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High-protein diet

A high-protein diet is low in fat or carbohydrate consumption, and is not the same as a low-carbohydrate diet which may not be food-energy–controlled and may include fat. Example foods in a high-protein diet include lean beef, chicken or poultry, pork, salmon and tuna, eggs, and soy. A diet is considered 'high in protein' if daily protein consumption exceeds 15% of total energy intake. A high-protein diet is low in fat or carbohydrate consumption, and is not the same as a low-carbohydrate diet which may not be food-energy–controlled and may include fat. Example foods in a high-protein diet include lean beef, chicken or poultry, pork, salmon and tuna, eggs, and soy. A diet is considered 'high in protein' if daily protein consumption exceeds 15% of total energy intake. The diet has been described by nutritionists as unhealthy and unbalanced. Extreme protein intake (in excess of 200 g per day), coupled with inadequate intake of other calorie sources (fat or carbohydrates), can cause a form of metabolic disturbance and death commonly known as rabbit starvation. Even when consuming other calorie sources, consuming more than 285 g of protein per day (for an 80 kg person) may be unsafe. Relatively little evidence has been gathered regarding the effect of more moderate long-term high intake of protein on the development of chronic diseases. Increased load on the kidney is a result of an increase in reabsorption of NaCl. This causes a decrease in the sensitivity of tubuloglomerular feedback, which, in turn, results to an increased glomerular filtration rate. This increases pressure in glomerular capillaries. When added to any additional renal disease, it may cause permanent kidney damage. A 2017 review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that high protein diet may contribute to life-long risk of kidney damage including chronic kidney disease. Legumes and nuts provide fiber, which meat lacks. While elevated amounts of protein consumption are beneficial during athletic training, particularly when attempting to gain muscular mass and strength, there is little evidence of any benefit from increasing protein intake above 2g/kg bodyweight/day.

[ "Diabetes mellitus", "Physiology", "Biochemistry", "Endocrinology", "Internal medicine" ]
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