Your Questions |
I get plenty of questions in various comments throughout the website, but I also get comments and questions via the Project Swole Contact Form.
Generally I address those questions through e-mail, but often I do not have the time to reply to each and every question personally.
From now on I want to take a more proactive approach to answering Your Health Questions by posting them separately in the blog. This way we can be sure that everyone benefits from the Q & A.
Russel wrote:
“I’m 19 and am just starting to try to build some muscle. I was wondering what happens when you consume too much protein and your liver or kidneys can’t handle it, what are the side effects?”
Response
First of all, there really are no side effects to using protein powder, as long as you use it intelligently. There’s no reason to eat more than 40 grams of protein in a meal. There’s also no reason to live on protein supplements. Real food will keep you healthy.
Looking for Protein Powder?
Choose Project Swole recommended Optimum Nutrition protein powder.
Optimum Nutrition protein powder comes in about 20 different flavors, and is available in 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb, and 10 lb containers. Click here to order.
Protein powder is just a ‘supplement’ to your normal whole food diet. Optimum Nutrition Protein Powder is definitely the best product to choose to ‘supplement’ your diet with extra protein.
That said, I want to examine this questions from the following three angles:
- regarding the digestion of lactose
- regarding the digestion of excess protein and developing kidney stones
- regarding your body being in a state of ketosis
Lactose
Take it from me first hand if you are lactose intolerant, you will want to get the whey protein isolate. Isolate will contain less than 1% lactose, which is the sugar in milk that causes lactose intolerant individuals to get sick. Digesting a small 1% concentration of lactose is usually tolerated pretty well by lactose intolerant people.
Standard whey protein powder has about 5-6% lactose. I have heard of several lactose intolerant individuals, including myself, who have a hard time with the lactose concentration of regular whey protein powder.
Excess Protein
Your kidneys will have a very hard digesting too much of any protein. Excess protein is responsible for two reactions in the body:
- Your blood will turn acidic.
Your blood pH should be in the 7.0 range. When blood becomes very acidic, the body must correct itself by making your blood more basic. The most basic available element in your body is calcium (showing off my college degree here). Your bones will release calcium into your blood, which will then bond to the acidic byproducts of the protein, turning your blood back to a neutral level. Goodbye healthy bones, hello osteoporosis.
- You could develop kidney stones.
That doesn’t sound too bad, until you realize that your body is going to need to remove those little calcium deposits that are floating around in your blood. These calcium deposits end up in your kidneys to await your next trip to the restroom. I’m sure you have heard of kidney stones and now you know one of their causes. Ouch! Be sure to limit your initial intake of protein in order to ensure your body responds to well to it.
Ketosis
Another thing excess protein can do, is to put your body into a state known as ketosis. It doesn’t matter what you have heard in the past, prolonged ketosis is bad on your kidneys. Your body will begin to burn fat for energy, which is good; but this is the result of a complete lack of carbohydrates, which is bad.
Most medical resources regard ketosis as a physiological state associated with chronic starvation. Glucose is regarded as the preferred energy source for all cells in the body with ketosis being regarded as a crisis reaction of the body to a lack of carbohydrates in the diet. Ketosis would thus be a dangerous state which unnecessarily stresses the liver and causes destruction of muscle tissues.
This is still the view of the majority in the medical and nutritional science communities, although in recent years it has been challenged by a number of doctors and adherents of low-carbohydrate diets, who dispute both the body’s preference for glucose and the dangers associated with ketosis.
The Protein Shake Diet
Some people also drink straight protein shakes all day long. This wrecks havoc on your body because it loses it’s ability to properly digest fats and carbs. A good principal for protein supplementation, is that that your diet should be consistent by consuming protein, fats, and carbs in moderation.
A 40/30/30 (p/f/c) diet is much better than a protein shake diet, at least over the long term. Moderation is key for healthy eating.
In general there are no side effects related to supplementing with whey protein. Follow some of the tips above to make protein supplementation an important and useful aspect of your diet.
Looking for Protein Powder?
Choose Project Swole recommended Optimum Nutrition protein powder.
Optimum Nutrition protein powder comes in about 20 different flavors, and is available in 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb, and 10 lb containers. Click here to order.
Related posts:
- 21 Foods to Mix With Protein Powder
- How Much Protein Should I Eat in a Day?
- Homemade Protein Pancake Recipe
- The Hulk: A Pistachio Protein Shake Recipe
- Peanut Butter Protein Ball Recipe
Tags: high-protein, protein, protein shake, protein shakes, side effects
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hi i am 15 i play football in high school. i am 220 and 6’2 i lift in the morning for like a school period and after school i have practice. i am wondering what protein shake i should take. i heard the pro complex gainer is good. i am trying to gain more muscle.
I like Optimum Nutrition protein powder best.
hi my names daniel im 17 years old and ive just started weight lifting im wanting to gain weight so can bulk up in muscle mass, im sick of being skinny, im quite tonned anyway but want to build more muscle mass, i weight 56.6kg and im 5ft 6 and half inch. i was wondering what i should be taking supplerment wise so that i can forefill my dreams off gaining lean muscle. PLEASE HELP ME. thank you
You should read the entire Werewolf Training for muscle gains workout. Follow the routine and the nutrition plan.
sir, i m work-outing in gym since last 2 years. ma workout was on irregular basis with irregular diet. Now ma age is 21years. before starting workout ma height was 5’6 and weight was 58. now m 5’8 n half and weight is 76 and all this i have gained from ma home based diet without any supplements. my question to you is should i take any extra protein supplements and is there any side effects??
please help me out sir because m in great confusion??
I work out and do weights in d gym for two hrs six days a week and i’m taking creatine monohydrate supplement. Are there any possible side effects?
There are a few possible side effects, but the one you might notice is cramping from lack improper hydration.
hi, i live in a remote desert area,where there is no gym, my BMI is on the lower end of normal BMI, im 32 and skinny all my life,but now my belly comming out,pls let me know if joggin will help reducing my tummy, seconldy i also want to gain weight in right places so i am thinking of mixing smallportion of protien powder in normal nutritional drink like ovaltin/milo just gain some more protien and minimizing the side effects as i can not go to any gym. waiting for your reply..pls help
Alley
You can use bodyweight exercises, household items, and out door structures to get a workout in. You need to learn all of the best bodyweight exercises, and how to construct HIIT and HIRT routines. You should do these bodyweight/odd object workouts 3 times a week, use HIIT or Tabata style cardio at least twice a week, and drink a protein shake once or twice a day. If you do this, you will get in shape. You don’t need a gym.
i agree i dont go to the GYM i use stuff around the house i.e, door frames to do pull up”chin up”, use different things as weight for when u do crunches i.e 3ltr bottle of water a bag of cement tht the sort of stuff i use, i would also recommend doing some light and heavy, mix it up it makes exercising less boring, and gives the muscle a better work out.
Your information about Ketosis being bad is 100% incorrect.
Zero carb diets where carbs are cycled on weekends are extremely good for fat loss without side effects minus obvious things like grogginess and irritation for the first week or so (after that you feel great).
Inuits who live on pure meat are shown to be very healthy.
You do have a point about the Inuits and carb cycling, but ketosis is still bad for some internal organs like the kidneys, no matter how you look at it. I prefer to recommend low carbs diets (70 grams a day) with weekend carb cycling, for fat loss.
Hey. I’m 16 years old, 175cm tall and i weigh 56kg. give or take a few kg.
I wanted to get into sport as a swimmer and i also wanted to do bodybuilding on the side.. would it be advisable for me to use Protein shakes?
Yes, you can use protein shakes.
hey im 15 years old and i weighed 61kg and i do home excersises such as sit ups bench press and curlbench etc… do you recommend me taking protien shakes afater i excersise and is there any side effects if i do take protein shakes 5 days a week?
thanks you:)
You should use a protein shake after exercise, but avoid anything by EAS or anything called Muscle Milk. These products may contain high amounts of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. Stick with Optimum Nutrition protein powder; always the safest, cheapest, highest quality, and most effective choice.
Hello, my name is Katherine. I’m a female – 23 years old – 5′ 7” height – 132 lbs. I’m trying to get back to excercising everyday just like I used to. Right now, I’m only running 1.5 miles every morning. I drink Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 powder, Women’s Ultra Mega Active powder (a multivitamin product), and Amplified Maxertion N.O. pills, all 30 minutes before and after the run. My question is: given the fact that I’m a female, does drinking all of these affect me in any way? The only side effect that I’ve encounter is having to go to the bathroom a lot more than before. Please advise if there’s anything better out there to tone up and gain lean muscle. Thank you.
I don’t see any problem with your supplements, although I’m not sure if the NO supp is necessary post-workout. You should consult with your doctor if you have more questions.
hey i was wondering should i train to my max body mass and strenght then start using protein shakes or shall i use them even tho i only lately started to train
thanks ryan parsons
Use them now.
thanks but do you think Musashi Bulk will be okay for me after excersices? thank you:D
Hi im 17 this year and I’m quite heavy, weighing at 75kg. I want to check if this protein shake ‘Optimum Nutrition 100′ will put on more weight? Because i’m looking for one which one make my training for fruitful. I only hit the gym 1-2 times a week and maybe a light workout at home on top of that. Will this protein shake be good for me? Thanks.
Yes it will be good for you.
I’m about 5’11 and weigh at 104 kilos.. I’ve just started to get really involved in the weights and gym.. So far i have at least 2 WPI Shakes.. one in the morning as i’m not really a breakfast eater.. and one at lunch time.
Is this satisfactory? I usually train pretty hard at the gym with weights thou.. and for recovery usually have NO Shotgun
Is this adviseable?
or can you offer any other suggestions
Cheers
Sounds good to me.
Im 17, Im About 5 foot 6 and about 77.5 kg and i was wondering to lose weight on my stomack and chest could i use USN Diet Fuel to help me lose the weight i workout 3-4 times a week and i want to use some diet powder. what side effects does it have would it stunt my growth? would diet pills work better for me?
I don’t know anything about USN Diet Fuel. Instead I recommend Biotest Hot Rox Extreme or Nutrex Lipo 6 Black.
Hello, my names shahrukh, I am 14 years old, i Do martial arts and i want to build more muscle, im really toned out but i want to get really big, Im 5ft 7
Cheers mate
Try the Werewolf Training for Muscle Gains routine.
Hey, I’m 15 and weigh 170 pounds and am 6 feet tall, I just started lifting weights and was wondering if i should do cardio too. I have a really small piece of fatty layer covering areas such as the lower bicep area and abs. What should I do other than lift weights and follow a diet plan?
Instead of just “lifting weights”, you need to be training and conditioning your body. That might include a regular weight training routine, but it also should include some HIIT and HIRT sessions for conditioning. Remember too, diet is responsible for 75-80% of your progress.
I agree with steve, i would say Jog, heavy and light weight lifting, swimming is very good as it works nearly all the muscles in the body, i normally hit gym for 3hours a day 5 days a week the 1 hours swimming after that. i dont use and sort of protein powders or anything like that.
170 is a good frame to work with if u 6ft tall you should grab a weight gainer/protien i recommend mass 600 ive taken it for 5 years the best bulking protien ive ever used very clean for the body good for you as well. If u wanna kick it up just a little notch you can get some creatine but at ur age i would not worry about it your growing naturaly.
hey im 20 years old im 6 foot 11 and i weigh 350 lbs and i have major titty issues like my sisters felt them and said “Those are boobs” lol that was hurtful anyway i dont have any kind of workout plan i cant really walk for longer that 15 mins and im just going downhill U.U:: oh and did i mention that i only eat once a day and its a really big meal besides that my diet ibncludes alot of pepsi…>.<::
so i was basically wanting to increase my pecs definition and my abs oh and my biceps lol and i have no idea where to start,im a real tough case and im sorry to bother you im really in a bind though because i make $500 spending money and that includes my food money so i really need help appreciate any response ^^:
P.S i really hope im not a lost cause,and wat is HIIT and HIRT?
oh and ive never trained before and i really dont know where to start…AT ALL ^^:: the only times i ever lost weight was once because i was anorexic then i got over that and the other time was because i became lactose intolerant and i had already been ingesting alot of milk and chocolate like reeses pieces like at the time i had eaten like 60 cups in one day then i started having dihorrea for about three days then i couldnt stop bleeding out and that lasted about two weeks in the hospital and i lost about 60-70 lbs that way so i hope this paints a picture^^: srry about the detail>.<:::
I’m not even quite sure what to say to you. Your lifestyle and diet needs a complete overhaul, and you need to get on a full body workout routine. I think there is a very good chance that you should talk to a therapist, because I think you might have some underlying issues that you need to talk about. I do not mean any offense to you, but it sounds to me like you need professional help. Please do not be discouraged. If you get the help you need, fix your lifestyle, change your diet, and start working out, everything will fall into place.
hi, i am 5’5″ and 136lbs ive been working out for about four months now & i have well defined biceps shoulders chest but still have a layer of lower belly fat. i want to ask you if i should get rid of the belly fat before start taking protein powder because if i keep doing cardio exercise’s i cant increase the size of my biceps and triceps. …..simple words what is the right time to start taking protein powder
Any time is a good time for protein powder.
hai i’m 20 years old i had went for gym sometime before and stopped it later. so i lost my muscles which i was proud once. now i want to go to gym again improve my muscles so which supplement is suitable for me with minimum side effects
Optimum Nutrition protein powder.
y didnt you reply to me?
I have replied.
Hey, I’m 16 years old, 5 foot 7 inches, and 70 kilos. I do a bunch of ab workouts, leg workouts, and I need to know hot to burn fat and gain muscle at the same time. Any suggestions on which protein shake to use? I need a supplement with the minimum side effects.
Optimum Nutrition protein powder has minimum side effects. It is the best protein powder you can choose.
Hey, I’m 16 and am quite fat. I’ve recently bought dumbells and have started doing curls every other day and you can now actually see the musccles
but I am not too bothered about muscle at the moment, I just really want to lose weight and be slim. Any tips?
You need to get on a fat loss workout immediately. Try the fat loss for men routine. You also need to get your diet under control, as it is responsible for 75% of your progress. Take your goal bodyweight, multiply by 12, and eat no more than that number of calories each day.
Hi, I m 20 and kinda skinny but my body is complete shape. I want to get big. What product do you recommend and what excercise i.e people say that if you work out on your legs you will get big, also how long should i stay in gym.
hi,i am 18 years old.my hieght is 6.2.i am going to gym and completed 3 months.in my gym some people say me to take protien powder and some say not to take protine powders as it is harmful for our body.i am confused.i need your advice that should i take protine powder or not?if yes than which brand should i take with no side effect?
my wieght is 82kg
Hi, im 14 and abit chubby but i have not had my growth spurt yet. I do weights and crunches every other day at home. my friend uses maxi muscle would this help me lose abit of weight and build my muscles?? or should i wait abit and start using it when im abit older?? or can you recommend any plans for me?. Thx alot!
Hello Steve,
I am 23 years old, 5’8″ tall, and 168 lbs. I have started going to the gym 4 days a week, weightlifting and doing cardio. I am taking “All natural elite whey protein isolate” after each workout. Since I have started to take it I have been getting bad acne on my back. I drink a lot of water while working out and have pretty good hygene. Could this be a side effect from the protein powder? Is there anything you can suggest to help prevent this from occuring?
hi, i m rohit 20 years of age n i really wants to build muscle. so i m taking pro complex gainer which my coach told me. n whn i told my friends abt it there response shocked me saying there r side effects of using this protiens so i m really tensed abt it.. HELP ME thank you.
Hi my name is Salem i am muslem i just wanted to know is the protian HALAL for muslems or not i mean the inegraion of the portain tnx
what?
hey steve… i have man boobs problem
i do some workout with dumbbell for my chest and push up…
can i take protein? i was afraid because of protein my boobs will be bigger…
To get rid of moobs you need to lose fat. Work on your upper chest to help flatten it out. Working on your mid or lower chest will only make the moobs seem bigger. 75% of the solution you are looking for, involves losing bodyfat at all costs. Train your lower body if you are not, as it will help you lose fat faster.
what kind of workout for upper chest? please help me…
Hey Steve! I’m 15, around 60kg and maybe 5″7. I want to start taking Protein Shakes, but I’m afraid of side effects. So I eat a lot of egg whites. I just want to ask, are Protein Shakes like Steroids? And are Protein Shakes more effective than Egg whites? And if I do start drinking Protein Shakes, should I eat it during every Meal of the day and after every work out, or should I only take it after work outs?
Thanks.
Protein Shakes are nothing like steroids. Egg whites are good, but I’ve read in several places that you need the enzymes from the egg yolk to fully digest the whites. I think I once read that 1 full egg should be included for every 5 whites. Someone else can correct me if I’m wrong. One or two shakes a day should be plenty. After a workout you want to use a post workout drink like Biotest Surge Recovery.
Hello, im 16 years old (so is mostly everyone who is posting on here), anyways… I just bought this six-star whey protein – powder, and i have a few worries.
First of all, i did a quick reading on anabolism, and it said something about increasing the size of your left ventricle of your heart, and also said it could increase the chance for liver damage if your cells are reproducing all around your other organs (others meaning not muscle)
also… just to include this on my post – the wrapper of the bottle says it puts it’s user in an anabolic state (just throwing that out there)
finally i would like to know how long it should take for me to lose about 35 lbs, im 6’4″ and 229 lbs, I watch my diet more than i used to, and i work 6-8 hours doing intense interior painting, which usually gives me a good burning of calories i assume. My muscles always ache after the next morning, so i decided to get some protein powder to “buff up”
anyways… i’ll be watching this topic for a reply.
Thanks – Josh
I am 24 yrs old. Just started going to GYM. Interested in taking supplements, powder whatever, but not sure should I? Heard of its side effects such as loss of hair, early old age. If you say yes, then please suggest which one should I go for and how do I take it, I mean along with milk, juice or water may be?……please advice…..Thanks
Hey im !7 6’5 and i weigh 180 lbs. Im trying to put on some more lean muscle mass.Problem is my Parents are worried about supplements. Im trying to educate them more on Supplements and how its needed for athletes and lifters to reach full potential..My mom is worried about it hitting my liver and so on..Any threads or information i can show them to educate them more?
and i would like to know some feed back on Cytogainer if its the right product to take for gaining weight…
Heyy… m 21 yrs old weighing 75kgs n height 5’11… m having 14 n half inches of biceps and 42 inches of chest widout any protein… no i wanted to have more muscular build… n wanna have some protein for that… so kindly tell methe best protein with no side effects… n routine too if possible… n for how long i have to take it to have 20inches of biceps n 48 inches of chest.. kindly reply soon…
Heyy… m 21 yrs old weighing 75kgs n height 5’11… m having 14 n half inches of biceps and 42 inches of chest widout any protein n m vegetarian… now i wanted to have more muscular build… n wanna have some protein for that… so kindly tell me the best protein with no side effects… n routine too if possible… n for how long i have to take it to have 20inches of biceps n 48 inches of chest.. kindly reply soon…