Everything in moderation. And that includes the good stuff, like fast food, booze, and protein. Surprised about that last one? Yeah, it turns out that pumping up your protein intake excessively can actually do your body more harm than good. 

The risks of too much protein

Studies have shown that excessive protein consumption over time can result in both short- and long-term health issues. Some of them aren’t a huge deal (like headaches, dehydration, or constipation), but others are pretty major. Too much protein is linked to a heightened risk for:

• Cancer
• High cholesterol
• Kidney stones and kidney problems
• Cardiovascular disease
• Liver issues
• Seizures
• Type 2 diabetes
• Osteoporosis

Not great, right? But don’t worry. You have to eat a LOT of protein for a long time to expose yourself to any of that. Keep an eye on your intake and you can avoid the issues associated with chronic over-consumption of protein. 

Consuming a safe amount of protein 

Your body needs protein. It’s all about finding the right level for your body. 

So how much is safe to eat? There’s a happy medium and it’s not too hard to find. First things first, we need to get friendly with the metric system. Convert your weight in pounds to kilograms. You can either divide your weight by 2.2 or have Google do it for you. Just type “X pounds to kg” and voilà. 

For every kilogram you weigh, you should consume at least one gram of protein. If you regularly exercise at an intense level, bump that up to about 1.6 grams of protein per pound. Either way, as long as you keep your protein consumption below 2 grams of protein per kilogram you weigh, experts agree you’re safe. 

So you can keep chugging those ICONIC drinks without too much stress. Just keep an eye on how much protein you’re putting into your body and you’re covered.