CLINICAL STUDY: MEAL REPLACEMENTS
Martin Hedegaard
"Increased protein intake with the use of protein-enriched meal replacements compared with conventional protein intake and meal replacements in overweight subjects."
By Marion Flechtner-Mors, PhD, and Herwig Ditschuneit, MD; University of Ulm, Germany
What was the study about?
The study included 110 overweight people. These people were followed for a period of 12 months to see what effect different amounts of protein in the diet had on overweight people.
What were the test subjects supposed to do?
The first part of the study lasted three months.
One of the groups – the one with a high protein intake – followed a weight management program where two meals were replaced by Formula 1 shakes (the European formulation) mixed with milk and an additional protein supplement in the form of the European formulation of Personal Protein Powder.
The second group received a standard amount of protein through their diet.
They were not given any meal replacement shakes and were told to eat a standard amount of protein in a calorie-controlled diet that included a variety of foods.
During the remaining nine months of the study, both groups took one meal replacement shake per day, and the groups continued to consume a different amount of protein in their diet, as during the first three months.
What happened?
Overall, it was found that those who drank protein-enriched meal replacement shakes had more effective weight management than those who simply restricted their calorie intake.
The study also showed that when counting calories, drinking two Formula 1 shakes as a meal replacement was more effective for weight management than following a traditional diet.
Another significant result was that at the end of the study, 64% of people who had consumed a high amount of protein had a much lower risk of encountering health-related problems associated with being overweight, compared to 41% of people who consumed a standard amount of protein.
Have the results been published?
An excerpt – a brief summary – of the study was presented this year at the European Congress of Obesity in Geneva, and at The Obesity Society's international conference in Phoenix, USA.
The entire study has also been submitted to a reputable journal with a view to this journal publishing the study, and the authors are waiting to hear whether it has been accepted.
NOTE: A clinical trial is a study conducted by a group of researchers on test subjects to answer a set of questions or a hypothesis.
Marion Flechtner-Mors, PhD, is a member of Herbalife's Nutrition Advisory Board - NAB.
These results are no guarantee that others will achieve similar results.
Individual results from consuming Herbalife products may vary.
You can also find the original article here.