Are Protein Shakes Bad For Your Health

November 14 2013

Are Protein Shakes Bad For Your Health?

It’s no secret that protein is one of the most important dietary nutrients to consume if you’re trying to build muscle mass. Whenever you perform a rigorous bout of high-intensity strength training (HIIT) exercises at the gym, small tears develop in your muscle fibers. Protein is used to help aid in the recovery of this muscle damage; thus, reducing your recovery time while encouraging more muscle mass. If you’ve done any research into the pros and cons of a high-protein diet, however, you’ve probably heard people claim that it’s bad for your kidneys and liver.

Protein Shakes and Kidney Stones

There’s some belief that drinking too many protein shakes will result in the development of kidney stones. As you may already know, the primary function of the kidneys (we have two of them, FYI) is to filter waste from your system before transporting the remaining nutrients throughout the body. The ‘theory’ is that drinking too many protein shakes will place an unnecessary strain on your kidneys, forcing them to slowly develop hard balls of calcium deposits over time.

The good news is that you can continue drinking protein shakes without the fear of developing kidney stones. Assuming you drink plenty of water throughout the day (which is important for a number of different reasons), protein shakes will have no ill effect on your kidneys. The key thing to remember is that you want to stay hydrated with water, not sodas, beer, juice or any other beverage. Some people follow the eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day, but this really isn’t necessary; just listen to your body and drink when you’re thirsty.

“The claim that protein intake leads to kidney stones is another popular myth that is not supported by the facts. Although protein restricted diets are helpful for people who have kidney disease, eating meat does not cause kidney problem,” stated U Ravnskov in the Cholesterol Myths book.

How Much Protein Should I Consume?

Now for the question that’s probably burning a hole in your mind — how much protein should I consume? Dieticians constantly argue over the answer to this question, but a good rule of thumb — assuming you are trying to build muscle mass — is to consume approximately 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. This may seem next-to-impossible through meats alone; however, you can supplement your diet with protein powder, shakes, bars, cookies and more.

If you’re struggling to consume 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day, check out our previous post here for more tips.