Introduction
Almased® is a product which is available in pharmacies in the form of powder and is intended for weight reduction. It is therefore a weight loss product, which is based on the fact that the body’s metabolic performance is stimulated and therefore more fat is burned while at the same time the muscles are not broken down. With the help of Almased®, the patient should be able to lose up to 5 kg within one week. Nevertheless, from a medical point of view Almased® is only a slimming product that is promising to a limited extent.
Ingredients
Almased® contains only natural substances according to the manufacturer. The most important ingredient is soya, which is rich in isoflavones. Soya consists mainly of protein, which ensures that the patient consumes sufficient protein but hardly any carbohydrates through Alamased®.
Another ingredient contained in Almased® is a so-called probiotic yoghurt. This also consists almost exclusively of protein and thus also ensures that the patient consumes enough protein but no carbohydrates. According to the manufacturer, the effect of the soya should also be increased by the yoghurt.
To give Almased® a little taste, the product also contains honey, which has a natural sweetness and makes the powder taste pleasant. According to the manufacturer, this product does not contain much more. Therefore, it is a very protein-rich powder, which was slightly sweetened with honey.
Almased® contains almost no carbohydrates at all, which is also the reason for the effect of this drug. Altogether Almased® is supposed to activate the metabolism through its protein-rich composition and thus boost fat burning. At the same time, the proteins should ensure that muscles are not broken down by malnutrition.
Since the body is not supplied with carbohydrates, the protein is supposed to attack the body’s non-fat reserves and be broken down by the body. Another important aspect of the Almased® diet is that the powder supplies the body with all so-called essential amino acids. These are certain substances that the body cannot produce itself and must therefore be taken in with food, otherwise deficiency symptoms can occur.
Mode of action of the drug
Almased® is a protein-rich powder that can be taken in the form of shakes. These shakes are then intended to replace a meal, which means that the patient takes in only 230 kilocalories. Thus, a meal replaced by an Almased® shake consists of 230 calories, which in turn are composed almost exclusively of protein.
This one Almased® shake is supposed to lead to the fact that the patient does not feel hungry anymore for about 4 hours. The protein-rich diet is said to heat up the metabolism and the body starts to burn fats. Since the body is not supplied with carbohydrates, it attacks the fat reserves.
Almased® is supposed to lead to a weight loss of up to 5 kg within one week and yet no muscles are broken down. Altogether Almased® is considered to be a low-calorie diet. This means that the Almased® shakes add less calories to the patient’s body than he/she actually needs.
For example, a woman who is around 30 years old needs about 1500 calories per day. With the help of Almased®, however, the patient only takes in about 700 calories per day. This causes the body to start starving and, in order to maintain the metabolism, it starts to break down the reserve fats.
If a patient starves exclusively, the patient’s body also reduces the metabolic rate, making the patient tired, unfocused and weaker. Almased® is supposed to prevent this by adding enough proteins to the body so that the metabolic performance remains constant. According to the manufacturer, Almased® should even boost the metabolism to such an extent that the patient feels fitter and has more energy despite malnutrition.
Almased® is also said to have a positive effect on the patient’s health, as the low-fat diet is intended to reduce blood fats (cholesterol). Blood sugar should also be reduced and the patient should have a stronger immune system. However, the main effect of Almased® is based on the fact that after the consumption of Almased® the blood sugar hardly rises, because Almased® contains hardly any carbohydrates and therefore hardly any sugar.
As a result, the body hardly reacts to food and only very little of the hormone insulin is released from the pancreas. Insulin generally ensures that more fat is absorbed into the body and more sugar is transported from the intestines into the bloodstream. This is called an anabolic hormone because insulin ensures that fat reserves are built up and stored in greater quantities. After every meal, the body releases insulin so that the nutrients are absorbed from the intestines into the blood and then stored in the body. Since hardly any insulin is released after a meal that has been replaced by an Almased® shake, more fat is burned and broken down in the body and less nutrients are absorbed from the intestines.
