Research
Micronutrients & recovery
High-protein diets (2-3x RDA) increase urinary calcium excretion and may predispose to bone loss, particularly with animal protein sources.
If you eat a lot of protein, especially meat, make sure you get enough calcium and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. This helps balance the acid load from protein and protects your bones. The risk is highest when protein intake is very high (2-3x the recommended amount).
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
From the available data, however, it is evident that the consumption of protein greater than two to three times the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance contributes to urinary calcium loss and may, in the long term, predispose to bone loss.
Why this rating
Based on short-term studies showing calcium loss, but long-term epidemiologic data is conflicting.
Source
High-protein Weight-loss Diets: Are They Safe and Do They Work? a Review of the Experimental and Epidemiologic Data
Julie Eisenstein et al. · Nutrition Reviews · 2002
DOI 10.1301/00296640260184264
narrative_reviewCited 299×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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