Dangers Of Protein Shakes And A High Protein Diet: My Take

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Young gym going active men are often “advised” to incorporate protein shakes, steroids and other artificial supplements in their diet to either help bulk up or to attain a lean muscle mass. But are there any dangers of taking these supplements?

Yes, there are.

One might say that protein shakes are different from steroids and so I should not be discussing them in the same breath.

But my point is that being health conscious is one thing but using artificial things to become strong, muscular and “healthy” is quite another.

This takes me back to London, to 2005, when I was pursuing a Law degree from University College London (UCL).

In the Hall of Residence, where I was staying, I met Harpal who was enrolled at the London School of Economics (LSE). Harpal was quite a skinny guy and was often teased for being so waif like. So, he wanted to bulk up, or Hulk up, as we would comment rather uncharitably.

One day, he went and joined quite an expensive gym (which I couldn’t afford) and started exercising regularly. His routine included swimming, cardio exercises and weight training.

All very well!

Harpal continued his routine for a few months. He had even increased his calorie intake hoping to bulk up.

Nothing really happened. Harpal remained as skinny as he initially was although he felt more energetic and strong. His stamina had also increased, as we could see while running to catch our Finchley Road Tube.

Disappointed with his “slow” progress, Harpal resorted to adding protein shakes to his diet. Sometimes he would consume Creatinine and sometimes Whey Protein. The most disturbing part was, and I shared my uneasiness on that issue, that he was consuming protein shakes without any expert guidance.

I wasn’t an expert on protein shakes but my common sense told me that to improve your health you should not consume artificial stuff whose side-effects are not really known to you. But Harpal continued with them regardless. He said that he needed to have a great body which in turn would improve his self-confidence tremendously.

Apart from protein shakes, Harpal started having six boiled egg whites for breakfast. He also became obsessed with body fat. He read somewhere that body builders have a body fat which is less than 4%.

He then bought quite a sophisticated weighing scale that could also measure body fat. He was disappointed to find that his body fat percentage was 13%. (By the way, this is a very good body fat percentage and if you have a body fat ranging between 10-15%, you are considered lean.)

Harpal became over conscious of what he ate. He started checking food labels very carefully to check how much of protein, fat, carbohydrates, calories, etc they contained.

He started measuring his body fat nearly 5 times in a day: once in the morning, then after breakfast, before lunch, after lunch, before dinner, after dinner and so on. He would also insist on measuring our weights and fat levels, which we sometimes agreed to, to keep him in good humour. Harpal said that as a good researcher, he needed our data as “reference” to see how better he was doing with all those supplements!

A few months down the line, Harpal gained nearly 10 kilos (20 pounds). He did not noticeably gain any muscular mass but to our surprise, Harpal started having mood swings. Sometimes he would be normal, then become excessively emotional and then cantankerous and aggressive without any provocation.

One fine evening, Harpal met another friend of his, at the gym who too had been taking unregulated protein shakes for quite a few years. His friend told Harpal that he had recently started having cramps in his abdomen and had to see a doctor. The doctor advised him to undergo an ultra sound test and it was then diagnosed that some stones were forming in his friend’s kidneys.

The culprit in Harpal’s friend’s case, the Doctor diagnosed, was the over consumption of protein shakes. Excess amount of proteins apparently strain your kidneys and lead to the formation of painful kidney stones.

This brought Harpal literally back to earth.

Surely, Harpal wanted a great body but he definitely did not want stones in his kidneys, gall bladder or anywhere. So, he quit taking protein shakes. We were glad that he had stopped there because many of his other gym buddies were then graduating to growth hormones, steroids, and a cocktail of many other hormones and chemicals that I didn’t even know how to pronounce correctly.

I recently attended Harpal’s wedding and was happy to see him as a healthy and fit young man.

So if you are considering taking protein shakes or are having one, just reconsider if the risks and expenses are really worth your long term health. Excessive proteins in your body may lead to kidney failures, gall bladder stones, liver damage, nausea and even weakening of bones. This is why even the British Dietetic Association (BDA) cautions gym goers from consuming protein shakes.

Consuming artificial stuff is not only a male problem. Lots of girls also take protein shakes (and many other artificial supplements) because they think they can then become healthier fast. Even obese men and women have started taking such shakes because they believe that switching to a high protein diet will make them lose weight.

My point is very simple. Excess of anything is bad including the muscle-building proteins. That is why you need to have a balanced diet.

If you couple this with regular exercise, or some sports that you love, you should get all the results you want. You will become strong, healthy and fit.

And why would you really want to look like the Hulk? With kidney and gall stones to boot?

What is your take on protein shakes? Do you use them regularly? Would love to hear your views on this?

(Excerpts from Healthy Cooking In A Jiffy: The Complete No Fad, No Diet Handbook)

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