Heart risk for middle-aged men on protein diets

eAtING a high-protein diet containing a lot of meat has been linked with an increased risk of heart failure in middle- aged men, researchers say.

the exact reasons are not known, but the scientists suggested that eating greater amounts of protein can result in higher blood pressure.

Men with high-protein diets such as body-builders are at the most risk, they said.

Only proteins from fish and eggs were not associated with the problem.

Lead author Jyrki Virtanen, of the University of eastern finland, said: ‘As many people seem to take the health benefits of high-protein diets for granted, it is important to make clear the possible risks and benefits of these diets.

‘earlier studies had linked diets high in protein – especially from animal sources – with increased risks of type 2 diabetes and even death.’

Heart failure is a serious longterm condition with no cure. It means the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly, causing breathlessness and chronic fatigue.

the failure is often caused by fats clogging up arteries, high blood pressure and conditions affecting the heart muscle known as cardiomyopathy.

the study – in American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation: Heart failure – followed 2,441 men aged 42 to 60, for 22 years. Researchers recorded their daily protein intake and 334 heart failure diagnoses.

Around 70 per cent of the protein consumed was from animal sources and 27.7 per cent from plant sources. Higher intake of protein from most dietary sources was associated with ‘slightly higher’ risk.

the scientists compared men who ate the most protein with those who ate the least.

they found risk of heart failure was 33 per cent higher for all sources of protein, 43 per cent higher for animal protein, 49 per cent higher for dairy protein, and 17 per cent higher for plant protein.

Study author Heli Virtanen said: ‘Despite the popularity of high protein diets, there is little research about how they might impact men’s heart failure risk. As this is one of the first studies reporting on the association between dietary protein and heart failure risk, more research is needed before we know whether moderating protein intake may be beneficial in the prevention of heart failure.’

the researchers said ‘with no cure, preventing heart failure through diet, lifestyle and more is vital’.

the American Heart Association recommends a diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, poultry, fish, beans, nontropical vegetable oils and nuts – and limits sweets, sugar-sweetened drinks and red meat.