Side Effects of Protein Supplements?

I found following stunning article on http://www.mumbaimirror.com/. This article is categorizing energisers, steroids, etc all under the protein supplement title. According to users of protein supplements, if you choose a good protein supplement according to your needs, then you are much better off than trying to get the same protein content through regular food. The regular food with that much protein also gives you a lot of bad fat in your body. IMO, excessive use of anything will get you side effects.

Pump down the Protein

Many believe that energisers, such as protein powders, help build muscles without side effects. However, a magic pill that gives you a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't exist and it never will!

In his book, Arnold's Body Building for Men, Schwarzenegger writes "People nowadays... tend to go overboard when they discover body building and eat diet consisting of 50 to 70 per cent protein - something I believe to be totally unnecessary. In my formula for basic eating and to get enough protein eat about 1 gm of protein for every 2 pounds of body weight."

The Conservative National Academy of Science USA too says that there is little evidence that muscular activity increases the need for protein.

What's in the market

Ultimate Nutrition, Precision Nutrition, Optimum Nutrition and Experimental are some of the companies that sell protein powders in India.

Ultimate Nutrition is the producer of ANS Mega Amino Mass, which claims to have an "All in one formula." It advertises more muscle size, more strength, more power and faster recovery. It has basic creatin, the side effects of which are water retention, bloating, flatulence, muscular cramps, nausea and effect on the Central Nervous system and kidney damage in the long run.

Optimum Nutrition sells Gold Standard Whey which claims to have 100 per cent whey isolates. It's known to cause cow-milk allergies and can lead to digestive problems such as cramping, flatulence and diarrhoea. Many people have a problem digesting complete whey protein and an overdose can cause weight gain and kidney damage.

Prosoyal, a soya protein, is easily available in medical stores. Soya comes in the Top 10 list of allergy causing foods and excess of it interferes with oestrogen levels and can cause breast cancer. Any protein powder, taken in excess, causes uric acid and leads to gout.

According to medical journals, side-effects of excessive protein include fatigue, irritability, nausea, constipation, headaches, dizziness, hair loss, dry skin and bad breath. People have also been known to suffer kidney damage and develop gall stones. Excess protein leaches calcium, leading to osteoporosis.

How much do i need?

According to the American Journal of Clinical nutrition, you need a minimum of 2.5 per cent of your daily calories in protein. WHO advises 4.5 percent, The Food and Nutrition Board 6.5 percent and the Natural Research Council of USA a highest of 8 per cent.

Moreover, excess protein is stored as fat. A high protein diet leads to breast, prostate, pancreas and colon cancer according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. Intact proteins are not easily digested and are therefore not used during or before sports activities.

A report title Rapid Growth Shorter Life, which appeared in the Journal of American Medical Association, aid that high protein diets shorten the life span of humans. This corroborates with World Health statistics that show people on a high protein diet do not live longer than people on a low protein diet.


Source:
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=39&contentid=200809012008090102534478c8d419c6&pageno=1