The Food and Drug Administration or FDA does not fully define meal replacement although it indicates that the products are pre-packaged forms of ready-to-consume bars or drinks. There have been a number of studies aiming to find out if meal replacement supplements are as or more effective as traditional diets that simply counted calories of whole foods. Most users at present primarily invest in MRS with the hope of losing weight and keeping it off. Experts are trying to discover if these are helpful in the long term or if individuals start to be deprived of essential nutrients that may only be obtained from real natural food sources.
There are some concerns regarding the studies since most subjects have been provided with MRS free of charge so there is no definite basis whether or not they took the products religiously. There is also no definite record of the total weight loss and other effects to people because meal replacement supplement studies were usually done as part of a larger research or program.
Studies have also been more focused on observing overweight and obese people only so there are no accurate details on the products' effects on average individuals. Perhaps the most obvious drawback of meal replacement supplements would be encouraging people to develop poor eating habits and to find a quick fix to their weight problems.
Next, check the fat content. The total amount of fat in calories should not exceed 20% of the total MRS. Also consider the presence of vitamins, minerals and amino acids if there are any. You don't have to take additional vitamins and minerals if the product already contains these. You may also want to make a preference for different available flavors and forms.