How Much Protein Is TOO Much? (Doctor Explains the Truth)

0:00 All right, let's talk about the most overhyped,

0:02 under-understood, under-understood, misunderstood, whatever,

0:05 and most aggressively marketed nutrient on the planet, protein.

0:09 Listen, we've all seen the ads and we've all heard the bros at the gym.

0:12 Bro, you got to eat your protein.

0:13 You need at least a gram per pound.

0:15 Bro, if you don't drink your shake within 30 minutes,

0:17 your gains literally evaporate into thin air.

0:19 But how much about what you've heard about protein is actually true?

0:23 And how much is bro science nonsense?

0:24 And how much protein do you as a regular human actually need?

0:28 What's up, guys?

0:29 Dr.

0:29 Alex here.

0:30 And I'm a board-certified urologist with fellowship training in men's health.

0:33 And today, we're going deep on protein.

0:35 And I mean deep.

0:36 We're actually talking about what protein is on a molecular level,

0:40 why your muscles care about it, and how much do you really need,

0:43 whether you're a couch potato, a casual gym-goer, a serious athlete,

0:47 or a bodybuilder who may or may not

0:48 have a little bit of a pharmacologic assistance.

0:51 We're also going to dive into whether all protein sources are created equal.

0:54 And spoiler alert, they definitely aren't.

0:57 And I'll be referencing some excellent content from Dr.

0:59 Mike Israetel on protein source quality, which you're going to want to hear.

1:02 So, buckle up.

1:03 This is going to be a masterclass in protein.

1:05 And stay until the end because I'm going to tease an upcoming

1:08 deep dive video specifically on protein powder that you won't want to miss.

1:12 Let's get into it.

1:13 Before we can truly understand protein,

1:15 we've got to zoom out and look at the big picture.

1:17 Everything you eat falls into three main categories of macronutrients.

1:20 And no, alcohol is not a macronutrient,

1:23 even though some of you are trying really hard to make that happen.

1:25 The three macros are carbs, fats, and protein.

1:28 Carbohydrates are your body's preferred energy source.

1:31 They break down into glucose, sugar,

1:33 and your muscles and brain absolutely love this stuff.

1:35 When you eat bread, rice, pasta, fruits, vegetables, you're eating carbs.

1:39 Carbs provide about 4 calories per gram.

1:42 Fats are essential for hormone production,

1:44 including testosterone, which I know you care about,

1:46 cell membrane integrity, and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K.

1:51 Fats are calorie-dense at 9 calories per gram,

1:54 which is why eating a a of almonds will absolutely destroy your caloric goals.

1:58 And finally, there's protein, the star of today's show.

2:01 Protein also provides about 4 calories per gram, but unlike carbs and fats,

2:05 protein's main job isn't to be burned for energy.

2:07 Protein's primary role is structural.

2:10 It's the building block for your muscles, organs,

2:12 enzymes, hormones, and basically everything that makes you you.

2:15 Think of it this way, carbs and fats are the fuel in your car's tank.

2:18 Protein is the actual metal, rubber, and parts that make up the car itself.

2:22 Now, let's talk about why protein matters so much,

2:24 especially for athletes and gym enthusiasts.

2:27 Believe it or not, your body is in a constant state of protein turnover.

2:30 Right now, as you're watching this video,

2:32 your body is breaking down old, damaged proteins and building new ones.

2:35 This process is called protein synthesis.

2:38 And when you exercise, especially resistance training,

2:41 you create microscopic damage to your muscle fibers.

2:44 Damage may sound bad,

2:45 but this is actually the stimulus that you need to tell your body, "Hey,

2:48 we need to build these muscles back bigger and stronger."

2:50 It's the entire basis behind all of strength and hypertrophy training.

2:54 But here's the catch, your body can't build muscle out of thin air.

2:57 It needs the raw material to do so.

2:59 It needs amino acids, and it needs protein.

3:01 And we've got objective data to back this up.

3:03 In 2018, there was a landmark meta-analysis by Morton

3:07 that was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

3:09 This was a study that analyzed 49 other studies with over 1,800 participants,

3:14 and protein supplementation was shown to significantly enhance muscle strength,

3:18 fat-free mass, and muscle fiber size during resistance training.

3:21 Without adequate protein, you're literally leaving gains on the table.

3:24 Your body wants to build muscle.

3:26 It has had the stimulus it needs from training,

3:28 but if you're not feeding it the raw materials,

3:30 it's like trying to build a house without bricks.

3:32 So, we're going to get really nerdy here for a minute.

3:34 What actually is protein at the molecular level?

3:37 Proteins are long chains of smaller molecules called amino acids.

3:40 And think of these amino acids like LEGO bricks.

3:43 Individual amino acids link together

3:45 in specific sequences to build different proteins,

3:48 just like different LEGO combinations build different structures.

3:50 There are 20 different amino acids that combine in various ways

3:54 to create the tens of thousands of different proteins in your body.

3:57 And if we're going to get even more specific,

3:59 out of those 20 amino acids, nine of them are considered essential.

4:02 Now, why are these called essential?

4:04 Not because they're any more important than the other 11,

4:06 but these are essential because your body can't make them on their own.

4:09 You must get them from your diet.

4:11 So, that means that they are essential to consume.

4:13 And those nine essential amino acids are: histidine, isoleucine, leucine.

4:17 This one's super important for muscle building, remember this name.

4:20 Lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan.

4:24 Shout out to Thanksgiving.

4:26 And lastly, valine.

4:27 Now, three of these, leucine, isoleucine, and valine,

4:30 are known as branched-chain amino acids, or BCAAs.

4:33 You've probably seen BCAA supplements at the store.

4:36 Leucine in particular is like the ignition switch for muscle protein synthesis.

4:40 It activates the mTOR pathway,

4:42 which is the molecular signal that tells your muscles,

4:44 "Okay, start building." The other 11 amino acids are called non-essential.

4:48 Again, not because they're not important,

4:49 but because your body can manufacture them on its own from other compounds.

4:53 Also, don't go out and buy a BCAA supplement, that's a whole other video.

4:56 Now, this is one of the most important

4:57 sections of this whole video, so listen up.

4:59 Not all protein sources are created equal.

5:01 And this is where Dr.

5:02 Mike's video on the topic did a really good

5:04 job of breaking things down for the fitness community.

5:06 Here's the question you need to ask:

5:08 Are the 10 g of protein from a steak the same as 10 g from a protein shake?

5:12 And what about the 10 g of protein from beans or bread?

5:15 And the answer is, absolutely not.

5:17 There's actually a scientific scoring system called the PDCAAS,

5:22 protein digestibility corrected amino acid score.

5:25 It sounds complicated, but it's actually pretty straightforward,

5:27 and it measures two things.

5:29 The first is amino acid profile.

5:31 Does this protein source contain all

5:32 nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts?

5:35 And the second is digestibility.

5:37 How much of that protein can your body actually absorb and use?

5:40 The PDCAAS scale goes from zero to one, with one being perfect.

5:44 And a score of one means the protein provides 100%

5:47 or more of all essential amino acids needed with excellent digestibility.

5:51 So, let's look at some common protein sources.

5:53 So, let's start out with our 1.0 scoring food sources.

5:56 These are considered to be perfect scores,

5:58 which make them excellent sources of protein.

6:00 This includes whey protein.

6:02 Again, this includes concentrate, isolate, and hydrolysate.

6:05 They're all 1.0.

6:06 The next is casein, followed by egg protein, and soy protein isolate.

6:11 Other 1.0 options include milk, chicken, beef,

6:14 and fish when digestibility is all accounted for.

6:17 So, after all these perfect scoring sources,

6:19 we have food sources with a PDCAAS of 0.5 to 0.9.

6:23 This includes sources like pea protein, which has a score of 0.89,

6:28 chickpeas and lentils, which have a score between 0.6 and 0.7,

6:32 and rice protein, which has a score of 0.4 to 0.5,

6:35 primarily limited by its lack of lysine.

6:38 So, now we get to food sources that are relatively poor source of protein,

6:41 which includes PDCAAS scores below 0.5.

6:45 And what do we find there?

6:46 It's wheat gluten.

6:47 So, bread only has a PDCAAS of 0.25.

6:51 So, what does this mean practically?

6:53 If you 10 g of protein from wheat gluten,

6:55 your body can only use about 2.5 g of that for muscle building,

6:58 but 10 g from whey, your body can use all 10 g.

7:02 Now, in Dr.

7:02 Mike's video, he recommended that about 75% of your daily

7:06 protein intake should come from those high-quality sources,

7:08 which are those with a PDCAAS above 0.9.

7:12 And here's some good news for my vegan and vegetarian friends.

7:14 While individual plant proteins may be incomplete,

7:17 you can combine them strategically to create a complete amino acid profile.

7:21 For example, rice protein is low in lysine, but high in methionine.

7:25 Pea protein is the exact opposite.

7:26 It's high in lysine and low in methionine.

7:29 You combine them, and boom,

7:30 you've got a complete protein profile approaching a score of 1.0,

7:34 which is why many vegan protein powders

7:36 blend both rice and pea protein together.

7:38 One more thing, collagen supplements are everywhere right now.

7:41 People are putting them in their coffee, their smoothies, their prayers,

7:44 and while collagen may have benefits for skin and joint health,

7:47 it has a very low PDCAAS score for muscle

7:50 building because it's missing several essential amino acids.

7:53 So, you can't count your scoop of collagen

7:55 as part of your protein goal for muscle gains.

7:58 All right, this is the section you've been waiting for.

8:00 Let's talk numbers, and I'm going to break

8:02 this down by population because the answer truly

8:04 depends on who you are and what you're

8:05 trying to accomplish when it comes to protein goals.

8:08 First, some context.

8:09 The RDA, or recommended dietary allowance,

8:11 set by the government for protein is only

8:13 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight per day.

8:16 But, here's the thing.

8:17 The RDA is designed to prevent deficiency in sedentary individuals

8:21 and was measured with nitrogen balance studies that were far from optimal.

8:24 It is not a realistic goal for maintaining

8:26 any sort of performance or overall health.

8:29 It's basically the bare minimum you need

8:31 to keep from turning into a human skeleton.

8:33 All right, we're starting off with my people,

8:35 the couch potatoes, non-athletes and sedentary adults.

8:38 For women, you want to shoot for about 0.8 to 1.2 g per kilograms per day.

8:43 That's about 50 to 80 g of protein for a 150-lb woman.

8:46 For men, it's going to be about the same.

8:48 You also want 0.8 to 1.2 g per kilos per day,

8:51 which is about 60 to 100 g for a 180-lb man.

8:54 Moving on to recreational exercisers,

8:57 or as I like to call them, weekend pickleball people.

8:59 For men and women, you're going to want to shoot

9:01 for around 1.2 to 1.6 g per kilograms per day.

9:05 So, although the FDA's RDA may not be worth the paper it's

9:07 printed on, the International Society of Sports

9:10 Nutrition in 2017 published a position

9:12 statement that actually advocated for a pretty reasonable protein goal of 1.4

9:17 to 2 g per kilograms per day

9:19 for physically active individuals engaging in exercise.

9:22 And it makes sense.

9:23 The more physically active you are, the more protein you're going to need.

9:26 So, let's get into it.

9:26 Let's talk about serious athletes and resistance trainers.

9:29 The Morton 2018 meta-analysis I mentioned

9:32 earlier found that muscle and strength gains

9:34 tended to plateau around 1.62 g per kilo per day of protein intake.

9:38 But, and this is a big but, the 95% confidence

9:41 interval ranged from 1.03 to 2.2 g per kilo per day.

9:46 That is a pretty wide range.

9:48 In a more recent analysis by Greg Nuckols

9:50 and the stronger by science team suggests that true

9:52 optimal intake for maximizing muscle growth might be

9:55 closer to 1.75 g per kilos per day,

9:57 which is about 0.8 g per pound of body weight.

10:00 For women, they recommend potentially going slightly higher up to 2.05

10:04 g per kilo per day as a better safe than sorry approach.

10:07 Some more info for female athletes.

10:09 A systematic review in 2020 found

10:11 that female athletes performing resistance, endurance,

10:13 or intermittent exercise need at least 1.28 to 1.71

10:17 g per kilos per day as an estimated average requirement.

10:20 And this goes up for male athletes.

10:22 Men were found to need 1.6 to 2.2 g per kilo per day,

10:26 which is going to be a commonly cited range with 2.2

10:29 serving as the reasonable upper target for those wanting maximum assurance.

10:32 Now, let's talk about the big leagues.

10:34 Strength athletes and bodybuilders.

10:36 These are going to be the big boys

10:37 and girls that are really trying to push limits.

10:39 A 2019 study using the indicator amino acid oxidation method,

10:43 which is a more sophisticated technique for measuring protein needs,

10:46 found that the estimated average requirement for male bodybuilders was 1.7 g per

10:50 kilos per day with a recommended intake of 2.2 g per kilo per day.

10:54 For natural bodybuilders, it was about 1.8 to 2.4 g per kilo per day,

10:59 especially during contest prep when calories are restricted.

11:01 Higher protein intakes help preserve muscle mass during a caloric deficit.

11:05 Now, let's talk about the enhanced community because we have to be honest,

11:09 the majority of bodybuilders are using pharmacological assistance.

11:12 No surprise there.

11:13 And if you're taking medication to help you build bigger muscles,

11:16 aka a bigger house, then you're going to need more bricks.

11:19 Anabolic steroids dramatically increase protein synthesis rates.

11:23 That's why we take them.

11:24 And we're talking about a protein turnover rate that's

11:26 two to three times higher than a natural athlete.

11:29 And this is one of those primary mechanisms by which all anabolics work.

11:32 They enhance nitrogen retention and allow muscles

11:35 to utilize more dietary protein for growth.

11:37 And because of this enhanced protein synthesis,

11:39 enhanced athletes can likely benefit from an even higher protein intake,

11:43 potentially 2.5 to 3 g per kilo per day or more.

11:47 But I have to be clear, there is limited direct research on this because,

11:50 well, good luck getting that through an ethics board.

11:52 But what we do know is that enhanced

11:54 athletes can handle more training volume, recover faster,

11:56 and build muscle more rapidly,

11:58 all of which increases the demand for dietary as a raw material.

12:02 So for enhanced athletes, the sky may be the limit.

12:05 Also, the old school advice that you can only absorb 30

12:08 to maybe 40 g of protein per meal is complete hogwash.

12:11 Data shows that it comes down to your daily intake of protein,

12:15 with studies showing that patients that have

12:17 a higher protein intake can actually maintain

12:19 muscle protein synthesis for many hours longer

12:22 than patients only getting 30 g per meal.

12:25 But what's the practical takeaway from all this?

12:27 The classic 1 g per pound of body weight

12:29 recommendation that the bro at the gym gave you,

12:31 it's actually pretty close to what most science supports for serious lifters.

12:34 It's a little higher than the minimum effective dose,

12:36 but it provides a good margin of safety and it's easy to remember.

12:39 For most people engaged in serious resistance training,

12:42 aiming for 0.7 to 1 g per pound of body weight is a solid evidence-based target.

12:47 Unless you're enhanced, then you're going to need a lot more.

12:50 Okay, so now you know how much protein you need.

12:52 The next logical question is,

12:53 can you get all of that from food or do you need to supplement?

12:56 The honest answer is, it depends.

12:59 Can you get 150 to 200 g of protein per day from whole foods alone?

13:03 Absolutely.

13:04 A chicken breast has about 30 g.

13:06 A can of tuna has about 20 to 25 g.

13:09 Four eggs have about 24 g and a cup of Greek yogurt has about 15 to 20 g.

13:13 If you eat three meals a day with 40 to 50 g of protein each,

13:17 plus a couple high protein snacks, you're there.

13:19 But is that realistic?

13:20 And here's where we have to talk

13:21 about where supplementation becomes really valuable.

13:24 The first issue is convenience.

13:25 Let's be real, not everyone has time

13:27 to meal prep five chicken breasts at 6:00 a.m.

13:29 before work, and a protein shake takes 30 seconds to make.

13:32 Two is cost.

13:33 Gram for gram, whey protein is actually

13:35 one of the cheapest protein sources available.

13:37 Cheaper than chicken breast, definitely cheaper than steak.

13:40 The third is caloric efficiency.

13:42 If you're trying to lose fat while maintaining muscle,

13:44 you need high protein with relatively low calories.

13:47 A scoop of whey isolate gives you about 25

13:49 g of protein for about 100 to 120 calories.

13:52 Try getting that ratio from a fatty ribeye.

13:55 Fourth issue is timing.

13:56 For new lifters, post-workout, they're going to want a fast-digesting protein

14:00 to capitalize on that elevated muscle protein synthesis,

14:03 also known as the anabolic window.

14:04 Again, that's a whole other discussion.

14:06 It's much wider than people think it is, especially for trained athletes.

14:09 But if you're looking at whey protein, that's only 30 to 40 minutes to digest.

14:12 If we're talking chicken, maybe 3 to 4 hours.

14:15 So, do you need to supplement?

14:17 No, but should you consider it for practical reasons?

14:20 Probably yes, for most people.

14:21 If you walk into any supplement store or any Costco for that matter,

14:25 you're going to be hit with I can only describe as a wall of protein chaos.

14:29 Whey, casein, soy, pea, hemp, rice, beef,

14:31 egg, collagen, blends, hydrosols, plant blends, mass gainers.

14:35 It's overwhelming, and the marketing, don't even get me started.

14:38 Extreme anabolic matrix,

14:40 ultra-bioavailable quad release technology, protein for women.

14:44 What does that even mean?

14:45 Dude, it's just protein.

14:47 Let me simplify this for you.

14:48 What actually matters for protein are a handful of things.

14:51 Priority number one, always emphasize whole food protein sources.

14:55 Chicken, fish, beef, eggs, dairy, legumes, tofu.

14:59 These should form the foundation of your protein intake.

15:01 They should come with additional nutrients, fiber,

15:03 and satiety that supplements just can't replace.

15:06 Priority number two, you got to use supplements to fill gaps.

15:09 That's it.

15:09 That's what they're there for.

15:11 They supplement your diet.

15:12 They should never replace it.

15:13 So, what's the best bang for your buck?

15:15 It's going to be protein powder, specifically whey protein for most people.

15:18 It's cheap, it's high quality, it tastes decent,

15:21 and has decades of research to support its efficacy.

15:23 Bars, ready-to-drink shakes, and other formats have their place for convenience,

15:27 but they typically cost more per gram of protein

15:29 and often come with extra macros that you may not want.

15:32 Let's start off with the basics, and we're talking whey concentrate.

15:35 This is the most basic, least processed form of whey.

15:37 It's typically about 70 to 80% of protein by weight,

15:40 with the remaining 20 to 30% being carbohydrates,

15:42 including lactose, fats, and minerals.

15:44 The pros are it's usually the cheapest option, and it retains more beneficial

15:48 milk compounds like immunoglobulins and lactoferrin,

15:51 and it often has better flavor due to that fat content.

15:54 The cons are it's higher in carbs and fat, and it also contains lactose,

15:57 which can cause some digestive issues for some people,

15:59 or for the people that have to live with those people.

16:02 And then we move on to whey isolate.

16:04 Now, isolate undergoes additional filtering to remove

16:06 most of the fats, carbs, and lactose.

16:09 The result is a product that's about 90% protein by weight.

16:12 The pros are is that it has

16:13 a really high protein percentage and very low lactose, usually less than 1%,

16:17 which is generally tolerable for most lactose-intolerant individuals.

16:20 And it also has very few calories per gram of protein.

16:23 The cons are is that it's more expensive than concentrate.

16:26 And then we move on to whey hydrolysate.

16:28 Hydrolysate is the whey protein that has

16:30 been pre-digested through exposure to heat,

16:32 acids, or enzymes that break the protein

16:34 chains into smaller peptides and amino acids.

16:37 It's essentially partially digested before you even drink it.

16:40 The pros are it has the fastest absorption of any form of protein,

16:43 and it may be easier to digest for those with sensitive stomachs.

16:46 The cons is just that it's super expensive, and it can often have a bitter taste

16:50 that they have to mask with more artificial sweeteners.

16:53 So, which should you take?

16:54 My honest opinion, for most people, whey isolate.

16:57 That's it.

16:58 The research shows no meaningful

16:59 difference in muscle building between concentrate,

17:02 isolate, and hydrolysate when total protein intake is equated,

17:05 and a 2019 meta-analysis found that all forms

17:07 of whey effectively support muscle growth and fat loss.

17:10 And the benefit of isolate is that it's processed enough to minimize the gut

17:14 effects of maybe some of the lactose issues that a lot of people have,

17:17 but it's nowhere near as expensive or processed as hydrolysate.

17:20 Now, if you're on a budget, that's fine.

17:22 Go concentrate.

17:23 If you're lactose intolerant and you're watching every calorie,

17:26 again, you're going to be fine with isolate.

17:28 But if money is no object and you want the fastest absorption,

17:31 I mean, hey, go hydrolysate.

17:33 But know that you're paying a premium

17:34 for what could be a relatively small advantage.

17:37 The truth is is that really expensive protein,

17:39 no matter what it may claim on the box, is usually just ripping you off.

17:43 Don't get fooled by purity marketing or sky-high prices.

17:46 Now, I know I just gave you a lot of information about protein powder,

17:49 but here's the thing, we've only scratched the surface.

17:52 In my next video, I'm doing

17:53 a complete deep dive specifically on protein powders.

17:56 We're going to cover how to read protein powder labels like a pro,

17:59 red flags that indicate low-quality or amino spiked proteins,

18:03 and the best protein powders in each category.

18:05 We're talking whey, casein, or plant-based.

18:08 Then we're going to get into third-party testing

18:10 and which brands actually deliver on what they promise.

18:13 And finally, we're going to close out

18:14 with my personal recommendations at various price points.

18:17 We're going to do a plant protein showdown for all my vegan brothers out there,

18:20 talking soy versus pea versus rice versus hemp.

18:23 And then we'll close out with my personal

18:25 recommendations at all the various price points.

18:27 So, make sure you're subscribed and hit that notification

18:29 bell so you don't miss it when it drops.

18:31 All right, let's wrap this one up with some quick takeaways.

18:34 Number one, protein is essential for muscle building,

18:36 repair, and countless bodily functions.

18:38 And we all need more than we think.

18:40 Number two, not all protein is created equal.

18:42 Aim for high-quality sources with a PDCAAS score close to 1.0.

18:47 Number three, if you're training seriously,

18:49 target at least 1.6 to 2.2 g per kilo per day.

18:52 And if you're enhanced, you're going to need even more.

18:55 We haven't found that ceiling yet, but um it's really high.

18:58 Number four, supplements are useful tools for convenience and cost,

19:01 but you have to prioritize whole foods first.

19:03 There are still micronutrients that are critical for your diet

19:06 that go beyond just carbs, fats, and protein.

19:09 Number five, whey protein concentrate or isolate is

19:11 the best bang for your buck for most people.

19:13 So, if you found this video helpful,

19:15 smash that like button, subscribe to the channel,

19:17 and drop a comment below telling me what's your favorite protein source.

19:20 I read all your comments and I want to hear from you.

19:22 And that's it.

19:23 It's Dr.

19:24 Alex signing off, and I'll see you in the next one.