How to safely increase levels of protein in your diet
NORTH HATLEY
St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 640 Sherbrooke Road in North Hatley. 9 a.m. Eucharist Service every 1st and 3rd Sunday; Morning Prayer Service (Liturgy of the Word) every 2nd and 4th Sunday. 819-842-2686.
SHERBROOKE
Sunday, November 12 at 11:00 a.m. the Church of the Advent, 473 Bowen St. S., Sherbrooke, welcomes you to a service of Morning Prayer with a lay reader presiding.
Presbyterian LENNOXVILLE
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 256 Queen St., Lennoxville, 819-569-3100, Sundays: 10:30 a.m. Worship and Sunday School.
United AYER’S CLIFF - MAGOG
Ayer’s Cliff - Magog - Georgeville Pastoral Charge welcomes everyone for Sunday service at Beulah United Church in Ayer’s Cliff - Worship service and Sunday School 9:15 a.m. and St. Paul’s United Church, Magog - Worship Service and Sunday School 11:15 a.m. with lunch provided each Sunday following the service in Magog. Minister: Rev. Lee Ann Hogle 819-571-7233.
LENNOXVILLE
Lennoxville United Church, corner of Queen and Church Street, welcomes you to worship with Jamie Crooks on Sunday, November 12 at 10:00. Children are always welcome. 819-565-8449; website -lennoxvilleunitedchurch.com
SHERBROOKE
Plymouth-trinity United Church, corner of Dufferin and Terrill, phone: 819-3466373, and the church’s website is: www.plymouthtrinitychurch.org. Sunday, November 12 is Remembrance Sunday. Worship service in English at 10:30 a.m. with a traditional act of remembrance. We also have a worship service in French at 9 a.m. Welcome to all! Notre service en français se tient à 9 h. Bienvenue à tout le monde! The Rev. Samuel V. Dansokho, minister.
WATERVILLE/NORTH HATLEY
Waterville/north Hatley United Church, Sunday, November 12, 11 a.m. Service with Rev. Mead Baldwin. Sunday School. Rev. Mead Baldwin 819-837-1112.
ASK THE DOCTORS By Eve Glazier, M.D., and Elizabeth Ko, M.D.
Dear Doctor: I recently read about a woman who died from a protein overdose. Is it really possible to have too much protein? How much are we supposed to be eating?
Dear Reader: We remember the news story you’re referring to as it caused quite a stir. A bodybuilder from Australia, who had put herself on a highprotein diet in order to prepare for a competition, was found unconscious in her home. She passed away two days later.
Although the cause of death was listed as “intake of bodybuilding supplements,” the story is actually more complicated. An autopsy revealed that the woman had a rare genetic condition that made it impossible for her body to efficiently digest protein. Known as urea cycle disorder, it’s a deficiency in one of the enzymes in the liver that scrubs the blood of nitrogen, a waste product of protein metabolism.
When the urea cycle is functioning properly, nitrogen is removed from the blood, converted to urea, and transferred to the urine for elimination. But in individuals with urea cycle disorder, the nitrogen accumulates in the tissues in the form of ammonia, which is extremely toxic. Ammonia is carried through the blood to the brain, where irreparable damage can occur.
Though there is no cure at this time, the condition can be managed through diet and various medications and supplements. In the case of the bodybuilder, her disorder was undiagnosed. It had been mild enough that, when she ate normally, she didn’t have any serious problems. However, when she upped her protein intake to prepare for the competition, she inadvertently pushed her body beyond the limits of what it could manage. As a result, the ammonia in her blood reached fatal levels.
When it comes to recommendations on how much protein we should eat, there is a bit of debate. According the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) in the United States, it’s 0.8 gram of protein for every kilogram of weight. And for us in the non-metric U.S., that’s 0.36 grams of protein per pound of weight. Age and activity level play a part as well. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a nifty online calculator online at: www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactivedri/.
Most of us who eat a balanced diet will have no problem meeting the RDA for protein. For very active individuals, elite athletes, or those working to lose weight or build muscle, more protein may be advisable. On the other side of the spectrum, people living with kidney disease must take care not to eat too much protein. A high-protein diet can impair kidney function due to the increase in waste products from protein metabolism.
Some nutrition researchers believe the RDA for protein should be increased to slightly more than the current recommendations. Until that debate gets resolved, the RDA is our best guide. For anyone who wants to increase his or her protein intake, we recommend consulting with a nutritionist or sports medicine specialist for information and guidance.
Eve Glazier, M.D., MBA, is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Elizabeth Ko, M.D., is an internist and primary care physician at UCLA Health.