Too Much Protein? article....

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Someone posted this article on another list - I hope no one minds

if I repost it here. I'd love to see it discussed/debated/hashed

out.

Will Eating More Protein Help Your Body Gain Muscle Faster?

Seems like everyone at the gym is doing it: filling up on protein to

bulk up

those biceps. But it's a misconception. Eating extra protein actually

doesn't

do much toward boosting your muscle mass and strength. By http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1756.50270 " >Miriam ,

PhD

WebMD Medical News

Seems like everyone at the gym is doing it: filling up on protein to

bulk up

those biceps. But it's a misconception. Eating extra protein actually

doesn't

do much toward boosting your muscle mass and strength. In fact,

medical

research shows that consuming too much protein -- more than 30% of

your total

daily caloric intake -- could actually harm your body, says protein

expert

Gail Butterfield, PhD, RD, director of Nutrition Studies at the Palo

Alto

Veterans' Administration Medical Center and nutrition lecturer at

Stanford

University. She says that a diet containing excess protein can have

the

following adverse effects:

Adding more protein but not more calories or exercise to your diet

won't help

you build more muscle mass, but it may put your other bodily systems

under

stress.

Eating more protein and increasing total caloric intake while

maintaining the

same exercise level will build an equal amount of additional fat and

muscle

mass, according to a study published in 1992 in the Journal of the

American

Geriatrics Society. Too Much Protein

So think twice when you consider sacrificing the carbohydrates for a

protein-dominant diet, Butterfield says. Drastically cutting

carbohydrates

from your diet may force your body to fight back. She says that's

because a

diet in which protein makes up more than 30% of your caloric intake

causes a

buildup of toxic ketones. So-called ketogenic diets can thrust your

kidneys

into overdrive in order to flush these ketones from your body. As

your

kidneys rid your body of these toxic ketones, you can lose a

significant

amount of water, which puts you at risk of dehydration, particularly

if you

exercise heavily. That water loss often shows up on the scale as

weight loss.

But along with losing water, you lose muscle mass and bone calcium.

The

dehydration also strains your kidneys and puts stress on your heart.

And

dehydration from a ketogenic diet can make you feel weak and dizzy,

give you

bad breath, or lead to other problems. How Much Protein Do I Need?

The amount of protein you require depends on your weight and your

daily

caloric intake. Most Americans consume more than enough protein in

their

daily diets. A few specific groups of people are at risk for being

protein-deficient, including elderly women and people with illnesses

or

eating disorders. A protein deficiency is defined as eating 50 to 75%

of the

recommended amount of daily protein, Butterfield explains. Ideally,

you

should consume 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight,

according to recommended daily allowances (RDA) set by the Food and

Nutrition

Board. So if you weigh 170 pounds, you need about 61 grams of protein

each

day. Protein should also make up approximately 15% of your total

daily

caloric intake, also according to the RDA. In a diet of 1,800

calories a day,

for example, about 270 of those calories should come from protein.

It's

Essential

Although limiting protein intake is important, you should also

realize that

protein is essential to our bodies' normal functions. It assists in

synthesizing enzymes and hormones, maintaining fluid balance, and

regulating

such vital functions as building antibodies against infection, blood

clotting, and scar formation. Protein is also a building block for

our

muscles, bones, cartilage, skin, hair, and blood. Protein-rich foods

include

meat, cheese, milk, fish, and eggs. For vegetarians, protein can be

found in

soy products and tofu as well as in combinations of foods, such as

rice or

corn with beans. Whether you are an avid strength trainer, a marathon

runner,

or just an average exerciser, a balanced diet that is rich in fruits,

vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, and complex carbohydrates

is what

nutritionists recommend.

Copyright 1999 WebMD. All rights reserved.

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1676.50058 " >WebMD - Will

Eating

More Protein Help Your Body Gain Muscle Faster?

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1676.50058

-Sherry (Lake Marcel, WA)

BPD/DS Feb. 2, 2001

self-pay

5'5 " / 321 pounds / 33 years old

Lost 9 pounds in pre-op weight loss efforts

Have lost 90 pounds since surgery!

Total of 99 pounds gone forEVER!

http://www.fluffynet.com/wls/