Eating Too Much Protein May Be Bad For Your Arteries, Study Says

Protein is called the building block of muscle, but how much is too much?

Well, as it turns out, you can indeed get too much, according to a study published by Nature Metabolism.

“Our study shows that dialing up your protein intake in pursuit of better metabolic health is not a panacea. You could be doing real damage to your arteries,” senior and co-corresponding author Babak Razani, MD, Ph.D., professor of cardiology at the University of Pittsburgh, said in a statement.

Consumption of excessive protein can lead to atherosclerosis, or a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls. That’s also known as plaque and it can lead to a quick demise.

“Data collected from over the past decade found that Americans consume a lot of protein — mostly from animals — and nearly a quarter of the US population gets over 22% of all daily calories from just protein,” the New York Post reported.

“Razani proposed that the trend of high consumption of protein is most likely due to the common idea that dietary protein is essential to a healthy lifestyle — but too much could be detrimental in the long term.”

So according to those numbers, someone who consumes 2,500 calories per day should be eating no more than 140 grams of protein.

“Our hope is that this research starts a conversation about ways of modifying diets in a precise manner that can influence body function at a molecular level and dampen disease risks,” Razani said.

The study may help assist nutritionists who are setting macro counts for clients.

“Perhaps blindly increasing protein load is wrong,” Razani suggested. “Instead, it’s important to look at the diet as a whole and suggest balanced meals that won’t inadvertently exacerbate cardiovascular conditions, especially in people at risk of heart disease and vessel disorders.

“The potential for this type of mechanistic research to inform future dietary guidelines is quite exciting.”