JOIN USCan you get too much protein?
Protein has achieved a venerated status in the dietary world for everything from building muscle to preventing weight gain. But can you get too much of a good thing? Protein powders that come in chocolate, strawberry, and cookies and cream flavours are doled out by the scoopful and mixed into smoothies, making it possible to effortlessly consume protein in amounts that far exceed dietary recommendations.
A canned protein drink can contain almost as much protein as an 8-ounce steak, and snack bars or a small bag of protein chips can pack more of the macronutrient than a three-egg omelette.
But while some nutritionists have encouraged the protein craze, a number of experts are urging caution. They point out that protein powders and supplements, which come from animal products like whey and casein (byproducts of cheese manufacturing) or from plants like soy, rice, pea or hemp, are a relatively new invention.
A vast majority already get more than the recommended daily amounts of protein from food, they say, and there are no rigorous long-term studies to tell us how much protein is too much. “It’s an experiment,” said Dr John E Swartzberg, chairman of the editorial board of the University of California, Berkeley, Wellness Letter, USA. “No one can tell you the long-term effects, and that’s what worries me as a physician. No one can tell you what the results are going to be in people’s bodies 10 or 15 years later.”
People need sufficient protein in the diet because it supplies indispensable amino acids that our bodies cannot synthesise on their own. Together, they provide the essential building blocks used to make and maintain muscle, bone, skin and other tissues and an array of vital hormones and enzymes. But the average adult can achieve the recommended intake — 46 grams of protein a day for women and 56 grams for men — by eating moderate amounts of protein-rich foods like meat, fish, dairy products, beans or nuts every day. There are about 44 grams of protein in a cup of chopped chicken, 20 grams in a cup of tofu or serving of Greek yogurt, and 18 grams in a cup of lentils or three eggs.
How much is good?
Among the groups that fall short on protein intake are teenage girls, who may not eat properly, and elderly people, who are at risk of losing muscle mass and whose appetites often slacken with age. Indeed, many of the earliest nutritional supplement products, like Boost and Ensure, were devised with the elderly and malnourished in mind. (Professional athletes who work out many hours a day also need to increase protein intake considerably, as do women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.) Yet, the protein supplement market is booming among the young and healthy. “People think carbs are the enemy, protein is your friend,” said Eleanor Dwyer, a research analyst with the firm, and “that any health concerns are overblown.”
Experts note, however, that there is only so much protein the body can use. “The body only digests and absorbs a certain amount of protein at every meal, about 20 to 40 grams,” said Jim White, a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist who spoke on behalf of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “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.”
“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 said. Meanwhile, “you’re robbing yourself of other macronutrients that the body needs, like whole grains, fats, and fruits and vegetables.” Short-term studies suggest that high protein, low carbohydrate diets may promote weight loss and help to preserve lean muscle, and that eating protein helps satisfy hunger.
But a recent small trial found that older women who lost weight on a high protein diet did not experience one of the important benefits that usually follow weight loss, an improvement in insulin sensitivity, which reduces the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Large population studies also suggest an association between habitual high protein intake and a heightened risk of diabetes.
Doctors also have concerns about the long-term effects of maintaining a high protein diet. Studies show that protein-rich diets do not preserve muscle mass over the long term, and doctors have long cautioned that a high-protein diet can lead to kidney damage in those who harbour silent kidney disease by putting extra strain on the kidneys. Furthermore, some researchers worry that the muscle building properties that consumers seek in protein may be a double-edged sword, perhaps even leading to an increased risk of cancer.
“One of the benefits and concerns about high protein intake, especially animal protein, is that it tends to make cells multiply faster,” said Dr Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA. “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.” Several large observational studies have linked high-protein diets with an increased incidence of cancer, heart disease and other ills.
In moderation
Skeptics dismiss these concerns as speculative, saying they are not supported by adequate evidence. And some nutritionists advise adults to consume twice as much protein as currently recommended. “There is a distinction between what is absolutely minimally required and a more optimal intake level,” said Stuart M Phillips, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He advises adults to eat 30 to 40 grams of protein at every meal to help alleviate the loss of muscle that can occur with aging.
Where you get your protein is also important. Consumer groups have warned about the potential contamination of protein products, which are categorised as dietary supplements and loosely regulated. A Consumer Reports test of 15 protein powders and drinks in 2010, for example, found arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury in some of the products tested.
But White, like many dietitians, said he recommended eating whole foods, rather than supplements. If you’re looking for alternatives to raise your smoothie’s protein content, for example, he suggested protein-rich foods like yogurt and peanut butter. “Nothing beats real food,” White said. “With many supplements, you just don’t know exactly what you’re getting.”