Protein: How much is enough?

Today were going to look at protein, and just how much is enough.

If you were to ask any 8-year-old boy whether he would rather grow bigger faster or live longer, he would probably choose to grow as fast as possible.
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As early as the 1930s, research on animals began to turn up evidence that high-protein diets accelerated growth rate and maturity, but shortened the life span.1
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In the past, many people believed that when it came to protein, one could never get too much. Today, the weight of scientific evidence shows otherwise.
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So where did we get this protein myth? Back in 1880, the famous German scientist, Dr. Justus von Liebig (pronounced Lee-big) had discovered that muscles were made of protein. From this discovery he concluded that muscular strength was dependant upon eating generous amounts of protein foods.

Later, his student Dr. Carl Voit (pronounced Voyt), from watching coal miners,

Protein: How much is enough?

calculated that these strong, muscular men ate about 120 grams of protein a day. From this observation, he assumed that this must be the amount needed by the body each day.
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Although the beliefs of these great men were later proven incorrect, they spurred a worldwide concern over getting enough protein, a concern that persists even to this day.
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But how much protein do we really need? Over the course of time, the estimates of the experts have often been revised, and most are recommending less and less protein.
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The National Academy of Sciences has set the U.S. recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein at 60 grams for the average man2...
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...and about 45 grams for most women.3 4 The World Health Organizations recommendation is similar, an average of 50 grams for adults. 5
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These recommendations are recognized as being more than adequate. 6 Yet as you can see from this illustration, the average person eating a westernized (American) diet is eating twice the recommended amount, and often even more. 7

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(See reference 1 at end of outline) Just 3 meals of these commonly eaten foods contain over 180 grams of protein!

Protein: How much is enough?

In addition to our already high protein intake, various diets have received much attention in recent years, encouraging the use of even greater amounts of protein foods.
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These high protein diets have been promoted for many reasonsfrom weight loss to enhanced athletic performance. Although these diets may appear to bring good results in the short term, what does the scientific research reveal about their long-term effects?

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While it is a well-known fact that protein is an essential element of a healthy diet, few people are aware of the clearly established health risks associated with eating large quantities of protein.
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s Excessive amounts of protein, especially from animal sources can actually be harmful, leading to a variety of health problems. With protein, as with many other things in life, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing! Here are a few of the concerns:

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Kidney stones and osteoporosis

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Protein: How much is enough?

Diets rich in protein, especially animal protein,...

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...are known to cause calcium to be withdrawn from the bones,...

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...and as a result increase calcium loss through the urine.

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This puts people at greater risk for both Osteoporosis and the formation of painful kidney stones. 9 Its interesting to note that, around the world, the countries where people eat less animal protein also experience much less osteoporosis and hip fractures. 10 The next concern is Heart disease: The majority of the protein eaten in Westernized societies comes from animal sources, like meat, eggs, and dairy products. These foods are all high in cholesterol, fat, and saturated fats, which are known to promote narrowed, hardened arteries, accelerated aging, and shortened life. Another problem is Gout: Excessive protein consumption increases the production of uric acid, which often results in painful inflammation of the joints.
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Protein: How much is enough?

A serious concern is Cancer: A high intake of animal protein has been shown to promote the growth of several cancers. 11

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What about endurance? For years it was thought that athletes needed much more protein. Now it is known that a high protein diet actually decreases endurance. Todays athletes load up on complex carbohydrates, rather than protein, for maximum energy and performance. Decreased age of sexual maturity: Due to the high fat, high protein diet, todays boys and girls tend to grow bigger and develop faster.

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From 1850-1995, the average age of sexual maturity for teenage girls in America declined from 16.3 to 11.9 years of age. 12

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An early age of sexual maturity is associated with earlier sexual activity and a rise in teenage pregnancy. 13 This often results in teenage marriages, with their skyrocketing divorce rates.
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In addition, young women who experience sexual maturity at an early age have been shown to have

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Protein: How much is enough?

a greater incidence of breast cancer14 and heart disease15.

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Are our youth paying the price with a diminished quality of life? The cost of protein damage to our bodies is too high! But there is a type of diet that can prevent and even reverse many of the problems excess protein causes. Our Creator, the Master Designer of the human body, knows exactly what food is best for man. In the book of Genesis, God selected an ideal food program made up of a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, and nuts. Now in the 21st century, science is taking a new look at plant foods-Gods original plan.

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They are low in fat, high in fiber, and entirely free of cholesterol. Plant foods contain all the elements needed for optimal health and vitality, including plenty of quality protein.
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Protein: How much is enough?

Science has confirmed that getting enough protein is not a problem, even without the use of any animal products. From this illustration we can see how easy it is to meet, and even exceed the recommended amount of protein each day just by eating a variety of unrefined plant-based foods (in enough quantity to maintain a healthy weight). (See reference 2 at end of outline) Lets review just for a moment what weve learned today. The whole concept of adequate protein was founded on incorrect information, long before the science of nutrition was even developed.
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Now with accurate ways to measure protein needs weve found that getting too much protein, rather than not enough, is the real concern in todays society.
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So in order to obtain a balanced diet, and experience the best of health, choose to reduce your consumption of high protein animal products. Simply replace them with more plant foods.
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Nutrition is interesting, but more than that, its vital to our health. The words of scripture encourage us, Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord.

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Protein: How much is enough?

As simple as they may seem, following sound lifestyle principles can do more to improve your health, and lengthen your life than all the technological wonders of modern medicine.
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May God bless you as you put into practice the principles of nutrition and healthy eating.

Reference 1:

Protein Content of Typical Western Meals16 (For reference only)

Food Eggs Canadian ham/bacon, slices Sausage links Fried hash brown potatoes Bacon, slice Orange juice Breakfast total Cheeseburger French fries Milk shake Lunch total Steak Fettuccini Alfredo Broccoli & Carrots Chocolate cake Milk Dinner Total Total Protein Intake Serving 2 2 2 1 1 8 oz. 1 1 10 oz 8 oz. 8 oz. 4oz. 1 8 oz. Grams 12 g 14 g 11g 4g 9g 1g 51 g 29 g 3g 11 g 43 g 62 g 12 g 3g 6g 8g 91 g 185 g

Protein: How much is enough?

Reference 2: Protein Content of Plant-based Meals17 (For reference only)
Food Breakfast cereal flakes W/ Soy or low-fat milk Sliced banana Whole wheat bread Peanut butter Orange Breakfast Total Bread, Stuffed With Tomatoes, lettuce, Cucumbers Three-bean salad Split-pea soup with barley Lunch Total Tomato soup W/ Cornbread Grapes Dinner Total Total Protein Intake Serving 2 1c 1 1 pc. 2 Tbs. 1 Grams 3g 8g 2g 4g 8g 2g 27 g 5g 10 g 12 g 27 g 7g 8g 1g 16 g 70 g

2 1 1 cup 1 cup 2 pcs. 1 cup

1 Video: High Protein: Good or Bad?; Hardinge Lifestyle Series; Mervyn Hardinge, MD; Loma Linda, CA, 1984 (?) Referring to studies from Drs James Sloanager , Clive McCay, (Cornell Univ.), Henry Sherman (Columbia Univ.) 2 3

4 Ludington, Aileen, and Diehl, Hans; 2000, Health Power, Review & Herald Publishing, Hagerstown, Maryland, p. 102 5 Food and Agriculture Organization/ World Health Organization/ United Nations University (1985). 'Energy and protein requirements', WHO Technical Report Series 724. Geneva, WHO. 6 Ludington, Aileen, and Diehl, Hans; 2000, Health Power, Review & Herald Publishing, Hagerstown, Maryland, p. 102 7 United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply, 1909-1990. Home Economic Research Report No. 52. September 1994 p.53. 8 Sherman HC. Calcium requirement in man. J Biol Chem 1920;44:21.

170 lb man 128 lb woman

(The avg. American consumes approx. 100g protein daily) Clin Sci

9 . Robertson WG, Heyburn PJ, Peacock M, Hanes FA, Swaminathan R. The effect of high animal protein intake on the risk of calcium stone-formation in the urinary tract.

1979;57:285-8.
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10 Hegsted, DM. Calcium and Osteoporosis. J Nutr 1986; 116: 2316-9

Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer of the National Research Council. Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer. Washington, DC, 1982. 12 Ludington, Aileen, and Diehl, Hans; 2000, Health Power, Review & Herald Publishing, Hagerstown, Maryland, p. 103 13 Am J Epidemiol 119:765, 1984; J Early Adolesc Health Care 6:383, 1985 (source: John McDougalls Newsletter, DIET-INDUCED PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY, Nov/Dec. 1997; online at http://www.drmcdougall.com) 14 Journal of the National Cancer Institute:47:935, 1971; European Journal of Cancer 12:701, 1976 (source: John McDougall) 15 Am J Epidemiol 126:861, 1987 (source: John McDougall) 16 This slide was adapted from Health Power by Ludington and Diehl, p.104 17 This slide was adapted from Health Power by Ludington and Diehl, p.104