It’s About Time and Protein

Build Muscle, Lose Fat
Consuming high-quality protein at every meal is a really important part of successful weight management and is key to retaining or building muscle. High-quality protein is defined as being highly digestible and containing all essential amino acids in the proper ratio for human nutrition. The accepted standard for rating protein quality is the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). The higher the PDCAAS, the higher the quality of the protein. NeoLifeShake has among the highest PDCAAS values on the market showing it to be a very high-quality protein source.

Burn More, Eat Less
There are a number of reasons that higher protein diets are useful to weight loss and weight management. First, the body burns more calories metabolizing protein than it does metabolizing fats or carbohydrates, so shifting to a higher protein diet will help your body burn more calories.¹ Then it is known that protein is really satiating—keeping you full for longer, so you are less likely to snack.² How does protein do that? First by slowing gastric emptying compared to carbohydrates and fats which makes you feel fuller, secondly by influencing the secretion of hunger and satiety hormones—the body’s energy balancing systems. Protein stops the secretion of ghrelin, and at the same time it stimulates the secretion of “satiety hormones” such as peptide YY (PYY), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and cholecystokinin (CCK).³ These satiety hormones make you feel satisfied and help curb your urge to eat.

Meal Timing and “Protein Pacing”
The latest research in protein consumption, nutrition and weight loss indicates that it is not only the consumption of protein that is important but also the time of day the protein is consumed that has a pronounced effect on satiety and weight loss. Research shows that consuming a protein-rich breakfast has a positive effect on satiety and helps to keep the satiety system activated throughout the day, which contributes to consuming fewer calories and to weight reduction.⁴ The satiety effects, as well as reduced hunger and cravings after consuming a protein-rich breakfast have even been measured in the brain using a high-technology technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).⁵

Recent research has also emphasized the benefit of regular protein consumption through the day—a concept which is called protein pacing. This means that it is far better for the body’s retention of protein and muscle building, to have a reasonable amount of protein (20-30g) at a few time points throughout the day rather than in a single high protein meal at the end of the day.^6,7

If at all possible it is also generally recommended to avoid late night dinners and take in more of the day’s calories earlier on in the day, either at breakfast or at lunch time.

So, to give yourself the best chance to lose fat and build muscle it is really important to incorporate high quality protein into your daily meal planning. NeoLifeShake, clinically proven in a leading research laboratory to have cardio protective benefits, reduce body fat and body size (including waist circumference) and to lower BMI, is a product you can trust to kick start your day and to help your weight management goals.⁸

References
1. Westerterp KR. Diet induced thermogenesis. Nutr Metab. 2004 Aug;(1)1:5.
2. Phillips SM, et al. Protein “requirements” beyond the RDA: implications for optimizing health. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016 May;41(5): 565-72.
3. Blom WA, et al. Effect of a high-protein breakfast on the postprandial ghrelin response. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Feb;83(2):211-220.
4. Leidy HJ, et al. Increased dietary protein consumed at breakfast leads to an initial and sustained feeling of fullness during energy restriction compared to other meal times. Br J Nutr. 2009 Mar;101(6):798-803.
5. Leidy HJ, et al. Neural responses to visual food stimuli after a normal vs. higher protein breakfast in breakfast-skipping teens: a pilot fMRI study. Obesity. 2011 Oct;19(10):2019-25.
6. Paddon-Jones D, Rasmussen BB. Dietary protein recommendations and the prevention of sarcopenia. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009 Jan;12(1):86–90.
7. Arciero PJ, et al. Protein-pacing from food or supplementation improves physical performance in overweight men and women: The PRISE 2 Study. Nutrients. 2016 May;8(5):E288.
8. Assessing the Efficiency of NeoLifeShake Protein-Based Meal Replacement Product on Weight Loss. Poster presented at: 2014 American College of Nutrition – 55th Annual Conference; 2014 Oct; San Antonio, TX.