Ian King made an interesting point in his article this week. We’ve all heard how consuming excessive amounts of protein can be bad for you, but has anyone actually seen a case of this or is it just BS coming from some pencil neck in a lab coat. I’d be curious to know if anyone has ever seen a case of excessive protein intake? Also, has anyone noticed that increasing protein intake above 1g/lb. can make a positive impact on size and strength, or is excess protein (i.e. 400 g/day for a 180 lbs. man) just that…excess, and wasteful?
No, never seem a case of too much protein being harmful, wasteful yes, harmful no. I notice better results from 250 gm (more muscle, stronger, and especially leaner) and I’m your size. Just make sure to eat enough veggies and maybe some fruit to keep your pH from getting too acidic from all that protien. More protien would be useful if you were loaded up on lots of gear though.
I’m curious about this too. As far as I know, I don’t believe anyone’s dying or experiencing kidney failure from a high protein intake. Makes sense to me. Biologically, humans are most similar to carnivores. We are supposed to be getting a large percentage of our calories as protein.
It’s a theory yet to be proven! Have been taking-in
what would be considered “excessive” amounts
of protein since 1977… BTW- I’m in much better
health than anyone I saw at my H.S. reunion!
Any protien amount above your wt. produces no added benefit. If you go over, say you are 200 lb. and consume 300 g. protein,(any calorie, carb, fat or protein), that is above your caloric needs, will be turned to fat. Your 400g/day for 180 lbs. is excessive if you think more muscle will result, but protein will burn as fuel, as well as convert to fat. (your BMR will determine this)
“Any protein amount above your wt. produces no added benefit.” Uuummm…
I have to tell you, QUEST…that sounds like one of those “Gym Myths”. What’s that based on? I most CERTAINLY agree with you that CALORIES (irregardless as to whether they are protein, fat or carbs), above our maintenance requirements, will be stored as fat. However…protein requirements are STILL a hotly debated topic.
One thing has come through loud and clear in the debates; atheletes and/or those who train need more protein than the sedentary, “average” person.And ELITE atheletes, and those that train EXTREMELY hard need more that the average musclehead like myself.
I’m up to 195 now, and I was eating over 500 grams a day when I was on my Mag-10 cycle. Didn’t seem to hurt me any, except for some volitile, explosive ass gas.
QUEST,
How did you determine the optimal amount of protein for EVERY human on the planet, regardless of athletic activity, anabolic usage, etc.? I would be very interested in reviewing your research. Please site the studies you used to draw your all-encompasing conclusions. After all, if you have no research backing up your statements , it means that you simply have an opinion, yet, since it’s YOUR opinion, it must be fact. I suppose it also means that the opinions of others, including Bill Roberts and other T-mag writers, must all be wrong. You sound like someone that doesn’t like to listen to anyone else’s opinion…a real know-it all!!! It must be nice being God’s gift to the human race, so that we dummies can determine our nutritional needs. Thank you for taking time from your all-important activities to share your knowledge! LOL…Mark
P.S. Your first statement was probably correct: “Any protien (sp) amount above your wt. produces no added benefit”. Since I’m 220 lb, that means I max out at 100,000 g of protein per day! Yeah, that should be enough. LOL. I think you meant to say that protein intake exceeding one gram per pound bodyweight is “turned to fat”…as laughable a statement as that is! Thanks again for your input.
It depends entirely on the individual. Ideally each individual would have access to blood test results to determine this by looking at his urea nitrogen, creatinine, calcium, levels etc and also going by the way the individual feels and functions. (energy level, digestion and elimination, body composition). I’ve noticed I tend to be very protein efficient and anything over 1 gram/lb seems to be more negative than positive (both in the lab and in the way I feel and function) but it’s obvious there are some people who thrive on sky-high protein intakes as high or higher than 2-3 grams/lb. Also I think there’s something to be said for the cycling of protein intake over time.
Nasser claims to eat only 100 grams a day during the offseason, with 80% of calories from carbohydrates. That’s interesting if he’s telling the truth.
I’m not sure exactly what he said, but when I was examined after my car accident, they were wondering why my… umm liver or kidney levels were high. Ok, somethinglke that… and My mom told them I intakelots-o-protein. and they were lik, oh that’s why!
I remember reading here in t-mag that 30% of protein calories are wasted into warmth if they are converted to glycogen or fat.
Besides, the body very seldomly converts protein to fat, but rather pushes up other macronutrients to be more likely stored as fat.
However, the body must first fill it’s glycogen storage, which is in the liver and muscle.
“Proven, beyond the shadow of a doubt” isn’t used in my previous post. Bodybuilding, powerlifting, or any kind of working out, is not an absolute science. There are some general across-the-board guidelines, but, yes, the average population’s RDA and people like us will differ. I could tell you that i got the info from gov’t studies, but that wouldn’t apply to us! The 1 g. protein is ONLY a general guideline, us guys can probably go higher to 1.5 or perhaps 2. Of course all bods are different. And of course mark r., anyone who violates your emotional comfort zone seems to make ya nuts? I believe that we really can have meaningful dialogue–(not LOL) People learn by “workout talk”–at least I do. Mark R. please remember that what lacks in this posting thing is facial expression, tone of voice, and voice volume. That is why I don’t take postings as an attack on me or my fitness philosophy.
That’s because Nasser has reportedly been known to be a big user of exogenous insulin.
Not one single study exists showing high protein to be damaging in anyway. There is one that shows damage to people who already have kidney problems. As for doctors saying there are problems with high protein it probably comes for 2 factors. 1. Most people do not excercise especially with weights. Barely 1%of the population of this country belong to health clubs what does that tell you. So regular sedentary adults do not need as much protein as excercising adults. 2. These doctors are usually talking about the sources of protein. Since most of this country eats like crap they are talking about fatty meats and pork. So of course if these are the examples of your high protein intake of course you will see problems at the doctor. But as far as the MACRONUTRIENT known as PROTEIN there is absolutely nothing wrong with high intake. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Okay, go to a hospital and ask the doctors and nurses how many weight lifters have come through with kidney or liver problems as a direct cause of excess protein. The truth is not many guys taking in lots of protein have these problems. This is some idea that was dreamed up in the '60s and still hasn’t been proven (was it Jane Fonda who thought this crap up?). In fact, the biggest thing you need to worry about with bodybuilding isn’t eating too much protein. The more important thing to worry about is injuring yourself in the gym. More bodybuilders end up in the hospital due to injuries than they do for kidney/liver failure. Honestly, I think it is possible for people to over-do it with protein, but I doubt that 2g per pound of body weight is too much.
Indians lived off of nothing but the land. Their diet consisted mainly of buffalo. How much meat do you think they consumed a day? Alot! (Just something to think about.)