Limiting your diet to low-carbohydrate, protein-rich foods is a technique promoted by numerous diets for rapid weight loss without the need for calorie restriction. Proponents of the diets, which are also called high-protein or "low-carb" diets, believe that restricting carbohydrates lowers your insulin levels, causing your body to burn fat for energy. Although the diets can cause temporary weight loss and enhance appetite control, according to MayoClinic.com, they also pose dangerous risks. Before starting a high-protein diet, consult your doctor or dietitian.
Impaired Kidney Function
Although the long-term health risks of high-protein diets remain unknown, diets high in animal protein are associated with gradual reduced kidney function, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. These risks are particularly high if you already have impaired kidney health, which affects as many as 25 percent of adults in the United States and 40 precent of people with diabetes, or have high blood pressure. Because kidneys help keep your blood and body clean and chemically balanced, poorly functioning kidneys can lead to buildup of waste in your blood, anemia, weak bones, high blood pressure, poor nutritional health and nerve damage.
Kidney Stones
Animal-derived protein sources, like meat and seafood, are high in purines -- substances that increase uric acid production in your body. As your uric acid levels increase, your risk for uric acid-containing kidney stones is heightened. The American Academy of Family Physicians blames excessive animal protein consumption for the high prevalence of kidney stones in the United States. While some kidney stones pass easily, without causing symptoms, they can cause pain so intense it's been compared to childbirth.
Gout
Gout is a painful form of arthritis that can occur suddenly, in episodes known as gout attacks, or over time. Eating fewer than 130 grams of carbohydrate per day can cause buildup of ketones, or partially broken-down fats, in your blood, according to the Weight-control Information Network. This, too, can cause high uric acid levels -- a significant risk factor for gout. If you already have gout, eating all protein-rich food can trigger or worsen flareups.
Ketosis
When ketones buildup in your blood, your body is in a state of ketosis. Ketosis is an unnatural state associated with serious diseases, like diabetes. Its symptoms include sluggishness, exhaustion, constipation, gas, excessive urination and bad breath. If you are pregnant or have kidney disease or diabetes, ketosis is particularly dangerous, according to WIN.
Emotional Risks
Restrictive diets are notorious for causing irritability. According to Psychology Today, low-carbohydrate dieters also exhibit unusually high feelings of depression, anger and tension. "It's call the Atkins attitude. It's very well documented," said Judith Wurtman, a psychologist and director of the Women's Health Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Without sufficient amounts of carbohydrates, your brain cannot produce the feel-good brain chemical serotonin properly, which increases your risk for depression.
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