Bella Hadid – who attracted widespread admiration with her sculpted physique as she made her Victoria’s Secret runway debut – claimed that protein played a central role in her preparation for the show.
The 20-year-old model is not alone in her appreciation of the food group. Demand for protein supplements is so high in the US that the business is a growing multi-billion-dollar industry.
But experts today confirmed that you can have too much of a good thing as they warned of the dangers of overdosing on meat, eggs and cheese – which they claim could lead to unwanted side-effects.
Warning: Experts say high-protein diet trend favored by Victoria’s Secret model Bella Hadid, pictured on the catwalk in Paris, could have unwanted side-effects
Preparation: The 20-year-old American model said before her Victoria’s Secret show debut she ate ‘a lot of protein’
‘We’ve all been working our butts off for months now, working out every day, eating well, eating a lot of protein, to try to get in the best shape you possibly can but also staying super healthy,’ Bella, 20, told W Magazine before the Paris lingerie show.
Rather than landing a body like Bella, New York-based nutritionist and author Laura Cipullo said ignoring other food groups to focus on protein could result in a raft of unappealing ailments such as bloating, reduced concentration, constipation and dehydration.
Laura claims that some models up their protein intake and reduce carbohydrates the week before a show or shoot in a bid to cut water retention.
‘When everybody is focusing on protein it’s because when you eat a great amount of protein and a lesser amount of carbohydrates you typically dehydrate yourself so your muscle tone is more obvious,’ she told Daily Mail Online.
‘If you have the runway or pictures coming up people tend to decrease their carbohydrates.
‘When we store carbohydrates we also store water with it so once you decrease the amount of carbs you basically also lose a significant amount of water weight.’
But in the long-term she said it is neither viable nor healthy to ignore other food groups.
She warned that focusing on protein can lead to constipation, which in turn could lead to discomfort and the stomach looking bigger than it really is.
‘You get constipated, you’re decreasing the water because you’re not eating fibrous food.
‘Your belly may be expanded from being constipated so you might be physically uncomfortable,’ she said.
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Caution: Nutritionist Laura Cipullo said upping protein intake and cutting carbohydrates helps reduce water retention but can also lead to reduced concentration and constipation
Trend: Such is the popularity of protein supplements in the US that it has become a multi-billion-dollar industry
Laura, who is the co-author of forthcoming book Everyday Diabetes Meals, said carbohydrates aid the brain and recommends that people do not cut their consumption to less than 4.5 oz per day.
‘If you’re working in a job that requires brain power, reducing carbs would probably affect you,’ she added.
Dietitian Brigitte Zeitlin, also based in New York, said protein has numerous benefits – including feeling full for longer, building muscles, encouraging cell repair and improving cognition.
She said another benefit is that it uses more calories to break down than other food groups and helps to regulate hormones such as cortisol, reducing stress.
Although Brigitte advises clients to incorporate a ‘good source’ of protein – such as dairy, fish or chicken – in every meal or snack, she said it is crucial to combine it with carbohydrate, fat to avoid constipation and bloating.
Sales of sports nutrition powders and related products rose to around $6.6 billion in 2015 and is expected to rise to nine billion dollars over the next four years, according to Euromonitor International figures cited in the New York Times.
But both Laura and Brigitte said they do not recommend the use of supplements.
‘Dairy is a good source of protein, it’s also a good source of calcium which we need for our teeth and our bones. If you get it in a powder you’re missing out on the calcium,’ Brigitte said.
According to the government’s Dietary Guidelines 2015-2020, the average American already consumes close to the recommended amount of protein.
However, it recommended a shift towards a wider range of different protein sources.