Fact check: How much protein is healthy?

Research - Fact check: How much protein is healthy?

The key to a healthy diet and a slim figure is said to be a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein.

So it's no wonder that foods with a "high protein" label are becoming more popular. They offer extra protein and are therefore considered healthier, but are sometimes three times more expensive. Does this extra cost bring any added value? A fact check:

Claim: An increased protein intake is recommended.

Assessment: Experts are skeptical.

Facts: The German Nutrition Society (DGE ) advises adults to consume around 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight - regardless of gender. For a person weighing 70 kilograms, this would be around 56 grams of protein per day. For people over the age of 65, it is estimated to be 1.0 gram per kilogram.

It also makes sense to eat approximately these amounts with food because protein is vital. It is broken down in the body, which then uses it to produce muscles, enzymes and antibodies.

Germans usually achieve the recommended amounts through a balanced diet anyway. Susanne Klaus, Professor at the German Institute of Human Nutrition (Dife) in Potsdam-Rehbrücke, explains that foods with added protein are not necessary for an optimal intake. According to her, people in Germany eat almost twice as much protein as the DGE recommends.

DGE: Additional protein rarely makes sense and is sometimes harmful

According to the DGE, adult amateur athletes who train four to five times a week for 30 minutes at medium intensity do not need any additional protein. People who have a higher protein requirement due to their age or competitive sport could cover it with conventional protein-rich foods. Supplementing protein with special food supplements is only advisable for athletes in phases with particularly intensive or new training content and in the case of certain food intolerances.

Nutrition expert Dagmar von Cramm also points out that the wrong people in particular eat too much protein - namely young men who do not necessarily need it. In older people, on the other hand, an increased protein intake can help prevent age-related muscle loss.

It is unclear how an overdose works in the long term

According to the DGE, it is unclear whether an increased intake can generally be harmful for healthy adults. There are observations that show that even three to four times as much protein as is actually recommended can be harmless. However, it cannot be conclusively said whether such a high intake over a longer period of time remains completely without negative effects.

The DGE also writes that people who eat significantly more protein should also drink enough. This is because protein breakdown produces urea, among other things, which is excreted in the urine. Therefore, too much protein can also lead to further kidney damage in people with impaired kidney function.

Proteins from plant-based foods are healthier

According to the DGE, the fact that Germans eat so much protein is mainly due to their high meat consumption and their tendency to eat other animal products. It would be healthier to consume proteins from plant-based foods, says Professor Klaus. Lentils, beans and soy, for example, are particularly rich in protein.

This is because many animal-based foods contain ingredients that are not necessarily healthy: "Especially when I eat sausage, for example, there's a lot of animal fat in it and that has little or no omega-3 fatty acid - those essential healthy fatty acids," explains Klaus.

The situation is similar with some protein products. Nutrition expert von Cramm says that "high protein" products can also be deceptive if they contain hidden calories, sugar or fat. In addition, most of these foods are many times more expensive.

Protein porridge costs much more in comparison

Cramm calculates: 100 grams of protein porridge with 28 grams of protein cost 1.40 euros, while 100 grams of oat flakes with 13 grams of protein only cost 0.20 euros.

The nutrition expert points out that you can easily meet your protein requirements without special protein products and even without meat: "Baked potatoes with quark contain around 25 grams of protein. Two slices of wholemeal bread with peanut butter contain 15 grams, 150 grams of cooked lentils 14 grams. A person weighing 68 kg would have achieved their 54 grams of protein per day."

According to Dife Professor Klaus, she believes that high-protein products are mostly a marketing ploy: "The word 'high-protein' is not protected or precisely defined in any way."

Higher prices for high-protein products

From a market economy perspective, it can generally be said that the development of new products is associated with (high) costs, says Marlen Haß from the Thünen Institute for Market Analysis. "At the same time, consumers are obviously more willing to pay for these products, as they attribute a higher benefit to them."

All information on the dpa fact checks Contact page for the dpa fact check team