What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Too Much Protein

What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Too Much Protein

qProtein is a vital part of everyone’s daily diet. It helps build muscle mass, provides vital energy, and helps burn calories.

But getting too much protein can cause problems of its own. What happens when you consistently eat too much protein? Keep on reading to find out!

1. You’ll get bad breath.

If you’re eating lots of extra protein because you’re cutting out carbs, your body will eventually start to burn fat and protein for fuel, through a process called ketosis.

This may be good news for those looking to shed some extra pounds – at least at first – but it’s bad news for anyone in proximity to them; ketosis causes an awful smell, which no amount of brushing or flossing can mask(1).

2. You’ll gain weight… eventually.

High-protein, low-carb diets are popular for those looking to lose weight fast, but the long-term effects of these diets can actually cause people to gain weight, according to recent studies(2).

3. You can damage your kidneys.

Protein dishes like chicken and steak contain nitrogen, which, when consumed in small to moderate amounts, can be excreted by your body with no problem.

But when you consume more protein than your body needs, your kidneys need to work overtime to handle the excess nitrogen(3).

While this isn’t a problem for short-term diets, in the long-run it can cause permanent damage to your kidneys.

4. You’ll be dehydrated.

All that extra nitrogen has another side effect – it will leave you dehydrated and feeling thirsty. You can counteract this side effect by upping your water intake or simply cutting back on your protein intake.

5. You might get gout.

When you eat a lot of protein, the fat and protein is converted into nitrogen. That nitrogen can put a strain on your kidney, which causes it to release more uric acid.

That uric acid can collect around the joints of the toes (particularly the big toe), leading to the formation of those painful uric acid crystals that cause gout. (source)

6. You’ll experience nausea.

Too many eggs and protein shakes can be taxing on your digestive enzymes, leading to indigestion and nausea, as anyone who’s even eaten an excess of these foods can attest to.

7. You could die sooner.

Here’s a nasty downside to a high protein diet – it increases your risk for cancer(4). Diets rich in animal protein can raise your risk of cancer significantly, and individuals on high protein, low carb diets are at particular risk.

How Much Protein To Eat?

The average adult needs about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight a day, which comes out to roughly 56 grams of protein a day for men and 46 for women, according to the Institutes of Medicine.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking to lose weight fast, a high-protein, low-carb diet might be good in the short term, but these diets weren’t meant to be carried on for longer than a few weeks at most, as these side effects illustrate.

Be cautious when embarking on any new weight loss diet and educate yourself about possible adverse effects – especially when it comes to the long term. Lots of “crash” or fad diets simply weren’t designed for long-term use

THE REASONS WE’RE NOT USING DRONES MORE

THE REASONS WE’RE NOT USING DRONES MORE

n the second of a two-part report into drones and construction Jim Meehan, aerial imaging specialist at SkyHeld Cameras, rounds up the reasons that drone technology has not been widely adopted in construction.

Unaware of the benefits?

Many potential users are simply unaware of the outputs that the combination of drones and photogrammetry software can produce – and are often surprised at the results. From 2D maps to 3D models, area and volumetric measurements and even virtual reality walk-throughs of remote sites are achievable now.

Regulatory constraint?

Approved operators flying drones under 7kg have Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) permission to fly in congested areas and within 50m of people and buildings not under their control, reduced to 30m while taking off and landing. The CAA recently stated that height contributes to the separation distance calculation. This allows for the operator to determine the safe minimum in-flight horizontal separation distance.

With careful planning, more sites may now be assessed as suitable for safe drone flights within regulations. 

For some sites, to cater for drone flights over perimeter streets to obtain side views, it may be feasible to bring a street under control via foot and vehicle traffic management for short periods just as is the case for heavy plant operation. Many sites may already have procedures in place for this.

Where streets cannot be brought under control, a drone can be used to obtain high level imagery away from the street in conjunction with a hand-held drone camera, standard camera, or laser scanner with imaging capability for the side views at street level. Merging data from both devices provides complete coverage of the site.

Regulatory uncertainty?

The new rules will most likely affect drone build and performance parameters. Flight control methods and data workflow are unlikely to be affected by regulations. Methodology adopted now will almost certainly remain valid.

Waiting for the next generation of drones?

Construction firms may have looked at current drone offerings and decided to wait to see what the next generation brings. Drone technology, whether used in-house or via service providers, is relatively inexpensive and cost savings can be realised very quickly.

Adoption now, even if on a limited scale, means a business can be up and running, with experience, ready to scale out with drone data workflow processes in place and well-practised for when the technology is at the level required for full implementation. 

Skills shortages?

Often the stumbling block for new technology implementation is a lack of skilled people with relevant knowledge and experience. The CAA has been forward thinking with regard to drones and has had a clear path to drone pilot approval for several years. As a result, there are a growing number of trained drone operators and service providers available around the UK ready to help with implementation.

Perhaps drone adoption could be a catalyst to embrace BIM at the same time for those businesses that have not yet done so. As is the case with BIM, adoption of drone technology for construction is a case of when, not if, so why wait any longer to embrace this cost-effective efficient and exciting technology?