Yo,
Protein powder is an excellent supplement. It can come in handy when needing a quick way to fill in your protein goals for the day. It’s versatile, has many types and can be delicious.
Although it is not essential, it’s a useful tool for quick and easy protein. I frequently use it myself and it’s helped me in times when I’m in a hurry. However, it is not perfect.
Like many things in life, too much of anything is unhealthy and undesirable for people and it’s no different with protein powder. Now, the side effects can vary and depend on some factors, such as the quality of the protein powder. Low-quality protein powders have many ingredients. Some of these may include excessive sugars, gums, sketchy chemicals and many more. These are not ideal for protein powder and should be avoided.
Moreover, it the side effects can also depend on how much you’re having. If you’re having 7 scoops a day, every day, then it’s highly likely you will experience some of the following side effects. Instead, if you’re only having one scoop a day, then the chances are significantly lowered.
Alright enough talk, let’s get into it.
Unwanted Weight Gain
If you have low caloric awareness, that is, not having a good understanding of the calories within foods. Then it is likely that you will experience unwanted weight gain (scary right!). Think about it like a scenario.
You’re an individual who has no idea, or a minimal idea about calories. You want to lose weight and have no idea where to start. You come across protein powder and all it’s glory.
You decide to buy some and have 2-3 scoops a day. After two months you check the scale and observe that you’ve gained 2kg. You become frustrated and throw it all away, out of anger.
The primary reason that caused this unwanted weight gain comes down to caloric awareness. Protein powder, like any other food contains calories. Some are higher than others. Some are other than lowers. The point remains that protein powder contains calories.
If you don’t change anything in your diet, and simply add in protein powder, hoping for a miracle and continuously have it, what do you think happens to your caloric consumption?
You increase the amount of calories that you’re consuming. This is quite the opposite of what we want, as to lose weight, you want to enter into a “caloric deficit”, meaning that you are burning fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight.
By having a bunch of protein powder, it’s likely that you will enter into a “caloric surplus”, meaning that you’re consuming more calories than your body needs to maintain it’s weight. This results to weight gain.
It’s absolutely necessary that you develop a general awareness of calories and the calories within protein powder, as consuming an excessive amount of protein powder is more than likely going to result in weight gain that you don’t want. Moreover, the chances of this happening are even more likely if you are not exercising in any form.
The calories that come with protein powder need to be burned in some way, such as through cardio, weight lifting and calisthenics. Consuming so much protein powder, without burning the calories is yet again, going to contribute to weight gain that is undesirable.
So ultimately, to avoid this, you need to develop a general understanding of calories and adjust them accordingly, to avoid this effect.
Allergic reactions
Allergic reactions depend on the type of protein powder that you’re consuming. The more common reactions are for those who are lactose intolerant.
Let’s go into whey protein. Almost all whey protein powders contain lactose (and whey protein concentrate) and if you’re like most people, including me; when you purchase protein powder, you’re primarily looking at price and protein. Also sometimes ingredients (I purchase the same ones frequently now, so I no longer look at ingredients).
Some manufacturers of protein powder do not explicitly list the amount of lactose within their protein powder. Moreover, some companies are clever and have found ways to avoid getting straight to the point.
This can lead to issues for some people, in particular those with lactose intolerance. Around 68% of the world’s population has an intolerance to lactose and some may not even realise it.
So, if you lack an understanding of the ingredients within protein powder and your intolerance to lactose, it’s likely that you will experience the effects of this condition.
Of course, you may also just be allergic to particular ingredients within the protein powder. If you are unaware of the ingredients within the protein powder and lack an understanding of your own allergies, then of course that is a recipe for disaster if you have too much.
To avoid this, you should research what protein powder you are consuming, look at reviews and check yourself for any allergies you may have to particular ingredients.
Acne
This is particularly with whey protein. Yes, too much protein powder can cause breakouts on the skin.
This is not a medical journal, so we’ll just develop a general understanding. If you want a detailed understanding, feel free to research.
Essentially, whey protein powders (and some of these contain androgenic steroids) can increase hormone production in the body. This is because of the ingredients it contains, which boost the production of a hormone known as “insulin-like growth factor”. This can cause a hormone imbalance and cause a breakout of acne.
It’s quite interesting, isn’t it? Again, it boils down to understanding the ingredients and avoiding excessive consumption.
Some others…
Some other side effects of excessive protein powder consumption include:
– Bloating
– Liver damage
– Dehydration
Conclusion
So, whilst protein powder is an excellent tool, it certainly has its flaws. This post was not to bash protein powder, but to provide insight into the other side of the topic.
Take precautions when purchasing protein powder and research before making any drastic decisions. I hope this post was helpful and feel free to let me know about any other interesting facts regarding the effects of protein powder.
Thank you for taking the time to read. See you next time!
Written by Declan
