High-Protein Dangers
While high-protein diets are sometimes touted as health-conscious weight-loss solutions, they are associated with many risks. Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky warns that while high-protein diets are safe as short-term solutions, they can be dangerous when consumed over long periods of time. High-protein diets are associated with osteoporosis, liver disease, kidney stones, vitamin deficiency, constipation and other complications. Over an extended time period, high-protein diets can negatively affect brain chemistry, leading to depression and other mood disorders. To minimize risk, people with a history of mood disorders should avoid high-protein dieting, except under the advice of a qualified professional.
Protein and Serotonin
Judith J. Wurtman, a representative of the Nutrition and Behavior Studies Group of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, reported in 1996 that high-protein diets can adversely affect the levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in elevating mood. Wurtman told the Medical Tribune News Service that long-term consumption of a high-protein diet can decrease the brain's absorption of L-tryptophan, one of serotonin's amino acid precursors. These changes are generally subtle, but they can be very severe in people with a history of depression or seasonal affective disorder.
Deficiencies and Depression
Reduced-calorie diets, including high-protein diets, are frequently associated with depression due to an increased risk of vitamin deficiency. High-protein dieters eat fewer fruits, vegetables and whole grains than dieters following a more balanced regimen. In the absence of these nutritious foods, dieters may develop deficiencies in mood-regulating vitamins and minerals. Deficiencies in folic acid, inositol, magnesium and other nutrients may occur in strict high-protein dieters, and these drastically increase depression risk. With the advice of a doctor or nutritionist, some high-protein dieters may choose to take a multivitamin or L-tryptophan supplement to minimize the diet's affect on mood.
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