As we age, obtaining the necessary nutrients to support our health and wellness objectives can become challenging. Nutritional supplements like Boost and Ensure can assist in meeting these needs, especially when consuming enough solid foods is difficult. Boost offers a variety of nutritional products designed to provide supplemental nutrition for a wide range of needs.
What are Boost and Ensure?
Ensure, launched by Abbott Nutrition in 1973, and Boost, a Nestlé brand, are nutritional supplements formulated to help individuals meet their nutritional needs when eating enough solid foods is a challenge. These products are available in various forms, including ready-to-drink shakes, powders, puddings, and snack bars. They are particularly beneficial for children, older adults, and individuals at risk of malnutrition, such as those with cancer or eating and digestive disorders.
Categories of Ensure Shakes
Ensure offers over 10 different shakes, all of which are gluten-free and mostly certified kosher and halal. These shakes are categorized as follows:
- Complete, balanced nutrition: Includes Ensure Original and Ensure Plus, designed to help maintain or gain weight.
- Advanced nutrition: Includes Ensure Enlive, intended to support muscle, bone, heart, immune, and digestive health.
- Targeted nutrition: Includes Ensure Light (a low-calorie shake), Ensure Max Protein, Ensure High Protein, and Ensure Plant-Based Protein, primarily designed to help build muscle.
- Specialty therapeutic nutrition: Includes Ensure Surgery, Ensure Pre-Surgery, and Ensure Compact, designed to support health before and after surgery.
Categories of Boost Shakes
Boost has a broad portfolio of products, including 12 drinks, categorized as follows:
- Diabetes: Includes Boost Glucose Control and Boost Glucose Control High Protein, which help avoid blood sugar spikes.
- High calorie: Boost Plus packs the most calories per serving and is part of the brand's oncology nutrition division.
- High protein: Includes Boost High Protein and Boost Max Nutritional Shake, designed to help increase or maintain muscle mass.
- Specialized Nutrition: Includes Boost Original, Boost Mobility, Boost Men, and Boost Women, offering targeted nutrition for specific needs.
Nutritional Comparison
Many Ensure and Boost shakes are designed to achieve the same goals and are nutritionally similar. Here's a comparison of some products based on an 8-ounce (236-mL) serving:
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| Nutrient | Ensure Original | Boost Original | Ensure Plus | Boost Plus | Ensure Max Protein | Boost Max Nutritional Shake |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 220 | 240 | 350 | 360 | 150 | 160 |
| Protein (g) | 9 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 30 | 30 |
| Fat (g) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Carbs (g) | 30 | 38 | 49 | 55 | 6 | 5 |
| Sugar (g) | 15 | 20 | 21 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| Fiber (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Most products serving the same purpose are nutritionally similar and can likely be used interchangeably. Both brands cover over 20 vitamins and minerals per shake, with most providing over 20% of the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI).
Best Shakes for Specific Goals
Both Ensure and Boost shakes can help meet nutritional needs, but some are better suited for specific goals.
Protein Intake
Protein is essential for building muscle and providing energy. The RDI is 0.36 grams per pound (0.8 grams per kg) of body weight. Higher protein intakes (up to 1 gram per pound or 2.4 grams per kg) may aid muscle gain, weight loss, or both when combined with resistance training. Ensure Max Protein and Boost Max are excellent choices for significantly increasing protein intake without increasing carbs and fats. Boost Advanced contains 35g of high-quality protein, which is important for preserving lean muscle mass during weight loss when incorporated into a weight management plan that includes diet and exercise. Research shows that adults with obesity undergoing weight reduction need 1.5-2x more protein than adults of normal weight to preserve muscle mass.
Weight Gain
To gain weight healthily, create a daily calorie surplus by increasing overall macronutrient intake (carbs, proteins, and fats). Consume an additional 500 calories per day for a healthy weight gain of 1-2 pounds (0.5-1 kg) per week. Ensure Enlive and Boost Plus are nutrient-dense options that can help meet increased calorie and nutrient needs. Consuming these shakes with meals or as snacks is more effective than using them as meal replacements. BOOST Plus® Nutritional Drink provides 360 nutrient-rich calories, 14g of high-quality protein and 4g of fiber in each 8 fl oz carton.
Diabetes Management
Boost offers Boost Glucose Control and Boost Glucose Control High Protein, designed to produce a lower blood sugar response in people with diabetes. Boost Glucose Control High Protein provides just 4 grams of carbs with no added sugars and a higher protein content. While Ensure doesn't have diabetes-specific shakes, Abbott Nutrition offers Glucerna for managing blood sugar levels.
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Older Adults
Older adults are at risk of malnutrition due to poor appetite, chewing problems, and other factors. Small, tasty, nutrient- and protein-rich meals are beneficial. Both Ensure and Boost can help cover increased nutritional needs. Ensure Enlive and Boost Plus are good options for maximizing calorie and nutrient intake.
Children
Ensure and Boost products are designed for adults. Abbott Nutrition and Nestlé offer alternative product lines for infants, kids, and teens, such as EleCare, Similac, Pediasure, Alfamino, and Vitaflo.
Potential Side Effects
Ensure and Boost shakes may cause side effects like constipation, nausea, and flatulence, which often subside with consistent consumption. Other reported side effects include muscle cramps, irregular heartbeat, and shortness of breath. Due to high vitamin K content, those taking blood-thinning drugs like Warfarin should avoid these products. Most products are suitable for people with lactose intolerance but not for those with galactosemia. They are generally safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Boost Advanced Nutritional Shake for Weight Management
The BOOST® Nutritional Drink brand has introduced the new BOOST® Advanced Nutritional Shake, designed to support nutritional needs during weight management. It provides the highest amount of protein per serving within the BOOST® brand, formulated to support nutrition during weight loss. It also contains 4g of prebiotic fiber to support digestive health and a healthy gut microbiome, important for those experiencing reduced appetite or on weight management journeys.
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