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Meat in the Reducing Diet

Rush Medical College

Abstract

Nowadays countless reducing diets are being advocated, many of them falling into the class known as "fad diets" because they are unscientifically founded. In most cases these diets are lacking in one or more of the essential food constituents which are necessary to preserve the body in a state of health. While these inadequate diets may often accomplish the desired results of reducing the weight, they are generally harmful in that they weaken the resistance and bring about a condition of health more undesirable than the obesity which they have cured. Most of these diets, however, are so unsatisfaying that they are not adhered to for a long enough time to do serious damage.

The food constituent most often found lacking in the "fad diets" is protein. In fact it is usually reduced to such a low level that it is no longer possible to maintain nitrogen equilibrium, and physiological accidents are not uncommon. Diets which contain inadequate quantities of protein to replace the protein catabolism tend to lower the resistance, with the result of infectious degenerative lesions of vital tissue and a fall in blood pressure.

This study was prompted by the fact that more rapid weight losses were obtained when high protein diets were fed, and that patients were sufficiently satisfied to stay on such diets over a long period. It seemed advisable to study carefully a series of patients not only to obtain the desired results, but also to secure further evidence that there are no undesirable results from high protein diets.

Twenty-seven patients were studied, ranging in age from 14 to 67 years, or a span of 53 years. The weights varied from 317 to 133 pounds. The most obese patient was 185 pounds over-weight, and the nearest normal was a woman who was only 9 pounds overweight.

There were 21 women and 6 men, representing all walks in life: 1 school teacher, 10 housewives, 1 nurse, 2 school girls, 2 executives of manufacturing plants, 2 maids, 1 cashier, 1 clerk, 2 social workers, 1 traveling salesman, 1 librarian, 1 retired professor of music, 1 tailor and 1 unemployed. All were cases of non-pathological obesity, and all were in normal physical condition with the exception of two—one man with a type of heart disease that is seen usually in late life, and one girl who had a large tumor. All patients continued with their occupations, and at no time felt any physical discomfort. There was only one illness during the study, which was a post-operative convalescence. The kidney function of all patients was most carefully checked at intervals, and at the end of the experiment, and in no case was there any indication of any kidney damage.

The study covered varying periods from 4 weeks to 11 months, with the exception of two children who had been on the diet for 10 months previous to the beginning of this experiment, making the complete period for these two 21 months. Both were very much overweight, which accounts for the long time in obtaining the desired results.

The diet contained 2 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal weight, and calories of from 10 to 20 per cent below basal maintenance. All of the diets were well-balanced, containing all of the essential food constituents in adequate amounts for the protection of health. They were low in calories, and higher in protein than the daily diet of most individuals. Some of the diets contained as much as 14 ounces of lean meat per day. By 14 ounces is meant 14 ounces of cooked meat, which would require from 1 to 1 pounds of raw meat. Meat was used as the source of protein, because to obtain sufficient protein, a larger quantity of any other food was necessary than the patient would willingly eat, while no objection was made to extra large servings of meat.

The following is a sample diet containing approximately 1500 calories:

Before showing the results, it might be well to explain the experimental proof for the validity of the statement that a high protein diet has advantages that are not derived from any other type of diet in the reduction of obese individuals.

The patients were hospitalized at regular intervals for complete metabolic studies and kidney function tests. The caloric expenditure on 1 patient (L. H.), was measured by indirect calorimetry, on a high protein, and on an isocaloric high carbohydrate diet with sufficient protein to meet the minimum protein requirements of the body. The caloric expenditure on the high protein diet was 7 per cent above that on the isocaloric high carbohydrate diet.

Weights were recorded every two weeks throughout the period that they remained on the diet. The weight losses ranged from 10 pounds in 4 weeks to 66 pounds in 10 months. The average weight loss for the entire group was approximately 2 pounds per week.