Thanks to a booming wellness industry, added protein shows up in all kinds of foods these days, including high-protein pasta, protein lattes, and even protein popcorn.
Add to this craze the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans released under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken proponent of protein. The new guidelines dramatically increase the amount of protein recommended per day for adults — going from 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to a new goal of 1.2 to 1.6 grams. For a 150-pound person, that amounts to around 80 to 110 grams of protein per day.
Does that mean you need to be eating twice as much protein as you already are? Not necessarily, says Teresa Fung, RD, an adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. As she recently told Everyday Health, “The vast majority of people are already getting enough protein.”
Eating a very high-protein diet isn’t likely to harm you in the short term if you’re generally healthy, experts say, but eating way too much protein could lead to trouble over the long term, especially if you have underlying conditions like high cholesterol or kidney disease.
These five warning signs could signal you're seriously overdoing it — and might even prompt a trip to the doctor’s office.
1. Dehydration
When you eat more protein than your body needs, your kidneys work overtime to process it. As protein gets metabolized, nitrogen — a component of amino acids in protein — needs to be purged from the body. Over time, this can lead to dehydration.
“The only way the kidneys can discard the excess nitrogen is by increasing urination and thus you become dehydrated as a result,” says Babak Razani, MD, PhD, a cardiology professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Symptoms of dehydration can include feeling thirsty, tired, dizzy, or lightheaded as well as experiencing unusually dry skin, sunken eyes, or dryness in your mouth.
2. Foamy or Bubbly Urine
If your urine looks foamy, it can be a sign of proteinuria, or a high level of protein in your urine — a potentially serious condition that can be an indicator of kidney damage. While more research is needed, some studies have shown that there may be a link between eating high amounts of protein and proteinuria, according to a review.
You may also feel like you have to pee all the time, which is another symptom of proteinuria and might be another indication that you’re eating too much protein. The same processes in the body that can cause dehydration when you consume too much protein can also cause frequent urination, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, RDN, a registered dietitian-nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and founder and president of KAK Consulting.
3. Kidney Stones
While eating excess protein, specifically, animal protein, doesn’t typically lead to kidney stones, this is something to watch out for, especially if you have either a history of kidney stones or risk factors for the condition, such as being prone to urinary tract infections, says Dr. Razani. Telltale signs of kidney stones can include sharp pain in the side, lower back, and abdomen; pain during urination; and blood in the urine.
Eating too much animal protein can lead to kidney stones because frequent urination to purge excess nitrogen from the kidneys can upset the typical acidity levels in the urine and trigger production of oxalates, substances in the liver that form kidney stones, Razani says.
4. Irregular Bowel Movements
Eating any nutrient in excess — including protein — can make it hard to digest and lead to digestive issues such as constipation, Razani says. Constipation is common when you eat too much protein because most people do this by cutting back on other nutrients like fiber and lack a balanced diet to regulate the bowels, Razani says.
“If high protein dietary patterns are deficient in fiber, then bowel issues may be the result of such low fiber intake,” Kirkpatrick says.
5. Weight Gain
High protein diets are promoted as a good way to reduce your hunger levels so you eat fewer overall calories, Razani says, so it may seem counterintuitive that eating too much protein could lead to weight gain. But the fact is, there’s a lack of scientific evidence to back up claims that high-protein diets lead to weight loss, and some people may actually experience weight gain.
The problem: Not everybody actually eats less on a high protein diet. “Excess protein intake, if balanced by less intake of other foods, is good for weight loss,” Razani says. “But if your total calorie intake is higher than before even if it is all in the form of protein, then weight gain occurs.”
How to Get a Balanced Amount of Protein in Your Diet
Most people eat more protein than they need, even when they’re not trying to follow a high-protein diet, Razani says. For example, you’ll get around 17 grams of protein from a 3 oz serving of cod and 26 grams of protein in a 4 oz serving of boneless, skinless chicken breast — and those portions are far smaller than what many people put on their dinner plates, he says.
Two good ways to make sure your total protein intake is optimal: Focus on portion sizes and make sure you include other nutrient-rich foods in your diet. Following a Mediterranean style diet rich in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and lean poultry and fish can also help you get a balanced diet with the right amount of protein and other nutrients, Razani says. “There is a lot of data to suggest that this diet, with about 15 percent of calories from protein mixed with healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates is the best overall healthy diet for the majority of us,” he says.
Yes, some people may benefit from a higher-protein diet — for instance, those healing from surgery, competing as an elite athlete, or experiencing health risks due to age-related muscle loss, says Kirkpatrick.
But if you don’t fall into one of these camps, you should talk with a health professional who specializes in nutrition before starting a high-protein eating plan.
The Takeaway
Eating too much protein over an extended period of time can cause extra work for your kidneys and lead to uncomfortable symptoms like frequent urination and constipation, as well as more serious health issues like kidney stones.
The best approach to cut back on excess protein is to watch your portion sizes and include other types of foods in your diet such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Before you increase your protein intake or embark on any big changes in your diet, talk to your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian.
Lynn Grieger is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, certified personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach. She completed requirements to become a registered dietitian at Valparaiso University in 1987 and completed a dietetic internship at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, Illinois, in 1988.
Lynn brings her expertise in nutrition, exercise, and behavior change to her work in helping people reach their individual health and fitness goals. In addition to writing for Everyday Health, she has also written for websites and publications like Food and Health Communications, Today's Dietitian, iVillage.com, and Rodale Press.She has a passion for healthy, nutrient-dense, great-tasting food and for being outdoors as much as possible — she can often be found running or hiking, and has completed a marathon in every state.
Lisa Rapaport is a journalist with more than 20 years of experience on the health beat as a writer and editor. She holds a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and spent a year as a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. Her work has appeared in dozens of local and national media outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg, WNYC, The Washington Post,Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, Huffington Post, Yahoo! News, The Sacramento Bee, and The Buffalo News.
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