Protein Supplement Side Effects
Protein supplements may be helpful for gaining and maintaining muscle, if your regular diet lacks sufficient protein. Used appropriately, protein supplements that do not contain other performance enhancers have few side effects. But consuming too much protein does not increase muscle mass or improve performance, and it has potentially serious side effects.
Other People Are Reading
-
Regulation
-
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate protein supplements as closely as other drugs or food, so data reported regarding side effects may be more anecdotal than scientific.
Gas
-
Protein supplements usually contain milk, egg or soy proteins. The most reported immediate side effect is excess gas, though this may diminish with continued use.
-
Requirements
-
The average active person's body does not need and cannot use more than 2 gram of protein per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight each day for muscle growth and repair. It does not matter if the protein comes from supplements or food.
Excess
-
Concentrated protein from supplements may easily exceed daily requirements. Any protein you eat, either from supplements or natural food, that is not used to build and repair muscle, skin and other body tissues, is converted to fat.
Dehydration
-
The body produces extra urea when it must convert excess protein from supplements into body fat. This causes blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels to rise, and hydration levels to decrease, possibly causing dehydration.
Warning
-
People who have kidney problems may suffer an accelerated loss of kidney function if they consume too much protein, either from natural foods or from supplements. Loss of kidney function may be observed, even if total daily protein is as little as 1.3 grams per kilogram of body weight.
-
