Like if I (a teen) eat 50 gram of protein in a day but I don’t use protein powder how is that any different than half of the protein I consume being whey protein (25/50 grams is protein powder) why is one ok and one apparently bad for your kidneys?
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your premise appears to be flawed. All the reliable sources I can find suggest that there is no proven link between protein powder and kidney damage, and nothing reliable suggests its bad for teens in specific.
There is the idea that you should be learning to eat a balanced diet without suplements, and embracing the joy of eating instead of choaking down protine shakes, but its just untested theory.
Protein is not bad for your kidneys if you have healthy kidneys. Protein can be hard on your kidneys if you have kidney damage, but eating protein won’t damage your kidneys.
Think of it like if you have a broken leg, then walking is bad for you. But if you don’t have a broken leg, then walking is good for you, and walking won’t make your legs break.
>Why is one ok and one apparently bad for your kidneys?
It’s not. Theoretically, there’s some amount of protein that can cause kidney harm, especially for someone not consuming enough water, but it’s *a lot*.
I’m not sure what you’re reading, but maybe there’s concern that someone can consume larger quantities of protein powder than they’re likely to consume eating meat, and teens can engage in goofy peer pressure driven behavior that older people are less likely to.
This person’s mom won’t buy them protein powder and she made up the excuse it’s bad for teenage kidneys.
Just make sure you don’t buy random cheap protein powders on the internet. They can contain heavy metals and other products that would make them worse than natural protein sources
I think you have to look at it over time as well. My brother was a fitness eater and exerciser from 15-54yo. Always weightlifting and protein shakes – occasional creatine in some years.
Also ate too much sodium from frozen foods.
He has kidney damage and had to completely change his diet.
As with most things, too much for too long can have negative outcomes.
Any powder is going to have an extraction method that might involve things like ethanol or butane. Take that under advisement.
Natural is always better.
Perhaps the issue stems from taking *too much*..
Too much of most things is just bad for you, you’ll be fine taking a few protein servings split over the whole day, but you might not have a great time taking serving after serving..
50g of protein in a day is not bad for you. 200g is not bad for you. Your body will get rid of the excess.
I think you are confusing protein shakes with an all protein diet (ketogenic) which can cause kidney damage. Eat a balanced diet and the powder will cause no harm.
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