Ans.
Protein is an essential component of
a healthy diet.Protein is an important macronutrient required by
the human body for proper growth and maintenance.It helps building
the muscles,organs and bone and aids in their repair
processes.Although diets rich in proteins are helpful in reducing
fat and losing weight,increased amount of protein intake can on
other hand cause negative effect on the body and increases the risk
of certain health complications.
Following are the various health
problems associated with excessive consumption of protein:
- Weight Gain -
Weight loss associated with intake of high protein diets is only a
short term effect.In the long run,the excess protein that is
consumed is stored as fat and the excess amino acids produces is
excreted by the body,leading to weight gain over time.
- Bad smelling
breath -People who usually take high protein diets for
weight loss purpose,restricts the amount of carbohydrate they
intake and as a result their body goes into a metabolic state
called ketosis,leading to bad breath because ketosis produces
chemicals giving off unpleasant smell.
- Constipation -High
protein diets,especially that restrict carbohydrates,have very low
fiber contents.Eating food having low fiber can lead to
constipation.
- Dehydration
-Excess protein intake decreases the hydration levels in
the body,resulting the body to get dehydrated even though we may
not feel thirsty.
- Damage to kidney
-People with existing kidney diseases are at higher risk of getting
their kidney damaged if they consume excessive protein.This is
mainly due to the presence of excess nitrogen that is found in the
amino acid that makes the protein.To get rid of these excessive
nitrogen and other waste product of protein metabolism,the kidneys
will have to work even more harder.
- Loss of Calcium
-In certain cases it has been found that excessive protein intake
is associated with loss of calcium from the body.
- Increase the risk of
getting heart disease -Consuming excessive proteins in the
form of meat and dairy products may lead to heart diseases as these
food products are high in saturated fats and cholesterol.Consuming
red meat for long time can result in the increase in trimethylamine
N-oxide,a chemical generated by the intestine,that is linked to
heart diseases.