What Is an Elemental Diet, and Can You Use It for Weight Loss?
What Is an Elemental Diet, and Can You Use It for Weight Loss?
It’s
intended for those who have severe digestive issues and usually followed under
the supervision of a trained medical team.
Some
people may attempt to follow an elemental diet to lose weight, despite the lack
of evidence supporting its use for reasons other than treating specific medical
conditions.
This
article explains what an elemental diet is and reviews its potential benefits,
downsides, and effectiveness for weight loss.
What is an elemental diet?
An
elemental diet consists of nutritionally complete formulas in a “pre-digested”
form. These formulas come in liquid form or powders that are meant to be mixed
with water and consumed.
Elemental
formulas contain protein, fat,
and carbs that have already been broken down into their building blocks — amino
acids, fatty acids, and sugars. They also contain vitamins and minerals.
Since
nutrients in this form are easily absorbed, an elemental diet allows your
digestive tract to rest without jeopardizing your nutritional intake.
Most
elemental formulas contain more carbs and
protein than fat, as fat can be difficult to digest (1).
An
elemental diet is often prescribed to people who have severe digestive issues.
It has been shown to help manage symptoms related to the following diseases (2 , 3 , 4 ):
- Crohn’s disease: This
inflammatory bowel disease is marked by abdominal pain, bloating,
diarrhea, and vomiting.
- Eosinophilic
esophagitis (EoE): EoE is an inflammatory disease that
damages your esophagus and leads to difficulty swallowing, chest pain, and
heartburn.
- Small intestinal
bacterial overgrowth (SIBO): SIBO is characterized by excessive
bacteria in your small intestine, which leads to bloating, gas, and
stomach pain.
Additionally,
healthcare providers may prescribe elemental diets for people who have
undergone surgeries of the digestive tract or intestines, as well as those who
struggle to meet their nutrient needs, such as people with cancer or anorexia
nervosa.
Some
people may be drawn to an elemental diet to help them lose weight, but it’s not
intended for this purpose.
How an
elemental diet works
Those who
follow an elemental diet typically consume only elemental formulas and no solid
food. Water and
plain tea are usually the only other permitted liquids.
Elemental
formulas come in liquid or powder form and can be administered via a feeding
tube or intravenous therapy, or mixed with water and consumed as a drink.
Healthcare
providers often recommend drinking elemental formulas at a slow pace to prevent
cramping and stomach discomfort.
Several
commercially prepared elemental formulas are designed to provide adequate caloriesand
all necessary nutrients. These are available as over-the-counter products or by
prescription (1).
An
elemental diet is almost always supervised by a registered dietitian and
medical doctor who recommend the type and amount of formula based on each person’s
calorie and nutrient needs.
In most
cases, a person receives all of their nutrition from elemental formulas, but
some people may only get a portion of their daily needs from formulas and the
rest from solid foods. These instances are referred to as half- or
semi-elemental diets (5 ).
Some
people, such as those who have had part of their bowel removed, follow an
elemental diet indefinitely, while others only rely on elemental formulas until
their symptoms improve.
An
elemental diet is not typically recommended for weight loss but could
theoretically be used for this purpose.
Can it help you lose weight?
Some
aspects of an elemental diet may aid weight loss,
but there is no scientific research on this specific topic.
Studies
in people with conditions that are treated with an elemental diet have shown
that it can lead to significant weight loss. However, this is not considered a
beneficial or intended outcome of the diet (6 ).
Since an
elemental diet typically consists of nutritionally complete formulas and no
other foods, it’s easy to follow and doesn’t require any meal preparation.
Theoretically,
you could drink elemental formulas and avoid all solid foods and still meet
your nutrient needs.
Single-serve
elemental formula packets are available at most drug stores and make it easy to
control your calorie intake.
However,
following an elemental diet is not recommended without the supervision of a
physician or trained healthcare provider.
Overall,
elemental formulas are typically designed for those with specific medical
conditions. Therefore, they’re not appropriate for weight loss.
Other benefits of an elemental diet
Studies
show that elemental diets can help manage symptoms of inflammatory diseases and
conditions that affect your digestive tract.
This is
because the macronutrients — protein, fats, and carbs — in elemental formulas
are already broken down, which allows them to be rapidly absorbed by your small
intestine. In turn, your bowel can rest.
Elemental
diets have been used for decades in the treatment of Crohn’s disease, a
condition that causes chronic inflammation of your digestive tract, stomach
pain, malabsorption, and several other issues (2 , 7 , 8 ).
They also
help treat eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), which results from damage to the lining
of your esophagus and leads to swallowing difficulties, pain, and heartburn (3 , 9 ).
One study
in 21 adults with EoE found that 88% of participants no longer experienced
symptoms of the condition after 4 weeks on an elemental diet. The diet also led
to a significant decrease in inflammation (9 ).
In
addition, elemental diets may help treat small intestinal bacterial growth
(SIBO), which is marked by bloating,
gas, and stomach pain (10 ).
Since the
nutrients provided by an elemental diet are rapidly absorbed, they may not be
available long enough to feed your intestinal bacteria, thus starving them and
preventing overgrowth (4 ).
A study
in 93 adults with SIBO found that following an elemental diet for 21 days led
to normal lactulose breath tests in 85% of participants. Abnormal lactulose
breath tests are a marker of SIBO (10 ).
What’s
more, over half of those who had a normal breath test experienced symptom
improvement (10 ).
Finally,
an elemental diet may help manage pain associated with chronic pancreatitis,
but research is limited (11 , 12 ).
Downsides of the diet
There are
several downsides to following an elemental diet for weight loss.
For one,
it should only be followed under the supervision of a healthcare provider and
is not recommended for those who do not have a specific medical condition.
Additionally,
an elemental diet can be very difficult to follow long term, as it consists
solely of elemental formulas and typically excludes solid foods.
People
following an elemental diet may experience fatigue and irritability in the
initial stages due to the lack of food choices.
Furthermore,
elemental formulas can cost over $10 per packet and be extremely expensive for
everyday use, especially if you do not have a prescription or insurance
coverage.
For
example, you may need 4 or more single-serve packets (300 calories each) per
day to meet your calorie needs, which could cost more than $40.
Elemental
formulas are typically very low in fat and high in carbs, which can spike your blood sugar.
Therefore, an elemental diet may lead to blood sugar dysregulation in people
with blood sugar control issues, such as type 2 diabetes (13 ).
Finally,
elemental formulas are relatively low in fat compared with protein and carbs.
If you are following an elemental diet for extended periods without consuming
supplemental fat, you may not be meeting your daily fat intake needs.
Should
you try an elemental diet?
Under the
supervision of a doctor and registered dietitian, an elemental diet may help
treat severe digestive issues.
If you
are experiencing one of the conditions that an elemental diet may help improve,
such as Crohn’s disease or SIBO, speak with your healthcare provider about
implementing the diet.
However,
using an elemental diet for purposes other than treating these specific health
conditions is not recommended.
Specifically,
following an elemental diet to lose weight would be highly restrictive,
expensive, and unnecessary for an otherwise healthy person. There is also no
research to support the use of this diet for weight loss.
Instead,
try eating a balanced diet with
a variety of nutritious foods. It can be an effective way to lose weight
without such extreme restrictions.
The bottom line
An
elemental diet consists of easily digestible liquid formulas that provide all
the nutrients your body needs.
It’s
typically used under medical supervision to treat severe digestive issues.
While you
could theoretically follow an elemental diet to try to lose weight, this is not
recommended.
Eating a
balanced diet based on whole-foods is
a better way to lose weight and reach your goals.
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