High Protein Diet: Good or Bad?

 

High protein diet is considered as a weight loss tool for many popular diets like Atkins Diet, Zone Diet, The South Beach Diet, Meat-Mania, and Proteinopia. This promises initial success due to less carbohydrate intake thus body burns fat for the energy source.

There are certain benefits of high protein diet like:

Weight loss:
It leads to rapid weight loss, by limiting the amount of carbohydrates consumed; the body is forced to begin burning fat for a consistent source of energy. The body is able to convert protein into glucose, but only at a very slow rate. Fats, however, can be converted into a more readily-usable source of fuel.

Helpful for diabetics:
It is a helpful diet for diabetics as it excludes grains and sugars is known to help stabilize blood sugar. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetics, as well as people with metabolic syndrome, can benefit from a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet

Helpful for athletes and body-builders:
It also benefits an athletes and body-builders who consume protein in easily digestible form such as whey protein shakes which help in repair and recovery of muscles.

But there are known side effects of prolong use of high protein diet (longer than 1 month) which include;

Fatigue
In the afternoon hours, when the body has used a lot of energy, followers of the high protein diet might experience sudden moments of fatigue. Because the body is lacking in sugars.

Constipation
As less carbohydrate rich foods are consumed (naturally containing fiber) such as wheat, grains and bread, the digestive system might get clogged and constipated. Eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and an occasional slice of whole meal bread will help.

Low Blood Pressure
One of the dangers high protein diets present is that healthy foods providing essential nutrients are necessary for the body to function, such as carbohydrates and sugars. Most of these foods and a diet containing carbohydrates help lower blood pressure levels.

Low vitamins and mineral
People who stay on a protein rich diet will not get enough vitamins and minerals. A high protein diet plan can not only help you lose fat and weight but it seems that it can also be held accountable for the loss of important nutrients that keep the body healthy

Low Calcium Levels

After sticking to a high protein diet for a longer period (over a month) will seriously decrease the amount of calcium in the body as because the body is getting less carbohydrates to turn into energy, all the reserves are used. If this loss of calcium is not compensated it may result in bone loss and arthritis. In extreme cases may lead to stress fractures.

Stress on kidney and possible kidney damage:

Prolonged consumption of high protein sends the body into a state of ketosis. That’s top of the list of cons of high-protein diets. Ketosis occurs when the liver converts fats into fatty acids for use as energy and the by-product, ketones. Ketones increase the acidity of the blood and can be detected in the urine.

When carb intake is restricted, the body uses muscle and liver glycogen for energy. For each gram of glycogen, two grams of water are used or “lost.” The diuretic effect of eliminating carbohydrates from your diet stresses the kidneys while they remove urea, a by-product of protein synthesis, from the body.