Too much protein?

[Arkan]

I was talking to a guy I know, who is studying something to do with medicine, and he said that we get enough or to much protein in normal diets. So I looked on the internet to check this out and found some web sites supporting his view, with information like the following:

"In the past, some people believed one could never get too much protein. In the early 1900s, Americans were told to eat well over 100 grams of protein a day. And as recently as the 1950s, health-conscious people were encouraged to boost their protein intake. Americans tend to take in twice the amount of protein they need anyway."

"Description Grams protein per lb. body weight
Current RDA for a sedentary adult: 0.4
Recreational exerciser, adult 0.5-0.75
Competitive athlete, adult 0.6-0.9
Growing teenage athlete 0.8-0.9
Adult building muscle mass 0.7-0.9
Athlete restricting calories 0.8-0.9
Maximum usable amount by adults 0.9"


According to some information I found excess protein has been linked with:

"osteoporosis,
kidney disease,
calcium stones in the urinary tract,
and some cancers."

I am a bit confused now, about the whole protein thing, most of the bodybuilding community tells you to have 1 - 1.5 grams of protein to each pound of body weight but acording to the info above 0.9 is the maximum usable amount for adults. Is the 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per lb of body weight scientifically proven or is it a case of supplemnt companies brainwashing bodybuilders?

 

[rgosit]

looks like im gonna b dead...

 

[andro69]

2,000 grams of protein!!!!! Are you serious? After 17 years(dam, has it been that long) of lifting, I noticed I gain at the same rate whether I eat 0.5 grams a day or 1.5 grams a day. I've been sticking to 0.5 these days due to lack of funds, but I'm gaing steadily on this little amount.

 

[WarriorPL]

please tell me u mean .5 and 1.5 grams per pound... yeh right now i eat about 1 gram per pound. yeh im crazy , don't see much gains i will raise it to 1.5 soon.

~WizKid

 

[andro69]

Ooops. Yes, I meant 0.5 to 1.5 grams per pound.

 

[ciscokid1]

i eat 2,000 grams of protein a day!!!!!!

HAHA! I was just imagining him, taking a 5 lb tub of protein powder and pouring it into a 5 gallon bucket, adding some milk and drinking. LOL

 

[Crazy K]

My knowledge

I deal in nutrition and everyone has a theory, much depends on their lifestyle. If the average person ate tons of protein each day, they'd have problems. But a person who's trying to build up their body will use that protein for muscle gain, they NEED the extra protein. As long as you vary your diet somewhat (ie; veggies, potatoes, rice, etc.) so your body gets the nutrients it needs other than protein.

I actually had a trainer at a gym say to me "You urinate extra protein if you take in more than your body needs." He and some others think that those calories don't count. Point is, there's a lot of myths out there.

 

[BigDogg]

well by FDA standards, it's recommended that you take in between 1g/lb. bodyweight and 1.7(well it may actually be lower, i cant recall). And frankly, i trust the FDA standards more than ur friend

 

[Crazy K]

The FDA also says you only need about 60mgs of Vitamin C a day.......the FDA standards are set only to pervent disease, but not to enhance the quality of life.