drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
"Too much protein is bad for your bones!” Heard that before? It's often cited by the same people who say that high-protein diets are bad for your kidneys. The kidney myth has been thoroughly busted, but what about that bone mineral density thing – the "acid-ash hypothesis" – where calcium supposedly gets excreted if you eat too much protein? A new study by Dr. Antonio took a very close look.
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Twenty-four exercise-trained women were recruited for the 6 month study. The control group ate normally and the study group was told to eat a higher protein diet: at least 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. The high-protein group ended up having an 87% higher protein intake than the control. They got their extra protein by consuming a whey/casein protein powder and just by eating more meat. Despite the study group consuming an average of 2.5 times more protein than the US government's RDA, there was no negative impact on bone mineral content or density – no demineralization of the skeleton. One woman even consumed about twice as much as the others in the high-protein group. No problems there either. And even though the protein group consumed more calories per day than the control group, the high-protein group didn't gain any body fat.
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How to Use This Info: First, be sure to shove the real science into the faces of those people who poo-poo on your meat-eating, protein-supplementing ways. Second, don't listen to the government when it comes to nutrition. The RDA stuff is antiquated and not aimed at lifters and athletes. Third, don't worry about eating a lot of protein, from whole foods or a quality protein powder. Your bones will be fine. Your kidneys will be fine. Your liver will be fine. Your body fat may not be fine, however. Some of it will go away.
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Twenty-four exercise-trained women were recruited for the 6 month study. The control group ate normally and the study group was told to eat a higher protein diet: at least 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. The high-protein group ended up having an 87% higher protein intake than the control. They got their extra protein by consuming a whey/casein protein powder and just by eating more meat. Despite the study group consuming an average of 2.5 times more protein than the US government's RDA, there was no negative impact on bone mineral content or density – no demineralization of the skeleton. One woman even consumed about twice as much as the others in the high-protein group. No problems there either. And even though the protein group consumed more calories per day than the control group, the high-protein group didn't gain any body fat.
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How to Use This Info: First, be sure to shove the real science into the faces of those people who poo-poo on your meat-eating, protein-supplementing ways. Second, don't listen to the government when it comes to nutrition. The RDA stuff is antiquated and not aimed at lifters and athletes. Third, don't worry about eating a lot of protein, from whole foods or a quality protein powder. Your bones will be fine. Your kidneys will be fine. Your liver will be fine. Your body fat may not be fine, however. Some of it will go away.
