Many of my clients think too much protein is unhealthy. What does protein even do? Most would say protein is important for building muscle.

In fact, the effect of protein on muscle building is very small. Especially when compared to all of protein’s other roles in the body.

After water, proteins are the main components of the body.

Proteins are found in every cell and usually make up more than half of the cell’s dry weight.

There are structural proteins like

• Collagen and elastin
• Contractile proteins such as actin and myosin
• Transport proteins albumin and hemoglobin
• Protective proteins such as antibodies and fibrinogen
• Receptor proteins
• Immunoactive proteins such as immunoglobulins
• Hormones composed of proteins, such as insulin and HGH (growth hormone)
• Neurotransmitters made up of proteins such as dopamine and serotonin
• Enzymes that activate metabolic processes
• and a few more.

 

If humans don’t eat protein for too long, they die. A protein minimum is essential.

Getting back to the muscle:
The muscle is made up of

1. 75% water
2. 20% protein
3. 5% other ingredients

Of the 20% protein, about 15% is contractile (can generate force). That means only about 3% of muscle is active protein.

Only a very small percentage of the protein we eat actually gets converted into new muscle mass. The vast majority of the protein we eat is used for other proteins and functions.

Protein derives from the Greek word protos, meaning first or foremost. Protein is the basis of our cells and is therefore directly or indirectly involved in all metabolic processes.

Now the question arises: how much protein is enough? The factor that determines our protein needs first and foremost is protein synthesis (the process that builds proteins).
They are regulated by two factors:

1. Testosterone.
2. Everyday stress or the level of protein breakdown. This includes strength training.
   If you have high physical demands, especially through strength training, you need more protein.

If you have high physical demands, especially through strength training, you need more protein.

The need for protein is very individual. You have to include various factors in this calculation and fine-tune them based on individual feedback.

• The more muscle mass
• the more testosterone
• the more activation of muscle protein synthesis, the more protein is important.

Let’s get down to individual needs. While high-performance athletes such as bodybuilders consume 4-7g protein/kg body weight and have verifiable success, the DGE recommends 0.8g protein/kg body weight. This results in a spectrum of 1-7g protein per kg body weight. Where someone falls on this spectrum can be determined by factors

• Muscle mass
• Testosterone
• Training volume
• Goal determine.

 

• Women with little to no training volume, no fitness goals can be classified at 1g/kg body weight.
• Ambitious training women and non-training men can be classified in the range of 2g/kg body weight.
• Men who train have the best results with 2-3g/kg body weight.
• Men with clear hypertrophy and strength goals are in good hands in the range of 4g/kg body weight.

“If you want to build a big house, you need a lot of concrete.”

I personally and many of my customers drive well with 2g. 1.8 to 2.5 g are scientifically proven to build muscle. With a ketogenic diet, you should eat a little less and avoid whey.

 

Too much protein is harmful:
There is not a single piece of scientific evidence that someone who has healthy kidneys is damaging them with protein.
If someone has diseased kidneys, then excessive protein consumption has been shown to be a risk factor. But then he also has many other risk factors.

You get fat from protein turning into sugar:
A maximum of 3g sugar/hour can be produced from protein via gluconeognese. This is not a relevant amount.

And yes, if you eat too much, you gain weight. But this is independent of proteins.

The increased consumption of processed industrial meat increases the risk of cancer significantly. My recommendation is to completely avoid processed meat products such as sausage and meat from factory farming.

Constantly consuming too much protein is work, it’s not that easy.

By the way, every type of diet, be it paleo, low fat, low carb has a high protein content. There is no such thing as a low protein diet.

In my opinion, the adjusted protein intake for 3x/ strength training per week should not be less than 2.0g protein per kilogram of body weight. I’ll show you how to supplement sensibly here:

Post workout: 0,8-1,2g/kg bw whey (whey protein)

During training: 5-10g EAAs (Essential Amino Acids) and/or BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids)

Single on non-training days when the protein requirement is not yet covered: 0,8-1,2g/kg bw vegan protein (rice, peas, hemp-based)

As an upgrade of the meal if it has too little protein or essential amino acids and/or to cover the daily requirement:
5-10g EAAs (Essential Amino Acids)