8/11/2014

Too much protein in middle age 'as bad as smoking' - Medical News Today

Too much protein in middle age 'as bad as smoking'

Wednesday 5 March 2014 - 8am PST
Nutrition / Diet
Cancer / Oncology

MNT Featured
Academic Journal

Seniors / Aging

Two new studies conclude that low protein intake

may hold the key to a long and healthy life, at
least until old age. They also emphasize the need
to examine not only calories when deciding what
constitutes a healthy diet, but also where those
calories come from - such as whether protein is
animal or plant-based.
Another key finding is the suggestion that while a
high-protein diet may in the short term help people
lose weight and body fat, in the long term it may
harm health and reduce lifespan.
Both studies are published in the journal Cell
Metabolism.
The first study was led by Valter Longo, a professor at the University of Southern California, who
counts longevity and cell biology among his areas of expertise.
He and his colleagues showed that high protein consumption is linked to increased risk of cancer,
diabetes and death in middle-aged adults, although this was not the case for older adults who may
benefit from moderate protein consumption. Also, the effect is much reduced when the protein
comes from plant sources.
The second study was led by Stephen Simpson, a professor at the University of Sydney in Australia,
whose group works at the interface of physiology, ecology, and behavior. From studying mice, he
and his fellow authors concluded that diets low in protein and high in carbohydrates are linked to
the longest lifespans.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273533.php

1/5

8/11/2014

Too much protein in middle age 'as bad as smoking' - Medical News Today

Both studies suggest it is not just calories, but also diet composition - particularly in terms of
amount and type of protein - that may determine the length and health of a lifespan.
Prof. Longo says:

"We studied simple organisms, mice and humans, and provide convincing evidence that a
high- protein diet - particularly if the proteins are derived from animals - is nearly as bad
as smoking for your health."

High-protein diet had highest risk, except in older adults

In their study, Prof. Longo and colleagues analyzed data on over 6,800 American adults who took
part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III, a US national survey that
assesses health and diet.
They found that:
Participants aged 50 and over who
said they ate a high-protein diet were
four times more likely to die from
cancer or diabetes, and twice as
likely to die from any cause, in the
following 18 years.
Those who consumed moderate
amounts of protein had a three-fold
higher chance of dying of cancer.
These effects either reduced or
disappeared altogether among
participants whose high-protein diet
was mainly plant-based.

The researchers found that consuming a high-protein diet in

middle age significantly increases the likelihood of dying from
cancer or diabetes.

However, in those aged 65 and over,

the effect was nearly the opposite high protein intake was linked to a
60% reduced risk of dying from
cancer and a 28% reduced risk of dying from any cause, with similar effects for moderate
protein intake.

The researchers defined a high-protein diet as one where at least 20% of the calories consumed
come from protein.

Growth hormone, amino acid damage, ability to process protein may be key
factors
The team suggests, because of evidence from other studies, that growth hormone and the growth
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273533.php

2/5

8/11/2014

Too much protein in middle age 'as bad as smoking' - Medical News Today

factor IGF-1 may be responsible for these effects, as Prof. Longo explains:
"Notably, the activity of these factors, but also body weight, declines naturally with aging, which
may explain why older people not only did not benefit but appeared to do worse if they ate a
low-protein diet."
Cell experiments have suggested the amino acids that proteins are made of can reduce cellular
protection and increase damage to DNA, both of which might explain why high-protein intake is
linked to cancer.
Also, experiments in mice have shown that the body's ability to process protein declines with age.

Researchers trialed 25 different diets in hundreds of mice

In the second study, Prof. Simpson and his group trialed the effects of 25 different diets on
hundreds of mice to see how different amounts and types of proteins, fats and carbohydrates
affected energy intake, metabolic health, aging and lifespan.
They discovered that:
Mice on diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates had reduced food intake and lower
levels of body fat, but they also died earlier and had poorer cardiometabolic health.
Mice on low-protein, high-fat diets had the poorest health and shortest lifespans.
The healthiest, longest living mice were those on diets high in carbohydrates and low in protein
- this was in spite of increased food intake and having higher levels of body fat.
A calorie-restricted diet did not increase lifespan - which is contrary to evidence from previous
studies on mice, other animals, yeast and worms that show calorie restriction lengthens life as
long as supplemented with essential nutrients.
Prof. Simpson says:

"We have shown explicitly why it is that calories aren't all the same - we need to look at
where the calories come from and how they interact. This research has enormous
implications for how much food we eat, our body fat, our heart and metabolic health, and
ultimately the duration of our lives."

He and his colleagues suggest the ideal diet for a long and healthy life is one with moderate
amounts of high-quality protein, low in fat, and high in complex carbohydrates.
Meanwhile, Medical News Today recently learned of a study by researchers at the University of
Granada in Spain that found high-protein diets may increase risk of kidney disease.
Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273533.php

3/5

8/11/2014

Too much protein in middle age 'as bad as smoking' - Medical News Today

View all articles written by Catharine, or follow her on:

Copyright: Medical News Today

Not to be reproduced without the permission of Medical News Today.

References
Low Protein Intake Is Associated with a Major Reduction in IGF-1, Cancer, and Overall Mortality in the 65 and
Younger but Not Older Population; Morgan E. Levine, Jorge A. Suarez, Sebastian Brandhorst, Priya
Balasubramanian, Chia-Wei Cheng, Federica Madia, Luigi Fontana, Mario G. Mirisola, Jaime Guevara-Aguirre,
Junxiang Wan, and others; Cell Metabolism online 4 March 2014; DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2014.02.006; Abstract.
The Ratio of Macronutrients, Not Caloric Intake, Dictates Cardiometabolic Health, Aging, and Longevity in Ad
Libitum-Fed Mice; Samantha M. Solon-Biet, Aisling C. McMahon, J. William O. Ballard, Kari Ruohonen, Lindsay E. Wu,
Victoria C. Cogger, Alessandra Warren, Xin Huang, Nicolas Pichaud, Richard G. Melvin, and others; Cell Metabolism
online 4 March 2014; DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2014.02.009; Abstract.
Additional source: Cell Press press release via EurekAlert, 4 March 2014.

Suggested Reading
You may be interested in these related articles

High Sodium, Low

Potassium Intake
Tied To Higher Risk
Of Death In US

High Protein Diet

May Shrink Brain Say
Alzheimer's
Researchers

Protein That Slows

Aging May Protect
Against Diabetes

Add your opinion to this article

Join the discussion on "Too much protein in middle age 'as bad as smoking'" with other
healthcare professionals, patients and members of the general public.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273533.php

4/5

8/11/2014

Too much protein in middle age 'as bad as smoking' - Medical News Today

This page was printed from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273533.php

Visit www.medicalnewstoday.com for medical news and health news headlines posted throughout the day, every
day.

2004-2014 All rights reserved. MNT is the registered trade mark of MediLexicon International Limited.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273533.php

5/5