Active Low-Carber Forums - View Single Post - How much protein is too much?

Quote:

Originally Posted by NEMarvin

The other thread made me thing of this question. Many of you are more well-versed on the science around this, and what the accepted opinion is, so I thought I'd ask. As a diabetic, and following Dr. Fung's protocol mostly currently, I know that excess protein runs the risk of elevating my BG, and even worse, the risk of being insulinogenic. So how much is too much? I seem to recall Dr. Atkins saying anything over 7 ounces in one meal could be considered excess and could cause a blood sugar rise. I don't recall Dr. Fung ever giving any specifics in this regard, though I may have missed it.

Thoughts?

ETA: Dr. Fung's new book just hit my desk, and a quick flip through found a reference to limiting protein to 20 to 30% of one's diet, but that sounded more like a concern over focusing on lean sources of meat protein as opposed to fattier cuts that I tend to favor.

Marvin, I'm very interested in protein, not only in how much is adequate to consume, but also the impact the lack of protein has during fasting. I've moderated my protein to maintain a fat burning metabolism, and I find that I'm good at around 80 - 90 grams of protein per eating day. On occasion, I have more than that up to around 112 grams per day, which puts me in maintenance mode. Remember that an ounce of lean meat has approximately 7 grams of protein. So, a quarter pound of beef has approximately 28 grams or 1 ounce of protein. Here's the method of calculation recommended by Phinney and Volek, authors of two books I refer to often, "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living/Performance":

Quote:

The multiplying factor should be between 0.6 - 1 grams per a pound (1.3 to 2.2 grams per a kilogram) of lean mass. The range is based on your normal physical activity from sedentary to very active.

As an example, if your weight is 160 pounds and your body fat is 30%, your lean mass weight is calculated as follows:

160 lbs - 30% = 112 lbs

Therefore, your protein intake should be between:

112 x 0.6 = 67 g of protein (minimum amount)
112 x 1.0 = 112 g of protein (maximum amount)

The trick is to estimate your lean mass, and since I don't plan to have a DEXA scan anytime soon, I just make a rough guess. I happen to be one where I can stay at the low end of protein consumption and do well.

The overall question of protein and dietary influence is one I find lacks a substantial amount of research in regards to optimizing protein consumption. When one is fasting, autophagy (and phagocytosis) occurs which cleans out the system of dead or damaged cells, excess amino acids, and other toxins. This is considered a very healthy thing to do periodically, and I agree. What I've been most curious about is the role the lack of protein plays during this cleansing period. I believe the lack of exogenous protein is a major triggering factor for this cleansing process, but have found little research to confirm this or to describe in detail what triggers this mechanism. Yeah, it could be total lack of calories, which is how we define a fast, but since the cleanse involves the substances that are used to synthesize protein, the building blocks, I suspect the elimination of dietary protein is what starts this process.