Yes, you can eat too much protein. Here are the big health risks

If you’ve browsed the packaged food aisle of a grocery store, or scrolled your social media feed lately, you might think that when it comes to protein, more is better.

Packaged cereal, popcorn, pancake mix and coffee drinks are being infused with the nutrient. In the US, the Trump administration’s new inverted food pyramid features protein prominently, with steak, chicken and cheese at the top.

Protein is an essential nutrient. But more is not necessarily better, says Bettina Mittendorfer, a professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. And in some cases, eating much more than what nutrition experts recommend can come with some risks.

There isn’t a strict rule for how much protein is too much, experts say, and many people can exceed recommended amounts with no issues. But potential problems could arise when people ate much more than about1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, Mittendorfer said. Here are some of those concerns.

Most of the protein that Australians eat comes from meat and other animal products. In one study published in 2025, researchers found that animal foods accounted for nearly 55 per cent of people’s protein consumption.

Research suggests that those who eat larger amounts of red and processed meat tend to have higher risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to Dr Donald Hensrud, an associate professor of nutrition and preventive medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Minnesota.

In one large analysis published in 2023, for instance, researchers found that eating an extra 100 grams of red meat (equivalent to about one thin, boneless pork chop) a day increased the risk of heart disease by 11 per cent – and every additional 50 grams of processed red meat (equivalent to about one standard hot dog) a day increased it by 26 per cent. Another study, also published in 2023, found that among the nearly 217,000 (mostly female) participants, those who ate the most red meat had a 40 per cent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate the least, and that those who ate the most processed red meat had a 51 per cent higher risk.

Red and processed meats tend to contain high levels of saturated fats, which can raise blood levels of LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. These foods might also increase inflammation and insulin resistance, Hensrud said, which could raise the risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes as well.

Consuming excess red and processed meat could also increase the risk of ca