Although it’s a health goal for many people, weight loss can also be a nuisance or even an outright health risk for others, especially if they’re underweight or an older adult. Depending on the type of tissue that a person is losing, the implications can be dire; a loss of fat may not be harmful (and could even be healthy), while a loss of muscle mass can cause weakness and may increase a senior’s risk of falling and injuring themselves. Because of these dangers, many people look for simple and easy-to-use methods of preventing the loss of tissues that they need to stay safe and healthy. Protein, one of the three macronutrients in a balanced diet, is often employed to help address this problem, but what proteins can prevent weight loss? To find out, keep reading as the experts at ENU – makers of protein shakes for weight gain – provide the answers you’re looking for.

Common Causes of Unwanted Weight Loss

To effectively address unwanted weight loss, it’s important to first identify the cause; otherwise, the problem could recur or simply refuse to go away. The following are a few of the most common causes of unwanted weight loss, only some of which can be prevented with protein from food or nutrition shakes.

Hyperthyroidism

The hormones produced by your thyroid control a lot of your body’s functions, including how fast your metabolism runs. The more active your thyroid, the more calories you burn, so a condition like hyperthyroidism – having an overactive thyroid – can easily cause unwanted weight loss.

Muscle Wasting

Though most people tend to focus on fat when it comes to losing or gaining weight, muscle tissue also plays a role, and since it’s denser than fat, a smaller degree of muscle loss can cause a relatively large drop in weight. Some muscle loss is natural, such as what you might experience with age, while other causes are related to an ongoing sickness or even simply a lack of exercise.

Fever

A number of different contagions and conditions can cause your temperature to spike, resulting in a fever. When this happens, your metabolism increases and your body starts using more calories, leading to weight loss.

Cancer

The effects of cancer on the body are often complicated and far-reaching. Many patients experience weight loss as a result of changes in their metabolism. Because a loss of weight during a period of serious illness can threaten a patient’s recovery, it’s important to observe proper nutrition for cancer patients.

What Type of Weight Loss Can You Prevent with Protein?

Protein is somewhat unique among the macronutrients in that it can be an effective tool for gaining, losing, or maintaining your weight, depending on how it’s used. If preventing weight loss is your objective, keep in mind that protein can only really help with one kind of weight loss – the loss of muscle tissue.

In the body, protein is hugely important for the production and preservation of muscle cells. Not only do the amino acids in protein serve as the raw materials for those cells, but those same amino acids can even stimulate muscle production beyond what would normally occur. In particular, the amino acid leucine is known to greatly enhance the effects of muscle protein synthesis, so if a loss of muscle tissue is your problem, then a leucine-rich protein source or nutritional powder with leucine may be the best solution.

The Best Protein to Help Prevent Weight Loss

Although leucine plays a huge role in the production of muscle cells, it can’t do the job alone. Only with the help of other amino acids derived from protein can leucine provide the kinds of results you want and help prevent weight loss caused by muscle wasting. To ensure that you provide your body with all the amino acids it needs, you’ll want to aim for a type of protein called a “complete” protein.

To fall into this category, a protein must provide adequate amounts of all nine of the essential amino acids – leucine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, valine, histidine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, and threonine, all of which you need to get from food because your body can’t produce them. Any source of animal protein should provide you with these amino acids, whether that be meat, dairy, or eggs, and one or two plant-based proteins are complete as well – soy, for instance.

While any complete protein may be able to provide your body with the necessary amino acids to prevent weight loss in certain instances, some proteins are better than others. Arguably the best source of protein out there is whey, which is why it’s so ubiquitous. Whey protein is very easily absorbed by the body, which means that most of the whey you consume is actually being put to use; plus, it’s gentle on the digestive system, making it an excellent choice for seniors or those with digestive issues. Today, whey is available in the form of protein powders, though a well-rounded meal replacement shake may be the better option, especially if you’d like some healthy fats or carbs with your protein.

Try an ENU Protein Shake Today to Help Prevent Weight Loss

As with almost any health issue, unwanted weight loss rarely has a quick and easy fix, but by adding a high-protein nutrition shake to your diet, you can help stave off weight loss caused by muscle wasting. ENU nutrition shakes come with 20 grams of protein from whey and soy, not to mention 400 calories from real food ingredients and a blend of more than 20 vitamins and minerals. Learn more about the benefits of ENU nutrition supplements by visiting us online or calling (855) 266-6733 today.