"High-protein diet could be as dangerous as smoking"

Dave!

Hey guys,

Just wanted to see what more qualified people make of this study.

The TL;DR version is that animal protein (red meat particularly) is associated with elevated risk of cancer. Fish and plant-sourced protein is not.

I would have thought it was pretty uncontroversial; isn't it generally accepted that too much red meat is associated with colorectal cancer?

Are paleo diet guys endangering their health?

The researcher mentioned in the article says his diet is high in carbs, he doesn't mention which carbs though.

Yours in Ignorance,

Dave

High-protein diet could be as dangerous as smoking - study
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 5, 2014, 07:12
A high-protein diet could be as dangerous as smoking 20 cigarettes a day, a new study has found.

Research from the University of Southern California shows that high levels of dietary animal protein in those under 65 were associated with a fourfold increase in their risk of death from cancer compared to those on a low protein diet.

This is an increased mortality risk associated with a 20-a-day smoking habit.

The study of 6,318 adults over the age of 50, found that protein-lovers were 74 per cent more susceptible to early death from any cause than their low-protein counterparts. They were also several times more likely to die of diabetes.

A “high-protein” diet was defined in the research as deriving at least 20per cent of daily calories from protein. The researchers recommend a middle-aged person consume around 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight, per day.

Even small changes that reduced someone’s protein intake from moderate to low levels cut the likelihood of an early death by over a fifth. A “low-protein” diet includes less than 10 per cent of your daily calorie intake from protein.

Animal-based proteins such as red meat, milk, and cheese were most harmful, but there is no evidence to suggest that protein from fish has a negative impact on the body, said study author Dr Valter Longo, Professor of Biogerontology at the USC Davis School of Gerontology.

“High levels of protein can be can be as bad for you as smoking. People should understand the distinction and be able to make the decision about what they eat,” said Dr Longo.

“Some proteins are better for you than others, for example plant-based proteins like beans. Vegans seem to do better in studies than those who eat animal based proteins. Red meat always comes out top as the worst and that’s probably due to its other components.”

“But the good news is that there is no evidence that fish is bad for you. So fish plus vegetables is really the best group of proteins,” added Dr Longo.

The findings throw doubt over the long-term benefits of popular high-protein diets such as the Atkins diet and the Paleo diet.

Protein levels controls the growth hormone IGF-I, which help bodies grow but high levels of which have been linked to cancer.

Levels of IGF-I drop off dramatically after age 65, leading to potential frailty and muscle loss. The study shows that while high protein intake during middle age is very harmful, it is protective for those over 65 who ate a moderate or high-protein diet.

Dr Longo, who skips lunch, recommends a diet high in complex carbohydrates and low in protein.

“I follow a fish and vegetable based diet which is high in complex carbohydrates. This is a diet that has been found in the most long-lived populations of the world,” he said.

PA

© 2014 irishtimes.com

Akrasia

This is interesting
Valter Longo is well known as a proponent of calorie restriction and the benefits of fasting

He was featured in the fast diet with Michael Mosely last year on BBC's Horizon

In that show he was talking about the role the hormone IGF1 plays in repairing cellular damage. I wonder if someone followed an intermittent fasting diet, would this reduce the risk of cancer associated with red meat, or would it still be best to avoid too much protein

opr

Link to Guardian article - http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/mar/04/animal-protein-diets-smoking-meat-eggs-dairy

Link to the study - http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131%2814%2900062-X#Summary

Opr

jane82

At the bottom of a sky news article their nutitionist said the study had flaws. They also said there is a good possibility the study could have been done again and got completely different results.
Its also important that the study is between a certain age group that if the study is true there is a certain time to give up the high protein. It then mentions black beans which call me silly but it seems like there is someone with a whole heap of black beans that he cant sell with all this black bean talk Im hearing lately.

runawaybishop

The study is massively flawed.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=89310119&postcount=6

A larger and better conducted study showed a dramatically smaller link.

El_Dangeroso

I'm not even going to bother reading the study, it's tomorrow's fish and chip wrapping.

What I do find hilarious is that meat suddenly stops killing you age 65.

If I make it to 65 eating the amount of animal protein that I do, I'm eating a whole pig to celebrate that meat can't hurt me anymore.

Sound of Silence

Add that to the long list of things that can give me cancer.

El_Dangeroso

Actually on second glance it only affects people aged 50-65.

I will make sure I studiously avoid animal protein for that age range. Until then.. party on.

Alf Veedersane

http://metabolicperfection.com/proteincancerstudy/

smndly

This is a hugely flawed study and it is a disgrace that the media have jumped on the bandwagon and compared protein to smoking just to sell papers.

1. The numbers are too small for a prospective cohort study. The authors acknowledge this in their discussion: "We underline that our hazard ratios and confidence intervals may be inflated due to our sample size" This alone destroys the credibility of the study. 6000 people is just not enough for a study that has so many variables that can not be accounted for.

2. The study relied on self reported food intake. The average calorie intake was just over 1800kcal.... Really? This study is making recommendations on the protein intake for the average person. The average person eats far in excess of 1800kcal per day. So either the participants were lying about the odd biscuit or donut or the sample was taken from a population that is no where close to representing the average person.

3.The study EXPLICITLY states that high protein diets are harmful under the age of 65 then they are PROTECTIVE. I find it hard to accept that the physiology changes so dramatically on your 65th birthday that what was once killing you is now keeping you alive.

It really annoys me that small insignificant studies like this hit headlines while really good research can gather dust on library shelves without so much as an inch of column space.

El_Dangeroso

NHS website has a good sober take on this:

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/03March/Pages/high-protein-diet-may-be-harmful-for-middle-aged.aspx