Protein is one of the most essential nutrients for the human body. It helps build muscle, skin as well as hormones. It helps repair cells and maintain tissues. A diet rich in protein is helpful for weight loss as it helps to increase muscle mass and overall strength. High-protein diets raise your spirits to eat protein more as compared to fat whereas carbohydrates to lose weight and increase your energy.
However, consuming high amounts of any nutrient for a long time typically comes with risks, as can be the case with protein. Protein-rich diet lowers blood pressure. High protein diets contain high-fat foods like full-fat dairy, fatty cuts of beef, bacon, and sausages which are mostly associated with cancer and heart diseases. Let's know the other disadvantages of a high-protein diet in detail.
What Happens If I Eat Too Much Protein?
1. Weight Gain
The weight loss journey through a high-protein diet is only for a short period. The excessive protein is stored in the body as fat while the different amino acids are excreted. This leads to weight gain if there is too much consumption of calories under the pretext of enhancing the protein intake. According to research, when proteins replace carbohydrates, it causes weight gain. But when proteins replace fats, there are no signs of weight gain.
2. Bad Breath
Another problem which is associated with consuming too many proteins is bad breath. It happens because of the metabolic state of the body called ketosis, where chemicals are released with an unpleasant smell. Even flossing or brushing isn't the solution. The only solution for this problem is that you have to switch to healthy habits and to eradicate some of the odor, you can chew some gum.
3. Dehydration
Too much protein consumption causes the kidneys to work twice as hard to flush the excess protein out through urine, which makes you feel thirsty often. This causes you to lose essential minerals like magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Therefore, even if you're consuming more protein, you must also ensure that you're also consuming more fruits and vegetables with high moisture and mineral content.
4. Irregular Bowel Problems
High protein diets easily wipe out the healthy gut flora because they lack pre-biotics fiber that helps to fuel the beneficial bacteria. It causes various bowel issues, the most prevalent being constipation and diarrhea. Stomach cramping and bloating are common. The problem with high-protein diets which exclude carbohydrates is that they are very low in fiber.
5. Causes a Nutritional Deficit
A protein-rich diet also lacks essential micronutrients and hence the diet may not always be balanced to meet your body’s nutritional requirements. However, if the body receives excess proteins, it may lead to a metabolic strain on the liver, kidney, and bones. Additionally, it also leads to leaching out of nutrients from these organs, which reduces the overall biological nutrient balance.
6. Affects Cardiovascular Health
High-protein diets sometimes comprise a higher intake of red meats and fattier proteins. However, all proteins do not behave in the body in the same manner. Plant protein leads to a lower mortality risk compared to animal proteins. Plant proteins result in longevity, and their daily consumption helps to diminish the risk of death by about 5%.
7. Increased cancer risk
Certain high-protein diets that are high in red meat-based proteins are linked to an increased risk of various health issues, especially cancer. Eating more red and processed meat is associated with colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer. However, eating protein from other sources is said to decrease the risk of cancer.
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