Protein is the **macro du jour**, influencers talk about this constantly. Trainers and dietitians create many recipes on social media. Cottage cheese or beans replace cream sauces sometimes. Protein powder goes into cakes and cookies. A survey in 2024 asked 3,000 adults. Seventy-one percent said they try consuming more protein. Most people want extra protein today.
Protein is needed for our body, this is true. It helps build muscle and keep health good. Protein serves like a building block for bones. Skin, hair, and other tissues use it too. But more protein is not always better for you. Eating too much can hurt your health. This is despite its role making enzymes. Enzymes help reactions happen. Protein makes hemoglobin also. That moves oxygen in blood. Your age and activity matter. You might already eat enough protein. Maybe you are having too much right now. This could lead to unexpected problems.
Knowing high protein risks is important for long-term well-being. This is not just about getting muscles bigger. Risks include hormone problems as you age. It is linked to illness too. Protein can strain important body parts. You could have stomach issues also. These risks are really worth thinking about. Let’s see what experts say. They look at protein intake. Sometimes it moves from good to way too much. Where protein comes from matters too. Source can be as key as the amount you eat.
1. **Elevated IGF-1 Levels and Accelerated Aging**:Too much protein can raise **insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)** levels. This is a big worry for some people. It happens especially from animal sources. Dr. Joseph Antoun mentioned this effect. He is CEO of L-Nutra. IGF-1 is a hormone from the liver. It helps with growth and body processes. In kids it’s essential. It fixes muscles for adults. Problems start with constantly high levels.
Too much protein can raise **insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)** levels. This is a big worry for some people. It happens especially from animal sources. Dr. Joseph Antoun mentioned this effect. He is CEO of L-Nutra. IGF-1 is a hormone from the liver. It helps with growth and body processes. In kids it’s essential. It fixes muscles for adults. Problems start with constantly high levels.
Dr. Antoun says high IGF-1 hurries up aging. Biological aging becomes faster. This makes you more likely for age-related issues. Cancer is one issue they talk about. High IGF-1 levels connect to cancer risk. Promoting cell growth happens. But cell repair does not keep up. This raises chances of DNA mistakes. Serious health problems might follow.
This danger isn’t only for cancer, know that. Dr. Antoun says growth promotion without repair happens. Elevated IGF-1 causes this he suggests. It can also raise risks for Type 2 diabetes. Heart disease is another worry. He calls high IGF-1.
2. **Kidney Function Issues**:Too much protein, beyond what body needs for muscle work, gets burned for energy instead. This process create a waste stuff called urea. Your kidneys must filter this urea out of your bloodstream. Eating more protein, you produce more urea, pushing kidneys working harder to get rid of it.
Research coming from Madrid in 2024 showed that high-protein eating could maybe cause kidney failure over time. Even folks with good health saw bad effects from plenty protein, per a 2020 report in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology study. About 14 percent of U. S. adults have ongoing kidney sickness. So these possible bad effects from eating excess protein really matters for kidney well-being.
3. **Vascular and Other Risks**:Kidney health not the single area possibly hit by eating protein a lot. Chronic high protein eating, specific means more than 2 grams for each kilogram your body weighs, also links to blood vessel weirdnesses.
That was according to research done in 2016 from Food & Function study. Besides inside body system issues, eating way too much protein can show results more easy to see. These things include weight gain potential, a paper in the Clinical Nutrition Journal pointed this out. Digestion troubles are another normal thing people complain about.
Plenty protein can make things strange like constipation or diarrhea. Also, high-protein diets low in needed fiber might help harmful stuff grow inside. This can make you more likely getting gut issues. Things such like inflammatory bowel disease and diverticulitis are examples.
4.**Links to Chronic Diseases (Beyond IGF-1)**:High protein, especially from animals, connects to higher IGF-1 levels. This was discussed implying more risk for cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Other studies however point to possible ties with many different long-term sicknesses. Some research found that eating more protein, mainly from animal sources, might contribute to higher risk for breast cancer too. Similarly, certain studies showed a likely link between eating protein more and risk increased for type 2 diabetes. Crucial it seems the protein source plays large part in these possible links discovered.
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5. **Inflammation**:Science has also looked at links between where protein comes from and body inflammation levels in people. A paper out the University of Navarra Spain said some animal proteins appeared to cause higher inflammation levels. This is compared to protein you get from things like legumes, nuts, and beans. This study especially saw that fat participants getting more protein from meat had higher inflammation.
This compared to those eating mostly fish or protein from plants. This means the kind of protein eaten changes how your body reacts with inflammation response. But, worth noting another study with 2,061 people saw things slightly different. It said total inflammation and stress from body processes increased less. This occurred in those with the highest protein intake than those lowest in protein. Suggesting eating protein, especially plants, might connect to good changes in inflammation problems for older folks as they age.The big thing to grasp is the *source* of protein is what matters for inflammation.
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6. **Risks from Specific Sources: Red and Processed Meat**:Talk about risks for high protein eating, key to know bad results often link more to the *form* protein is in. This is the “protein package” instead simple total amount eaten.
This is true especially for certain kinds meat. Eating red meat regularly, even small bits, plus processed red meat, ties to big health dangers. Research from Harvard T. H.
Chan School of Public Health saw connections with more risk of heart problems, strokes, and death from heart issue or any other reason. A 2010 study looking at data from over 84,000 women also said high red meat eating grows risk for coronary heart disease. This risk could decrease by changing to other protein food sources. Bowel cancer another very bad thing linked especially to these proteins. Experts like Thornton-Wood explain bowel cancer connects with eating plenty red meat and plenty processed meat as well. In 2015, WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer famously decided eating processed meat is carcinogenic.
Meaning it cause cancer. They said eating red meat is classed as “probably carcinogenic to humans” instead. Eating too much protein from these sources can also means you eat less other healthy foods. Things like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains being less in your diet.
7. **How Much is Too Much?It’s Individual**:Given possible dangers eating too much, natural question appears: how much protein really is too much anyway? The answer not simple one size fits all answer. As it really depend on your own age plus personal aims for health. Dr. Joseph Antoun, CEO of L-Nutra, gives a guide based on how old someone is. If under 65, he says aim for 0.
31 to 0. 36 grams of *plant-based* protein for each pound your body weigh daily. For someone weighing 150 pounds, this adds up roughly to 46. 5 to 54 grams protein each day. For people over 65 years old, Antoun advises increasing protein some. This is if you lose muscle or weight from your body.
He specific recommends getting more protein from foods such fish, eggs, cheese, plus yogurt made from sheep or goat milk for this age group. This is when muscle, strength, or weight loss occurs in them.
8. **Understanding the RDA – It’s a Minimum**:Easy look at official protein advice and think that’s what we all should hit or go past. Recommended daily allowance (RDA) typically given as 0. 83 grams protein for each kilogram body weight per day.
This is about 55 grams for a 150-pound woman person. But, worth noticing average protein amount eaten by Americans was already bigger than this in 2015-2016. That was 97 grams for men and 69 grams for women already. This show many peoples might eat enough already. Or even more than needed by this simple advice.
Carolyn Ketchum, who wrote *The Protein Advantage* book, points out a key thing about the RDA. It “never meant to be the optimal or target amount of any nutrient. ” Instead, she say, it means “the least amount an individual should consume”. This is just to stop you from not getting enough. These daily advice are general for everyone and don’t fully count for how individuals differ. Like age, gender, plus how active you are means your own needs could be very different.
The protein paradox is clear: it’s not just about how much you eat, but where it comes from and how it fits into your overall diet. Animal proteins, particularly red and processed meats, carry higher risks of inflammation and chronic diseases, while plant-based sources like legumes and nuts offer safer, nutrient-dense alternatives.
Ultimately, personalized moderation is key. Whether you’re under 65 or over, active or sedentary, the goal is to meet your body’s needs without overloading it. By focusing on quality sources and listening to your body, you can enjoy protein’s benefits while avoiding its pitfalls—because true wellness lies in balance, not excess.
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