Calorad: Editorial © 1997-2007
By William R. Sukala,
MSc.,
CSCS
Clinical Exercise
Physiologist/Consumer Health Advocate
INTRODUCTION
Calorad stormed onto
the scene around the mid to late 1990s with claims that you can “lose weight
while you sleep.” This product claims to improve a multitude of ills. The magic
that seems of particular interest to the athlete are the claims that this
product will enable one to lose fat and increase muscle mass without any real
effort. We want to believe, but are we
really that gullible? Are there any
facts behind the product claims? Let’s start out with a closer look at the
mystery ingredients found in Calorad.
MYSTERY INGREDIENTS?
Truth be known, there is nothing whatsoever mystical or magical about Calorad
other than it is an expensive protein supplement. A breakdown of the ingredient
list reveals:
Collagen Hydrolysate—Simply hydrolyzed collagen which is nothing
more than degraded protein (collagen is a bodily protein). Why not eat an egg
or a slice of chicken, or a can of tuna for $1.39?
Aloe Vera—has a laxative effect when ingested orally and can cause
gastrointestinal upset in some individuals. I guess frequent trips to the
bathroom could theoretically cause weight loss.
Glycerin—chemically, it is a sugar alcohol (1,2,3 propanetriol). It is probably used as a mild sweetener, as
many users have mentioned Calorad's off-taste.
Potassium Sorbate & Methyl Paraben—Nothing
more than preservatives to keep the collagen from spoiling.
Natural Flavor, Demineralised Water—Just a couple of
extras for flavor and volume, but would hardly have any effect in the body.
This, in fact, doesn’t appear to have any thing to do with magic. All of these
nutrients can easily be found in food that we all eat on a daily basis.
WEIGHT LOSS
It is probable that the said weight-loss associated with Calorad stems from the
fact that its users don't eat anything before bed, three hours to be exact.
Then the consumer is supposed to take the Calorad on an empty stomach right
before going to sleep. Low and behold, watch the pounds not-so-miraculously
melt away.
Enter critical thinking
here: Let's say Mary Q. Public was formerly eating 2500 calories per day, and
hypothetically, 500 of those calories were regularly consumed within three
hours before bed. So now she's replacing those 500 calories with 14 calories
worth of Calorad, for a deficit of 486 calories per day.
Considering about 3500
calories per pound of fat, we estimate that 486 calories (round up to 500 for
simplicity purposes) multiplied by 7 days per week equals 3500 calories extra
that are not being consumed. This alone would constitute a pound of fat per
week. Add in exercise and the caloric deficit would be larger, consequently
leading to greater weight loss. No magic here, just elementary arithmetic.
If we eat less that what we
need for energy we lose weight. We certainly don’t need to spend extra money on
Calorad to eat less. Well we still have another claim. Calorad’s
promoters tell us to believe that this product will cause us to magically
increase our muscle mass. Is there any truth to this claim?
LEAN BODY MASS
INCREASES?
Believe it or not the claims still persist that Calorad will actually generate
muscle in the body, or, I think the terminology used was that it can cause an
increase in lean body mass. Irrespective of what is claimed, muscle does not
just spontaneously generate based on the consumption of a protein supplement.
To take this one step further, you could inject yourself with anabolic steroids
(not that I advocate that) and not gain an ounce of muscle unless you provide
additional demands on the body's musculature via resistance training. It’s
quite unlikely that hydrolyzed collagen certainly would cause an increase in
lean body mass.
Ceding the benefit of the
doubt, consuming protein while lowering calories can help attenuate the loss in
muscle tissue associated with its breakdown for use in gluconeogenesis
(forming glucose from not carbohydrate sources). But even so, this would not
cause an increase in lean body mass. In this case, the burden of proof
is on the company to provide legitimate evidence that it can, in fact, INCREASE
lean body mass, and consequently the metabolic rate.
To those selling Calorad,
if this proof exists please provide it for all to see. If you are convinced
that it can increase lean body mass, explain how you quantify this increase.
What tests have you done to prove that Calorad does indeed increase the amount
of muscle? These are honest questions that deserve an answer. Is this not a
claim made by Calorad and its force of distributors?
THE RESEARCH
There is no formal research on Calorad that can be found in peer-reviewed
journals. Why? Simply because it does not exist.
Anecdotal testimonials considered to be "testing" or proof of
efficacy are completely unscientific and hold no merit except for those that
sell the product. And, separating cause and effect from coincidence is
difficult outside of experimentally controlled conditions, so making definitive
statements as to its effectiveness is inappropriate."