Too much Protein?

iwantniceabs
iwantniceabs Posts: 357 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have no idea where I got this from (I skim through a lot of fitness mags and look at a lot of fitness websites) but I seem to remember reading that you shouldn't eat more than 28(ish) grams of protein at a time because your body doesn't use more than that at a time, so it will be unwanted excess....am I just crazy, or does that have some truth to it??

Thanks for any advice!

Replies

  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
    I've read that too. Your body only absorbs 20g of protein at a time and you should drink more water if you eat more than that. I'm having a smoothie now that has 47g in it and that's about the norm for me. It's had no negative effects and I do drink tons of water. I keep my protein intake over 100g (usually around 130-150) per day.
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
    This comes from how much your body can process at one time. There is a ceiling which is all the more reason to spread out your daily protein intake regularly throughout the day.

    As well, since protein is thermogenic, spreading it out gives you a metabolic boost at every meal meaning you burn more calories simply by your eating habits.
  • iwantniceabs
    iwantniceabs Posts: 357 Member
    Great! It's nice to know I'm not completely losing my mind!

    So 20ish grams of protein at a time...every what? hour? few hours?
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
    I would guess ever 3 hours since most dieticians say you should eat every 3 hours. That still seems low to me though.
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
    Great! It's nice to know I'm not completely losing my mind!

    So 20ish grams of protein at a time...every what? hour? few hours?

    Check the following article for some detailed information: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-protein

    Basically, you figure out your total daily protein needs and then break that up into equal portion sizes throughout the day. General recommendations are 0.6 - 0.8g/lb of body weight...but alot of hard trainers use 1g/lb of body weight. So a 150lb person would want between 90 -120 grams/day of protein. Broken up would be 6 servings of 15-20g each time. (Depending on how often you eat.
  • wenders74
    wenders74 Posts: 17
    When I took a nutrition class in college, we had a chapter about the effects of too much protein (over a long period of time). It has been a few years since I have read up on this so it may be somewhat outdated. But just food for thought.....It is suggested that over consumption of protein will tend to cause decreased calcium in your body. For women it can lead to premature menapause and for young girls who start dieting and do high protein diets it can cause them to start their periods much earlier in life.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    I've been told by my nutrition professors that the body can absorb roughly 10g protein per hour. That's why I usual sip my protein shakes throughout the day, takes me about 2 hours to finish a single 27g protein serving. Taking proteolytic enzymes with your protein shakes can help absorption of the amino acids, specially the BCAA's.
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
    I have no idea where I got this from (I skim through a lot of fitness mags and look at a lot of fitness websites) but I seem to remember reading that you shouldn't eat more than 28(ish) grams of protein at a time because your body doesn't use more than that at a time, so it will be unwanted excess....am I just crazy, or does that have some truth to it??

    Thanks for any advice!

    The Following article references the studies that address this. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/protein-limit

    The studies have shown that injesting more than 20-30g at one time, will not bring about any additional benefit towards muscle protein synthesis.

    That being said, there are additoinal benefits to increasing your protein, beyond that of muscle protein synthesis, so in that respect, you can time your meals and intake accordingly for maximal absorption and results. Regular protein intake through the day keeps your metabolism high and your body fueled with essential Amino Acids maintained at the optimal level for protein synthesis.

    Cheers!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/is-there-a-limit-to-how-much-protein-the-body-can-use-in-a-single-meal/
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/is-there-a-limit-to-how-much-protein-the-body-can-use-in-a-single-meal/

    That's a good read. Any idea how much time liquid protein, (i.e. milk, protein shakes) have to be absorbed, vs. solid proteins like steak and chicken?

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