How much protein is too much?

meli_medina

There's some interesting information in this thread but to get back to the OP's question....

From what I've read (and I'm certainly not as up on this as some others!) our kidneys can efficiently process up to around 200-300 grams of protein a day, based on your height and weight. 120 grams per day is not too much in that respect. Whether or not you "need" that much is another story.

This is true. There was an article I read (I can find it if anyone is interested). In the article, it was discussing dietary causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (something I have suffered from for about 2 - 3 years now), and a male in the article had been eating 400-500 grams of protein per day. When they did further testing, it was determined his body could not efficiently process the protein because he was eating far too much. He was feeling tired all of the time, so he would up his protein. His body would become even less efficient at processing it, and he would have even less energy. It was a vicious cycle. When he went into the doctor, they put him on no more than 150 grams per day, and after 2 weeks, his chronic fatigue was no longer a problem. Testing also showed that his body was once again processing the protein efficiently.

So, yes. You can have too much of a good thing and it can cause your organs problems.

jrzguy

MFP sets default values same for everyone, likely based on USDA/FDA recommendations. You need to do your own research and figure out what best fits you. You can't have a "one for all" formula. I mean it's a good start, but all in all you need to eventually put in the leg work and figure out the best solution for you.