The urban legend is that protein has a direct correlation with muscle gain — that the more protein you eat, the more muscle you build.

But as it turns out, that’s not entirely true. In fact, it’s not true at all. There’s a protein threshold, a level of dietary protein intake beyond which you don’t receive any of the muscle-building benefits. You can actually experience some adverse side effects by overdoing it, including indigestion, hormone disruption, kidney and liver problems, and even weight gain.

When you digest protein, your kidneys go to work eliminating waste products from your system. So when you ingest a large amount of protein at one time, your kidneys can become stressed with the large task of filtering all that waste. Kidney strain, over a prolonged period of time, can lead to kidney disease; so it’s important to be mindful of your protein intake.

Any food with extremely high protein content is likely to cause indigestion — all the work your stomach has to do to break down protein releases gases as a by-product, which can cause bloating.

Protein requires insulin for metabolism. Since insulin is the hormone responsible for regulating your blood sugar, using an excess of it can disrupt your body’s natural blood glucose. According to a report on protein and diabetes, “large amounts of protein have the potential to contribute to glucose production [and] minimally increase blood glucose levels.” So if you don’t want to experience a mean mid-afternoon crash, it’s wise not to overdo it.

Low-carb, high-protein also means low-energy, high-effort for your body. It has to work much harder to digest that protein, and it has to work harder to use the energy from the protein’s calories. Your body goes to carbs first, and when it’s deprived of them it starts to metabolically slow down. This can result in a sluggish, fatigued feeling that can sometimes be so intense that it’s obstructive to daily life.

Understanding protein by Harvard Health:

Protein is a critical part of our diet. We need it to build and repair cells, and make healthy muscles, organs, glands, and skin. Everyone needs a minimum amount each day. The Institute of Medicine recommends 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For someone who weighs 150 pounds, that means 54 grams of protein per day. Another guideline is to make sure at least 15% of your daily calories come from protein.

How might more protein and fewer carbs in the diet make a difference for weight loss or weight control? “Protein takes more energy for you to digest than refined carbohydrates, and also gives your body a feeling of satiety,” says Dr. Hauser. Low-carb diets have been shown to help some people lose weight.

But over the long term, too much protein and too few complex carbohydrates from vegetable sources may not be the healthiest plan. This kind of eating pattern has been linked to an increased risk of developing osteoporosis. That’s because digesting protein releases acids into the bloodstream. The body neutralizes these acids with calcium—which can be pulled from bone if necessary. Eating too much protein also makes the kidneys work harder. In healthy people, this usually doesn’t pose a problem. But those with kidney disease or diabetes (which is associated with kidney disease) need to watch their daily protein intake so they don’t overload their kidneys.

Many folks opt for a super-high protein diet because they want to lose weight and gain lean body mass. However, many nutritional experts agree that while you may see short-term weight loss, that weight always creeps back up and even exceeds what you started with.

According to this 2016 National Institutes of Health study, more than 90-percent (of the 7000) adult study participants reported becoming overweight due to a high protein diet compared to participants who maintained a more balanced diet or opted for a low-carb high fat approach or intermittent fasting

Mercola on High Protein

Dr. Mercola has a large team of researchers and he usually produces quality information. His article on "The Very Real Risks ofConsuming Too Much Protein" is solid. Here are some highlights and a reference to the article:

Excess Protein May Fuel Weight Gain, Yeast Overgrowth and Cancer

There are a number of reasons why I believe it's prudent to limit your protein intake. The first is that if you eat more protein than your body requires, it will simply convert most of those calories to sugar and then fat. Increased blood sugar levels can also feed pathogenic bacteria and yeast, such as Candida albicans (candidiasis), as well as fueling cancer cell growth.

Excessive protein can have a stimulating effect on an important biochemical pathway called the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). This pathway has an important and significant role in many cancers. When you reduce protein to just what your body needs, mTOR remains inhibited, which helps minimize your chances of cancer growth.

Additionally, when you consume too much protein, your body must remove more nitrogen waste products from your blood, which stresses your kidneys. Chronic dehydration can result, as was found in a study involving endurance athletes.

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/09/03/too-much-protein.aspx

Few super power lifters or body builder enjoy long lives despite their commitment to exercise. Sure, many were on PEDs. However, if you look way back in history at these outliers and find their cause of death, it's almost always kidney failure related.

Conclusion

Enjoy your proteins from ALL sources. We focus on marine sources and the fishes at the beginning of the food chain like sardines. However, reconsider "plate distribution." That means, eat a balance of natural foods with emphasis on making the protein portion of your plate a bit smaller than would be found at Texas Roadhouse or some other box store meat restaurant.

Think "repair and recovery" with (almost) every bite! It's the main purpose of food.

Be Well...