Why do people who eat a lot of protein need to pay attention to drinking water?

Protein does much more than just help muscles grow. At the cellular level, it helps repair tissues. The body also needs protein in the form of enzymes to aid digestion, muscle contraction, blood clotting, and energy production. Protein also contributes to the formation of many hormones, helping to keep skin and hair healthy, according to the health website Medical News Today (UK).

When you consume a lot of protein, your body needs more water to flush out the excess protein and nitrogen produced from protein metabolism.

When you eat carbohydrates, your body converts them into glycogen. Each gram of glycogen retains 3 grams of water. If you eat a lot of carbohydrates, your body retains a lot of water. However, the opposite is true for protein. Consuming too much protein can lead to dehydration.

The reason is that consuming too much protein can easily lead to protein excess. Furthermore, the body's protein metabolism produces nitrogen. Simultaneously eliminating both excess protein and nitrogen puts extra strain on the kidneys and increases water requirements.

A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that high-protein diets can cause subtle dehydration that we may not even notice.

In the study, five men were asked to follow a high-protein diet (3.6 grams/kg body weight per day), a moderate-protein diet (1.8 grams/kg body weight per day), and a low-protein diet (0.8 grams/kg body weight per day). The study lasted four weeks.

The research team recorded factors affecting body water content such as water intake, urination, blood urea levels, plasma osmolarity, urine specific gravity, and fluid balance. After eliminating influencing factors, the team found that high-protein diets caused greater dehydration compared to moderate and low-protein diets.

In fact, dehydration can affect your body even if you don't feel thirsty. For example, a craving for sweets could be a warning sign of dehydration. We need water to release stored energy, so when dehydrated, the body switches to using quickly absorbed energy sources like sugar. This results in a craving for sweets.

Dehydration can also cause headaches and difficulty concentrating. This is because the brain is capable of storing water and needs it to function properly. Instead of drinking a cup of coffee, try drinking some water.

Another sign of dehydration is fatigue. Dehydration reduces overall blood flow. This means your heart has to work harder, leading to feelings of tiredness, according to Medical News Today .

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