Is too much Protein Dangerous

[boydells]

I have just started taking the Whey Protein, only using it after work outs and on the times when I cant get a good protein meal.

Are there any dangers of having too much protein in the body?
Sorry for the stupid question - but if you dont ask you will never know.

[Luffers]

Unless you have an already existing kidney problem then no!

[comanight2]

/thread

[MoonBoots89]

Read around all you'll find articles that say that excess protein causes pretty much anything (cancer, high blood pressure, spontaneous combustion etc). Its total garbage though.

Unless you have a kidney problem then I wouldn't worry about health risks. However, try to make sure that you're getting a reasonable proportion of your calories from fats and carbs rather than exclusively from protein.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

As people have said, without an existing kidney problem, there is no immediate health risk from a high protein diet. Same goes for acidification of the blood or bone loss - they are all myths that have no scientifically derived evidence to back them up.

Having said that, I personally believe chronic high protein intakes are not the optimum way to go for several reasons.

There is a greater chance any excess not required for PS (which requires relatively little - even for strength athletes and bodybuilders) can be converted into glucose and, if that is in excess of the body's immediate needs or available glycogen storage, can be converted to and stored as body fat.

Whichever substrate you provide the body in excess is likely to become the substrate that is primarily oxidised - do you really want a significant portion of your protein intake and body proteins (muscle) to be oxidised?

A lot of lean protein can cause 'rabbit starvation' or 'rabbit fever' but even in a mild form you may find yourself suffering from diarrhoea!

While healthy kidneys will cope with an increased protein load it has to be said they will be required to work a lot harder! It has been determined that a maximum of a third of the day's energy requirement as protein is approaching the upper limits of what healthy kidneys can comfortably process over the long term.

If you are an 80KG person on a 2500 kcal daily diet then 33% of that (833 kcals) would be 208g of protein daily, which would be 2.6g of protein per KG body weight - the optimum amount, according to studies, for strength training or bodybuilding.

[BanZeh]

Further to what NU has said based on being around an 80Kg man myself I can safely say there is no need to be having in excess of 200g of protein per day for developing muscle. I have taken in alot less than this and still been effective in developing strength and muscle. Id say as long as you are getting over 120g per day that you should be fine, although I am still a strong believer in quick release proteins PWO.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Exactly, BanZeh, a third of total calories (or 2.6g per KG BW) should looked at as the upper limit for protein intake. It makes more sense to see how much less than that you can get away with and achieve your goals rather than jump straight into mega-dosing on expensive lean, protein sources.

Again, what form that protein takes is up to you. Whole foods are best but supplementation has it's place, particularly around training and - not as a substitute for real food - but as an alternative or addition when real food is unavailable or not logistically practical.

When people talk about a high protein diet they fail to realise that the average intake is WAY below the figures we are talking about - most people probably have between 10-15% of the total daily calories as protein. So, as you can see, doubling that would give you a 20-30% intake, which is higher than average, but not high in the sense of the majority of total calories.

[chris229uk]

Also... the shakes give you 'farts of doom!!!' Not good at parties or while in bed with the Mrs...

[Presty]

I also believe that you don't have to mega dose protein to see results. although like others have said, if your kidneys are healthy it wont do you any harm consuming more of It. I cant prove whether i am right of not but there is a well respected strength coach that thinks only 100g a day is necessary, and his clients have followed his meal plans and have seen results. His name is Jason Ferruggia (Dont think i can post his site because he has links to some Supplement companies based in his home country)

So believe what you want in my opinion, I think its down to eating at the right times, quality over quantity if you ask me. Just my personal opinion, I eat around 150/160g of protein a day. About in the middle of the pile so to speak, ive became stronger and seen results.

[Presty]

Quote

Also... the shakes give you 'farts of doom!!!' Not good at parties or while in bed with the Mrs...

Shakes dont give me gas problems, maybe your lactose intolerant, you should try the lactose free whey - Impact milk isolate - Protein powders | myprotein.co.uk