High protein gets low marks - adverse health effects of high-protein diets - Brief Article

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2002

High-protein diets took another hit from the American Heart Association, which has previously criticized popular plans such as the Atkins, Zone and Stillman diets. "High-protein diets aren't proven effective for long-term weight loss," according to an AHA Nutrition Committee advisory, published in the journal Circulation. While such diets may result in "a quick drop in weight because eliminating carbohydrates causes a loss of body fluids," they also keep the body from completely burning fat and lead to a condition called ketosis.

The initial weight loss is unlikely to be sustained, declares the AHA, and long-term dieting may result in health problems. High-protein diets tend to lack nutritional balance and be higher in saturated fat, which can lead to hypertension, heart disease and some cancers. "This is why the American Heart Association urges most adults to limit fat intake to no more than 30 percent of total daily calories, less than 10 percent of which should be saturated fat," says study author Robert Eckel, M.D.