Hi, I am getting ready to have my surgery the beginning of 2009 - hopefully by Feb. - I have been trying protein drinks, I have the powder and I bought a few ready to drink kinds. Is it possible to get to much protein? My mother said you can cause damage to your liver or kidneys. Has anybody else heard of this? :smile2:

You can get too much Protein, but you have to get an ENORMOUS amount. According to some studies, you can have something like 2.8 g of protein for every kg of body weight. Most nutritionist recommend no more than 2 g per kg but again that's still an enormous amount.

Most of us are getting something like 70-100 g which is no where near that amount. I'm around 77 kg so I'm getting slightly more than 1 g of protein per kg of body weight for example.

However, if you are worried, drinking a lot of fluids helps the kidneys function better and is recommended when on a high protein diet.

Its a highly debated topic. Yes, you can get too much Protein, but in reality, if you're eating less than 80grams a day you probably wont be. Over 100 grams for most women and the rate at which your body excretes Calcium as much as doubles, and it can predispose you to calcium based kidney stones (and osteoporosis if long term).

Personally, I'd dispute that you need 80 grams a day because I think in trying to eat that much, you're missing out on OTHER things you need. Its all a fine balancing act.