So you want to bulk up, what do you do? The first thing that probably comes to mind is to eat more protein. Whether it’s natural or supplemental through steaks or shakes, it’s true, you will want more protein. But can you “overdose” on your protein intake? Is it possible to eat too much protein? The answer is yes, over time your body will respond to the elevated protein intake. The responses can be damaging and harmful. There isn’t, unfortunately, a definite answer on how much protein one should eat for three main reasons. First, everyone’s body metabolizes protein at a slightly different rate. Second, larger more muscular people require more protein to maintain their size. And third, someone who exercises on a regular basis burns more calories requiring needs more protein.

Proteins are large organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain. Muscle, hair, and skin are all mainly made up of protein (3). When talking about energy, each gram of protein contains 4 calories. To give you an idea of how much protein common foods contain, a McDonald’s hamburger has 13 grams of protein and a Wendy’s grilled chicken sandwich has 27 grams of protein. The general recommended daily intake of protein is about 53 grams. Take into consideration this value is for everyone, regardless of their age, weight, or metabolism. This is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Now if you’re working out and trying to gain weight, you may want a diet that is double or triple the calorie and protein intake.

 

Finding the Right Amount

The best way to find out how much protein you should be eating is to talk to a doctor or a nutritionist. Tell them your target weight and include how much you’re working out. If you are lifting weights, tell the doctor or nutritionist what type of workout you’re doing and for how long the workout lasts. They will be able to recommend a diet that includes the correct amount of protein to fit your needs.

 

In general, if you are building muscle, it’s recommended that you eat one gram of protein per pound that you weigh, each day. So, if you weigh 190 lbs, you should eat about 190 grams of protein a day (3). That may seem like a lot of protein, but it’s necessary when building muscle. For someone who isn’t trying to build muscle, it’s recommended that they multiply their weight by .37. This is the number of grams of protein they should be eating each day (3).

Research has shown that people who are doing endurance training or heavy resistance exercise benefit from additional protein. Weight lifters and runners could benefit from 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per pound a day (3). Their meals should, however, still maintain the recommended 10% to 20% total calories from protein a day. This means they are eating more food in general, not just protein (3).

If you eat more than 2 grams of protein per pound a day, you may or may not see the effects of the additional protein. First off, that’s a lot of protein to be eating. If the fact that you’re constantly sitting at a table eating meat or drinking protein shakes doesn’t deter you from cutting back on protein, maybe the potential health hazards will.

Excess Protein Can Be Harmful

Research suggests that increased amounts of protein in a diet can lead to an accelerated decline in kidney function. This becomes a problem as people age as their kidneys already are less effective an efficient. Another problem from too much protein revolves around calcium. When your body digests protein, it releases acids that neutralize with calcium and other basic agents in the blood. Calcium that is being used to neutralize protein acids cannot be used to aid other structures, like bone (3).

Protein that isn’t being used is turned into sugar. Fortunately, this sugar is absorbed into the blood stream slowly. Rather than sugar from carbohydrates where sugar is absorbed into the blood stream more quickly. Lingering sugar in the blood stream that isn’t used is converted into fat and stored (3). This is why so many people are on a high protein diet. They can eat plenty of protein while little of it is stored in fat. This is how they lose weight.

There are many different ways to obtain your protein. Protein is found in meat, vegetables, milk, soy, and in supplements like protein bars and shakes. Not all protein is the same (3). Whey protein is a favorite among weight lifters because it’s one of the best designer proteins to help build muscle. It is usually taken as a shake before of after workouts to provide the body with a quick supply of protein and energy to repair torn muscle during a workout.

Soy Protein Isn't Ideal

Soy protein, on the other hand, isn’t a preferred protein for building muscle but rather for good health. Protein from milk, casein, has been shown to help increase muscle strength more than some other types of protein. Milk, however, takes longer to digest so don’t expect to get a days worth of protein from milk. The most common type of protein comes from meat, red meat and white meat; the cow and chicken. Meat protein contains all the amino acids required by the body while some supplements only have a few (3). Vegetables also only contain a few of the amino acids not produced in the body. Nevertheless, their other nutritional values shouldn’t be overlooked because they don’t contain as much protein as meat (3).

It’s debatable on how much protein should be consumed in one sitting. Some believe almost all the protein you eat is utilized. Others think the body can only metabolize and use a specific number of grams of protein in one sitting.

As you can see, the amount of protein someone needs is dependent on several variables including age, weight, target weight, metabolism, and hours spent working out. Take all these factors into consideration to determine how much protein is right for you. In general, it’s safe to assume that eating more protein each day while working out will help build mass, increase strength, and gain weight as long as it’s the right type of protein. Meats and whey protein, as well as other designer proteins, are the best candidates to meet those mass, strength, and weight goals.

As long as you’re smart about how much protein you are eating, you won’t need to worry about kidney problems associated with the metabolism of protein. Don’t, however, think that by just eating more protein you will get bigger and stronger. Weight training and a balanced diet are key factors in gaining strength along with eating enough protein. Hopefully you are now more knowledgeable about protein it’s effects on the body. This little molecule does so much in our bodies; it’s about time it got some attention.

References:

1 Russell, Robert. "Nutrition." How Much Protein Do You Need? 7 Nov 2006 http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/articles

2 Dolson, Laura. "Protein: How Much Protein You Need, What It's For, Can You Eat Too Much?" Protein: How Much Do You Need. 7 Nov 2006 http://lowcarbdiets.about.com

3 "Protein." Protein: Moving Closer to Center Stage . Harvard School of Public Health. 6 Nov 2006 http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/protein.html