Warning: Excess Protein is Hazardous to Your Health and Fitness!
Posted: Wednesday, June 14, 2006
by Leslie Van Romer
Wait a minute! We know that fat and cholesterol are hazardous to our health. You mean to tell me that too much protein is also hazardous to our health?
Yes, absolutely! That is exactly what I am saying. I know that this may come as a complete surprise to you, but the truth is that many experts think that too much protein, particularly animal protein, is hazardous to your health!
In other words, the body stores very little protein. Certain organs are responsible for getting rid of the protein—namely the kidneys and liver. The more protein we eat, the harder the kidneys and liver have to work to excrete the protein. The result of overuse of these organs is obvious—premature wear and tear.
Most Americans eat an over-abundance of animal protein from their foods every day, and then they load themselves up even more with protein powders and drinks and bars. We are protein crazy in this country! And it is to our demise, not to our benefit.
So along with the wear and tear of the kidneys and the liver which is bad enough, why else is excess animal protein hazardous to your health?
Excess protein makes the body more acidic, and these acids accumulate in the joints causing arthritis and gout.
Animal protein is hard to digest so it is hard on the digestive system causing digestive problems.
Animal protein is strongly associated with heart disease no, not just the fat and cholesterol, but also the animal protein itself.
Animal protein is associated with many kinds of cancers, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
In a huge study conducted in China by T. Colin Campbell, PhD., it was found that the groups of people who ate the most animal protein had, by far, the most heart disease and certain cancers. And the amount of animal protein did not have to go up very high in order for the disease numbers to go up also.
And because the animal protein makes the body more acidic, the body has to neutralize the acid. It does so by pulling calcium out of the bones, and then we pee out the calcium.
Why is this significant?
It is believed that animal protein just happens to be one of the major contributors to osteoporosis in this country. This excess protein leaches the calcium out of our bones.
So one of the best things you can do for yourself is to cut back, way back, on your consumption of meat protein and protein artificially loaded into other foods and pseudo-foods. In fact, your best bet for maximum health and fitness is to completely eliminate animal sources of protein.
Load up on plant foods and get away from animal products—it just makes sense!
Dr. Leslie Van Romer is a motivational health speaker, writer and lifestyle coach. Visit Dr. Leslie at Http://DrLeslieVanRomer.com for practical direction, hope and inspiration.
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)While some of the points may be valid its ridiculous to say cut out animal protein all together. Where will you get you 'complete proteins' from? Ok you can use plant based proteins in certain combinations to obtain them but I bet not a lot of people know which combinations are needed to get all the amino acids
ya its been known for ages to moderate meat intake, at least in the mormon church of which i am a part. but cutting it all together is a little extreme, there is a reason for animal meat.
If you are not an athlete you're far more likely to consume too much of everything. Fat, protein and carbs. If you are actively excercising, you'd practically have to be eating only extremely high protein foods to exceed protein limits. A good rule of thumb is consume 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body mass. Remember it's far easier to consume too many bad calories and not enough protein than consume too much protein. Don't over analyse.
The claims on this are ridiculous. Animal proteins are no different to plant proteins once broken down into amino acids. There are no evidence supporting the statement that the acids accumulate in the joints (impossible), proteins are required to build and maintain muscle mass, you will have to eat a hell of a lot of plants to get the required amount, we will technically have to be eating all day long! As we are animals ourselves, we require proteins not present in plants and animals are a good and natural resource of these substances.Red meat is associated with colonic cancers, but not because of the proteins. Please do some more research before flinging claims around the internet.
Hmmm, I think I will trust a study by the University of Connecticut called "Dietary Protein Intake and Renal Function" first. It states: Although excessive protein intake remains a health concern in individuals with pre-existing renal disease, the literature lacks significant research demonstrating a link between protein intake and the initiation or progression of renal disease in healthy individuals. More importantly, evidence suggests that protein-induced changes in renal function are likely a normal adaptative mechanism well within the functional limits of a healthy kidney
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