The hype around protein intake doesn’t seem to be going away.

Social media is full of people urging you to eat more protein, including via supplements such as protein shakes. Food companies have also started highlighting protein content on food packages to promote sales.

But is all the extra protein giving us any benefit — and can you have too much protein?

Protein’s important — but many eat more than they need

Eating enough protein is important. It helps form muscle tissue, enzymes and hormones, and it plays a role in immune function. It can also give you energy.

Australia’s healthy eating guidelines, penned by experts and backed by government, recommend we get 15–25 percent of our daily energy needs from protein.

Social media is obsessed with protein, but experts warn against overconsumption and the potential dangers of excess

The recommended daily intake of protein for adults is 0.84 grams per kilogramme (kg) of body weight for men and 0.75 grams per kg of body weight for women

This is about 76 grams per day for a 90-kg man or 53 grams per day for a 70-kg woman. (It’s a bit more if you’re over 70 or........

© Dawn (Magazines)