Can You Eat Too Much Protein?
This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Too Much Protein
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Koskinen explained that while most healthy adults are able to metabolize protein even at levels that exceed the recommended daily amount, it could be dangerous for someone with a bad liver. To make matters worse, people could have liver damage and not even realise it — non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is strongly linked to obesity, affects up to 30 percent of Americans and is largely unsymptomatic until it's detected during a medical exam (via blood work, ultrasound, or radiologic study). It can lead to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and even cirrhosis.
With a bad liver, eating too much protein can cause a build-up of ammonia. "Ammonia is toxic and will build up if your body can't process an overload of protein or eliminate urea," Koskinen said. "Ammonia in the blood stream can present itself as memory loss, confusion, or forgetfulness. A liver that is diseased with the silent NAFLD may not be able to keep up with the demands of the detoxifying process."
So while losing weight may lower your risk of NAFLD, doing so with a high-protein diet could be dangerous. If you think you may have NAFLD, make sure you visit your doctor to get tested. And as always, visit with a registered dietitian before making any major dietary changes.