How much protein IS "too much"

"It has been observed that the human liver cannot safely metabolise much more than 285-365 g of protein per day (for an 80 kg person), and human kidneys are similarly limited in their capability to remove urea (a byproduct of protein catabolism) from the bloodstream. Exceeding that amount results in excess levels of amino acids, ammonia (hyperammonemia), and/or urea in the bloodstream, with potentially fatal consequences,[1] especially if the person switches to a high-protein diet without giving time for the levels of his or her hepatic enzymes to upregulate. Since protein only contains 4 kcal/gram, and a typical adult human requires in excess of 1900 kcal to maintain the energy balance, it is possible to exceed the safe intake of protein if one is subjected to a high-protein diet with little or no fat or carbohydrates. However, given the lack of scientific data on the effects of high-protein diets, and the observed ability of the liver to compensate over a few days for a shift in protein intake, the US Food and Nutrition Board does not set a Tolerable Upper Limit nor upper Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for protein.[2] Furthermore, medical sources such as UpToDate[3] do not include listings on this topic." 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

It would be an exercise in and of itself to consume the amount of protein daily that it would take to give you major problems, talking in upwards of 300+grams of meat a day. Most people on here have trouble breaking 100

"It has been observed that the human liver cannot safely metabolise much more than 285-365 g of protein per day (for an 80 kg person), and human kidneys are similarly limited in their capability to remove urea (a byproduct of protein catabolism) from the bloodstream. Exceeding that amount results in excess levels of amino acids, ammonia (hyperammonemia), and/or urea in the bloodstream, with potentially fatal consequences,[1] especially if the person switches to a high-protein diet without giving time for the levels of his or her hepatic enzymes to upregulate. Since protein only contains 4 kcal/gram, and a typical adult human requires in excess of 1900 kcal to maintain the energy balance, it is possible to exceed the safe intake of protein if one is subjected to a high-protein diet with little or no fat or carbohydrates. However, given the lack of scientific data on the effects of high-protein diets, and the observed ability of the liver to compensate over a few days for a shift in protein intake, the US Food and Nutrition Board does not set a Tolerable Upper Limit nor upper Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for protein.[2] Furthermore, medical sources such as UpToDate[3] do not include listings on this topic." 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

Didn't your teacher ever tell you that you're not allowed to cite wikipedia?

Also found this which lists WEIGHT GAIN, Reduced Liver and Brain Function, and High cholesterol:

"Your body can only use a certain amount of protein each day. If you take in too much protein, you may gain weight. Each gram of protein has 4 calories. If you take in 100 grams of protein, but your body can only use 50 grams of it, your body will store the extra 200 calories' worth of protein as fat. Doing this daily can cause you to take in 1,400 extra calories per week, resulting in a weight gain of almost 2 pounds per month." (http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/three-problems-associated-much-protein-intake-6546.html)

I wonder what our ancestors did with all that extra meat after hunting a mammoth when they realised that your body cant eat that much protein?

Probably salted and dried it

I am a vegetarian and have recently been researching this question myself and I have seen everything from 64 grams for a 180lb person such as myself all the way to 180 grams (given that is my weight and that some prescribe that you eat in grams of protein what you weigh or what you desire to weigh). Cutting calories AND getting much past the 64 takes a lot of thinking and meal planning for a vegetarian, at least in my case. I have lately been really trying and I rarely ever get past the 100g mark and when I do, I likely blow through my minimal calorie limit set my MFP. Sooooo, I'm just going to use some common sense here and say that as long as you are getting AT LEAST the minimum set by the .gov standards and perhaps as much more as you can fit in without blowing calorie limits, then no worries. I'm not a body builder, so I'm not going to try to get more than 100g daily. Honestly, if I get up to 80 and stay at or below 1200 cal., I feel pretty accomplished!

Also found this which lists WEIGHT GAIN, Reduced Liver and Brain Function, and High cholesterol:

"Your body can only use a certain amount of protein each day. If you take in too much protein, you may gain weight. Each gram of protein has 4 calories. If you take in 100 grams of protein, but your body can only use 50 grams of it, your body will store the extra 200 calories' worth of protein as fat. Doing this daily can cause you to take in 1,400 extra calories per week, resulting in a weight gain of almost 2 pounds per month." (http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/three-problems-associated-much-protein-intake-6546.html)

Scientific studies have shown that .82g/lb of body weight of protein a day provides optimal amino acid availability for muscle protein synthesis. Any protein consumed above this amount, at or below maintenance calories will be used as fuel for energy, but will not be stored as fat. Furthermore, your body will not store calories from any sources as fat unless you eat a caloric surplus

The Body can ONLY absorb 26 grams or less of "protein" per day. Everything else is waste! I put protein in quotations because there is No such thing as protein; there are aminos and someone came up with which ones THEY believe are essential. Protein is a Myth, and the need for it in great numbers are an even Bigger myth, this is one reason for so many diseases, EXCESS "protein" actually it is Excess food products that carry these aminos that the Body can not digest to get to the aminos...such as meats and dairy. Those excess food products can not be broken down by the Body so they just sit and cause damage. Ever heard that beef can stay in the intestines for yrs...TRUE. And guess what, it is just rotting there, a cancer waiting to happen.

so. much. no.

bump

I wonder what our ancestors did with all that extra meat after hunting a mammoth when they realised that your body cant eat that much protein?

A massive bbq and invited the neighbours around :laugh: :drinker:

The Body can ONLY absorb 26 grams or less of "protein" per day. Everything else is waste! I put protein in quotations because there is No such thing as protein; there are aminos and someone came up with which ones THEY believe are essential. Protein is a Myth, and the need for it in great numbers are an even Bigger myth, this is one reason for so many diseases, EXCESS "protein" actually it is Excess food products that carry these aminos that the Body can not digest to get to the aminos...such as meats and dairy. Those excess food products can not be broken down by the Body so they just sit and cause damage. Ever heard that beef can stay in the intestines for yrs...TRUE. And guess what, it is just rotting there, a cancer waiting to happen.

Credentials? Sources?

... because I don't get the context of what you are saying. I have a B.S. in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry. Proteins are defined as long polypeptide chains of amino acids 50+ amino acids long, governed by many intermolecular interactions which allows the polypeptide to fold and form the fully functional protein. Without these interactions, "amino acids" that are by themselves would be useless.

The Body can ONLY absorb 26 grams or less of "protein" per day. Everything else is waste! I put protein in quotations because there is No such thing as protein; there are aminos and someone came up with which ones THEY believe are essential. Protein is a Myth, and the need for it in great numbers are an even Bigger myth, this is one reason for so many diseases, EXCESS "protein" actually it is Excess food products that carry these aminos that the Body can not digest to get to the aminos...such as meats and dairy. Those excess food products can not be broken down by the Body so they just sit and cause damage. Ever heard that beef can stay in the intestines for yrs...TRUE. And guess what, it is just rotting there, a cancer waiting to happen.

Huh? Might want to take a basic biology course or take a trip to Africa and see children suffering with kwashiorkor

"It has been observed that the human liver cannot safely metabolise much more than 285-365 g of protein per day (for an 80 kg person), and human kidneys are similarly limited in their capability to remove urea (a byproduct of protein catabolism) from the bloodstream. Exceeding that amount results in excess levels of amino acids, ammonia (hyperammonemia), and/or urea in the bloodstream, with potentially fatal consequences,[1] especially if the person switches to a high-protein diet without giving time for the levels of his or her hepatic enzymes to upregulate. Since protein only contains 4 kcal/gram, and a typical adult human requires in excess of 1900 kcal to maintain the energy balance, it is possible to exceed the safe intake of protein if one is subjected to a high-protein diet with little or no fat or carbohydrates. However, given the lack of scientific data on the effects of high-protein diets, and the observed ability of the liver to compensate over a few days for a shift in protein intake, the US Food and Nutrition Board does not set a Tolerable Upper Limit nor upper Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for protein.[2] Furthermore, medical sources such as UpToDate[3] do not include listings on this topic." 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

^^^ this is exactly what I was going to paraphrase.

Also found this which lists WEIGHT GAIN, Reduced Liver and Brain Function, and High cholesterol:

"Your body can only use a certain amount of protein each day. If you take in too much protein, you may gain weight. Each gram of protein has 4 calories. If you take in 100 grams of protein, but your body can only use 50 grams of it, your body will store the extra 200 calories' worth of protein as fat. Doing this daily can cause you to take in 1,400 extra calories per week, resulting in a weight gain of almost 2 pounds per month." (http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/three-problems-associated-much-protein-intake-6546.html)

Not a problem if you're eating at a deficit to begin with. This very basic logic applies to calories whether the source is protein, carbs or fat. In order to consume the amounts of protein that theoretically would cause problems is nearly impossible unless you are intentionally doing so. On a good day, when I'm eating double servings of meat at every meal, having protein bars or drinks for snacks, I might get to 230 grams for the day. Since those are also the days that I might burn 1000-1500 kcal in exercise, I'm certainly not going to gain weight from those protein cals.

" The position of the International Society of Sports Nutrition is that exercising individuals need approximately 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day. The amount is dependent upon the mode and intensity of the exercise, the quality of the protein ingested, and the status of the energy and carbohydrate intake of the individual. Concerns that protein intake within this range is unhealthy are unfounded in healthy, exercising individuals. An attempt should be made to obtain protein requirements from whole foods, but supplemental protein is a safe and convenient method of ingesting high quality dietary protein.

The timing of protein intake in the time period encompassing the exercise session has several benefits including improved recovery and greater gains in fat free mass. Protein residues such as branched chain amino acids have been shown to be beneficial for the exercising individual, including increasing the rates of protein synthesis, decreasing the rate of protein degradation, and possibly aiding in recovery from exercise. In summary, exercising individuals need more dietary protein than their sedentary counterparts, which can be obtained from whole foods as well as from high quality supplemental protein sources such as whey and casein protein. "

"Within the media there has been widespread reports that high levels of protein intake puts heavy stress on the kidneys. There has been other reports indicating that high protein diets increase excretion of calcium-leading to an increased risk of osteoporosis. Both of these concerns have no scientific substantiation whatsoever. Most of the cited sources relate to studies done on animals and patients with co-exiting renal (kidney) disease. For healthy individuals-with no disease or impairment-higher levels of protein intake for exercising individuals are safe, and desired for optimal performance. "

"The RDA for healthy adults (0.8 g/kg body weight per day) was created to allow for an individual's differences in protein metabolism-since people's metabolic rate can vary due to numerous factors. That recommendation for protein intake covers that vast majority of society-approximately 97.5%- which may be adequate for non-exercising individuals. Since exercise breaks down additional foodstuffs coming from protein, carbohydrates and fats, trained individuals require more calories-especially coming from protein to accommodate recovery and muscle maintenance.
Most studies related to protein requirements use nitrogen balance assessments and amino acid tracer studies. This has one primary disadvantage for trained individuals because nitrogen balance studies may underestimate the amount of protein needed for optimal performance related to exercise. All athletes whether endurance, resistance, or any other form of training require additional protein to fuel their metabolism.

For endurance training individuals, recommended protein intakes range from of 1.0 g/kg to 1.6 g/kg per day depending on the intensity and duration of the endurance exercise, as well as the training status of the individual. Strength/power exercise is thought to increase protein requirements even more than endurance exercise, particularly during the initial stages of training and/or sharp increases in volume. Recommendations for strength/power exercise typically range from 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg/day. "