Is too much protein bad for you?

I often get asked if consuming a diet that’s high in protein is safe. I have a number of relatives who are in the medical industry, and every time they see me reaching for a protein shake we seem to get into the protein debate, but, is too much protein bad for you? Physicians argue that very high protein consumption can overburden the liver and kidneys. Whether or not this is true is heavily debated amongst the fitness and medical communities.

How much protein is too much protein? If you ask members of the medical industry, they’ll tell you that you need very little protein, roughly one-third of a gram-per-pound of bodyweight. If you talk to some diehard protein fanatics, they’ll tell you that you need 250-300+ grams a day. Where does the truth lie? As with most arguments, somewhere in the middle.

The Straight Goods 

A popular protein drink

Recent research by the sports nutrition industry indicates that for muscle maintenance or muscle building, a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight is needed. For years and years, bodybuilders have sworn by the 1-gram-per-pound of bodyweight rule. This is very similar to the 0.8 grams per pound that research has recently recommended.

In the bodybuilding industry, the 1-gram-per-pound of bodyweight rule is accepted. For the average person, this rule will provide you with a fairly accurate estimation of your own protein needs. Why do I trust the 1-gram-per-pound rule that the fitness industry holds so dear? Simple, they’ve been there; they’ve done that. They look the way many of us wish to look. It only makes sense to emulate those who have achieved what we wish to achieve.

Excessive Protein Consumption

Nevertheless, you can never be too careful, so I wouldn’t recommend going on extremely high protein diets. A study was done recently on the effects of protein consumption on muscle growth. When protein consumption was increased past the level of 1-gram-per-pound of body weight, while not increasing total calorie intake or amount of exercise in the subject group, no additional gains in muscle mass were noticed. Not only that, this excessive amount of protein put a great deal of stress on the body’s organs. This proves that consuming anything more than 1-gram-per-pound of bodyweight is not only unnecessary, but unhealthy.

Beware

The only case where you should definitely consume less than 1-gram-per-pound of bodyweight rule is if you have liver or kidney disease or a history of it in the family, as a high intake of protein can be hazardous to an already unhealthy kidney or liver.

Water

When you’re consuming a enough protein to effectively build muscle mass, you should always make special note to drink lots of water. Protein is processed by the kidneys and the more water you intake, the easier it is for the kidneys to do their job. For more information about water intake, take a look at this page on water.