A high-protein diet is a diet in which 20% or more of the total daily calories come from

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

. Many high protein diets are high in

saturated fat A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all single bonds between the carbon atoms. A fat known as a glyceride is made of two kinds of smaller molecules: a short glycerol backbone, and fatty acids that each cont ...

and restrict intake of

carbohydrate A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ...

s. Example foods in a high-protein diet include

lean beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often ground or minced, as found i ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

and

tuna A tuna (: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bul ...

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

s, and

soy The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source of f ...

. High-protein diets are often utilized in the context of fat loss and muscle building. High-protein fad diets, such as the

Atkins diet The Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate fad diet devised by Robert Atkins in the 1970s, marketed with claims that carbohydrate restriction is crucial to weight loss and that the diet offered "a high calorie way to stay thin forever". The diet be ...

and Protein Power, have been criticized for promoting misconceptions about carbohydrates,

insulin resistance Insulin resistance (IR) is a pathological response in which cells in insulin-sensitive tissues in the body fail to respond normally to the hormone insulin or downregulate insulin receptors in response to hyperinsulinemia. Insulin is a horm ...

and

ketosis Ketosis is a metabolic state characterized by elevated levels of ketone bodies in the blood or urine. Physiological ketosis is a normal response to low glucose availability. In physiological ketosis, ketones in the blood are elevated above bas ...

Health effects

There is dispute among researchers about the efficacy and safety of various high-protein diets.

Efficiency

Increased protein consumption is shown to increase muscle mass, improve muscle adaptations to resistance training, and reduce muscle loss in periods of energy and nutrient deficit. High-protein low-calorie diets are often used in the setting of treating obesity. A high-protein diet does not significantly improve blood pressure and

glycemic control Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that is characterized by chronic elevated blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia). Therefore, the main goal of diabetes management is to keep blood glucose levels within normal limits or a target range as ...

in people with type 2

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

Safety

In 2001, the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

's Nutrition Committee issued a recommendation against some high-protein diets such as the Atkins diet and Protein Power. The committee noted potential health risks of these diets and how there are no long-term scientific studies to support their efficacy and safety. A 2017 review indicated that a high-protein diet (superior to 1.5 g per kilogram of ideal body weight per day) may contribute to life-long risk of kidney damage, including progression of or potentially new onset

chronic kidney disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a type of long-term kidney disease, defined by the sustained presence of abnormal kidney function and/or abnormal kidney structure. To meet criteria for CKD, the abnormalities must be present for at least three mo ...

. Though, a 2023 umbrella review found no evidence that higher protein intake (> 0.8 g/kg body weight/day) does specifically trigger CKD. According to the American Heart Association, high-protein diets that contain high amounts of saturated fat increase risk of

coronary artery disease Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), or ischemic heart disease (IHD), is a type of cardiovascular disease, heart disease involving Ischemia, the reduction of blood flow to the cardiac muscle due to a build-up ...

and

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

. The following are examples of high-protein fad diets: *

Dukan Diet The Dukan Diet is a High-protein diet, high-protein Low-carbohydrate diet, low-carbohydrate fad diet devised by Pierre Dukan. Description The Dukan diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet with four phases, each of which has specific rules. ...

Montignac diet The Montignac diet is a high-protein low-carbohydrate fad diet that was popular in the 1990s, mainly in Europe. It was invented by Frenchman Michel Montignac (1944–2010), an international executive for the pharmaceutical industry, who, like his ...

* Protein Power * Scarsdale diet *

Stillman diet The Stillman diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet devised in 1967 by physician Irwin Maxwell Stillman (1896–1975). It focuses mostly on the complete avoidance of both fats and carbohydrates, and requires at least eight glasses of water ...

Sugar Busters! The Sugar Busters diet is a diet focused on eliminating foods containing refined carbohydrates such as refined sugar, white flour, and white rice, as well as naturally occurring carbohydrates rating high on the glycemic index such as potatoes and ...

Zone diet The Zone diet is a fad diet emphasizing Low-carbohydrate diet, low-carbohydrate consumption. It was created by Barry Sears, an American biochemist.Baron M. Fighting obesity Part 1: Review of popular low-carb diets. Health Care Food Nutr Focus. 20 ...

Protein-sparing modified fast (diet) A protein-sparing modified fast or PSMF diet is a type of a very-low-calorie diet (<800 kcal per day) with a high proportion of protein calories and simultaneous restriction of carbohydrate and fat. It includes a

References

{{Fad diets Diets Fad diets Proteins as nutrients

Health effects

Efficiency

Safety

See also

References