Science presents new information on health and nutrition every day, it seems. Entrenched beliefs are shattered by new studies that prove that what was once an accepted and commonly accepted theory is no longer valid. Food X causes cancer one week and then a week later it is promoted as a cancer preventative. Some foods are said to protect you from one condition, but increase your risk of another, making you choose which condition you are least afraid of. If you believe everything you read about the food you eat and the beverages you drink, you may be confused at best and scared to death at worst. After all, your health depends on what you eat and drink, and science can’t agree on which are good or bad. What do you do for a living?
Protein, one of the three main macronutrients, is also one of the most controversial. For years, protein has been alternately the darling and the demon of the American diet. During the Atkins diet craze, protein was hailed as a miracle, and people were told to eat tons of the nutrient as well as large amounts of fat by default, ignoring carbs—even the healthy complex carbs that really We need to have.
After those diets stopped working properly and became difficult to maintain long-term, they were abandoned. Healthier dietary alternatives have replaced the Atkins diet, including the Mediterranean diet, the South Beach diet, and the Zone diet, which, while higher in protein than other diets, focus more on balance and also maintain important complex carbohydrates in food. . All of these diets also focus on low-fat protein sources, making them healthier than the old Atkins plans.
There are other advantages and disadvantages regarding protein that are being found by science. There are a few studies involving animals at the moment, but they will no doubt move to human research in the coming years.
Protein for menopausal symptoms
Menopause affects all women in different ways. Every year, some 4,000 women enter the phase of their lives known as the menopause, a phase in which they will spend up to a third of their lives. Some of the most common symptoms of menopause range from: hot flashes, vaginal dryness, increased risk of osteoporosis, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and physical discomfort, including bloating.
An article published on Inscience.org shows that a higher level of a particular protein can help with the problem of abdominal pain caused by bloating in menopausal women. Protein does not reduce swelling itself, it only reduces the feeling of pain and discomfort. In addition to showing promise in reducing the discomfort of bloating, it can also be used to treat other gastrointestinal disorders.
Additionally, soy-based proteins may be beneficial in reducing other symptoms of menopause, including a 45% decrease in hot flashes and a decrease in risk factors for osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
A particular form of soy protein, miso, has been shown to reduce the risk and incidence of breast cancer in Japanese women, as well as increase bone density in postmenopausal women. According to a study conducted by the Japan National Cancer Center, women who ate three or more bowls of miso soup had a 40% lower chance of developing breast cancer. Menopausal symptoms were also alleviated in just 4 to 12 weeks after starting daily consumption of the miso soup.
Myths dispelled
In addition to the research that is finding new information regarding protein, there are studies that claim to refute or at least dilute some of the concerns involving protein and protein intake. One of them, in relation to osteoporosis, shows that the previously held theory that protein intake increases the risk of this bone-destroying disease has been shown to be true only in certain people who are likely to have developed osteoporosis regardless of diet. . Early studies suggested that higher levels of protein caused greater calcium excretion by increasing blood acidity. To buffer this high-acid blood, the body draws minerals, including calcium from bone stores, depleting those minerals.
What the American Dietetic Association says about supplements
In December 2009, the ADA released a document that discussed its new and updated position on the use of nutritional supplements and why there were still problems with doing so for the general public. The ADA reported that their main concerns about any type of supplement, including protein supplements, is the lack of awareness on the part of consumers. However, the ADA agreed that, with proper education, supplements could be a beneficial part of a healthy diet. Nutrients need to come from healthy foods, but in cases of deficiency, using a supplement can be a perfectly beneficial way to improve health.
While the ADA did not specify any particular type or brand of supplement, there are many to choose from on the market.
More research-related protein news
A research discovery of a particular protein could lead to a potential cure for Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s causes a wide variety of symptoms and can affect each patient differently. There are currently medications intended to alleviate some of these symptoms, but none that specifically target the disease itself. This new discovery could bring science closer to a cure by allowing them to trace exactly how it starts and progresses in the brain.
Another study has shown that a particular protein that is produced in the body might work to help maintain nerve health. The absence of these proteins was shown to lead to diseases of the central nervous system, while misshapen versions of the protein also lead to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Currently, the effects of this protein have only been studied in animals, but the study in humans should follow.