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Is Profect a meal replacement product?
Profect is a precise, nutritional tool that can be combined with foods to ensure the body gets all the positive nutrients it needs. It is generally recommended that Profect be taken along with a meal or snack to fortify and complete that meal. At times, however, you have a need for quick, quality calories; Profect is ideally suited for those situations.

What about using other nutritional supplements with Profect?
Profect is meant to provide the body with the nutrients lacking in ordinary diets. Those with specific deficiencies should check with their physicians to determine if Profect can make up for the deficiencies, or if they need supplements.

Why is there sodium in Profect?
Sodium is not added to Profect. The trace amount of sodium in Profect is naturally occurring in the protein. The amount of sodium in each vial of Profect is 64mg, which is less than 3% of the U.S. RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance).

Can Profect be taken with foods?
Absolutely. In fact, Profect is most useful when taken with a snack or meal.

Can I take Profect by itself?
Profect is the perfect snack between meals. It curbs hunger without raising the level of fat-storing insulin, and it keeps the metabolism in high gear. Profect can also be occasionally used as a meal replacement. It is not suggested that this is done for all meals on a given day, as the body would not get the amount of calories, micronutrients and other macronutrients (namely, fats and carbohydrates) it needs. No matter what dietary regime you follow, it is always important to consume the calories required to maintain your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Profect contains 25 grams of protein per serving. Is it possible to consume too much protein in one meal? Can consuming too much protein over a long period of time cause health problems?
The amount of protein in one serving of Profect is trivial considering how much the human body can absorb. The human intestine is extremely adept at absorbing all nutrients, including protein. Factors like the quantity of the ingestion and its crude, whole-food form can affect the time it takes the intestine to absorb the protein. However, unless the body suffers from a specific deficiency, like a lack of digestive enzymes from pancreatic disease, it readily absorbs protein.

The idea that it is dangerous to consume too much protein is, unfortunately, one of the most pervasive nutritional myths remaining today. An original experiment revealed that laboratory animals on high-protein diets developed a rather serious kidney condition known as nephrocalcinosis. Fortunately, nephrocalcinosis has never been detected in human beings. In fact, both epidemiologic and clinical observations prove quite conclusively that even extraordinarily high levels of protein do not result in kidney or liver dysfunction.

For individuals with pre-existing liver or kidney disease, this issue then becomes a very important one. Ingesting undue amounts of protein can, in fact, accelerate their impairments. This is quite different from saying that high protein intake can cause such damage. Again, it will exacerbate a pre-existing condition, but it does not induce damage in otherwise healthy individuals.

Note: Individuals diagnosed with impaired kidney or liver function, or who are at risk for hypertension or diabetes mellitus, both of which adversely affect kidney function, should seek the advice of their physician before using this or any protein-based product.

Can I really take Profect anywhere?
Almost anywhere. Profect is packaged in a unique container made of polypropylene (PP). It is not the type of material that makes the container unique; it is the amount of material. The amount of PP used to make our 2.7ounce container is the same amount used to make a 2 liter bottle (which holds approximately 67.6 ounces). The walls of the Profect container are much thicker than standard plastic bottles. This makes the packaging durable in two ways:

1) The container is virtually indestructible, so it can go where other bottles, cans, bars and other foods cannot.

2) . The added thickness increases the oxygen barrier between the product and the outside air, thereby enhancing Profect's stability and shelf-life.

In addition to the bottle's unique properties, Actinase has a unique property: heat resistance. More than one-third of the protein in Actinase--the protein blend used in Profect--is composed of hydrolyzed protein. Hydrolyzed protein is less susceptible to denaturing, or breakdown, than standard proteins. This means Profect can be kept in a warm environment for periods of time without severe risk of denaturing/damaging the protein. Keep in mind that prolonged heat exposure is not recommended for any food product because of microbiological concerns. However, shelf-life studies have shown that Profect has successfully sustained stability at temperatures exceeding 90°F for several months at a time.

What type of protein is the most valuable to the human body and what makes Profect's protein formulation so special?
The biological value of any dietary protein is related to the efficiency of its digestion and utilization. The digestibility of a dietary protein depends on intestinal health and intestinal motility (i.e. how quickly food travels down the intestine). In a healthy person, intestinal motility is contingent upon emotional and physical stress, as well as foods and chemicals. For example, cheese slows intestinal motility and caffeine increases motility. Increased motility decreases digestive efficiency, which wastes protein and promotes an unhealthy environment.

Biological value is also related to a protein's amino acid profile (combinations of amino acids). Once protein is digested, the amino acids are absorbed and their function as energy substrates (metabolites) or building blocks begins. From this point, caloric intake and physical activity influence how amino acids are used. Protein is not simply protein. That is to say, not all proteins are alike, nor will they produce the same metabolic effects.

Acquiring calories is NOT a problem for most Americans. On the contrary, most Americans eat too many calories and consume combinations of macronutrients which favor fat production and storage. However, if lean body mass is the goal and fat mass is to be minimized, the macronutrient ratio must reflect low-fat, higher protein and moderate carbohydrate consumption (Note: high-fat, high-protein, low carb diets also have merit, and are discussed in the Diet and Nutrition FAQ). Specific amino acid profiles are better suited, metabolically speaking, to support protein synthesis when carbohydrate intake is limited.

The amino acid profile in Actinase, the protein formulation in Profect, was developed specifically to minimize the catabolic effects of lower carbohydrate diets - diets that ultimately produce lean body compositions. The protein contained in Profect is highly specialized not only in its amino acid profile, but in digestibility as well.

Actinase provides a precise amino acid profile designed specifically to decrease protein breakdown in muscles. More than 50% of the proteins in Actinase are also hydrolyzed, meaning they are already broken down into their smaller constituents: peptides. Peptides are far easier to digest and assimilate than whole proteins. This is important since the body never digests a large percentage of the protein in other products on the market.

Is Profect useful for people who are not physically active?
Profect is especially suited for sedentary people. The typical diet profile of a sedentary person is dominated by fats and carbohydrates. Taking Profect with meals and snacks will not only help balance that macronutrient profile, but it will also help boost the body's metabolism. This metaolic boost will help compensate for some of the benefits missing from a lack of exercise and activity.

Is Profect beneficial for women?
Women, in particular, by virtue of the fact that the female metabolic profile tends to facilitate fat storage, find Profect very helpful, as it offers a very easy way to practice appropriate meal-patterning. In addition, women who try to lose body fat through standard dieting methods not only risk vitamin and mineral deficiencies, but can be derailed by frustration and the constant hunger that low food intake creates. Profect allows women to eat regularly and avoid the hunger pangs that come with low-calorie dieting. Profect also provides 50% of the entire B vitamin complex, a powerful and water-soluble matrix of nutrients for women.

Is Profect useful for seniors?
Senior citizens can also greatly benefit from Profect because their ingestion patterns are frequently compromised by poor appetite and poor nutrient selection. Even though they may eat RDI levels of protein, they continue to lose nitrogen and body protein through their later years. Profect's influence on body protein economy should be viewed as a very special benefit to the elderly. Maintaining muscle mass and strength is critical to their ability to live independently in their later years.

How about kids using Profect?
Of course, in the case of young children, you should always consult your pediatrician before changing your child's diet. However, because Profect provides only the highest quality nutrient-dense macro- and micronutrients, children and especially teenagers may greatly benefit from the incorporation of Profect into their diets. This point is further enunciated considering the amount of junk food consumed by kids and teenagers today.

The newest data evaluating the health and fitness of American children clearly shows an increase in obesity, over consumption and pathologies like atherosclerosis and diabetes, all suspected to be associated with diets high in sugar and fat. Considering the potential health benefits to adults, it is reasonable to believe that Profect may be just what the doctor ordered for our children, as well.

What is the best way to use Profect?
How you use the product varies depending on your gender, age, weight, activity level and transformation goals.

In general, Profect products should be used throughout the day, preferably with or between whole-food meals. Profect is also well suited to be taken with snacks. It is recommended that you consume two to three servings of Profect throughout the day, to ensure an adequate and steady stream of macro- and micronutrients.

Clearly, the best way to use Profect is to take advantage of all the elements of the Profect nutritional profile. The profile allows you to synergistically combine a favorable macronutrient and micronutrient composition with a meal-patterning profile that has been shown to produce favorable metabolic effects. Ultimately, this combination has a significant impact on fat metabolism and body composition. It can help improve the body's lean muscle-to-fat ratio, lower serum lipid levels and more favorably disperse nutrient energy.

Is Profect designed to be a weight loss supplement?
Profect is ideal for any weight transformation goal. When used as part of a weight loss program, Profect ensures that your body receives a consistent flow of quality protein and micronutrients, minimizing muscle loss and supporting other crucial biological functions often impaired during a calorie-deficient regimen.