When you think about the necessary nutrients that your body needs to survive, protein is probably pretty high on that list. Every diet includes a good amount of protein and you see information about that pretty much everywhere. When you are looking at workout plans, they all tell you that you should get enough protein in your diet. At school, nutrition classes teach kids that protein is the most important nutrient for them to have. However, are we overdoing it on the protein talk a little bit? Many people seem to think so.
Even though protein is indeed a super important nutrient for you to have in your body, there can be some side effects that come with too much protein intake. The minimum intake of protein that you should have every day is around 50 to 75 grams. However, with the amount of foods around that have protein in them, a lot of people are going way over that recommended amount. Keep reading down below to learn some more about what might happen if you have too much protein in your body.
You’re Gaining More Weight Than You Want
One of the biggest signs that you have too much protein in your diet is the fact that you’re gaining more weight [1] than you would like. If y ou increase your intake of protein without cutting down on the other kinds of nutrients that you are taking in, then that scale is going to go way up. Now, this is going to be either good or bad depending on your health goals. If you are wanting to bulk up your muscles and gain that weight to do that, then that increase intake of protein can be good for that. However, it’s also important to watch that protein because any other number of negative effects can come from it.
You’re Having Kidney Problems
Another sign that you may be having too much protein in your diet is if your kidneys are having problems. Now, you might not even be aware of this until you go to the doctor, which might be a good idea if you are having symptoms of kidney issues. Protein would cause this because the kidneys help to filter through all of the waste that is produced with the intake of protein. A greater amount of protein in your diet could cause your kidneys to work overtime and become way more strained than they need to be.
You’re Dehydrated
When your kidneys go through that waste management process, one of the bi-products that is released is blood urea nitrogen. When you have a larger amount of protein in your body, this causes your kidney to produce more of that blood urea nitrogen. In turn, your body has to use more and more water to flush out that dangerous substance. This could cause serious dehydration, so make sure to keep this in mind if you are more dehydrated than normal.
You Have Low Calcium
When you get too much protein in your body, you could also see more calcium leeched from your bones. The acids that are released whenever you consume proteins are difficult to digest without calcium. However, if you are not taking enough calcium in your diet and more protein, your body will automatically go to your bones for calcium, decreasing their strength and durability. It’s been shown in numerous studies that those people who take in more protein than needed have weaker bones than others who took in the right amount of protein.
You Have Heart Problems
When looking at proteins from animal sources, most of these meats come with a layer of saturated fats. This is compared with protein from vegetable sources, which do not come with this layer of fat. It’s common belief that consuming way too much protein can cause cardiovascular disease [2] , but this is not the whole story. Those people who eat protein from vegetable sources are more likely to not suffer from cardiovascular disease when compared to those who at animal sourced protein. This has much to do with that saturated fat layer that comes with animal protein.
You Have Reduced Ketosis
When you’re trying to lower the amount of carbs in your diet, like in many popular low-carb diets, you often try to cover the gaps with an increased intake of protein. However, this is very detrimental to your diet. If you are experiencing reduced ketosis, then this is a big sign that you are getting protein in excess in your low-carb diet. Instead of supplementing the carbs with protein, you can fill the gaps by consuming more low-glycemic vegetables and fats which are healthier. This is suggested by all high-quality low-carb dieters out there.
You Have Gout
It’s even been shown that a diet full of animal-based proteins can increase your risk for developing gout [3]. If this is something you are experiencing, you may be having too much protein in your diet. This is because animal-based proteins have high levels of purines, which cause a high level of puric acid in your body. It’s been shown that lowering that protein level and replacing the animal protein with vegetable protein can help stop this from happening.
And there you have it! These are the top signs you should look out for that could be causing detrimental effects to your body. Everybody says that protein is super good for you in all cases, but that’s not always the case. Make sure to do your proper research before drastically increasing the amount of protein you consume on a daily basis.
Featured photo credit: Alexas_Fotos via pixabay.com
Reference
| [1] | ^ | Live Science: How Protein in Your Diet Affects Weight Gain |
| [2] | ^ | Science Daily: Newly discovered protein may be a cause of heart failure |
| [3] | ^ | WebMD: Gout Pictures Slideshow: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments of Gout |
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