My social media lit up early last week after a news report claimed “drinking too many protein shakes can kill you!”
Oh fuck, here we go again!
The report claimed that a young lady had passed away as a result of consuming whey protein shakes too often, and understandably this sent the fitness world into an utter fucking meltdown.
Let’s dig into the report and see what’s going on, shale we?
Is There Any Truth In This Report?
Unfortunately someone did pass away, but that’s pretty much where the “truth” element ends.
Because outside of that fact, the media chose to go on their own agenda and misreport the details of what actually happened in order to generate fucking clicks to their ad-filled websites.
I mean… seriously???
A young lady in Australia died due to unknowingly suffering from a condition called UCD (urea cycle disorder). This affects about 1% of the world’s population, but somehow this lady had slipped under the radar of every medical professional she’d ever met and made it into full-blown adulthood without ever being diagnosed.
That’s insanely rare – in fact, this is the first instance I’ve ever heard of it happening!
Anyway, UCD blunts the kidneys’ ability to dispose of ammonia, which is a toxic by-product of protein. This would make a high protein diet problematic, and that’s what happened here; so it wasn’t actually about the protein (or the protein shakes), but rather the fact that the lady was suffering from an undiagnosed kidney disorder.
Anyway, back to the report.
The family of the young lady are now campaigning for all whey protein supplements to carry a warning on the label about the importance of checking with you GP to make sure you do not suffer from pre-existing kidney problems (like UCD).
I think this is a smart move, and probably one which should’ve been on the label already, but it should also be applied to every other protein-based food (e.g. eggs, chicken breast, burgers, cans of tuna) if it’s really going to make a difference.
NOTE: Kidney defects are normally detected at birth, but if you feel like you could be suffering from the effects of an undiagnosed kidney disorder please go to your GP about it immediately. I believe it’s always better to know.
The Danger Of Reports Like This
First off, somebody actually died.
Imagine your dismay if a family member passed away and the media tried to spin it just to garner attention for themselves. Fucking shameful behaviour.
But also, the world really doesn’t need any more confusion about the safety of supplements, does it?
Most people feel completely lost due to the overwhelming amount of conflicting advice out there, and they don’t really know how to navigate their way through the decades of peer-reviewed studies (the “gold standard” in data) showing that whey protein is perfectly safe, so reports like this just cause further confusion. That really grinds my gears, because embarking a healthier lifestyle is already challenging as fuck and they’re just making it harder.
Do better, media!
References:
- Antonio, J., et al. A High Protein Diet Has No Harmful Effects: A One-Year Crossover Study in Resistance-Trained Males. J Nutr Metab (2016).
- Poortmans, J.R., et al. Do regular high protein diets have potential health risks on kidney function in athletes?. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab (2000).
- Knight, E.L., et al. The impact of protein intake on renal function decline in women with normal renal function or mild renal insufficiency. Ann Intern Med (2003).