dollar industry. It’s also been marketed as a carbohydrate replacement, which has ensured that there are many takers for it as it is an easy and quick method to reduce weight.
Online booking of protein supplements has also seen a rise where people are buying the supplements without evaluating whether their body really requires them.
The protein supplements market in India is growing at 6 per cent and as per a 2009 survey, was valued at Rs 252 crore annually.
Another estimate shows that the world will be chewing and gulping down nearly $12 billion worth of protein bars, drinks and other supplements by 2017.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US recommends a daily consumption of 56 grams of protein for an average man and 45 grams for a woman. Age is an important factor for this recommended amount and experts opine that protein intake comes from the food that one eats all of which are from natural sources and not chemical substitutes.
Why and why Not
Whey is the watery portion of milk that separates from curd when making cheese.
Benefits: Whey protein is used for improving athletic performance, as an alternative to milk for people with lactose intolerance, for replacing milk-based infant formulas and also reversing weight loss and increasing glutathione in people with HIV disease. It is also used in preventing allergies in infants, late-stage cancer and colon cancer.
Side-effects: Increased bowel movements, nausea, thirst, bloating, cramps, reduced appetite, fatigue and headache.
Vegetarians
Natural protein
Low-fat cheese slices
Yogurt
Slim-milk paneer
Soya nuggets, soya milk
Whole grains in good quantity
Supplements
Soy protein, whey protein, Hemp protein, milk-based protein casein.
The elderly, who consume less food
Milk-based proteins
Natural yogurt
Peanut protein
Whey protein
Soy protein
Hemp protein
Protein
Positives: Protein helps build muscle but it’s related to its use. One must lift weights and workout regularly for the effects to be seen.
Side-effects: Fat gain – Adding extra protein to the body means adding extra calories. Hence an equal amount of physical activity is required to lose that extra weight.
Bone loss: High intake of protein generates a large amount of acid in the body. The kidneys then try to restore the balance of acid by excreting more acid and the skeleton releases calcium, which also gets lost in urine. This loss of calcium increases the risk of osteoporosis.
Kidney damage: High protein diets can put increased strain on the kidneys due to excess waste products called ketones that are generated and the need to excrete them. This reduces the healthy functioning of kidneys over a long period of time.
Dehydration: A high protein intake without enough carbohydrates builds up toxic ketones in the body due to which the kidneys are stressed. There’s also loss of fluids due to excess sweating during exercise. For this reason, in extreme cases, severe dehydration is also found to affect the heart.
Protein just one letter in diet alphabet
Experts say that a balanced diet containing the ideal amount of protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and micronutrients is important to keep the body healthy. Taking too much of one component and ignoring the others is not the solution.
Nutritionist Madhurima said, “Natural foods are the best sources of all the nutrients for the body. If a person has gone through a stressful condition like a major operation or is severely deficient in nutrients, only then are these supplements prescribed. But we are finding more and more people opting for nutrient supplements without understanding whether they really need them. Is their body deficient or are they overloading themselves with one supplement?”
Specific dietary supplements like vitamin D and B12 are given when it is found that a person is deficient in the same. But the present trends show a behavioural change where purchasing a product is more easy than cooking it and more and more people are opting for easy and convenient options.
The effectiveness of the supplement is not analysed before using it. Nutritionists say that protein prescriptions have to be individualised, based on dietary habits and present requirements. If they are prescribed through proper assessment, then the issues of misuse are easily taken care of.
At the same time, the duration of the usage has to be specified because people need to understand that it is only for a short period.
Stoned? Don’t blame protein
An aspiring sportsman was prescribed 45 gm of protein per day without going into his nutritional history. This led to the kidneys overworking, apparently causing kidney stones.
Nutritionist Dr Janaki Srinath said, “The sportsman was already on a high protein diet of chicken, fish and dals. To add to this the supplement of 45 gm was prescribed every day which led to the problem.”
But kidney stones can be caused by a variety of reasons, and protein may not be the one to blame. Dr Pradeep Deshpande, a senior nephrologist, offered an explanation: “Protein supplements alone can’t cause stones. The person must be on a high protein diet and also drinking less water. Stones are usually formed when the intake of water is not adequate. Also, too much of intake of green leafy vegetables and tomatoes is a common cause for kidney stones in India.”
