When it comes to nutrition there are a lot of myth out there. Especially when it comes to high protein intake. Doesn’t matter what kind of diet shows up on the market the high protein problem will always be a question.
Conservative nutritionist and doctors will always say high protein diet is bad for you , however bodybuilders and athletes will encourage you to have lots of protein in your daily food intake. As a personal trainer this is one of those many questions I have to answer all the time.
Do high protein intake harm your Kidneys?
The theory of “high-protein diet will harm your kidneys” was tested on people who already had existing kidney problems. These studies has pretty much nothing to do with bodybuilders, Healthy or average people.
The kidneys filter carbamide out of the blood what comes from all kinds of protein we eat with our meals what has protein in it. Those who already have existing kidney problems filtering carbamide could be a problem. Based on the studies the conclusion was that normal people should be very careful with protein as well because they are going to have similar symptoms. However there are no studies to support this theory. They haven’t had an official study on any healthy adult to prove the facts stated above. They have done a study on athletes with high-protein diet , however there was no proof of having any damage to their kidney functions whatsoever. These athletes were tested for seven days with blood and urine samples and all numbers were within normal range.
Do high protein intake will cause bone loss?
There are many factors to cause bone loss in the human body. It could depend on hereditary problems, protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals intake, hormone levels etc.. The theory behind this idea is that high-protein diet will elevate the acidity in the blood and a body has to withdrawal minerals from the bones to normalize the pH level . Earlier studies partially approved that high protein intake could withdrawal calcium from bones and making them weaker , however recent studies proved totally the opposite. On the other hand studies do proved many times before , that athletes have stronger bones than people with less active lifestyle . Most athletes follow high protein diet without any sign of bone loss whatsoever. Another study was done in 1999 about protein intake and a human diet what produced a lot of proof that high protein diet has a positive effect on people with high blood pressure and a possibility of stroke.
Do athletes need more protein than people with sanitary lifestyles?
Most doctors and dietitians will still Promote high carbohydrate, low protein and low fat meal plan. Not even talking about the media who has no interest to tell people to eat healthy.
In the past 50 years studies were done on people who had Sanitary lifestyles. Not on athletes, bodybuilders, runners and other active individuals.
In 1996 Dr. Peter lemon proved that athletes need 1.2 to 1.4 grams of protein/kg and strength athletes need 1.7 to 1.8 g/kg.
A different study showed that strength athletes who ate the same amount of protein as a normal sanitary person suffered from muscle loss.
Most of the studies proved that high protein diet has many benefits such as : protect calorie burning muscle, boost metabolic rate, improve heart health, supports glycemic control, accelerate fat loss, enhance weight loss, preserves metabolic rate after weight loss etc...
Bottom line :
Those who already have kidney disease most likely need to restrict protein for all others you have nothing to fear , because your kidneys are designed to process and remove waste. You are not in any kind of danger eating a healthy amount of protein every day.
Bernadett Matassa
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