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A number of times we have heard consuming high protein will affect our health in the long run and this is the most common & popular topic in the fitness industry.
Most common side effects that are most talked about are:
- Reduction of calcium in bones
- Osteoporosis
- Kidneys damage
Here in this article, we will take a look at whether there is any evidence to support these claims or not.
Let's Understand Protein First
What is the Function of Protein?
Health revolves around the Proteins; they are the building blocks of the body. Every living cell required Protein for its proper structure and functioning.
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How Protein Look like?
In our day to day life, we have seen protein looks like
But actually proteins are long interlinked long chains of amino acids just like string beads, that is folded into very complex shapes.
There are 9 essential amino acids
- Histidine
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Valine
that you must get through your diet as our body does not produce them itself.
There 12 that are non-essential,
- Alanine
- Arginine
- Asparagine
- Aspartate
- Cysteine
- Glutamate
- Glutamine
- Glycine
- Histidine
- Proline
- Serine
- Tyrosine
which your body can produce from other organic molecules.
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Amino acid profile in food decides the quality of protein. The dietary source that contains all essential amino acids in ratios appropriate for humans.
Which protein is better plant base or Animal?
Animal-based proteins are considered as the best protein. Animal protein contains 9 essential amino acids in it and muscle tissues of animals are quite similar humans, which make it perfect.
What is the basic Recommended Daily Allowance of protein?
The basic recommendations of protein intake are 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight (0.8 grams per kg) daily. For example, If your weight is 154 pond (70-kg) then you need 56 grams of protein.
It is the minimum amount of protein that an adults ≥18 y of age must eat to avoid a loss of body nitrogen. (1)
Physically active people or Gym goers need a lot more protein than above mentioned. reseach has been conducted and found that the daily intake of protein may be between 0.93 and 1.2 g protein/kg/day. (2)
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SUMMARYProtein is an essential macronutrient. Although the recommended daily intake may be enough to prevent deficiency, some scientists believe it’s insufficient to optimize health and body composition
Does Protein Cause Osteoporosis?
There is one theory that high protein in diet increases the acid load of your body and which in turn then causes the body to extract calcium from bones to neutralize the acid (4).
Therefore there is a common persecption that high protein intake can contribute to osteoporosis.
Even though there are some studies showing increased short-term calcium excretion, this effect does not persist over the long term (5).
In fact, longer-term studies do not support this idea. In one 9-week study, replacing carbohydrates with meat did not affect calcium excretion and improved some hormones known to promote bone health, like IGF-1 (6).
A review published in 2017 concluded that increased protein intake does not harm the bones. If anything, the evidence pointed to a higher protein intake improving bone health (7).
A number of other studies show that higher protein intake is a good thing when it comes to your bone health.
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SUMMARYLong-term studies show that a high protein intake may improve your bone health. It does not cause osteoporosis.
Does Protein Intake Damage Kidney?
The kidneys are remarkable organs that filter waste compounds, excess nutrients and liquids out of the bloodstream, producing urine.
Some say that your kidneys need to work hard to clear the metabolites of protein from your body, leading to increased strain on the kidneys.
Adding some more protein to your diet may increase their workload a little, but this increase is quite insignificant compared to the immense amount of work your kidneys already do.
About 20% of the blood your heart pumps through your body goes to the kidneys. In an adult, the kidneys may filter around 48 gallons (180 liters) of blood every single day.
High protein intake may cause harm in people with diagnosed kidney disease, but the same doesn’t apply to people with healthy kidneys (12, 13, 14).
The two main risk factors for kidney failure are high blood pressure (hypertension) and diabetes. A higher protein intake benefits both (15, 16, 17, 18).
In conclusion, there is no evidence that a high protein intake harms kidney function in people who don’t have kidney disease.
On the contrary, it has plenty of health benefits and may even help you lose weight (19).
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SUMMARYA high protein intake has been shown to accelerate kidney damage in people who have kidney disease. However, higher protein diets don’t adversely affect kidney function in healthy people.
Benefits of Eating Plenty of Protein
There are many benefits associated with high protein intake.
- Muscle mass: Adequate amounts of protein have a positive effect on muscle mass and are crucial to prevent muscle loss on a calorie-restricted diet (20).
- Energy expenditure: Studies show that protein increases energy expenditure more than any other macronutrient (21,22).
- Satiety: Protein keeps you full longer. Increased protein intake can lead to decreased calorie intake and weight loss (23).
- Lower risk of obesity: Replacing carbs and fat with protein may protect you against obesity (24).
Overall, higher protein intake is beneficial for your health, especially for maintaining muscle mass and losing weight.
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SUMMARYThere are many benefits to a high protein intake, such as weight loss, increased lean mass and a lower risk of obesity.
How Much Protein Is Too Much?
The body is in a constant state of flux, constantly breaking down and rebuilding its own tissues.
Under certain circumstances, our need for protein can increase. This includes periods of sickness or increased physical activity.
We need to consume enough protein for these processes to occur.
However, if we eat more than we need, the excess protein will be broken down and used for energy.
Even though relatively high protein intake is healthy and safe, eating massive amounts of protein is unnatural and may cause harm. Traditional populations got most of their calories from fat or carbs, not protein.
Exactly how much protein is harmful is unclear and likely varies between people.
One study in healthy, strength-training men showed that eating around 1.4 grams per pound of body weight (3 grams per kg) every day for a year didn’t have any adverse health effects (12).
Even eating 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight (4.4 grams per kg) for 2 months did not appear to cause any side effects (25)
But keep in mind that physically active people, especially strength athletes or bodybuilders, need more protein than less active individuals.
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SUMMARYExtremely high protein intake is unhealthy. It is unclear at what intake level protein becomes harmful. It likely depends on the individual.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, there is no evidence that eating protein in reasonably high amounts causes harm in healthy people. On the contrary, plenty of evidence suggests benefits.
However, if you have kidney disease, you should follow your doctor’s advice and limit your protein intake.
But for the majority of people, there is no reason to be concerned about the exact number of grams of protein in your diet.
If you follow a balanced diet that contains plenty of meat, fish, dairy or high-protein plant foods, your protein intake should be in a safe and healthy range.
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