Is A High-Protein Diet Good For Losing Weight?

Is a high-protein diet good for losing weight

Some specialists have raised issue about high-protein, low-carb diets. High cholesterol. Some protein sources– like fatty cuts of meat, entire dairy products, and other high-fat foods– can raise cholesterol, increasing your opportunity of heart disease.

Nevertheless, research studies revealed that people on the Atkins diet for approximately 2 years really had actually decreased “bad” cholesterol levels.

Kidney problems. If you have any kidney problems, eating too much protein puts included strain on your kidneys. This might get worse kidney function.

Osteoporosis and kidney stones. When you’re on a high-protein diet, you might urinate more calcium than typical. There are contrasting reports, however some specialists believe this could make osteoporosis and kidney stones more likely.

Are High-Protein Diets Safe for Weight Loss?

For a lot of healthy individuals, a high-protein diet usually isn’t really hazardous, especially when followed for a brief time. Such diets might assist with weight loss by making you feel fuller.

Is a high-protein diet good for losing weightNevertheless, the dangers of using a high-protein diet with carb constraint for the long term are still being studied. Numerous illness might result if a high-protein diet is followed for an extended time:

  • Some high-protein diets limit carbohydrate intake so much that they can result in nutritional shortages or insufficient fiber, which can cause problems such as bad breath, headache and constipation.
  • Some high-protein diets include foods such as red meat and full-fat dairy products, which may increase your risk of heart disease.
  • A high-protein diet may get worse kidney function in individuals with kidney disease due to the fact that your body may have difficulty removing all the waste products of protein metabolic process.

If you wish to follow a high-protein diet, pick your protein sensibly. Excellent choices include soy protein, beans, nuts, fish, skinless poultry, lean beef and low-fat dairy products. Prevent processed meats.

The quality of the carbs (carbohydrates) you eat is essential too. Cut processed carbohydrates from your diet, and select carbs that are high in fiber and nutrient-dense, such as entire grains and vegetables and fruit.

Will Eating A High-Protein Diet Hurt Me?

For many years, people have been worried about the safety of eating excessive protein.
The most common health concerns of eating more protein are:

  • kidney damage
  • liver damage
  • osteoporosis
  • heart disease
  • cancer

Let’s explore these.

High-Protein Causes Kidney Damage

This issue about high protein and kidneys began with a misconception of why medical professionals inform people with improperly functioning kidneys (usually from pre-existing kidney disease) to a eat a low-protein diet.

However there’s a huge difference in between preventing protein since your kidneys are already harmed and protein actively destructive healthy kidneys.

It’s the difference in between jogging with a broken leg and jogging with a completely healthy leg.

Jogging with a broken leg is a bad concept. Medical professionals would probably inform you not to jog if your leg is broken. But does jogging cause legs to break? No.

That’s the same thing with protein and kidneys.

A high-protein diet. EggsEating more protein does increase how much your kidneys have to work (glomerular filtering rate and creatinine clearance), much like jogging increases how much your legs need to work.

But protein hasn’t been revealed to cause kidney damage– again, similar to jogging isn’t really going to all of a sudden snap your leg like a branch.

High-protein diets do lead to increased metabolic waste being excreted in the urine, though, so it’s particularly essential to drink lots of water to prevent dehydration.

Decision: There’s no proof that high protein diets (2.2 g/kg body weight) cause kidney damage in healthy adults.

High-Protein Causes Liver Damage

The liver, like the kidneys, is a significant processing organ. Thus, it’s same deal similar to kidneys:

People with liver damage (such as cirrhosis) are told to eat less protein.

Yes, if you have liver damage or disease you should eat less protein. However if your liver is healthy, then a high-protein diet will not cause liver damage.

Decision:There’s no proof that high-protein diets (2.2 g/kg body weight) causes liver damage in healthy adults.

High-Protein Causes Osteoporosis

Eating more protein without also upping your fruit and vegetable intake will increase the quantity of calcium you’ll lose in your pee.

That finding made some individuals believe that eating more protein will cause osteoporosis since you’re losing bone calcium.

But there is no evidence that high protein causes osteoporosis.

If anything, not eating sufficient protein has actually been revealed to cause bone loss. Bones aren’t simply inert sticks of minerals– a considerable percentage of bone is also protein, primarily collagen-type proteins.

Like muscle, bone is an active tissue that is constantly being broken down and rebuilt. And like muscle, bone requires those foundation.

Women aged 55 to 92 who eat more protein have greater bone density. So eating more protein enhances bone density in people most at risk of having osteoporosis.

Decision: High protein diets do not cause osteoporosis, and really might avoid osteoporosis.

High-Protein Causes Cancer

Unfortunately, we still don’t have definitive human studies on the cause of cancer and the function of protein.

There are research studies that asked individuals how much protein they ate over their life time, and then took a look at how often individuals got cancer. The research reveals a connection between protein consumption and cancer rates.

But these research studies are correlational studies and do not prove that protein is the cause of cancers. Plus, some scientists have presumed to state that studies relying on topics to recall what they ate are essentially worthless since human memory is so unreliable.

A huge part of the proposed cancer and protein link boils down to confounding factors, like:

  • where you get your protein from– plant or animal.
  • how you prepare your protein (i.e. carbonized grilled meat).
  • what types of protein you’re eating (e.g. grass-fed steak versus a hot dog).

And so on.

Simply puts, we cannot state that any particular quantity of protein causes cancer.

Decision: Limited proof that protein causes cancer; lots of other confounding factors.

A high-protein diet. MilkHigh-Protein Causes Heart Disease

Eating animal-based protein daily is related to an increased risk of deadly coronary heart disease (70 percent for men and 37 percent for women), whereas plant-based proteins aren’t linked to greater rates of heart disease.

This recommends that where you get your protein from might matter more than how much protein you eat.

However, much like cancer, the link between heart disease and high-protein diets is from questionnaires rather than a double-blind randomized research study.

There are lots of confounding aspects. For one, think about the type of animal– does seafood cause the same concerns as red meat, for instance?
We don’t yet understand the entire story here.

Decision: Limited evidence that protein causes heart disease and the source of protein is a significant confounding element.

Diet Tips

It’s constantly a good idea to talk with your doctor before beginning a weight-loss diet. And that’s particularly crucial in this case if you have kidney disease, diabetes or other chronic health condition.

Finally, bear in mind that weight loss might be temporary, especially if you return to your previous method of eating. The best eating plan is one that you can stick to long-term.

Have a Good Day!

 

Midhatovich
Diet Expert