Is it Possible to Get Too Much Protein?

Is it Possible to Get, Too Much Protein?.

Low carb, high protein diets are currently very popular.

Nutritionists and doctors are divided about whether or not the protein craze is entirely safe.

Part of what's worrying to physicians is the lack of data on how a high-protein diet affects a person long term.

No one can tell you the long-term effects, [...] No one can tell you what the results are going to be in people’s bodies 10 or 15 years later, Dr. John E.

Swartzberg, University of California, Berkeley, via 'The New York Times'.

Other experts say that high intakes of protein aren't absorbed by the body in the ways people might think.

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People think that if they fill up with protein, it will be a magic bullet, whether for weight loss or to get in better shape and build muscle — but that’s not proving to be true, Jim White, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, via 'The New York Times'.

You can eat 300 grams of protein a day, but that doesn’t mean you’ll put on more muscle than someone who takes in 120 grams a day.

, Jim White, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, via 'The New York Times'.

Nutritionists also caution that a varied diet is essential for overall health.

[You end up] robbing yourself of other macronutrients that the body needs, like whole grains, fats, and fruits and vegetables, Jim White, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, via 'The New York Times'.

Doctors point to certain hazards that may be inherent when eating too much protein as a person gets older.

One of the benefits and concerns about high protein intake, especially animal protein, is that it tends to make cells multiply faster, Dr. Walter Willett, Harvard T.

H.

Chan School of Public Health, via 'The New York Times'.

That’s good in early life, when you’re a growing child.

But in later life, this is one of the fundamental processes that increase the risk of cancer, Dr. Walter Willett, Harvard T.

H.

Chan School of Public Health, via 'The New York Times'.

Some doctors recommend between 30 to 40 grams of protein with each meal to mitigate muscle loss.

Others emphasize that protein source is an important consideration, stating that "nothing beats real food."