Is weight loss only possible through surgery and medication? Study: High-protein diet is effective in increasing muscle and reducing fat

According to the Health Promotion Statistical Yearbook published by the National Health Administration, the overweight and obesity rate among adults from 2017 to 2020 has reached 50.3%. In the 2020 Global Obesity Report of the World Health Organization (WHO), Taiwan ranked first in the prevalence of obesity in East Asia. What's a good way to lose weight? In addition to surgery and drugs to help improve obesity, large-scale clinical studies have shown that if the human body consumes enough protein, it will cause weight loss, and the person will become healthy and beautiful.

Guo Zhiwei, chief physician of general surgery at the Zhongxing branch of Taipei Municipal United Hospital, said that obesity can cause various diseases, such as high blood pressure, high blood lipids, diabetes, sleep apnea, non-alcoholic fatty liver, degenerative arthritis, etc., and even increase the risk of cancer, so obesity is a health problem that Chinese people should pay attention to.

WHO has defined obesity as a chronic disease. The causes of obesity include genes, lifestyle habits, environment, personality, physical health and other factors, but the most important one is related to diet.

With the development of biotechnology, surgery and drugs have helped to improve obesity, but the principle behind these weight control management methods is to force obese patients to eat less to achieve the effect of weight loss. Eating less means taking in less nutrients, but the human body needs to supplement the six basic nutrients every day. Drugs or surgical interventions are only auxiliary and can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

Patients who use weight loss surgery to lose weight quickly generally have problems with loose skin, sagging flesh, and stretch marks. This is because after forcibly reducing food intake, the nutrients needed by the body become insufficient, resulting in a decrease in muscle mass, loss of collagen in the skin and loss of elasticity, and loss of the skin's normal water-retention function.

A randomized clinical study report published in the Journal of Obesity Factors in 2017, which looked at the effects of a high-protein diet and a standard-protein diet on weight loss in patients with metabolic syndrome, found that patients on the high-protein diet had lost an average of 7 kg in weight after six months, while patients on the standard-protein diet had lost an average of 5.1 kg in weight after six months. These large-scale clinical studies tell us that if the human body consumes enough protein, it will cause weight loss, and increasing protein intake will make weight loss more obvious. However, everyone's physical health is different. If you want to lose weight by increasing protein intake, you still need to consult a professional doctor.

A randomized clinical study report published in the Journal of Obesity Factors in 2017, which looked at the effects of a high-protein diet and a standard-protein diet on weight loss in patients with metabolic syndrome, found that patients on the high-protein diet had lost an average of 7 kg in weight after six months, while patients on the standard-protein diet had lost an average of 5.1 kg in weight after six months.

Dr. Guo Zhiwei, chief physician of general surgery at the Zhongxing branch of Taipei Municipal United Hospital, shared the experiences of two patients. One was Mr. Li from Taoyuan. After surgery to remove the tumor due to terminal colorectal cancer more than four years ago, followed by nine months of chemotherapy, he became extremely thin. In October 2023, he celebrated the fourth anniversary of his rebirth from cancer with friends. He ate a lot for 21 days and gained about 20 kilograms. He also suffered from chronic diseases such as high blood lipids and diabetes. During the follow-up consultation, the discussion was about how the hazards of chronic diseases are sometimes more terrifying than cancer. Mr. Li accepted the suggestion to manage his weight by increasing his protein intake. In less than three months, he lost 14 kilograms, almost all of which was fat. His muscle mass did not decrease but increased by 1 kilogram.

Another patient, Ms. Huang, also from Taoyuan, was referred to the Taipei City United Medical College Zhongxing Branch for emergency surgery because she discovered precancerous polyps during a colonoscopy. After the polyps were removed, she developed a complication of colon perforation. She was depressed after the surgery, and the doctor recommended that she try to increase her protein intake to lose weight. In less than three months, she lost 11 kilograms, all of which was pure fat, and her muscle mass increased by about 1 kilogram.

Guo Zhiwei pointed out that the correct way to lose weight requires patience and time, rather than eating less and exercising more. Excessive starvation will make it easy to give up and gain weight again. One should develop good eating concepts and habits to lose weight healthily and beautifully, and develop a physique that is not easy to gain weight.

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