How much protein can the body handle?

[tetsumaru]

Doc or anyone else who has knowledge of this:

How much protein can the body handle...a day(for example)? Are there any problems with the in take of too much protein?

I know your not a dietician but you have far more medical knowledge than anyone I know.

[Wu Longxin]

well i know the body uses calcium to help digest protein, and from what i know after long term of doing like high protein diets your body will start to take calcium from the bones to help digest it which weaken the bones.. thats about as much as i know, and as far as the amount i think i read somewhere that about 70 grams is plenty for the average person .. the newb droppin some knowledge

[LeiYunFat]

Depends what your goals are. If you're looking to pack on lean mass, then eat about 1g/lean body mass. So if you're 100 lbs at 15% body fat, then you should consume 75g of protein a day.

You're not going to absorb and use this all, the rest will be passed, but you want to keep your body in a constant state of protein synthesis, so spread out your p-intake throughout the day.

I could be wrong, but that's what I've learned up until now. I supplement my protein for the sake of convenience and due to the fact I don't want to eat 130 g of protein per day from sources like red meat, unless I want to die in 20 years.

[doc]

Let's take a basic look at what happens to ingested proteins. It's gonna have to be basic, because biochemistry was a long time ago....

Nitrogen is taken out of the air and other places by various microorganisms, and is converted to nitrites and nitrates (lightning creates nitrogen oxides which eventually get washed to earth and end up in the same cycle), which, are used by plant species to create proteins. These plants are then ingested by animals, and humans (and the animals are ingested by humans), which is how we get proteins. When we die, those microrganisms break us down into nitrates and nitrites, and the cycle continues.

Proteins are ingested and can then do a few things as they get converted into various substances, by various and different biochemical reactions. Ingested proteins are broken down into their component parts, called amino acids. Amino acids can then be used to rebuild body proteins, which are used to build tissues, such as muscle, tendons, skin, plasma proteins, etc. Amino acids can be used to create other nitrogen containing compounds that the body uses, or, they can be further degraded into Acetyl CoA, which is then further used for ATP production, which is a "fuel" used for our body's energy. Proteins can also be used via pyruvate or citric acid production cycles to create glucose, which, can then be used again either for energy production in various tissues, or, fat production.

Proteins in the body are constantly being turned over, some proteins in the blood for instance, can last up to 180 days before being destroyed or replaced; others only last minutes. Muscle and other tissues are being remodeled and changed over, over periods of time, and these proteins then get converted into ammonia, and then urea, and then are subsequently excreted out of the body via the urine.

Herein lies a potential problem. People with kidney disease can have difficulty getting rid of this dangerous urea (and ammonia); buildup of these substances have a significant neurological and body biochemistry impact.

Overcreation of ketone bodies via the pyruvate pathways, can lead to a metabolic acidosis in the bloodstream (ketoacidosis). In healthy humans, it generally is not a problem, however, overingestion of protein substances can cause this. A change in blood ph leads to all sorts of problems with various tissues, and changes with oxygen unloading with the blood.

These things are generally not a concern in healthy people that are properly and adequately hydrated. Dehydration and metabolic acidosis can lead to serious issues; problems have been found in those who are fastidious in following protein only diets, especially those that don't hydrate properly.

Overdosage of protein in our diets can also lead to heart disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke, because of the associated increase in cholesteral and LDL's found in animal protein. Also, osteoporosis is a concern, with subsequent weakening of bone structure, because calcium is excreted along with the urea that is produced in this protein cycle. Calcium urinary stones (kidney stones) are a possible result also. And because the body needs fluid to excrete the urea that is produced with excess protein, dehydration can occur. In fact, in those with high protein diets, one reason why weight loss occurs is because of the loss of water, and not fat.

High protein diets can make you fat; a human will ingest far more calories in protein before he feels "full", as opposed to a fat ingestion. It takes less calories of fatty foods to lead to satiation than it does protein. Unless one is metabolizing this excess protein into tissue, such as muscle via exercise, ultimately, the higher caloric intake causes body fat creation.

Your body only needs about 0.3 to 0.4 gm's of protein per pound of ideal body weight per day, which, in most people, would be about fifty to sixty grams. You use ideal body weight, because fat should not play a role in protein requirements. Anything more than what you need for tissue production or maintenance, is cycled through the above mentioned processes.

[A_B_laben]

20-30 grams of protein

My friend as long as I know the human body, is able to handle 20-30 grams of protein in one intake, cannot tolerate that on an hourly basis. Too much protein fills the blood with too many amino acids. These excess amino acids are converted into carbon dioxide, water, and ammonia. This ammonia is toxic to the body and is a primary cause of premature fatigue. While the body is equipped to handle excess ammonia by converting it to urea then filtering it through the kidneys, too much puts a burden on the kidneys.


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[doc]

Overcreation of ketone bodies via the pyruvate pathways, can lead to a metabolic acidosis in the bloodstream (ketoacidosis).

Sorry. Should have expounded more on this, as I had meant to. Thanks for bringing it up.

This metabolic acidosis was actually an issue back in the eighties or so, when high protein diets were a rage. People who over ingested protein without adequate hydration developed it.