{"id":650,"date":"2020-07-19T11:05:52","date_gmt":"2020-07-19T11:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/?p=650"},"modified":"2020-07-19T11:07:42","modified_gmt":"2020-07-19T11:07:42","slug":"harvard-health-ad-watch-are-nutritional-drinks-actually-good-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/harvard-health-ad-watch-are-nutritional-drinks-actually-good-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Harvard Health Ad Watch: Are nutritional drinks actually good for you?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I first heard of nutritional drinks in the 1980s, early in my medical training. They were recommended for people struggling to maintain a healthy weight, often due to loss of appetite, cancer, or swallowing problems.<\/p><div class=\"gfdsn64ba5bf508672\" ><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8209967072221559\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"2673331731\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.gfdsn64ba5bf508672 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.gfdsn64ba5bf508672 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.gfdsn64ba5bf508672 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.gfdsn64ba5bf508672 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.gfdsn64ba5bf508672 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\n<p>Since then, nutritional supplement drinks like Boost and Ensure have gone mainstream. Their widespread, primetime advertising aimed at a much broader audience has proven highly effective. The market for nutritional drinks is now worth many billions of dollars. In 2019, Ensure sales alone totaled nearly $400 million.<\/p>\n<p>When you watch ads for nutritional drinks, do you wonder if you should start drinking them? Will it improve your health or fend off future health problems, as the ads suggest? Are there any downsides? Read on.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_the_ads_say\"><\/span>What the ads say<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_51_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\" role=\"button\"><label for=\"item-64ba5bf50a214\" ><span class=\"\"><span style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input aria-label=\"Toggle\" aria-label=\"item-64ba5bf50a214\"  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-64ba5bf50a214\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/harvard-health-ad-watch-are-nutritional-drinks-actually-good-for-you\/#What_the_ads_say\" title=\"What the ads say\">What the ads say<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/harvard-health-ad-watch-are-nutritional-drinks-actually-good-for-you\/#What_the_ads_suggest\" title=\"What the ads suggest\">What the ads suggest<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/harvard-health-ad-watch-are-nutritional-drinks-actually-good-for-you\/#What_the_ads_don%E2%80%99t_say\" title=\"What the ads don\u2019t say\">What the ads don\u2019t say<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/harvard-health-ad-watch-are-nutritional-drinks-actually-good-for-you\/#The_bottom_line\" title=\"The bottom line\">The bottom line<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Right now, two ads in heavy rotation are for Boost and Ensure.<\/p>\n<p>One\u00a030-second ad for Boost\u00a0shows a well-appearing older woman holding a camera (a real, two-handed, professional photographer\u2019s camera, not a cell phone). As she takes photos of a young, hipster musical group, she tells the viewer, \u201cI don\u2019t keep track of regrets. And I don\u2019t add up the years. But what I do count on is staying happy and healthy. So I add protein, vitamins, and minerals to my diet \u2014 with Boost.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As she happily sips her chocolate drink, a voiceover tells you more. \u201cBoost high-protein nutritional drink has 20 grams of protein, along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals your body needs.\u201d A graphic of a human body with a list of eight of these vitamins and minerals is displayed: calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin C, B vitamins, iron, zinc, and potassium.<\/p>\n<p>Then comes the big finish and trademarked tagline: \u201cAll with guaranteed great taste. And now try peaches &amp; cream natural flavor. With 27 vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein. Boost \u2014 be up for life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ensure\u2019s 15-second ad\u00a0takes a very different tack. Here we have animated food characters \u2014 an egg, a pear, a carrot, and some broccoli \u2014 hanging out together in the fridge. So adorable! An egg looks off camera and exclaims, \u201cWow!\u201d A bottle of Ensure Original explains what the egg is admiring: \u201cThat\u2019s Ensure Max Protein with high protein and 1 gram of sugar.\u201d Shift to a towering bottle of Ensure Max, complete with bulging biceps, sounding like a drill sergeant shouting orders at the banana: \u201cIt\u2019s a sit-up, banana, bend at the waist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m trying!\u201d says the banana, as it rocks back and forth on its back. \u201cKeep it up, you\u2019ll get there,\u201d Ensure Max barks. Two bottles of Ensure high-five each other. Meanwhile, the banana falls backwards, failing to complete even a single sit-up.<\/p>\n<p>A voiceover breaks in: \u201c30 grams of protein, and 1 gram of sugar. Ensure Max Protein.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_the_ads_suggest\"><\/span>What the ads suggest<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The suggestion is clear: to be healthy, you need to be drinking these supplements. A healthy diet won\u2019t suffice.<\/p>\n<p>Product names deliver their own message. You can \u201cboost\u201d your health and \u201censure\u201d you\u2019re getting all the nutrition you need by consuming these drinks. The Boost commercial seems to target older people, implying that downing bottles of Boost regularly can help you keep up with the young folks and maintain an active, healthy, and working life well into advanced age. The Ensure commercial, meanwhile, suggests that while exercise might be a chore, at least your nutrition will be covered by this high-protein supplement drink.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_the_ads_don%E2%80%99t_say\"><\/span>What the ads don\u2019t say<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The information provided in these ads and on their websites is generally accurate. People who don\u2019t get enough calories, protein, or certain minerals or vitamins could make up for what\u2019s missing by consuming these drinks. In addition, there are different versions of these products for people with diabetes or other health problems.<\/p>\n<p>But these ads are missing important information. For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Who benefits?<\/strong>\u00a0Some people are far more likely than others to benefit from Ensure, Boost, or similar products. The vast majority of people can get all the nutrition they need from their diet. There\u2019s absolutely no evidence that these supplements improve health or prevent disease in people who have no specific nutritional problems, as my colleague Suzanne Salamon, MD,\u00a0notes. However, if you\u2019re losing weight involuntarily and don\u2019t carry excess weight in the first place, or if you can\u2019t take in adequate nutrition, you might benefit from nutritional supplements.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Should supplements replace meals or be added to them?<\/strong>\u00a0The ads don\u2019t say. In fact, the advice would vary depending on the person\u2019s overall heath and diet.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Significant calories.<\/strong>\u00a0Regular Boost has 240 calories; Ensure Max Protein has 150 calories; original Ensure has 220 calories.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sugar and artificial sweetener.<\/strong>\u00a0Regular Boost has 20 grams of added sugar. While Ensure Max Protein has only 1 gram of sugar (along with an artificial sweetener, sucralose), original Ensure has 14 grams of added sugar.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost adds up.<\/strong>\u00a0I found these products for sale online for around $2 per bottle. Depending on how many you drink each day, the cost can be significant, especially over the long term. You can get similar amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals at far lower cost from high-protein foods (such as milk or yogurt) and a multivitamin. And,\u00a0you may not need that multivitamin.<\/li>\n<li><strong>High protein isn\u2019t for everyone.<\/strong>\u00a0Some people should\u00a0<em>avoid<\/em>\u00a0high-protein diets, and therefore should\u00a0<em>not<\/em>\u00a0consume high-protein nutritional supplements. People with significant kidney disease are a good example.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_bottom_line\"><\/span>The bottom line<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The value of Boost, Ensure, or their competitors to the general population is questionable. The best way to decide if you should consume these products is to discuss your health, medical problems, and diet with your doctor. He or she may recommend that you consult with a nutritionist.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll leave you with some questions I find perplexing. Why would a nutritional supplement yell at a banana to do a sit-up? How can the banana bend at the waist when it has no waist? And why is the banana the only food being asked to work out? If you ask me, the pear and egg look a bit big around the middle. Perhaps the failure of the banana to do a sit-up is a metaphor for our own inability to do the work of exercise ourselves \u2014 and so we need help from a nutritional drink. I\u2019m probably overthinking this; it\u2019s likely just an eye-catching way of promoting a product. But if you understand this commercial better than I do, please let me know.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, my advice is to choose a healthy diet (like the\u00a0Mediterranean diet), get regular exercise, and don\u2019t count on nutritional drinks \u2014 or the physical fitness of your fruit \u2014 to keep you healthy.<\/p><div class=\"bwver64ba5bf5086ac\" ><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8209967072221559\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"2673331731\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.bwver64ba5bf5086ac {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.bwver64ba5bf5086ac {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.bwver64ba5bf5086ac {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.bwver64ba5bf5086ac {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.bwver64ba5bf5086ac {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\n<p>Source:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/blog\/harvard-health-ad-watch-are-nutritional-drinks-actually-good-for-you-2020032019204\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u00a0health.harvard.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I first heard of nutritional drinks in the 1980s, early in my medical training. They were recommended for people struggling&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[2643,2642,2641,2640,2639,2638,2637,2636,2635,2634,2633,2632,2631,2630,2629,2628,2627,2626,2625,2624,2623,2622,2621,2620,2619,2618,2617,2616,2615,2614,2613,2612,2611,2610,2609,2608,2607,2606,2605,2604,2603,2602,2601,2600,2599,2598,2597,2596,2595],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":652,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650\/revisions\/652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}