Consequences Of A Low-protein Diet

Protein is an important nutrient because it supplies amino acids, which are not found in carbohydrates or fat. Amino acids are crucial for many of your body's functions, explains online nutrition resource The Vegetarian Society. Amino acids help build muscle mass, promote cellular growth and repair, and form the enzymes that are vital to your body's metabolic processes. Because the amino acids in protein are so important, a low-protein diet can have several detrimental consequences.

Bone Loss

Although protein is most often associated with muscle, it also supports bone health. A low-protein diet may reduce your bone mass, leaving you more prone to injury. According to research published in the March 2003 issue of "The Journal of Nutrition," a low-protein diet may reduce your body's ability to absorb calcium, which is vital for bone structure. The researchers explain that low-protein diets may also increase your risk of bone loss, and they note that protein supplementation reduced the rate of bone loss by 50 percent.

Thinning Hair or Hair Loss

Another bodily process involving protein is hair growth. As the health information website TeensHealth explains, a protein called keratin produces the structure of hair. If you do not consume enough protein, your body cannot produce new hair and support existing hair, so you may experience thinning hair or hair loss.

Impaired Wound Healing

Protein and its amino acids are important in many of your body's cells, including blood cells and platelets. Lisa Cicciarello Andrews, a registered dietitian at the University of Cincinnati, explains that consuming inadequate levels of protein may result in impaired wound healing.

Edema

Andrews also explains that insufficient protein intake may result in edema. Edema is a condition that causes your hands, feet or abdomen to retain water, which gives an appearance of swelling. Edema may make you look as though you have a higher body fat percentage than you actually do.

Increased Risk of Infection

Protein and its amino acids also benefit immune system health, explains the website Fitness Depot. The website notes that inadequate protein intake may increase your risk of infections or viruses. Fitness Depot suggests that this risk is more prominent in athletes, as extreme amounts of exercise reduce the function of your immune system. Fitness Depot explains that because of their amino acid content, dairy products are a good choice for addressing immune function problems caused by low protein intake.