We all know that protein is one of the most important nutritional pillars for losing weight, building muscle, and maintaining an all-around healthy lifestyle. It can even help stave off depression and a number of other mental health issues. However, a new meta-study would change the way you look at protein forever…
A groundbreaking study published this week in Nature Metabolism has set off alarm bells amongst meat lovers and protein powder enthusiasts alike by suggesting that excessive protein intake could be massively detrimental to arterial health. Undertaken by a team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the study took a deep dive into the effects of protein on humans by examining cellular behaviour after consumption.
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The findings showed that consuming more than 22% of daily calorie intake from protein can activate something called macrophages — a type of immune cell — accelerating a process called ‘atherosclerosis‘ whereby arteries harden due to the buildup of cholesterol and fat. This condition can be a precursor to serious cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and strokes.
Pittsburgh professor of cardiology and study co-author Babak Razani said this in a statement:
“Our study shows that dialling up your protein intake in pursuit of better metabolic health is not a panacea… You could be doing real damage to your arteries. Our hope is that this research starts a conversation about ways of modifying diets in a precise manner that can influence body function at a molecular level and dampen disease risks.”
Babak Razani
Protein Without Limits
This news comes at a particularly interesting time as it was only last month that a fascinating meta-study revealed that, contrary to the widely held belief that your body could only absorb 30g of protein in one sitting, this was actually an artificially created barrier.
In actuality, your body can consume far more than that. This was a boon to the nutritional habits of fitness aficionados everywhere but, as you might expect, encouraged people, to ramp up their protein intake. In light of these new findings, that could be a dangerous move…
Here’s an exert from our article last month:
We were alerted to this news thanks to a post from content creator Matt Garbarino, who points to a brand new meta-analysis showing that the ’30g rule’ which so many people had taken as gospel in regards to protein — that your body can only usefully process 30g of protein from any given meal — may be totally untrue. He explains in detail below…