NATION – Experts say protein in foods such as eggs and meat are necessary for overall health, but people should be careful not to consume too much on a daily basis.
Researchers report that taking in too much protein on a daily basis can produce heart health issues. In particular, they note, consuming more than 22% of daily calories from protein can increase the risk of atherosclerosis.
Experts say some daily protein is necessary to maintain good overall health, but they advise that some of that protein should come from plant-based foods.
Consuming more than 22% of daily calories through proteins may increase the risk of atherosclerosis and even worsen the condition, according to a study completed at the University of Pittsburgh and published today in the journal Nature Metabolism.
To reach their conclusions, the researchers used human trials along with experiments involving mice and cells in Petri dishes. The human studies had 23 participants in all.
Researchers used two different study set-ups for the human studies. Both involved asking participants to have two liquid meals – one with standard protein and one with high protein – about one to two weeks apart.
The first set-up involved 14 participants. The standard meal had 10% of total energy as protein, 17% as fat, and 73% as carbohydrates. The high protein meal consisted of 50% of energy from protein, 17% as fat, and
