The negative effects of excess protein

NaturalNews) Protein is one of the most commonly supplemented macronutrients, because it's relatively cheap, has many health benefits and is commonly propagated as a meal replacement. What most people don't realize though is that too much protein (usually in the form of protein shakes) can actually have adverse health effects. These negative consequences range from reduced kidney efficiency to weight gain.

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM) recommends that the average person should consume 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 g/lb, of protein per day. That means that a 150 lb male should consume 54 g of protein a day, which is fully achievable with the average diet. The IOM also recommends that only 35% of your daily caloric intake should be from protein; in a 2000-calorie diet, that's 700 calories or 175 grams. Protein intake exceeding this can result in adverse health effects.

Negative Consequences

The consumption of protein over these recommendations can lead to renal damage, gout attacks and weight gain. The continued consumption of protein over the IOM's recommendations can damage the kidneys via hyper-filtration, decreasing their efficiency. This is especially true for people who already have renal complications.

High-protein diets have also been associated with gout attacks by increasing their severity and frequency. Gout forms when high levels of uric acid in the blood stream crystallizes and accumulates around the joints, causing severe pain. The formation of uric acid is accomplished by breaking down purines which occur naturally in meats. A high-protein diet and overindulging in meats can cause you to have more severe cases of gout.

Lastly, because protein breaks down to four calories per gram, excessive consumption of protein can lead to weight gain. Any protein left over after your body uses what it needs for maintenance and muscle growth will more than likely be turned to fat. This in particular can be of great concern for people with weight issues or if they are having problems losing weight.

The adverse effects of excess protein are a real concern. While 35% of your daily caloric intake seems like an extraordinarily high amount, many people do consume this amount and more via high-protein diets and protein shake supplementation. Likewise, going over your IOM-recommended daily allotment can cause problems for people trying to decrease their weight or for people with gout. It's important to keep in mind the IOM's recommendations and consume in moderation, even something as beneficial as protein.

Learn more: The negative effects of excess protein

I really hope these studies were based on extreme circumstances! I try to get 1.5-2 grams per pound of bw daily and I would seriously waste away if I didn't. It's very difficult for me to maintain my size and performance without a high protein high carb diet.

i stopped forcing myself to eat 20-30 grams of protein at every meal and snack. i have not lost one ounce of mass that I can tell. I am not body building anymore but I still train hard. also I always had chronic digestive probs which have since disappeared.

hey if it works for you.

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Originally Posted by jipped genes

i stopped forcing myself to eat 20-30 grams of protein at every meal and snack. i have not lost one ounce of mass that I can tell. I am not body building anymore but I still train hard. also I always had chronic digestive probs which have since disappeared.

hey if it works for you.

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Too much protein also messed with my digestive system too. I do think that if your body gets more than it needs, it isnt helpful anyway

I use digestive enzymes daily and I believe it makes a big difference for me.

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Originally Posted by Mountain Monster

I use digestive enzymes daily and I believe it makes a big difference for me.

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I used them for ahile and they di help, but then became allergicc to something in them. seems to be my story lately,lol

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Originally Posted by BABY1

I used them for ahile and they di help, but then became allergicc to something in them. seems to be my story lately,lol

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That suck B1! Just developed the allergy or already was and didn't know it?

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Originally Posted by Mountain Monster

That suck B1! Just developed the allergy or already was and didn't know it?

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Recently became allergic to bananas, lemons, ingedients in supps and meds too. Just crazy

I think I probably consumed 500 grams of protein a day for years LOL...I cant say I have noticed any detrimental effects

If you consume alot of water it will help avoid the kidney problems. Fiber and probiotics/digestive enzymes really help me out alot.

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Originally Posted by Dzone

I think I probably consumed 500 grams of protein a day for years LOL...I cant say I have noticed any detrimental effects

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i consume 1lb of varying protein per meal 5-6x a day. i shared this with my doctor also and he said that it wasnt an issue with kidney health. he pointed out that this is very old data and unless you have sort of kidney issues to start with then consuming a ton of protein isnt going to destroy your kidneys.
you are far more likely to have health issues consuming tons of fats and carbs as opposed to protein.

This is going vary a lot person to person. Genetics, training, metabolism and bmi is going to play a big role in whether we can utilize how much protein we take in. That is not even referenced in the article.
Overall macros would also dictate how much protein would fit into ones diet.
I have non and active gym people tell me when I eat 30grams of protein a day its wasted. Well if my carbs are at 150gr, and fat at 75gr, well that's 1275 cals. We can agree with me being 190lbs, 12%bf and highly active, training, working, etc.. overall cals being at 2275 would be damn low. Just with that protein divided by the 1000 cals to make my total cal would be 250. So that divided by 6 meals is over 40gr per meal.
That's when they look like I'm talking to them in Chinese then I stray from talking anymore.
I am no nutritionist but there is more to it than just protein=muscle repair. Your body can do all types of things with these aminos. Including make glucose if I'm not mistaken.
If your way over maintenance yes you don't want to be way over with protein but if your close to maintenance cals I would rather have some protein floating around in my system.

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