4 disadvantages of eating too much protein

Protein (along with carbohydrates and fats) is one of the three macronutrients that your body needs to function properly. It has many health benefits including helping your body build and repair cells, helping your body produce antibodies, enzymes, and hormones, and helping your cuts heal. However, you can get too much of a good thing and protein is no exception. In this article, I’m going to describe four of the downsides of eating too much protein.

1) MAY HAVE A DEHYDRATING EFFECT: – In a four-week study that looked at five endurance athletes consuming low, medium, and high levels of protein, higher protein intake was found to lead to lower levels of hydration. Dehydration can cause a number of serious problems including extreme fatigue, muscle cramps, headaches, muscle spasms, shortness of breath, and loss of consciousness.

2) PROMOTES FAT STORAGE: – Many people believe that you can eat protein to your heart’s content and not gain weight. However, if you consume too many calories (whether they come from carbohydrates, fat, or protein), they are eventually stored as body fat. Eating more of this macronutrient while consuming the same amount of calories can stimulate fat burning in your body, but eating too many calories from protein will lead to fat storage.

3) MAY PRODUCE KIDNEY STONES: – When proteins are broken down, acids such as uric acid are created that increase acidity levels in the blood. To combat this, your body releases the alkaline substance calcium phosphate from your bones into your bloodstream. In general, this increases uric acid and calcium levels in the urine, which can later form kidney stones.

4) MAY CAUSE OSTEPOROSIS: – As mentioned above, eating high levels of protein can lead to the release of calcium phosphate from the bones. Low levels of calcium in the bones can lead to the development of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis reduces bone density and can cause bones to bend, break, and fracture much more easily than normal, healthy bones.

As you can see, protein is not a super nutrient. While it has many valuable functions when consumed correctly, eating too much can lead to the problems mentioned above. Increasing your protein intake moderately can help you build muscle and burn fat. Therefore, if you decide to eat more protein, make sure not to consume it in excess.