HIGH PROTEIN IS HARMFUL!!!!!! Actually, it’s not at all – not even close. And here’s the science to prove it.

09/12/2014 14:45

You may have seen the recent media flurry about one weak study claiming that a high-protein diet will significantly increase your risk of cancer and diabetes. Reporters have taken the researchers' message and escalated it to incite hysteria among the masses. But please, don’t be swayed by this message.

The study that everyone is talking about is an epidemiological study from the University of Southern California. An epidemiological study means that they did not actually perform the study in a lab; rather, they simply looked at factors in life to make associations or correlations. They did some further research in mice and yeast to support their hypothesis, but that's a huge leap to connect to humans. I will focus solely on the epidemiological study in humans.

In this study, data was taken from a pre-existing survey assessing about 6,300 people over the age of 50 years old. They separated them into three different groups: 1) high protein – those who consumed 20% or more of their daily calories from protein; 2) low protein – those who consumed 10% or less of their daily calories from protein; and 3) a middle group that fell in the middle of the low and high groups. The researchers followed them for 18 years and studied their death rates and cause of death.

The subjects aged 50-65 (those who consumed a high-protein diet, mainly from animal protein) were 75% more likely to have died over the next 18 years as compared to those consuming a low-protein diet. They also had a four-fold greater risk of dying from cancer, as well as a greater risk of dying from diabetes.

Yet in those 65 and older, there was no greater risk of death or death from cancer from eating a high-protein diet. In fact, it seems that the higher-protein diet in those over 65 decreased the risk of overall death and death from cancer, while the low-protein diet increased their risk of death. However, there still was a greater risk of dying from diabetes in all ages eating a higher-protein diet. The higher-protein intake and higher risk of death from cancer was associated with higher IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor-I) levels in these subjects, although they only had IGF-I data on about 1/3 of subjects in the study.

Based on these studies, the scientists jumped to the conclusion that anyone age 50-65 should be consuming a very low-protein diet (10% of total daily calories or less from protein). If you consumed, say, 2,000 calories per day, that would be just 50 grams of protein total for the day. That’s not enough to cover most of us for our protein needs around workouts.

They also suggested that those over the age of 65 should be consuming a high-protein diet to prevent frailty and an increased risk of death. That’s quite a confusing and contradicting message to provide.

The lead researcher went on to state in an interview that eating a higher-protein diet is as bad for your health as smoking cigarettes! That statement is what the media glommed onto to create hysteria and confusion.

Jim’s Take-Home Points:
Should you be concerned about eating a high-protein diet? No! My JYM protein products are 100% safe and effective. Should you switch to a low-protein diet when you turn 50 and switch back to a high-protein diet when you reach 66? No! The data from this study, and the conclusions that the researchers made, are as reliable as the promises that politicians make.

Do what you've always known to be good for you and what makes you feel good: Eat more protein (and not just through my JYM protein line). The relationship between IGF-I and cancer progression, as well as high-protein intake and IGF-I, is interesting. But we are FAR from having a true handle on the causes of cancer, its progression and death from it. There's no way to single out animal protein as the DEVIL. There are far too many dietary interactions going on to call out one macronutrient as the scapegoat -- that's researcher propaganda at its finest. There are genetic and epigenetic factors that we are far from understanding, as well as environmental factors.

There's also data to suggest that low IGF-I levels increase frailty and death in older individuals. So, maintaining higher IGF-I levels by eating a high-protein diet appears to be a good thing as we age. It all depends on whose propaganda you want to believe.

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