Too Much Protein?
Find Out What Happens When Someone Eats this Nutrient Excessively
Having a steak abundant in protein on the plate every day seems to be a sign of prosperity, but the most prosperous countries (that happen to consume the most protein) are those with a higher rate of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and osteoporosis.
How Much Protein is Too Much Protein?
Do you really know what the proper amount of protein intake is? The World Health Organization recommends between 12 and 15% of dietary calories to come from protein.
Protein can be obtained from vegetable legumes, cereals, nuts, animal products such as meat, fish, chicken, eggs, dairy, and seafood. 55-60% of dietary calories should come from carbohydrates, and 25-30% from lipids and fats.
Take a typical Spanish dish for example: a plate of lentils, followed by a steak with potatoes. For dinner, you might have fish with vegetables.
If you add all of this protein to the protein you already got from breakfast, snacks and desserts (cereals and cereal products, milk, etc.), the total protein can easily increase by 18-20% or more, depending on food quantities.
This may be seemingly harmless, but what happens when such a high consumption of protein is sustained over the years?
One "spillover" of the dietary restrictions (including those involving decreased protein intake) of the European War was the resultant sharp decline in deaths from cardiovascular diseases. Does this mean that the current protein-abundant diets make people sick?
Consider the effects of continued excessive consumption of proteins and the possible connection with some of the most common diseases found in the West.
What Happens When There is too Much Protein?
The excess protein can be used as energy in a process that allows for better metabolism. But a significant amount may be deposited and left unused in the body. It has been found that the basement membrane of the capillaries can act as protein storage where protein is deposited.
One consequence is a greater difficulty for the exchange of nutrients between cells and other parts of the body, thus necessitating an increase in blood pressure. At the same time, the blood vessels can thicken and harden, losing their flexibility as a result of the extra protein.
In both atherosclerosis and in hypertension, there can be a hardening and loss of flexibility of the vessels.
Promotion of inflammation and blood clotting: several studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids ease the pain of arthritis and also contribute to the fluidity of the blood. Among other factors, this is related to the role of protein as a precursor for substances that have an internal effect as an immunomodulators. Immunomodulators control the reactions of inflammation, blood clotting, and so on.
By contrast, these processes stimulate the arachidonic acid present in the saturated fat of animal products high in protein: meat, poultry, dairy, etc. An excess of these products promotes inflammatory disorders and vascular accidents.
Even lean meat, which also happens to contain high amounts of protein, is basically saturated fat in disguise, and this stimulates inflammation, promotes cholesterol production, and impedes the proper conversion of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
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