Are There Risks Associated with Eating Too Much Protein?
There are risks associated with eating too much protein. These include:
1) You may experience muscle loss, which could lead to osteoporosis.
If you have been exercising regularly, then your muscles will not shrink back down due to low levels of protein in your diet.
2) You may suffer from a high cholesterol level, which could cause heart disease.
Low levels of dietary fat and cholesterol are linked to higher risk of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease (CAD). A healthy diet includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
Fatty foods like meat and butter contain saturated fats that raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels. Butter contains trans fatty acids, which increase “good” cholesterol levels.
3) Your bones may become brittle and break easily.
High levels of calcium in your diet can contribute to bone fractures. Calcium is found in dairy products, eggs, fish and green leafy vegetables.
Dairy products contain calcium but also other nutrients such as vitamin D and potassium. Eggs are rich source of vitamins B12 and D; they also provide minerals like magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. Fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna are rich in protein as well as omega-3 essential fatty acids. Green leafy vegetables are rich in vitamin K, fiber, folic acid and potassium. Nuts are a good source of magnesium and potassium.
4) Your muscles will become weak due to the lack of exercise.
Muscles need rest to recover from exercise. Muscles also need a program of resistance training (weight training) and aerobic exercise.
Regular exercise will slow down the aging process and also prevent osteoporosis.
5) You could suffer from heat exhaustion due to a high metabolic rate.
Metabolic Rate is the rate at which your body burns calories while at rest. A high metabolic rate is very useful when you are very active, but it can be very tiring for you.
If you do not rest and eat frequently, you are more likely to overheat during exercise.
6) Your immune system will suffer due to your diet.
The stronger your immune system, the better you can fight off diseases and infections. A poor diet can lead to difficulty fighting off infection.
Good nutrition means a balanced diet with fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products and lean meats.
7) You may suffer from heartburn and indigestion.
Your body may not be able to digest certain food types such as milk, eggs, meat, bread and potatoes. This may cause your stomach to create a lot of acid.
During digestion most stomach acids go into your intestines but a small amount stays in your stomach. This can lead to heartburn.
8) You could lack the energy needed to exercise properly.
Your body needs healthy food to provide you with the right amount of energy to exercise properly. If you skimp on your meals, you will tire more easily when exercising.
When you exercise you should eat sugary foods or take along sports drinks to top up your energy levels.
9) You could gain weight due to lack of exercise and a poor diet.
A combination of too much food and not enough exercise can make you fat! Too much body fat can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.
Being overweight can also decrease your performance in sports.
10) You could ruin your overall health due to lack of exercise and a poor diet. Your organs need fuel from your food in order to work properly.
Without a good diet your organs, especially the heart and kidneys, will not be able to function optimally. This could lead to serious illness and even death in extreme cases.
You have decided to give up karate in order to try out for the school soccer team. You have been going to the gym a couple of times a week and playing soccer in your yard with your friends on weekends.
You feel very fit but one morning you wake up feeling very tired.
Your mother notices that you are feeling unwell and takes you to see the family doctor. The doctor examines you and discusses your symptoms with you and your mother.
After taking a medical history, the doctor tells you that he would like to do some blood tests before coming to any conclusions.
You return to see the doctor a couple of days later. The doctor says the blood tests show that your liver is not functioning properly and he wants to do further tests to find out why.
Your mother says that you have been eating the same foods as usual and doing the same amount of exercise so she is very surprised by the test results. She asks the doctor if you should be worried about your liver.
The doctor explains that the liver is an organ that can become diseased very quickly, but also heals very rapidly. He says that many diseases do not show symptoms until the liver is seriously damaged.
He decides to do a biopsy to find out exactly what is wrong with your liver.
You return a week later for the results of your biopsy. The doctor says that your liver shows signs of a rare disease called hemachromatosis.
He explains that there is a genetic predisposition for the disease but also that it can be brought on by excessive iron intake. He says that you will need to undergo chelation therapy in order to remove the excess iron from your system.
The doctor tells you and your mother that you will need to visit him every week until the proper dosage of medication has been established, the chelation therapy has begun to work and your liver shows signs of returning to normal.
You have to take time off school so the time between your visits to the doctor can fly by. Before you know it though, you are feeling much better and the doctor has all but cleared you of any long-term liver damage.
You return to karate class and are looking forward to resuming your soccer training.
Your mother is especially pleased that you’re well again because she has some good news for you. A famous soccer player who plays for your favourite team, the “All Blacks”, has seen you play and would like to offer you a place at his soccer summer camp.
He has heard that you are a very talented player and wants to help with your development.
The only thing is the camp is in the USA and is for two whole months during the summer!
You and your mother discuss it at length before making a decision.
» Continue reading the storyline…
You’ve been to the doctor and have found out that you are suffering from liver disease. You’re not surprised because everybody knew that too much iron wasn’t healthy but you had no idea it could be life-threatening!
You’ve undergone chelation therapy and are feeling much better now. The doctors have told you that you will have to have regular checkups for the rest of your life but everything is looking good.
Sources & references used in this article:
Eating meat: evolution, patterns, and consequences by V Smil – Population and development review, 2002 – Wiley Online Library
Adverse effects associated with protein intake above the recommended dietary allowance for adults by I Delimaris – International Scholarly Research Notices, 2013 – hindawi.com
Could Eating Too Much Protein Increase Your Risk of Stress Fractures? by J Davis – runnersconnect.net
