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  • Perspective
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A word of caution against excessive protein intake

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 16, pages 59–66 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

Dietary protein is crucial for human health because it provides essential amino acids for protein synthesis. In addition, dietary protein is more satiating than carbohydrate and fat. Accordingly, many people consider the protein content when purchasing food and beverages and report ‘trying to eat more protein’. The global market for protein ingredients is projected to reach approximately US$90 billion by 2021, largely driven by the growing demand for protein-fortified food products. This Perspective serves as a caution against the trend of protein-enriched diets and provides an evidence-based counterpoint that underscores the potential adverse public health consequences of high protein intake.

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Fig. 1: Relationship between protein intake and health.
Fig. 2: Effect of protein intake on muscle protein turnover and amino acid oxidation.
Fig. 3: Effect of protein ingestion on muscle protein synthesis and glucose metabolism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Human Nutrition, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA

    Bettina Mittendorfer, Samuel Klein & Luigi Fontana

  2. Charles Perkins Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Luigi Fontana

Authors
  1. Bettina Mittendorfer
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  2. Samuel Klein
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  3. Luigi Fontana
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Contributions

B.M. researched data for the article. B.M., S.K. and L.F. contributed to discussion of the content, wrote the article and reviewed and/or edited the manuscript before submission.

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Correspondence to Bettina Mittendorfer.

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Nature Reviews Endocrinology thanks R. Basu, G. Kowalski and D.G. Tomé for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Mittendorfer, B., Klein, S. & Fontana, L. A word of caution against excessive protein intake. Nat Rev Endocrinol 16, 59–66 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-019-0274-7

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