• Increased thermogenesis;
• Increased satiety;
• Hormonal regulation of hunger; and,
• Increased lean muscle mass.

Protein doesn't just help build muscle. Protein can also help us lose weight.

Increased Thermogenesis

Protein helps you burn more calories than fat or carbohydrates. While the reasons for this aren’t entirely understood, a possible theory is that because protein can’t be stored like carbs and fats, it needs to be processed immediately. Whereas the thermic effect of carbohydrates is only between 5 and 15%, and even lower for fat, the thermic effect of protein is between 20-35% of energy consumed.¹ This means that your body burns extra calories just by maintaining a high-protein diet. You lose weight with protein. How many extra calories? One recent study found that people consuming a 30% protein diet burned an extra 34kj/hour more over the study duration than those who ate a 15% protein diet.² This is about twice the thermic effect!

Increased Satiety

Scientific studies have consistently found that people on higher protein diets tend to feel less hungry for longer periods than those on low protein diets. Feeling more satiated for longer helps prevent snacking and taking in extra calories, which in turn aids weight loss. By how much? While this effect is difficult to isolate, at least 5 major studies have found that long term high protein diets have led to significantly higher levels of weight loss when compared to those on low protein diets. For example, a six-month long randomized trial on 132 obese subjects found that those consuming a 22% protein diet low in carbs lost more than 3 times as much weight on average than the group consuming a low fat and high carbohydrate diet consisting of just 16% protein.³

Hormones

Your gut releases many hormones that regulate how full you feel and how often you crave food. High protein diets have been found to induce your gut to release the greatest amounts of anorectic hormone peptide YY (PYY), which decreases hunger. A long term study of protein intake in mice found that higher protein levels increased plasma PYY levels, decreased food intake, and reduced their body fat.⁴

Increased Lean Muscle Mass

Muscles are your best friend if you’re trying to lose fat. Roughly stated, the more muscle you have, the more energy you burn, and the more likely you are to dip into your fat cells for that energy. Muscles help you burn extra energy even when you’re not working out. The more lean body mass you have, the higher your resting energy expenditure. For example, every 10 kg (22lb) difference in lean body mass translates to a difference in energy expenditure of approximately 100 calories a day.⁵

In addition to weight loss benefits, increased protein and lean body mass may be good for overall health. The author of a review article on protein and health in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that,

“abundant evidence points to a key role of altered muscle metabolism in the genesis, and therefore prevention, of many common pathologic conditions and chronic diseases. […] increasing protein or amino acid intakes may optimize muscle strength and metabolism and thereby improve health.”⁶

Not all proteins are equally as effective though, and some have added weight-loss benefits on top of those already mentioned. Undenatured whey protein works in conjunction with several other key ingredients found in GSH Ignite to increase intracellular glutathione levels. This is important in weight loss because it allows cellular respiration to increase, which means that your cells are better able to produce energy and get rid of toxins that tend to build up.

Just as consuming more energy than you burn causes your fat cells to grow larger, they can also grow as a result of accumulated toxins. When your fat cells are full of toxins they get congested – they can expand to several times their original size, which has the consequence of making you fatter also. When your cells have sufficient glutathione levels, then they can ramp up their metabolism and expel waste more efficiently. This means both leaner cells and an overall higher resting metabolic rate in your body. GSH-Ignite is a high quality source of easily digestible protein and other thermogenic aids, helping you to increase lean body mass and overall cellular health.

References:

1. Halton TL, Hu FB. The effects of high protein diets on thermogenesis, satiety and weight loss: a critical review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Oct;23(5):373-85.

2. Johnston CS, Day CS, Swan PD: Postprandial thermogenesis is increased 100% on a high protein, low fat diet versus a high carbohydrate low fat diet in healthy young women. J Am Coll Nut21 :55 –61,2002.

3. Skov AR, Toubro S, Ronn B, Holm L, Astrup A: Randomized trial on protein vs carbohydrate in ad libitum fat reduced diet for the treatment of obesity. Int J Obes23 :528 –536,1999.

4. Batterham, R.L. and Heffron, H. and Kapoor, S. and Chivers, J.E. and Chandarana, K. and Herzog, H. and Le Roux, C.W. and Thomas, E.L. and Bell, J.D. and Withers, D.J. (2006) Critical role for peptide YY in protein-mediated satiation and body-weight regulation. Cell Metabolism, 4 (3). pp. 223-233. ISSN 15504131

5. Robert R Wolfe. The under appreciated role of muscle in health and disease: review article. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 84, No. 3, 475-482, September 2006

6. ibid.

Copyright 2010 Elite Sports and Fitness

Strong adrenals also promote a healthy inflammatory response. Addressing chronic inflammation is crucial in the fight against aging, as it has been associated with age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke, amongst others.

As we age, our bodies descend into an increasingly catabolic state, which essentially means that tissues and muscle are breaking down instead of building up and growing, your body can no longer heal itself. By promoting an anabolic state,  your adrenals helps muscle regeneration and growth.

Adrenals = vital to regulate stress and metabolism.

The adrenals are a pair of endocrine glands that sit on top of your kidneys. They are responsible for regulating stress and controlling the body`s energy output in conjunction with the thyroid. They produce over 50 hormones and neurotransmitters, including adrenaline, cortisol and DHEA. They govern the sodium-potassium balance in the body, necessary to cellular energy production. They also initiate the fight-or-flight response when confronted by imminent danger or stress.

When humans lived in a more primal fashion, the fight-or-flight response was useful because it provided short, intense bursts of energy. Today, however, our modern lifestyle means that we are bombarded with multiple stresses daily. Chronic stress may overburden your adrenals, and over long periods of time it can cause serious mental and physical damage.

Another way in which the adrenals are weakened is through the use of stimulants such as caffeine. While substances such as coffee and energy drinks provide a quick pick-me-up in the moment, repeated use overloads the adrenals and can lead to health issues such as anxiety, fatigue, lower back pain and sleeping disorders.

The adrenals can also be weakened by sugar and other refined carbohydrates found in many processed foods, infection, extreme exercise, lack of sleep, virtually any chronic disease, and the use of prescription medications.

Do you feel constantly tired and run down? Do you need caffeine and sugar to get you through the day? Are you under frequent mental or physical stress? Do you have trouble coping with stress? Do you have a decreased sex drive? Are you frequently depressed or angry? Do you engage in frequent extreme exercise? Do you often have an upset stomach? Do you overeat and/or have experienced significant weight gain? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you may be overburdening your adrenals and producing an excess amount of cortisol.

The short answer: because it may be dangerous. Traditional DHEA supplementation has been the subject of much controversy. First, there is a possibility that it may cause your body`s natural production of DHEA to decline. Second, the body converts it into excess estrogen or testosterone, which can upset your natural hormonal balance and speed the development of certain cancers.

Copyright 2009 LifeHealthSecrets

I am also a fitness competitor. In 2007, I competed in the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation competition. I have since appeared in Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Magazine twice, once in 2008 and again in 2009.

For the past 3 months, I’ve been using Protein Extreme Energy one to two times a day. I’ve used protein powders before but none have given me the results I needed like Protein Extreme Energy. With Protein Extreme Energy, I build lean muscle mass and I feel great.

Copywrite 2009 LifeHealthSecrets