Can I be eating too much protein in one serving?

The old science of protein intake historically has been that most individuals can efficiently utilize around 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal. It was thought that consuming more than this amount in a single sitting does not necessarily lead to better muscle protein synthesis and may be less effective than distributing protein intake across the day. It was also feared that consumption of protein would over burden the kidneys. If you are like me and often have days where your eating window is restricted to 5 or 6 hours, this can be quite a headache.

The good news is that new science has found that there is no association between higher protein intake and kidney disease in those with normal kidney function. If you are an individual who is dealing with kidney related issue, it is always best to discuss increasing per serving protein intake with your health care practitioner to determine your unique needs or restrictions.

The other good news is these antiquated established upper limits of protein intake are not true. New evidence reveals the the body can utilize very large protein doses, while even protein distribution is more ideal, for those of us who don’t have that ability the science has found that protein distribution is not vital to protein consumption. When you eat larger doses of protein in one sitting, it takes longer to digest but your body will use all of the protein you consume, unlike excess doses of vitamins that make for expensive urine. A study by Dr Luc van Loon and his colleagues found that a consumption of 100 grams of protein after exercise lead to a more robust and prolonged anabolic response than did 25 grams of protein.

The take away: While it is ideal to split your total protein consumption over smaller meals throughout the day, achieving your total daily protein intake is more important than per meal intake.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38118410/