For quite some time, the number of people using protein shakes has been growing gradually.
People use protein shakes for: Sport Performance: Most people consume these shakes before workouts, and some after their workouts.
People who have them before workouts claim that a protein shake provides the energy they are going to need during their workout.
In other words, in this case protein shakes are used to improve performance.
On the other hand, people who have these products after the workout claim that protein shakes help them recover from working out.
Both derive benefits.
The potential advantages of protein sports drinks have focused on two principal claims: Enhanced endurance performance Better recovery following training Nutritional Supplement: Proteins are important molecules in our cells, as they are involved in practically all cell functions.
Proteins are needed to build and repair body tissue.
They produce many structural elements of the body, such as cells, muscles, organs and blood, as well as substances used by the body such as hormones and enzymes.
Proteins are diverse in terms of structure.
They are formed from a set of 20 amino acids, and the unique amino acid sequence that makes up each protein is responsible for their diverse structures.
The exact function of each protein depends on its structure.
For instance, structural proteins maintain cell shape, contractile proteins are responsible for movement, enzymes, which are another type of protein, catalyze biochemical reactions, and so on.
As you can see, proteins are essential molecules to our daily function and very existence, so it is essential to incorporate them adequately in our diet.
A protein shake is a good way to introduce adequate amounts of amino acids into our bodies.
That is why people used them to supplement their nutrition.
Weight Loss: Many people who are trying to lose weight replace certain meals with protein shakes in order to reduce their daily caloric intake.
Burning more calories than one takes in causes a body to lose weight, as the body consumes stored fuel (body fat) rather than new fuel (introduced each day by mouth).
So, you must be able to decrease your daily caloric intake with the aid of shakes.
Substituting all the day's meals with protein shakes can lead to noticeable weight loss, but this is not a healthy way to lose weight since your body is not going to able to get all of the nutrients it needs.
Furthermore, protein shakes can meaningfully increase your total caloric intake if you do not modify the rest of your diet.
The consumption of protein shakes in addition to your standard meals and snacks may result in weight gain, since you will be incorporating so many more calories into your system.
It has been said that weight gain from protein shakes will occur in the form of muscle.
Don't believe it.
It's an oft-touted theory with no evidence to back it up.
Like your mother said: "Everything in moderation" Everything in excess is always dangerous.
Although side effects from the consumption of protein shakes are extremely rare when used appropriately, you should be aware that they can occur.
Side effects can include serious conditions, and in order to avoid them, protein shakes should be consumed in moderation.
Serious protein shakes side effects may include: 1- Kidney Stones The kidneys are the organs responsible for filtering metabolic waste and excess water from the blood, and disposing of it from your body in the form of urine.
Several chemicals contained in the urine keep the waste products dissolved as fluid, thereby preventing the formation of crystals.
However, if there are excessive amounts of waste products in the blood, stones may form in the kidneys.
Calcium stones Most kidney stones are made of calcium.
These stones form as a result of excessive calcium deposits.
Consuming too many protein shakes can lead to this condition.
When there is high protein consumption, large quantities of calcium accumulate in the blood.
Consequently, the kidneys will have trouble eliminating this calcium excess and stones can form.
Now you are probably wondering; what does the consumption of protein shakes have to do with the accumulation of calcium in blood? Well, protein shakes, as the name clearly indicates, have a high protein content.
Thus, proteins are acidic foods.
Excessive protein intake leads to highly acidic blood.
In order to compensate for this acidification, the body has to pull calcium into the bloodstream and that is how large quantities of calcium accumulate in the blood.
Given that scenario, while the kidneys suffer from the calcium excess, the bones may now suffer from the lack thereof.
Uric acid stones Uric acid kidney stones can also form.
Protein foods contain high amounts of purines, which are natural substances that provide part of the chemical structure of our genes.
After eating protein foods, the body breaks the purines down into a substance called uric acid.
Most of the time, uric acid is found dissolved in the blood and is then eliminated from the body by the kidneys via urine.
However, if there is a high intake of protein, your body might not be able to eliminate all of the uric acid that it needs to.
As a consequence, uric acid will form urate crystals in the blood.
The urate crystals will accumulate in the kidneys and uric acid kidney stones may form.
2- Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is the most common type of bone disease.
It occurs when the body fails to form enough new bone, and/or when the body reabsorbs too much old bone.
This disease is another dangerous protein shake side effect that you may experience by abusing this product.
As mentioned above, high levels of protein in your body tend to raise the acidity of the blood.
Your body will respond to this by taking calcium away from the bones, sending it into the bloodstream in order to reach a balance.
As a result, bones will become weak and prone to fractures due to the lack of the much-needed calcium in the bones.
3- Ketosis If you are consuming too much protein, and neglecting other vital nutrients such as carbohydrates, you can cause a nutritional imbalance in your organism.
If this happens, your body can enter into a state of ketosis, which means that your body is using fat for energy.
Under normal conditions, with normal carbohydrate intake, your body will break these carbohydrates down into glucose for use as energy.
If there is no glucose available to be broken down, then your body has to break stored fat down into ketones or ketone bodies to use them for energy.
Fat metabolism raises blood ketone levels, leading to ketosis.
There is an unresolved split of opinions in the medical professions with regard to benefits or dangers of this process: According to some experts, ketosis is dangerous because of its serious effects on the liver.
On the other hand, other professionals have said that if there is a low carbohydrate intake, the fat stores are going to be the primary energy source, and as a result the person loses weight.
Your body can switch from being a carbohydrate-burning organism into a fat-burning one.
Ketosis is a useful mechanism for those people who are on low-carbohydrate diets.
Furthermore, when the body is in ketosis the individual tends to feel less hungry.
For this reason, low-carbohydrate diets are so popular nowadays.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that ketosis is potentially a serious condition if ketone levels go too high.
Now, that you know that protein shakes are not exempt from side effects, and that they can be dangerous if abused, you should start thinking about how to use them.
Below I will give you some tips that will help you in this regard.
If you think about all the information you just read, you'll realize that most protein shake side effects are associated with the diet that complements this product and with its proper consumption.
Not with the use of the product itself.
So, it's crucial for you to know that: Consuming plenty of water while taking protein shakes will decrease the development of kidney stones.
If you are experiencing problems with kidney stones, you should reduce or completely stop the use of protein shakes.
Protein shakes should act as supplements and not as meal substitutes.
You should follow a healthy and balanced diet if you consume this product regularly.
And last but not least: You should have an adequate exercise regimen.
Keep all this information in mind, and remember that everything in excess is dangerous.
Follow your mom's advice: "Everything in moderation!"