There is so much misinformation out there; in social media, popular media, medicine, advertising, gyms, schools, magazines - even books as well as advice given by gurus, nutritionists & influencers. What you read about protein is little more than catchy spin to sell, or promote ill health. A lot of it is done with good intention based on ignorance.
Along with the wizardry of myths, superstitions, lies and spin of incorrect supplementation, to put it bluntly, protein supplements are killing people. I can imagine the gnashing of teeth right about now, for anyone reading this. The simple truth is, there is more than enough research out there IF you care to find facts rather than follow trends. Ouch.
So, what are these dangers, I hear you say? Well, they are myriad, but broken down:
Bone disorders and disrupted calcium homeostasis (balance)
Renal dysfunction (kidney disease)
Cancer
Liver dysfunction
Coronary artery disease
While you might try to argue that this list is short, let's break it down further:
Bone disorders can equate to anything from bone cancers to brittle bones, osteoporosis, porous bones, spurs & calcifications, pain.
Renal dysfunction can equate to anything from fluid retention, blood disorders, kidney stones and gout, right through to renal failure and the need for dialysis.
Cancer; take your pick, depending on the areas most affected by protein toxicity & acidosis, but especially cancers of the bowel, liver, bone, kidney, pancreas, bladder, stomach, rectal, endometrial, ovarian and blood.
Liver dysfunction can mean sluggish function, fatty liver, obesity, cirrhosis or even jaundice - and in turn, a completely compromised elimination system.
Coronary artery disease can mean plaques (as opposed to so-called cholesterol), arterial and venous blockage, strokes, heart attacks and are a huge contributor to Alzheimer's.
To be deficient in protein means you are deficient in EVERYTHING & unless you are existing on processed foods or chemicals, you will not be deficient. 'Protein' is a word created to encompass amino acids, which are available in every single plant food on the planet. But this same word is used every day to promote unnecessary 'nutrition'. The belief we can get all the protein we need from meat & dairy is as misleading as it is wrong, based on old beliefs and promotions of survival food. Our bodies need amino acids, not so-called complete protein.
To fulfil every role that required of aminos in their various chains we must first break them down to rebuild and to that we need two main components to the puzzle - enzymes chiefly - and laminins to bind.
We cannot simply get either from just eating meat and dairy (or whey); we must make our own, tailored to our individual bodies, according to signals sent out, depending on a thousand different needs - and all of these aminos can be sourced from plant foods. In other words, our enzymes must be able to break down the complete proteins to rebuild them into the chains each system and process requires. 'Complete' protein cannot bypass this process, nor can a protein supplement which can and does create imbalance. In fact, once the body becomes overwhelmed, the entire puzzle falls apart and poor health results.
The enzymes required for breaking down food are being destroyed by this toxicity as well as excess alcohol consumption, acidosis, medications and bad habits in general. Proteolytic enzyme aka peptidase or proteinase, requires a balanced pH (most people today exist in a state of acidosis) AND a balanced gut bacteria (microbiome).
Sounds pretty unremarkable, doesn't it? But what if you have the wrong bacterial balance? Well, that equates to the wrong type of protease and that means pathogenic proliferation, all linked to:
inflammation (pain and infection)
cell mutation (cancer)
increased clotting (strokes & heart attacks)
poor clotting (bleeding)
immunodeficiencies
auto-immune disorders
So what is proteolysis? Quite simply, it's the hydrolysis (or splitting of a compound) ie breakdown of larger chains (proteins) into peptides and amino acids. And it is vital in order to allow the body to rebuild the right amino chains. The opposite of this is weakened chains, breakdown with poor rebuilding processes. The process is simple, even if it sounds complex and sadly, most will believe the fakery and hype rather than actually doing any real research. Those who know the science either don't want others to know or don't care.
I think this fad of protein supplements & keto and high protein type diets will, as with all fads, pass - hopefully before too many find out the hard way - but in the meantime, how much damage is it doing, without people even realising?