High Protein Diets: Are They Healthy for You?
Many people, including health professionals, subscribe to the standard belief that a high-protein diet is the healthiest option. This assumption was investigated in the early 1900s by the research of Dr. Russell Chittenden of Yale University. Chittenden, who published his findings on human protein needs in his book Physiological Economics in Nutrition, reasoned that excessive protein consumption could cause damage to our bodies, especially the liver and kidneys. Professor Chittenden, who decided to test his hypothesis, began with an experiment on himself. For nine months, he ate a third of the level of protein recommended by the distinguished German physiologist Dr. Carl Voit. At the time. Dr. Voit was the leading advocate of a high protein diet.
Despite his reduced protein intake, Professor Chittenden remained in excellent health, feeling better than ever. By reducing his meat intake, he found that he also experienced a reduction in headaches and abdominal pain along with increased mental and physical activity.
Because he was challenging the deeply held convictions of his day, Professor Chittenden proceeded to continue experimenting with the utmost caution. His next step was to organize three controlled clinical trials, during which he validated his data by following his subjects’ dietary and urine histories.
Professor Chittenden’s first clinical trial involved placing a group of five men who were sedentary workers on what was then considered a low protein diet (62 grams daily) for six months. Throughout the trial, the five men remained healthy and in positive nitrogen balance (meaning more protein entered their bodies than left their bodies).
Professor Chittenden’s second trial involved thirteen male US Army subjects. These men were moderately active except for one day a week of vigorous exercise at the local gym. With 61 grams of protein a day, these men also remained in good health. The third test involved eight Yale student-athletes, some of whom were quite exceptional. The athletes, who consumed an average of 64 grams of protein per day, maintained their athletic participation throughout the study and actually improved their performance by 35% during that time.
As a result of his study, Professor Chittenden concluded that a serving of 35 to 50 grams of protein per day was adequate for the health and fitness of adults. Professor Chittenden’s findings, over a century ago, are now being echoed by hundreds of voices. Although a high protein diet is often promoted as necessary for athletes or even as a weight loss measure, the truth is that excessive protein intake is detrimental to optimal health.
Today, many people are turning away from a meat-based diet for health-related reasons. The natural inclination, in such a scenario, is to look to replace the protein that would normally have been consumed through meat consumption with a plant-based protein. Several healthy meat substitutes are now available, which can certainly aid in the transition from a meat-based to a plant-based diet.
However, the best strategy for health and wellness goes beyond eliminating and replacing meat in the diet. Even when using plant-based protein, one must consider how much protein is needed for optimal health and how much is too much.