Too much protein... outcome??

lianamscott

Hi there,

Does anybody know what the impact might be if I am getting too much protein?

lisamarie2181

I don't think you can get too much lol I think whatever your body doesn't use it just flushes it out. I eat around 150 to 170 g of protein a day and hasn't affected me negatively in anyway. I think the goal set on MFP is more like a minimum then a max.

Hope this helps

Off10h8ed

^ Agreed! ^

BetterCrazyThanLazy

Protein isn’t particularly dangerous, but an over-consumption of protein may be associated with:

1.Weight gain. Excess calories from excess protein may be stored as body fat.
2.Intestinal irritation. Too much protein has been linked to constipation, diarrhea and/or excessive gas.
3.Dehydration. Experts advise drinking a half gallon of water per 100 grams of protein.
4.Seizures. Seizures have been linked to excess protein intake – but only if insufficient amounts of water are consumed.
5.Increase in liver enzymes.
6.Nutritional deficiencies. Just focusing on protein intake causes some high-protein dieters to overlook other nutrients. Ensure that your diet is balanced and nutritious.
7.Risk of heart disease. This is a bit misleading. A healthy high-protein diet is not associated with heart disease. But if you are getting all of your protein from unhealthy sources that are loaded in unhealthy fats, obviously the risk for heart disease will increase.
8.Kidney problems. Some believe that high protein and low carbohydrate diets – when done long term – can possibly cause kidney issues, but more research needs to be done.

http://www.daveywaveyfitness.com/nutrition/8-side-effects-of-too-much-protein/

Acidique

The only thing I can think of to mention is: suddenly changing your diet to include a lot more protein can sometimes cause you to have a little bit of GI (intestinal) uneasiness. Nothing bad, your body just notices the difference and isn't used to it. After a while it gets used to the extra protein and stops rumbling.

itsuki

It depends on what your definition of "too much" is.

If you mean more than MFP suggests, you'll be fine. MFP's goal for protein is very, very low.

Carol_L

Protein isn’t particularly dangerous, but an over-consumption of protein may be associated with:

1.Weight gain. Excess calories from excess protein may be stored as body fat.
2.Intestinal irritation. Too much protein has been linked to constipation, diarrhea and/or excessive gas.
3.Dehydration. Experts advise drinking a half gallon of water per 100 grams of protein.
4.Seizures. Seizures have been linked to excess protein intake – but only if insufficient amounts of water are consumed.
5.Increase in liver enzymes.
6.Nutritional deficiencies. Just focusing on protein intake causes some high-protein dieters to overlook other nutrients. Ensure that your diet is balanced and nutritious.
7.Risk of heart disease. This is a bit misleading. A healthy high-protein diet is not associated with heart disease. But if you are getting all of your protein from unhealthy sources that are loaded in unhealthy fats, obviously the risk for heart disease will increase.
8.Kidney problems. Some believe that high protein and low carbohydrate diets – when done long term – can possibly cause kidney issues, but more research needs to be done.

http://www.daveywaveyfitness.com/nutrition/8-side-effects-of-too-much-protein/

A lot of myths here. Yes, I did check out the link and the first thing I noticed is that there were no citations whatsoever for anything in that article. If you are going to make these kinds of statements, back them up. For brevity, I'll deal with two of the more egregious myths mentioned.

#1 - Excess protein may be stored as fat.

Anyone floating that fairy tale understands neither physiology, nor chemistry. Proteins when broken down become amino acids, which are used for maintaining and building muscle. Carbohydrates end up in the liver to be converted into glucose. The liver enzymes phosphorylate the glucose into glucose-6-phosphate, or G6P. This new product is further metabolized into triglycerides, fatty acids, glycogen or energy.

Glycogen is the form in which the body stores glucose. The liver can only store about 100 g of glucose in the form of glycogen, so the remainder goes out into the blood stream to be stored in the muscles. Since there is an upper limit to the amount of glycogen muscles can store (approx 500 g). Any carbohydrates that are consumed beyond this storage capacity are converted to and stored as fat. Glucose, not amino acids, is the precursor to fat storage. (Source: pick any textbook you care to on human physiology)

#8 - High protein intake is harmful to your kidneys.

The origin: Back in 1983, researchers first discovered that eating more protein increases your "glomerular filtration rate," or GFR. Think of GFR as the amount of blood your kidneys are filtering per minute. From this finding, many scientists made the leap that a higher GFR places your kidneys under greater stress.

What science really shows: Nearly 2 decades ago, Dutch researchers found that while a protein-rich meal did boost GFR, it didn't have an adverse effect on overall kidney function. In fact, there's zero published research showing that downing hefty amounts of protein—specifically, up to 1.27 grams per pound of body weight a day—damages healthy kidneys.

The bottom line: As a rule of thumb, shoot to eat your target body weight in grams of protein daily. For example, if you're a chubby 200 pounds and want to be a lean 180, then have 180 grams of protein a day. Likewise if you're a skinny 150 pounds but want to be a muscular 180.
{Source: Alan Aragon - Truth Behind 5 Food Myths}

There's a lot of FUD out there. Understand the strength of a study, look at its methodology, before taking anything as truth. Studies are published everyday, saying all kinds of things, but all data is not created equal. Sample size, length of study, composition of subject pool, etc...you need to be aware of these things before accepting the validity of the conclusions. Anyone can publish anything on the Internet, and even Lancet has had to deal with studies that had data that had been massaged and misrepresented. Critical evaluation, folks.

lianamscott

Hi Everyone... thank you SO much for all the responses.

I noticed that I was going over the MFP protein allotment almost daily. Not by a lot. I know that overdoing it on carbs and sodium, for instance, both have weight gain, blood-pressure and colesterol detriments. I just didn't know if excessive protein had similar, more immediate detirments.

Thanks again!