Protein is a key macronutrient found in foods such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. It plays an essential role in supporting the body by helping to build and repair muscles, organs, skin, hair, and nails. It also aids your immune system and hormone production. Everyone requires some protein daily to remain healthy.
Medical experts recommend that adults aim to consume about 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of their body weight each day. For the average person, this works out at around 46-56g per day. More may be required for athletes, children, adolescents, and pregnant females.
What Happens If You Consume Too Much Protein?
Eating slightly more than you need is usually harmless for healthy people. But problems start when you eat a lot more protein than your body requires, especially over long periods.
Possible Risks of Eating Too Much Protein:
1. Kidney Strain and Damage
Your kidneys assist in eliminating the byproducts of protein breakdown. If you consume high amounts of protein, your kidneys will work harder. With continued hard work over time, this can cause damage to your kidneys, particularly if you already have a kidney issue. Individuals with kidney disease need to be particularly mindful of consuming too much protein.
High-protein foods also increase the risk of kidney stones, as your body will produce more chemicals (such as calcium and uric acid) that cling to one another and become uncomfortable stones.
2. Digestive Issues
Loving protein in excess, particularly animal protein, tends to mean that you consume less fifibreYou may not consume sufficient fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. If you consume too little fiber, you may develop constipation, bloating, abdominal pain, and other gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhoea and gas.
3. Weight Gain and Fat Gain
If you consume more protein than your body requires, excess calories will be stored as fat. This is so for any surplus calories, not only protein. More people assume protein results in muscle and strength only, but excess unused protein can also become body fat, causing weight gain in the long term.
4. Bad Breath
Protein diets make you have bad breath, particularly if you are also restricting carbs. This is because your body will enter into “ketosis” – a state where it burns fat rather than carbs, producing chemicals known as ketones that give you fruity or metallic-smelling breath.
5. Dehydration
A lot of protein means your body has excess waste to eliminate, primarily through urine. This can cause you to urinate more and put you at risk for dehydration, particularly if you are not consuming enough water.
6. Heart and Blood Vessel Problems
Most high-protein foods, such as red meat and whole-fat dairy products, contain a great deal of saturated fat and cholesterol. Eating too much can raise your levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL), which may increase the chances of developing heart disease, having a heart attack, or experiencing a stroke.
7. Increased Risk of Certain Cancers
Studies show that eating a lot of red and processed meat may increase the risk of cancers, especially colon, breast, and stomach cancers. This is not so much to be concerned about if you are having your protein from plant foods, fish, chicken, or low-fat milk.
8. Bone Health
Some research found that very high intake of protein can disrupt calcium balance in your body and may result in your bones losing calcium. After a long time, this could raise your risk of fractures or osteoporosis, which can cause weak and easily broken bones.
9. Liver Problem
If you already have problems with your liver, eating a lot of protein could make the liver work harder, which will aggravate your condition.
You May Be Eating Too Much Protein
A few symptoms that you may be eating too much protein are:
- Headaches
- Bad breath
- Sudden thirst and dry mouth
- Trouble using the bathroom (constipation or diarrhoea
- Feeling tired or sluggish
- Weight gain (particularly fat)
- Feeling bloated and uncomfortable
- Kidney stones
- Abnormally high cholesterol on tests
If you have these symptoms and are eating a lot of protein, you may need to cut back and speak with your doctor.
Who Is Most At Risk?
Certain individuals must be particularly cautious with high-protein diets:
- Individuals with liver or kidney disease
- Senior citizens (kidney function decreases with age)
- Children (balance is key to healthy growth)
- Anyone with a history of kidney stones or kidney disease
What Foods Are High in Protein?
Animal sources:
- Meat (beef, pork, lamb)
- Poultry (chicken, turkey)
- Fish and seafood
- Eggs
- Dairy (milk, cheeseyoghurt)
Plant sources:
- Beans and lentils
- Nuts and seeds Soy foods (tofu, tempeh, edamame)
- Whole grains (quinoa, buckwheat)
How Much Protein Do You Really Need?
For most adults:
- Aim for 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight.
- That’s about 46g a day for women and 56g a day for men.
- Older individuals, athletes, and pregnant and breastfeeding women may need more.
- Don’t go much higher than 2g per kilogram unless a doctor advises you.
Is There A Safe Amount?
Most people eat vastly more than they need, especially if they are relying on processed high-protein foods and supplements. If you are in good health, an extra bit of protein would not hurt you, but very high intakes (more than 2-3g per kilogram of body weight) over time can be risky.
What Should You Do?
Balance is the key. Eat healthy protein sources, but at the same time have your meals filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains for essential vitamins and minerals. Do not rely too heavily on processed high-protein foods and supplements unless a healthcare professional prescribes so.
Some Protein Myths Debunked
- Myth: “Impossible to consume too much protein.”
Fact: Eating too much protein can cause health problems.
- Myth: “Diets in protein do not guarantee weight loss.”
Fact: Any extra calories from protein will make you fat.
- Myth: “High protein diets are best for everybody.”
Fact: Not everybody. Some people get sick from eating too much protein.
Conclusion
Eating too much puts a strain on your kidneys, messes up your digestive system, puts you at risk for heart disease and cancer, causes dehydration, and even makes you gain weight.
Obtain sufficient protein for your needs, eat plenty of whole fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, and talk to your physician before you make any drastic changes to your diet. Pay attention to your body, and if you feel any symptoms or become sick, speak to a professional.