A high-protein diet increases your urinary output because your kidneys are forced to eliminate the ammonia that is a byproduct of protein metabolism. As noted by The Medical Biochemistry Page, ammonia is toxic, so it cannot be allowed to build up. Your body converts it to urea, which your body eliminates through your urine.
Protein Levels
High-protein diets for weight loss, which have attracted advocates since about the 1960s, typically involve consuming more protein foods and fewer carbohydrates. Because your body typically uses carbohydrate as its fuel, it must use another source of energy and will eventually start to break down your fat, thus helping you lose weight. A high-protein diet consists of at least 20 percent protein, according to Diet.com.
Ammonia
As noted by registered dietitian Marion Franz, you only require about 50 grams of dietary protein to replace what you lose every day. Your liver then removes nitrogen from the nonessential amino acids produced by the digestion of protein. Ammonia is formed, and the liver converts this to urea. When you eat high amounts of protein, your kidneys produce more urine to eliminate the extra ammonia. Also, the process of converting fat to glucose produces water molecules, which are also eliminated via the urine.
Urea Cycle
Your body does not store excess nitrogen. The urea cycle, which is facilitated by enzymes, exists for the sole purpose of eliminating excess nitrogen by forming urea. Under normal circumstances, your elimination of nitrogen by urination matches your dietary intake of nitrogen in the form of protein. However, when you consume more protein, the concentration of enzymes that drive the urea cycle increase to accommodate the increased nitrogen load. A deficiency in any of these enzymes and can result in clinical symptoms from excessive ammonia.
Additional Information
A high-protein diet is difficult to follow for very long. If you already have kidney problems, eating more protein may further weaken or damage your kidneys. In addition, high protein intake can lead to nutritional imbalances and physiological imbalances over time. If you are eating a lot of animal protein, your consumption of fat also increases, because all animal protein contains saturated fat as well as cholesterol.
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