A lot of obese and overweight women want to shed some extra pounds and the fact that they just reached menopause doesn’t detour then at all. But one of the methods used for weight loss might prove more dangerous than healthy, for women at least.
I’m talking about a high protein diet.
Scientists studying the effects of osteoporosis and possible causes for low bone density discovered a link between a high protein diet and an increased osteoporosis risk in women.
Dr. Wayne Campbell, professor of foods and nutrition divided test subjects into two study groups. Both groups consisted of post menopausal women with age ranging from 43 to 80.
In the first group scientists reduced the women’s daily caloric intake by 750 calories with a meat free diet. Protein sources included dairy, plant based and eggs.
The second group had a high protein diet consisting mainly from meat sources such as pork, chicken and beef.
After 12 weeks of study, both study groups averaged a 19 pounds weight loss. The only problem was that women on the high protein diet lost bone mineral density.
These results convinced doctors that a second study was needed to prove if meat based diets are to blame. And such in the second study the women were given a 1.250 calorie diet for nine weeks. All of the participants were given the same base 1000 calories vegetable diet, the only difference between study groups being the 250 calories left.
Some were given chicken for the remaining 250 calories, some pork and some beef. Once again all the women who had a energy reduced diet lost weight, but the women who consumed a high protein one also lost bone density and presented increased risk of osteoporosis.
Based on these results it is clear as day that if you are an overweight woman at menopause and you want to lose weight, stay away from high protein diets.
If you really want to lose weight, do so in a healthy fashion with a mainly raw food diet and daily exercise, like walking for exercise.
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July 13, 2010
Weight Loss News