Saturday, April 19, 2008

Avoiding protein overload


Yes, you can get too much protein. Several medical conditions make it difficult for people to digest and process proteins properly. As a result, waste products build up in different parts of the body. People with liver disease or kidney disease either don’t process protein efficiently into urea or don’t excrete it efficiently through urine. The result may be uric acid kidney stones or uremic poisoning (an excess amount of uric acid in the blood). The pain associated with gout (a form of arthritis that affects nine men for every one woman) is caused by uric acid crystals collecting in the spaces around joints. Doctors may recommend a low-protein diet as part of the treatment in these situations.

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