Can Too Much Protein Powder Be Harmful? - An Expert's Perspective

It's essential to be aware of the amount of protein powder you consume in a day. Consuming more than 50 grams can lead to health issues. Learn how much is healthy with this expert's perspective.

Can Too Much Protein Powder Be Harmful? - An Expert's Perspective

It's essential to be aware of the amount of protein powder you consume in a day. Consuming more than 50 grams of protein powder can lead to health issues. Your body needs a balance of macro and micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals to function optimally. Protein powder is mostly composed of protein, which is beneficial when you need an extra boost, but your body needs much more than that to fuel it.

In addition to your protein shakes, you should also include foods with carbohydrates, good fats, vitamins, and minerals in your diet. Limit yourself to one or two protein shakes per day and focus on the foods you eat during meals. Protein powder is a great supplement to include in your daily diet as it can increase your protein intake without adding too many extra calories. A study found that people who followed a high-protein diet between the ages of 50 and 65 were four times more likely to die of cancer than those who ate the least protein. That means eating 150 to 200 grams of protein a day for most men and 100 to 150 grams a day for most women.

While a protein supplement isn't necessary to achieve these goals, it does help. While there is no data to suggest that protein powder is harmful to children and adolescents, relying on protein powder and supplements may displace whole, nutritious foods from the diet. Drinking a protein shake once or twice a day will ensure that your body gets an adequate amount of protein without accumulating extra calories. However, people with kidney disease or reduced kidney function have a harder time excreting protein waste products in their urine and should monitor their protein intake. With nearly eight grams of protein in every two tablespoons of peanut butter, you can use this as the main component of a meal (think a peanut butter and jam sandwich) or as a healthy snack accompanied by slices of fruit. The ideal amount of protein intake per day varies from person to person, but the basic rule is that you should eat 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight you have.

In an 18-month study, 280 older men and women consumed 45 grams of whey protein or a placebo every day. A study found that many protein powders contained lower cost proteins such as chicken, rice, and soy (1). The most common method for consuming protein powder is to add water and mix it in a protein mixer. Foods that need to be chewed are more satisfying than powders, making it more difficult to consume them in excess. A protein shake full of protein equivalent to a couple of chicken breasts can be consumed in a matter of seconds, which places an immediate and intense demand on the digestive system. Theoretically, you could get all your daily protein from protein powder, but you shouldn't try to because there are so many other vital nutrients that you get from real foods.

Of course, if you are allergic to a certain type of protein or other ingredients in a protein powder, this will cause an allergic reaction. Now that you have a better understanding of how much protein a person needs to consume throughout the day, you can determine how much protein powder is healthy to consume. Experts point out that proteins powders and supplements come from animal products such as whey and casein (by-products of cheese manufacturing) or from plants such as soy, rice, peas or hemp. To ensure optimal health and wellbeing it's important to be mindful about how much protein powder you consume each day. While it can be beneficial when used as part of an overall balanced diet plan, consuming too much can lead to health issues. It's best to limit yourself to one or two shakes per day and focus on eating whole foods with carbohydrates, good fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Ashley Wools
Ashley Wools

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