Harms of Protein Powder
What is Protein Powder?
Protein powder is a purified version of proteins, which are the building blocks of your body. Normally, you get the required protein from the meat you eat, legumes such as chickpeas and beans, and dairy products such as milk, yoghurt and cheese. Protein powder contains amino acids or direct proteins, so they are actually no different from the protein-containing foods you eat. But they can contain more concentrated and special amino acids.
How much do you think about your health while doing sports? Exercising done unconsciously, vitamins, nutritional supplements, various supplements used haphazardly without consulting a specialist... The result is young people sacrificing their health in the name of bodybuilding... Even deaths may occur due to this.
Harms of Protein Powder
Protein powder is a nutritional supplement that should be used by people who do heavy sports, usually at a professional level. Because the daily amount of protein required in these people is 1.5-2 times that of normal people. Sometimes it can be difficult to get this through food, and in this case the missing amount is met with protein powder. But the brand and type of protein powder purchased is very important. Because all of these nutritional supplements are products that are considered over-the-counter medicines. For this reason, there is much debate about how pure they are. Sometimes, these products knowingly or unknowingly contain drugs that are considered doping and 'harm the body to enhance performance'. Therefore, one should reconsider when purchasing them.
Excessive and unconscious use of protein/amino acid powder can also cause osteoporosis and intestinal problems. High amounts of protein intake drains the calcium in the bones, weakening the bones and making them prone to fracture. In addition, it may not be absorbed sufficiently in the intestine and cause diarrhea, and on the other hand, it may cause reactions in those who are allergic to the by-products in it.
How to Use Protein Powder?
It means taking more protein than you need; It means that the kidney and liver work harder for the metabolism and excretion of proteins. This can be caused not only by protein and amino acid powder, but also by food. Protein taken in excess of the required amount can also cause the disease known as 'gout'. Therefore, it is most important not to exaggerate the amount. Instead of increasing the dose, care should be taken to take the powder after training. So the main thing is timing rather than dose. In addition, anabolic steroids that may be mixed with protein/amino acid powder may also cause some cancers.
Should Every Athlete Use Protein Powder? Every individual and athlete should have a correct and balanced diet and receive support from doctors and dietitians on this issue. But not every athlete needs to use protein powder. Dietitians are of the opinion that athletes can meet their needs with adequate nutrition, considering the increasing need with sports. Therefore, there is no need for protein/amino acid powders/pills. In this respect, it is necessary to pay attention to sufficient meat consumption for protein intake. At this point, the source of the meat consumed, where it comes from and how the animals are fed are considered very important. Doping was detected due to the meat eaten by more than 100 athletes at the Under-17 World Football Championship held in Mexico in 2011. It is necessary to be careful when avoiding protein powder and consuming meat for protein.
