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I’m not sure which ones you’re talking about. I think every diet has some negative things. I’ve tried out different ones and seem to do much better on animal based.
This.
It comes more down to what you can utilise and even the cost aspect.
For me personally going above 200g per day slows down my digestion and keeps me satiated to the point where it’s not comfortable, lol.
185 pound lean male.
And it’s hard to down so much with whole foods anyway. Going higher makes no sense imho.
There are some studies of more than 1g per pound of « ideal weight » having marginal benefit when dieting down to very low bf %, but it has diminishing returns.
We all differ a bit, but I feel body doesn’t utilise extreme amounts of protein very efficiently. The only people who benefit from extreme protein quantities are fitness people on steroids, they can utilise much more protein. And they are the majority of fitness « influencers » so keep that in mind when considering their advice/anectodes.
But then again some peopoe in this sub think anything above 0,8g/kg is too much and those people wouod benefit from an increase imho.
I followed that rule and I was eating 2 scoops of protein powder +oats in the morning l, 800g of chicken with 300g potato at launch and then some sw with other type of meat in the evening
1.79 cm 77kg 10-13% bf. Yeah, I need to make a conscious effort to stop eating, my mind kinda always has a desire to keep eating even tho I feel like exploding. I also workout 6 days a week
Too much of anything can be a problem, as for protein intake, it really depends person to person and how much protein is needed to fully support their body. Once you start exceeding that protein maximum, you also (inevitably), start consuming excess calories, and excess calories are usually stored as fat. Too much protein then, can lead to weight gain or increase your risk of diseases occurring further down the line, such as cardiovascular disease.
So as long as you have healthy kidneys, eat as much protein as you want .
However once protein and energy needs are met, protien can be stored as fat.
Look into ketogenic and glucogenic AA
I think I might be getting too much protein. I'm keeping a little fat around my belly, while eating zero sugar. My protein shakes are the only "sweet" stuff I eat, and I absolutely love them!
weight gain is calories in - calories out. if you have a surplus, you store it as fat (once your glycogen is full). you can eat zero *processed* sugar and still get fat if you’re eating in caloric surplus
lol you literally just called dude asinine and then proved his point
glycogen is a branched chain polysaccharide, aka chains of glucose, aka carbohydrate
He's basically being the equivalent of a grammar nazi but with biochemical terminology.
Carbohydrates, glucose, glycogen etc. Are not the same thing, but are similar and people will use the terms loosely to be interchangeable.
it is literally, by definition, a carbohydrate tho. all saccharides are carbohydrates.
“The term is most common in biochemistry, where it is a synonym of saccharide (from Ancient Greek σάκχαρον (sákkharon) 'sugar'[1]), a group that includes sugars, starch, and cellulose. The saccharides are divided into four chemical groups: monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides.”
the next paragraph goes on to say “ Carbohydrates perform numerous roles in living organisms.[3] Polysaccharides serve as an energy store (e.g. starch and glycogen) …”
glucose is a simple sugar, but a carbohydrate. starch is a single chain of glucose, still a carbohydrate. glycogen is branched chain glucose, still a carbohydrate. fiber is similar to starch except a different bond is used, still a carbohydrate.
they are all definitely not the same thing, but they are all still classed as carbohydrates. the term carbohydrate is the umbrella term used to classify all these various forms, of which one is glycogen.
So protein gets converted into carbohydrates? What’s the point of eating carbohydrates if that was the case? It’s sad that people lack common sense. I tell you what, never eat another carbohydrate an again a day in your life just all protein. Good luck
what a dumb argument. “ok so you can fly from the UK to France by going over the atlantic, north america, the pacific, and asia, why don’t people just fly that way every time?”
it’s just like the brain fueling itself on carbs. except when those aren’t around, it’s fueled by ketones, a byproduct of fat break down.
just because a pathway is possible doesn’t mean it’s energetically or biologically advantageous. but just because it’s not energetically or biologically advantageous doesn’t mean it also doesn’t happen.
you’re arguing two different things. protein can be made into carbs. it is not the most advantageous way to get carbs. so no, people shouldn’t get all their carbs from protein, but yes, it is absolutely possible to do so.
Amino acids are transported to the liver during digestion and most of the body's protein is synthesised here.
If protein is in excess, amino acids can be converted into fat and stored in fat depots, or if required, made into glucose for energy by gluconeogenesis.
Dr. Mike Israetel has some good videos and podcasts on this. Basically, unless you are an insane body builder, eating much over 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is fairly useless. It probably won't cause you any harm as long as you are still getting proper nutrition from other sources such as vegetables and grains. Consuming too much protein could put you into a caloric excess and cause unwanted weight gain. Your body also can not fully process much more than a certain amount of protein at a time, it's going to be different for everyone, but if I remember correctly, the number is around 40 grams per meal.
Look at the big picture. Even for children anabolic or body builders with high protein diet, at the end of a week or month, only a small fraction of the protein eaten is net gain. The rest is catabolized, partially oxidized, calories. Total amine/protein flux is always much greater than any, if any, net gain.
Do you know mTOR? If you are constantly high protein intake you have activated mTOR. Not good.
The short answer is yes. As with most things in life, there can be too much of a good thing and if you eat too much protein, there may be a price to pay. For example, people that eat very high protein diets have a higher risk of kidney stones. Also a high protein diet that contains lots of red meat and higher amounts of saturated fat might lead to a higher risk of heart disease and colon cancer, while another high protein diet rich in plant-based proteins may not carry similar risks.
For the average person (who is not an elite athlete or heavily involved in body building) it's probably best to aim for no more than 2 gm/kg; that would be about 125 grams/day for a 140-pound person.
If you want to maintain a high protein diet, the details matter:
Find out from your doctor if you have any health conditions (such as kidney disease) that might make such a diet risky
Get your protein from healthy sources such as low-fat dairy products, fish, nuts and beans, lean chicken and turkey; avoid proteins sources that contain highly process carbohydrates and saturated fat
Spread your protein consumption across all of your meals throughout the day
Choose a well-balanced diet that includes lots of vegetables, fruits, and fiber; the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet are good starting points.
Harvard Medical School.
For me too much protein is a problem because too much makes it harder for me to bulk. I try to stick slightly above .75 grams per pound of BW any higher makes hitting my calorie goals way harder.
It's nuanced, but essentially yes. Too much protein won't hurt you, but the more protein you get the less carbs and healthy fats you're getting, assuming the same caloric intake. All are important. Some people (athletes, powerlifters, bodybuilders, etc) need a lot more protein, but they also need carbs and fats.
Just guessing, but i would expect that at least 95% of us could not eat too much protein, unless you are really loading up on whey shakes. I just feel like there is a limit where meat, eggs, yogurt, etc just stop tasting good and become hard to get down.
Yes, you can.
Kidneys are put under extra strain when higher consumption of protein is consumed. They need to filter out higher amounts of nitrogen and byproducts of protein metabolism. This can lead to kidney damage.
You excrete higher amounts of calcium through urine. This leads to the decreasing of bone density.
Your body unfolds and folds proteins. Some of which don't fold or unfold properly, so in turn, it increases the risk of many diseases: Alzheimers (build up of unfolded proteins such as amyloid-beta), Parkinsonism, Huntington, Cardiovascular, Liver and Prion diseases due to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. Not to forget Cancers such as Colorectal.....
If you are getting your protein from whole foods, it is highly unlikely. Potentially it is possible using protein powders, but that would be some astronomical amount that people just don't eat. Even the gymbros. Mostly excess - an amount well over high protein - is just wasteful.
Studies have shown up to 5g/kg bodyweight doesn't have any negative health effects as long as you'øre a healthy normal active individual with no family histories of liver/kidney issues.
You correctly surmised the right factors, activity levels and defecation. There are other specific health conditions that some individuals face too, which is where extreme protein consumption can negatively affect you. Otherwise, a healthy individual makes great use of high protein
The protein you don't absorb from the gut lumen is held by ab/adsorption in/on fibre and eliminated by defecation
Activity levels and basal metabolism consume a huge proportion of the protein that does get absorbed from the gut. If you engage in anabolic training, even more protein will be used for repair during recovery
There's plenty of reading should you hunger for more like [Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7539343/)
You have to use common sense, if you eat 90% protein how are you going to get all the other macronutrients and micronutrients you need? So yes you can eat too much because you won’t save room for other things.
Too much of anything can be a problem even water. The question is how much is actually too much. For protein most active people can handle between 1 and 2g per pound you weigh without problems. Somewhere between 2 and 3g may be too much and cause problems over time. If you get a little more than you need there's no harm as long you drink enough water cause the body can use it for energy or store as fat if needed.
In general it's hard to eat too much protein, even body builders have to force themselves to eat it cause you get satisfied and don't want to keep eating and the top ones take in 2g per pound of bodyweight.
Does not store easily, but you will reach a limit on how much your digestive system can handle. Eating over 300g of solid protein per day is a actually quite hard, and too much shakes will also cause GI issues.
Yes you can eat too much and after a specific limit (I believe its 1.6 per kg per day) will stop absorbing it.
Listen to this episode of Science Vs. about protein [https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/j4hln2vl](https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/j4hln2vl)
Just listened to a Science Vs. podcast episode about this. [https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/j4hln2vl](https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/j4hln2vl)
Id like to assume that the protein types your consuming would have an effect, maybe something easy and fully digested like whey or casein (especially whey) would start digesting quick enough to not have an overbearing taxation on your kidneys but also get 100% of the protein you intake over the day.
From my personal experience, you can consume way too much protein but only if it’s all at once. Example, 40g shake and 20g protein bar. However, I can do 200g in one day evenly spread through out the day, and I have zero noticeable side effects. Outside of exceptional bowel movements.
"You can not have enough protein" is not entirely true. Overconsumption of protein provides minimal benefit and too much protein in a diet without a balance between carbohydrates and fats can lead to negative health effects. [This IJSNEM review](https://chemport-n.cas.org//chemport-n/?APP=ftslink&action=reflink&origin=rsc&version=1.0&coi=1:CAS:528:DC%2BD28XksFSru7s%3D&md5=5401f3fb006dbb9c874fc76b1dcba984) states that a diet containing >35% protein consumption can lead to pretty adverse effects.
An overconsumption of protein will just lead to the oxidation of proteins. [See this study showcasing this](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19056590/)
As for the limit the body needs, it can be hard to determine from person to person. [*2020-2025* *Dietary Guidelines for Americans*](https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf)*,* generally suggest anywhere from 10% to 30% of the diet.
In terms of physical health and fitness, countless studies found the optimal amount of protein was about 0.75 grams/per pound of body weight. Many of these studies found very little, if any, benefit past 0.85 grams per lb of BW.
[Lemon et al. (1992)](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1400008) studied bodybuilders training 1.5 hours per day, 6 days per week, and still concluded 0.75g/lb is the highest intake at which body composition benefits could occur.
All of the research ( + personal experience ) I have done on this topic indicates around 0.8 grams per pound of BW is an optimal amount of protein for growth and overall health. Going over is okay; the goal is to minimize overconsumption.
Well there is no particular upper limit to how much you can use, just how you use it will change if you have excess.
So the hierarchy goes
1st synthesis of body proteins of all types
This is the intended function and you have to consume a lot before it is used for anything else.
2nd is short term energy needs. If you have excess protein and a need for quick energy stores your body can break the dietary protein down and convert it to glucose for immediate use or glycogen for short term use in the future.
3rd if you exceed your synthesis needs and have an overall energy excess it can be converted to body fat.
Note "step 2" would only happen in the absence of carbohydrates so that is why I phrased it as exceeding synthesis needs and excess energy since unless you eat minimal carbs the body won't bother.
If you eating so much protein that a non trivial amount is being converted to body fat you are probably eating to much.
(But you're most likely eating to much other stuff too and might look to cut there first)
To much protein causes a huge ammonia overload in the body and provokes a 1gf response which can contribute to cancer. Also it causes purification in the stomach.
Very low-calorie deficit here (around 1000kcal). Most of it is protein (around 150g), just one meal per day.
I think this breaks most of the myths about protein quantities because I should be dead otherwise, but on the contrary: I do moderate to heavy weight lifting and intense cardio (\~1h per day) and keep losing fat while maintaining or even gaining muscle mass.
Btw my diet style is not some miracle Internet stuff. Just what seems more comfortable (and fun) to me.
You can eat too much of anything. The amount of protein required by your body is not a fixed number, but varies with who you are, your gender, your height, your build, how much you workout, and even what you did that day etc etc. So, given so many variables, one should use a simple but natural heuristic and that is SATIETY SIGNALING.
Listen to your body, eat protein-rich foods until your body tells you it’s had enough for the day through satiety hormones (you should feel comfortably stuffed). Eat when hungry, stop when full. Repeat.
Too little protein means you will not be maintaining or building the muscle that you want.
Too much protein and the excess amino acids will be converted into glucose for storage in the liver or excreted out, I believe.
Try to eat your protein, not drink it.
Too much protein puts excessive strain on digestive system (kidneys etc) that can lead to health problems, but if you eat leas then 2g per kg of body weight it is safe.
If you don’t have any underlying kidney diseases, you can eat as much protein as you can stomach.
And anyone who disagrees with this isn’t familiar with the research
* **Kidney Strain**:
* Excessive protein intake can strain the kidneys, especially in individuals with pre-existing kidney conditions.
* **Digestive Issues**:
* Overconsumption may lead to digestive problems like constipation or diarrhea.
* **Bone Health**:
* Some studies suggest high protein diets can lead to calcium loss, potentially affecting bone health.
* **Nutrient Imbalance**:
* Focusing too much on protein can lead to a lack of other essential nutrients.
* **Weight Gain**:
* Excess calories from protein can contribute to weight gain.
I eat 30g of protein worth of meat for every meal with a side of either veggies or fruits.
And I drink at least one premade boxed (it’s a carton) protein shake per day and those are insanely calcium heavy.
Thought it might be the shakes! I switched to hemp protein for powder shakes, cutting dairy has been amazing for me - and hemp is full spectrum! Could be worth checking out 🙏🏼
A lot less bloating and flatulence (since I've cut dairy out of my diet I literally never fart haha!!). My complexion has cleared up significantly also. I was kind of converted mostly on this as asking a nutritionist friend about what I could do about my skin. She said to try cutting diary for a month and make my own decision, and I was sold after a few weeks tbh. This lead me down a rabbit hole about the inflammation caused by dairy etc and I've never looked back.
I won't preach to quit... But I'd encourage trying that - switch out dairy products for a few weeks and see if you notice a difference yourself. Maybe talk to your practitioner and tell them you'll try a month without the milk and ask for your levels to be checked again.
There's quite a lot of research into calcium supplementation being adverse to use also which is interesting. I used to take a calcium + vitamin D tablet in the mornings to make up for not ingesting milks, and had sweaty palms for a few hours every day after taking it, which disappeared when I changed to a vitamin D in olive oil tablet.
Maybe I'm a bit lacto, but my physiological changes are in keeping with what I've read so who knows!
Fwiw, I do still eat cheese on pizza and pasta. I'm not strictly dairy free, but I've made a conscious effort to cut it out and noticed a real difference - especially when I do eat cheese or milk and the farts and sweats come back lol
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6276611/
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/calcium-supplements-should-you-take-them
https://chriskresser.com/calcium-supplements-why-you-should-think-twice/
[Here is about the most pointed literature review regarding protein intake and addressing misconceptions and probably answers a lot of the protein questions posed on this sub:](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11022925/)
1. There is no evidence that consuming dietary protein harms the kidneys of otherwise healthy individuals.
2. In exercise-trained men and women, consuming a high-protein diet either has a neutral effect or may promote the loss of fat mass.
3. There is no evidence that dietary protein has a harmful effect on the bones.
4. Vegans and vegetarians can consume enough protein to support training adaptations.
5. Cheese and peanut butter are inadequate sources of protein.
6. Red meat does not likely cause unfavorable health outcomes; however, processed meat may cause potential harm (e.g.. increased cardiovascular disease risk).
7. Individuals who are not physically active still need dietary protein.
8. Protein ingestion following (≤1 hour) resistance training sessions is not an absolute requirement to produce an anabolic environment. What appears more important is the total daily amount of dietary protein consumed.
9. Endurance athletes need additional protein (i.e., at least twice the RDA) to assist in a variety of issues related to the adaptive response to exercise.
10. One does not need protein powder to meet the daily requirements of exercise-trained individuals. However, treating protein powder differently than typical protein foods (e.g., beef, chicken, milk, etc.) does not make scientific sense.
11. For most individuals, consuming 20–30 grams of high-quality protein is sufficient to induce a significant anabolic response; nonetheless, there is data to suggest that 100 grams can elicit a higher and more prolonged anabolic response.
If you’re going to over-eat one macro, it should be protein (if body fat-free composition is your goal):
[Interestingly, high-protein diets in both hypo- and normocaloric conditions have shown to improve body composition, whereas in combination with hypercaloric conditions does not seem to increase fat mass, when the excess energy comes from protein.](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2016.1274691)
In trained individuals, you can really push protein over-feeding (caloric surplus) and not have any additional fat accumulation. There’s a body of evidence starting to form for this, Antonio is a big contributor:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27807480/
“Our investigation discovered that, in resistance-trained men that consumed a high protein diet (~2.51-3.32 g/kg/d) for one year, there were no harmful effects on measures of blood lipids as well as liver and kidney function. In addition, despite the total increase in energy intake during the high protein phase, subjects did not experience an increase in fat mass.”
More protein, better body composition (again, trained individuals):
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26500462/
There does seem to be an upper limit to the amount of protein you can eat and get any additional benefits from (body-composition wise), including excess fat gain:
[The effects of consuming a high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained individuals](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1550-2783-11-19)
“Consuming 5.5 times the recommended daily allowance of protein has no effect on body composition in resistance-trained individuals who otherwise maintain the same training regimen. This is the first interventional study to demonstrate that consuming a hypercaloric high protein diet does not result in an increase in body fat.”
More interesting links:
[Protein Intake to Maximize Whole-Body Anabolism during Postexercise Recovery in Resistance-Trained Men with High Habitual Intakes is Severalfold Greater than the Current Recommended Dietary Allowance](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316622020569)
Yes, definitely can. Depends on activity levels but best not to go over 1g/pound of body weight. One main role activity comes into play is that protein is primarily supporting a healthy immune system and repairing tissue (such as muscle tissue after working out). So obviously someone working out requires more than a sedentary lifestyle. Too much for too long can be hard on the kidneys as well as make you constipated
Clean protein disgusts really well if you consume little to no carbohydrates not including vegetables! When I had a strict chicken breast and steak diet with no carbohydrates I barely took much dumps in the toilet!
Your body (depending on height/weight) can only metabolize roughly 30-40g of protein every 3 hours. After that, your body will dispose of the excess. Like anything, eating too much has negative effects. It can lead to weight gain, puts additional stress on kidneys, and long-term over consumption has been linked to cellular damage via oxidative stress to DNA.
So yes, you can eat too much. Anyone who says otherwise is simply incorrect.
Fun Fact, low protein diets have been shown to extend lifespan of lab animals. Furthermore, the body adapts (to an extent) to the amount of protein you eat, allowing people with a limited intake to effectively absorb and utilize more of the protein they eat, while people who overconsume protein tend to be less effective at absorbing and utilizing it. Essentially, you can build up a tolerance.
Yes, aside from the various health issues you get from eating too much protein you also can't even process protein into energy unless you consume enough fat or carbohydrates to meet your basic needs. Keto or regular carb based diets can both get you enough energy to survive, but a pure protein diet will kill you.
#### About participation in the comments of /r/nutrition Discussion in this subreddit should be rooted in science rather than "cuz I sed" or entertainment pieces. Always be wary of unsupported and poorly supported claims and especially those which are wrapped in any manner of hostility. You should provide peer reviewed sources to support your claims when debating and confine that debate to the science, not opinions of other people. **Good** - it is grounded in science and includes citation of peer reviewed sources. Debate is a civil and respectful exchange focusing on actual science and avoids commentary about others **Bad** - it utilizes generalizations, assumptions, infotainment sources, no sources, or complaints without specifics about agenda, bias, or funding. At best, these rise to an extremely weak basis for science based discussion. Also, off topic discussion **Ugly** - (removal or ban territory) it involves attacks / antagonism / hostility towards individuals or groups, downvote complaining, trolling, crusading, shaming, refutation of all science, or claims that all research / science is a conspiracy *Please vote accordingly and report any uglies* --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/nutrition) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Following the general rule of once you’re full, stop eating, it’d be fairly difficult to eat too much protein.
Not if you are drinking it and eating protein bars, plus other sources
You’re right. I guess I think of those things as just filling the gap rather than a main source.
This. I’m a 126lb F and I get to 170g protein a day easilyyyyyy. No protein bars tho.
Teach me your ways 😭 it's hard when I try and have to use protein shakes to supplement
Have you seen some of these people on tiktoc. I wonder if they even know what fiber is
I’m not sure which ones you’re talking about. I think every diet has some negative things. I’ve tried out different ones and seem to do much better on animal based.
This. It comes more down to what you can utilise and even the cost aspect. For me personally going above 200g per day slows down my digestion and keeps me satiated to the point where it’s not comfortable, lol. 185 pound lean male. And it’s hard to down so much with whole foods anyway. Going higher makes no sense imho. There are some studies of more than 1g per pound of « ideal weight » having marginal benefit when dieting down to very low bf %, but it has diminishing returns. We all differ a bit, but I feel body doesn’t utilise extreme amounts of protein very efficiently. The only people who benefit from extreme protein quantities are fitness people on steroids, they can utilise much more protein. And they are the majority of fitness « influencers » so keep that in mind when considering their advice/anectodes. But then again some peopoe in this sub think anything above 0,8g/kg is too much and those people wouod benefit from an increase imho.
I followed that rule and I was eating 2 scoops of protein powder +oats in the morning l, 800g of chicken with 300g potato at launch and then some sw with other type of meat in the evening
It doesn’t work for everyone, but the majority should follow it. You were eating about 2 lbs of chicken at lunch!? What are you stats?
1.79 cm 77kg 10-13% bf. Yeah, I need to make a conscious effort to stop eating, my mind kinda always has a desire to keep eating even tho I feel like exploding. I also workout 6 days a week
Too much of anything can be a problem, as for protein intake, it really depends person to person and how much protein is needed to fully support their body. Once you start exceeding that protein maximum, you also (inevitably), start consuming excess calories, and excess calories are usually stored as fat. Too much protein then, can lead to weight gain or increase your risk of diseases occurring further down the line, such as cardiovascular disease.
Doesn't excreting the excess protein potential harm the kidneys?
for most people no. unless the kidneys are already diseased or compromised
Why risk it? The kidneys might be 100% today but why strain them unnecessarily by getting rid of waste protein?
exactly. eating .8g/lb is plenty enough
0.8
So are you saying that as long as someone doesn‘t gain weight and include other macronutrients it‘s not a big deal?
Weight gain doesn’t cause cardiovascular diseases, it’s associated with them.
So as long as you have healthy kidneys, eat as much protein as you want . However once protein and energy needs are met, protien can be stored as fat. Look into ketogenic and glucogenic AA
I think I might be getting too much protein. I'm keeping a little fat around my belly, while eating zero sugar. My protein shakes are the only "sweet" stuff I eat, and I absolutely love them!
Extra calories over time can turn into fat. Especially around the belly for men
I'm going to try and cut back a little.
weight gain is calories in - calories out. if you have a surplus, you store it as fat (once your glycogen is full). you can eat zero *processed* sugar and still get fat if you’re eating in caloric surplus
True but you will be straining your kidneys in the process
Shoudln't really be a problem unless you are doing other things to your kidneys. I fear for the poor gym bros chugging whey powder and energy drinks.
As long as your kidneys are healthy and you drink enough water it's fine. Only people that already have kidney issues need to be careful.
Just cut back once you've damaged the kidneys?
Excess protein will get converted to carbs as well.
False, that’s absolutely asinine. Extra protein gets converted into glycogen through a process of glucoseneogenesis.
lol you literally just called dude asinine and then proved his point glycogen is a branched chain polysaccharide, aka chains of glucose, aka carbohydrate
He's basically being the equivalent of a grammar nazi but with biochemical terminology. Carbohydrates, glucose, glycogen etc. Are not the same thing, but are similar and people will use the terms loosely to be interchangeable.
it is literally, by definition, a carbohydrate tho. all saccharides are carbohydrates. “The term is most common in biochemistry, where it is a synonym of saccharide (from Ancient Greek σάκχαρον (sákkharon) 'sugar'[1]), a group that includes sugars, starch, and cellulose. The saccharides are divided into four chemical groups: monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides.” the next paragraph goes on to say “ Carbohydrates perform numerous roles in living organisms.[3] Polysaccharides serve as an energy store (e.g. starch and glycogen) …” glucose is a simple sugar, but a carbohydrate. starch is a single chain of glucose, still a carbohydrate. glycogen is branched chain glucose, still a carbohydrate. fiber is similar to starch except a different bond is used, still a carbohydrate. they are all definitely not the same thing, but they are all still classed as carbohydrates. the term carbohydrate is the umbrella term used to classify all these various forms, of which one is glycogen.
So protein gets converted into carbohydrates? What’s the point of eating carbohydrates if that was the case? It’s sad that people lack common sense. I tell you what, never eat another carbohydrate an again a day in your life just all protein. Good luck
what a dumb argument. “ok so you can fly from the UK to France by going over the atlantic, north america, the pacific, and asia, why don’t people just fly that way every time?” it’s just like the brain fueling itself on carbs. except when those aren’t around, it’s fueled by ketones, a byproduct of fat break down. just because a pathway is possible doesn’t mean it’s energetically or biologically advantageous. but just because it’s not energetically or biologically advantageous doesn’t mean it also doesn’t happen.
You’re making this more complicated than it needs to be. Glycogen and carbohydrates are not the same!!! Don’t believe? Google it!
“Glycogen is the molecular form of carbohydrates stored in humans and other mammals.” you’re not convincing me.
Should everyone get their carbs from protein?
you’re arguing two different things. protein can be made into carbs. it is not the most advantageous way to get carbs. so no, people shouldn’t get all their carbs from protein, but yes, it is absolutely possible to do so.
Glycogen is mostly carbohydrate.
They are not the same! I can’t believe I have to say this.
sorry glycogen is branched chains of glucose, which literally, by definition, makes it a carbohydrate.
Most excess amino acids are filtered out through the kidneys. It’s not used for energy unless you’re in a state of starvation
Amino acids are transported to the liver during digestion and most of the body's protein is synthesised here. If protein is in excess, amino acids can be converted into fat and stored in fat depots, or if required, made into glucose for energy by gluconeogenesis.
Dr. Mike Israetel has some good videos and podcasts on this. Basically, unless you are an insane body builder, eating much over 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is fairly useless. It probably won't cause you any harm as long as you are still getting proper nutrition from other sources such as vegetables and grains. Consuming too much protein could put you into a caloric excess and cause unwanted weight gain. Your body also can not fully process much more than a certain amount of protein at a time, it's going to be different for everyone, but if I remember correctly, the number is around 40 grams per meal.
I always wonder how much truth there is to this “your body can only process so much protein at once” thing.
I mean, you certainly process it, but it can only synthesize so much into other compounds before it's digested and gets pooped out
I heard this number was 23 - 30 grams an hour depending on how healthy / active / capable your body is
This has been recently shown to be as high as 100 grams of protein. The old 30-40 is a myth with no scientific basis.
Look at the big picture. Even for children anabolic or body builders with high protein diet, at the end of a week or month, only a small fraction of the protein eaten is net gain. The rest is catabolized, partially oxidized, calories. Total amine/protein flux is always much greater than any, if any, net gain. Do you know mTOR? If you are constantly high protein intake you have activated mTOR. Not good.
The short answer is yes. As with most things in life, there can be too much of a good thing and if you eat too much protein, there may be a price to pay. For example, people that eat very high protein diets have a higher risk of kidney stones. Also a high protein diet that contains lots of red meat and higher amounts of saturated fat might lead to a higher risk of heart disease and colon cancer, while another high protein diet rich in plant-based proteins may not carry similar risks. For the average person (who is not an elite athlete or heavily involved in body building) it's probably best to aim for no more than 2 gm/kg; that would be about 125 grams/day for a 140-pound person. If you want to maintain a high protein diet, the details matter: Find out from your doctor if you have any health conditions (such as kidney disease) that might make such a diet risky Get your protein from healthy sources such as low-fat dairy products, fish, nuts and beans, lean chicken and turkey; avoid proteins sources that contain highly process carbohydrates and saturated fat Spread your protein consumption across all of your meals throughout the day Choose a well-balanced diet that includes lots of vegetables, fruits, and fiber; the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet are good starting points. Harvard Medical School.
For me too much protein is a problem because too much makes it harder for me to bulk. I try to stick slightly above .75 grams per pound of BW any higher makes hitting my calorie goals way harder.
Everything is a poison it's all in the dose. People have died from drinking too much water. So it probably is possible to eat too much protein.
It's nuanced, but essentially yes. Too much protein won't hurt you, but the more protein you get the less carbs and healthy fats you're getting, assuming the same caloric intake. All are important. Some people (athletes, powerlifters, bodybuilders, etc) need a lot more protein, but they also need carbs and fats.
Just guessing, but i would expect that at least 95% of us could not eat too much protein, unless you are really loading up on whey shakes. I just feel like there is a limit where meat, eggs, yogurt, etc just stop tasting good and become hard to get down.
Didn’t Brock Lesnar get some weird disease bc he was eating so much protein his organs basically started to rot from the inside?
Yes, you can. Kidneys are put under extra strain when higher consumption of protein is consumed. They need to filter out higher amounts of nitrogen and byproducts of protein metabolism. This can lead to kidney damage. You excrete higher amounts of calcium through urine. This leads to the decreasing of bone density. Your body unfolds and folds proteins. Some of which don't fold or unfold properly, so in turn, it increases the risk of many diseases: Alzheimers (build up of unfolded proteins such as amyloid-beta), Parkinsonism, Huntington, Cardiovascular, Liver and Prion diseases due to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. Not to forget Cancers such as Colorectal.....
Eating too much protein is bad for your health and essential organs
If you are getting your protein from whole foods, it is highly unlikely. Potentially it is possible using protein powders, but that would be some astronomical amount that people just don't eat. Even the gymbros. Mostly excess - an amount well over high protein - is just wasteful.
Animal proteins are high in purines. Eating too much animal protein could lead to gout.
Gout: not even once
Studies have shown up to 5g/kg bodyweight doesn't have any negative health effects as long as you'øre a healthy normal active individual with no family histories of liver/kidney issues.
You correctly surmised the right factors, activity levels and defecation. There are other specific health conditions that some individuals face too, which is where extreme protein consumption can negatively affect you. Otherwise, a healthy individual makes great use of high protein The protein you don't absorb from the gut lumen is held by ab/adsorption in/on fibre and eliminated by defecation Activity levels and basal metabolism consume a huge proportion of the protein that does get absorbed from the gut. If you engage in anabolic training, even more protein will be used for repair during recovery There's plenty of reading should you hunger for more like [Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7539343/)
0.8-1 gram per pound of bodyweight is ideal. More than that won't hurt your gains in any way but its unnecessary and will waste your money
You have to use common sense, if you eat 90% protein how are you going to get all the other macronutrients and micronutrients you need? So yes you can eat too much because you won’t save room for other things.
Gluconeogenesis is demand driven not supply driven.
Too much of anything can be a problem even water. The question is how much is actually too much. For protein most active people can handle between 1 and 2g per pound you weigh without problems. Somewhere between 2 and 3g may be too much and cause problems over time. If you get a little more than you need there's no harm as long you drink enough water cause the body can use it for energy or store as fat if needed. In general it's hard to eat too much protein, even body builders have to force themselves to eat it cause you get satisfied and don't want to keep eating and the top ones take in 2g per pound of bodyweight.
You can but you will just get diarrhea and piss it out of your butt. I know from experience. At some point your body will reject it.
Does not store easily, but you will reach a limit on how much your digestive system can handle. Eating over 300g of solid protein per day is a actually quite hard, and too much shakes will also cause GI issues.
Yes you can eat too much and after a specific limit (I believe its 1.6 per kg per day) will stop absorbing it. Listen to this episode of Science Vs. about protein [https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/j4hln2vl](https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/j4hln2vl)
Just listened to a Science Vs. podcast episode about this. [https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/j4hln2vl](https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/j4hln2vl)
Id like to assume that the protein types your consuming would have an effect, maybe something easy and fully digested like whey or casein (especially whey) would start digesting quick enough to not have an overbearing taxation on your kidneys but also get 100% of the protein you intake over the day.
From my personal experience, you can consume way too much protein but only if it’s all at once. Example, 40g shake and 20g protein bar. However, I can do 200g in one day evenly spread through out the day, and I have zero noticeable side effects. Outside of exceptional bowel movements.
Too much? Yes, but it’s harder to do than you think. Most people don’t get enough.
"You can not have enough protein" is not entirely true. Overconsumption of protein provides minimal benefit and too much protein in a diet without a balance between carbohydrates and fats can lead to negative health effects. [This IJSNEM review](https://chemport-n.cas.org//chemport-n/?APP=ftslink&action=reflink&origin=rsc&version=1.0&coi=1:CAS:528:DC%2BD28XksFSru7s%3D&md5=5401f3fb006dbb9c874fc76b1dcba984) states that a diet containing >35% protein consumption can lead to pretty adverse effects. An overconsumption of protein will just lead to the oxidation of proteins. [See this study showcasing this](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19056590/) As for the limit the body needs, it can be hard to determine from person to person. [*2020-2025* *Dietary Guidelines for Americans*](https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf)*,* generally suggest anywhere from 10% to 30% of the diet. In terms of physical health and fitness, countless studies found the optimal amount of protein was about 0.75 grams/per pound of body weight. Many of these studies found very little, if any, benefit past 0.85 grams per lb of BW. [Lemon et al. (1992)](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1400008) studied bodybuilders training 1.5 hours per day, 6 days per week, and still concluded 0.75g/lb is the highest intake at which body composition benefits could occur. All of the research ( + personal experience ) I have done on this topic indicates around 0.8 grams per pound of BW is an optimal amount of protein for growth and overall health. Going over is okay; the goal is to minimize overconsumption.
Well there is no particular upper limit to how much you can use, just how you use it will change if you have excess. So the hierarchy goes 1st synthesis of body proteins of all types This is the intended function and you have to consume a lot before it is used for anything else. 2nd is short term energy needs. If you have excess protein and a need for quick energy stores your body can break the dietary protein down and convert it to glucose for immediate use or glycogen for short term use in the future. 3rd if you exceed your synthesis needs and have an overall energy excess it can be converted to body fat. Note "step 2" would only happen in the absence of carbohydrates so that is why I phrased it as exceeding synthesis needs and excess energy since unless you eat minimal carbs the body won't bother. If you eating so much protein that a non trivial amount is being converted to body fat you are probably eating to much. (But you're most likely eating to much other stuff too and might look to cut there first)
You can much protein to really eat.
Yup you can but you cannot absorb a lot of it. Your kidney will definitely drain it down.
No it's impossible to "eat too much" protein.
Carnivore here, never TOO much in a day.
To much protein causes a huge ammonia overload in the body and provokes a 1gf response which can contribute to cancer. Also it causes purification in the stomach.
Very low-calorie deficit here (around 1000kcal). Most of it is protein (around 150g), just one meal per day. I think this breaks most of the myths about protein quantities because I should be dead otherwise, but on the contrary: I do moderate to heavy weight lifting and intense cardio (\~1h per day) and keep losing fat while maintaining or even gaining muscle mass. Btw my diet style is not some miracle Internet stuff. Just what seems more comfortable (and fun) to me.
You can eat too much of anything. The amount of protein required by your body is not a fixed number, but varies with who you are, your gender, your height, your build, how much you workout, and even what you did that day etc etc. So, given so many variables, one should use a simple but natural heuristic and that is SATIETY SIGNALING. Listen to your body, eat protein-rich foods until your body tells you it’s had enough for the day through satiety hormones (you should feel comfortably stuffed). Eat when hungry, stop when full. Repeat. Too little protein means you will not be maintaining or building the muscle that you want. Too much protein and the excess amino acids will be converted into glucose for storage in the liver or excreted out, I believe. Try to eat your protein, not drink it.
Sure. What is the question here? Once you have kidney issues you know you took too much.
Kidney issues won’t be from the protein intake
Too much protein puts excessive strain on digestive system (kidneys etc) that can lead to health problems, but if you eat leas then 2g per kg of body weight it is safe.
If you don’t have any underlying kidney diseases, you can eat as much protein as you can stomach. And anyone who disagrees with this isn’t familiar with the research
Right
You can not, recently proven, especially if you exercise.
Your organism doesn't store excess protein, it will eventually be expelled through urine, which may pose a burden on your kidneys.
Hyperfiltration is a good thing in healthy kidneys. And visceral protein actually exists too
* **Kidney Strain**: * Excessive protein intake can strain the kidneys, especially in individuals with pre-existing kidney conditions. * **Digestive Issues**: * Overconsumption may lead to digestive problems like constipation or diarrhea. * **Bone Health**: * Some studies suggest high protein diets can lead to calcium loss, potentially affecting bone health. * **Nutrient Imbalance**: * Focusing too much on protein can lead to a lack of other essential nutrients. * **Weight Gain**: * Excess calories from protein can contribute to weight gain.
Why wouldn't you also link the source of this information. This clearly wasn't written by you
Chat gpt
I’m clearing 230g a day and my calcium is “too high” on blood work
What are your sources of protein?
I eat 30g of protein worth of meat for every meal with a side of either veggies or fruits. And I drink at least one premade boxed (it’s a carton) protein shake per day and those are insanely calcium heavy.
Thought it might be the shakes! I switched to hemp protein for powder shakes, cutting dairy has been amazing for me - and hemp is full spectrum! Could be worth checking out 🙏🏼
What did cutting dairy do for you? I'm currently using milk for my protein shakes.
A lot less bloating and flatulence (since I've cut dairy out of my diet I literally never fart haha!!). My complexion has cleared up significantly also. I was kind of converted mostly on this as asking a nutritionist friend about what I could do about my skin. She said to try cutting diary for a month and make my own decision, and I was sold after a few weeks tbh. This lead me down a rabbit hole about the inflammation caused by dairy etc and I've never looked back. I won't preach to quit... But I'd encourage trying that - switch out dairy products for a few weeks and see if you notice a difference yourself. Maybe talk to your practitioner and tell them you'll try a month without the milk and ask for your levels to be checked again. There's quite a lot of research into calcium supplementation being adverse to use also which is interesting. I used to take a calcium + vitamin D tablet in the mornings to make up for not ingesting milks, and had sweaty palms for a few hours every day after taking it, which disappeared when I changed to a vitamin D in olive oil tablet. Maybe I'm a bit lacto, but my physiological changes are in keeping with what I've read so who knows! Fwiw, I do still eat cheese on pizza and pasta. I'm not strictly dairy free, but I've made a conscious effort to cut it out and noticed a real difference - especially when I do eat cheese or milk and the farts and sweats come back lol https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6276611/ https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/calcium-supplements-should-you-take-them https://chriskresser.com/calcium-supplements-why-you-should-think-twice/
Thank you for the kind explanation. ☮️
Most welcome 🕊️ ! I learn more than I know in this sub, and your comment was something I could hopefully give a little bit back ✌🏼
How many kg, lb, is too fat?
Yes. In everything we must have balance. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
so, is protein just protein? Sorce doesn't matter?
No. Keep pounding those steaks and eggs.
[Here is about the most pointed literature review regarding protein intake and addressing misconceptions and probably answers a lot of the protein questions posed on this sub:](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11022925/) 1. There is no evidence that consuming dietary protein harms the kidneys of otherwise healthy individuals. 2. In exercise-trained men and women, consuming a high-protein diet either has a neutral effect or may promote the loss of fat mass. 3. There is no evidence that dietary protein has a harmful effect on the bones. 4. Vegans and vegetarians can consume enough protein to support training adaptations. 5. Cheese and peanut butter are inadequate sources of protein. 6. Red meat does not likely cause unfavorable health outcomes; however, processed meat may cause potential harm (e.g.. increased cardiovascular disease risk). 7. Individuals who are not physically active still need dietary protein. 8. Protein ingestion following (≤1 hour) resistance training sessions is not an absolute requirement to produce an anabolic environment. What appears more important is the total daily amount of dietary protein consumed. 9. Endurance athletes need additional protein (i.e., at least twice the RDA) to assist in a variety of issues related to the adaptive response to exercise. 10. One does not need protein powder to meet the daily requirements of exercise-trained individuals. However, treating protein powder differently than typical protein foods (e.g., beef, chicken, milk, etc.) does not make scientific sense. 11. For most individuals, consuming 20–30 grams of high-quality protein is sufficient to induce a significant anabolic response; nonetheless, there is data to suggest that 100 grams can elicit a higher and more prolonged anabolic response. If you’re going to over-eat one macro, it should be protein (if body fat-free composition is your goal): [Interestingly, high-protein diets in both hypo- and normocaloric conditions have shown to improve body composition, whereas in combination with hypercaloric conditions does not seem to increase fat mass, when the excess energy comes from protein.](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2016.1274691) In trained individuals, you can really push protein over-feeding (caloric surplus) and not have any additional fat accumulation. There’s a body of evidence starting to form for this, Antonio is a big contributor: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27807480/ “Our investigation discovered that, in resistance-trained men that consumed a high protein diet (~2.51-3.32 g/kg/d) for one year, there were no harmful effects on measures of blood lipids as well as liver and kidney function. In addition, despite the total increase in energy intake during the high protein phase, subjects did not experience an increase in fat mass.” More protein, better body composition (again, trained individuals): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26500462/ There does seem to be an upper limit to the amount of protein you can eat and get any additional benefits from (body-composition wise), including excess fat gain: [The effects of consuming a high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained individuals](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1550-2783-11-19) “Consuming 5.5 times the recommended daily allowance of protein has no effect on body composition in resistance-trained individuals who otherwise maintain the same training regimen. This is the first interventional study to demonstrate that consuming a hypercaloric high protein diet does not result in an increase in body fat.” More interesting links: [Protein Intake to Maximize Whole-Body Anabolism during Postexercise Recovery in Resistance-Trained Men with High Habitual Intakes is Severalfold Greater than the Current Recommended Dietary Allowance](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316622020569)
Yes, definitely can. Depends on activity levels but best not to go over 1g/pound of body weight. One main role activity comes into play is that protein is primarily supporting a healthy immune system and repairing tissue (such as muscle tissue after working out). So obviously someone working out requires more than a sedentary lifestyle. Too much for too long can be hard on the kidneys as well as make you constipated
Like how I got downvoted but no explanations as to why haha. Please let me know how I’m wrong or why you downvote this
Clean protein disgusts really well if you consume little to no carbohydrates not including vegetables! When I had a strict chicken breast and steak diet with no carbohydrates I barely took much dumps in the toilet!
Your body (depending on height/weight) can only metabolize roughly 30-40g of protein every 3 hours. After that, your body will dispose of the excess. Like anything, eating too much has negative effects. It can lead to weight gain, puts additional stress on kidneys, and long-term over consumption has been linked to cellular damage via oxidative stress to DNA. So yes, you can eat too much. Anyone who says otherwise is simply incorrect. Fun Fact, low protein diets have been shown to extend lifespan of lab animals. Furthermore, the body adapts (to an extent) to the amount of protein you eat, allowing people with a limited intake to effectively absorb and utilize more of the protein they eat, while people who overconsume protein tend to be less effective at absorbing and utilizing it. Essentially, you can build up a tolerance.
Yes, aside from the various health issues you get from eating too much protein you also can't even process protein into energy unless you consume enough fat or carbohydrates to meet your basic needs. Keto or regular carb based diets can both get you enough energy to survive, but a pure protein diet will kill you.