How much Protein is too much?
There’s a lot of debate about how much protein is actually too much. Often, this discussion leads to the topic of protein toxicity—how excess protein can overload the kidneys and liver, affecting overall health, especially in people who already have issues with their kidneys, liver, or insulin levels.
In simple terms, protein toxicity means consuming more protein than the body can use at a given time. But that’s a very general explanation and doesn’t really help us figure out what “too much” actually is—or how this process works.
Just saying, “You’re eating too much protein,” is too vague—and also misleading.
Too much of what exactly? Because different proteins contain different amino acids, and eating too much of certain types has very different effects than others.
To really understand protein toxicity, what causes it, and how to avoid it, we need to take a step back. Often, there’s a missing piece of the puzzle. And in this case, it’s a big one:
Protein toxicity doesn’t actually exist in the way most people think.
Here’s why: our bodies don’t use the protein we eat in its whole form. They use the amino acids that make up that protein. Without understanding this, we can’t really grasp what protein toxicity is, what causes it, or how much protein is too much.
Because what we’re really talking about when we say “protein toxicity” is actually amino acid toxicity.
The problem isn’t “too much protein”—it’s too much of the wrong amino acids in the wrong ratios. And that can cause real trouble.
Let’s take a closer look.
Protein Toxicity and How the Body Uses Protein
As we know, the body doesn’t use protein in the form we consume it. Protein is a long chain of amino acids, and there are about 20 different amino acids that can be arranged in countless ways to form different proteins.
When we eat protein, our digestive system breaks these chains apart, releasing free amino acids. These free amino acids are then used by the body to build new proteins—like muscle, bone, skin, cells, hormones, and more.
But for this to work, the body needs specific amino acids—the essential amino acids—in a precise ratio to one another. If even one of these is missing or present in the wrong amount, the body can’t build new proteins. And if there’s an excess of certain amino acids, the body can’t use those either.
That’s where protein toxicity comes in.
Excess amino acids don’t just get stored away or excreted. They have to be broken down in a complex process that produces toxic byproducts the body needs to handle.
It’s this breakdown process that burdens the liver and kidneys—not “too much protein,” but too many unused amino acids.
What Causes Protein Toxicity?
So, we eat protein, the body breaks it down into its amino acids, and these are then used to build new proteins. This is how we maintain and repair muscle, bone, skin, and other tissues.
As long as the body gets the right amino acids in the right ratios, there’s no problem. But when there are amino acids left over that the body can’t use, that’s when problems begin.
Unlike carbohydrates or fats, the body has no way of storing excess amino acids.
Carbs (sugars) are stored as glycogen or, when those stores are full, turned into body fat.
Fats are also stored as energy reserves.
But excess amino acids stay in the bloodstream for just a few hours before they need to be processed by the liver.
This is a complex process, but here’s what happens:
The amino acid skeletons are either burned directly for energy, turned into sugar, or converted into fat—these are the actual calories in protein.
But during this breakdown, nitrogen and ammonia are released, and both are toxic.
The liver combines these toxins into urea, which is then filtered out by the kidneys and excreted in the urine.
This process works fine when there aren’t too many excess amino acids. But when the load is too high, the liver and kidneys can’t keep up. They get overloaded, and that allows toxins like nitrogen and ammonia to remain in the body instead of being eliminated.
These toxins have widespread effects.
For example, bodybuilders who consume large amounts of protein sometimes have sweat or urine that smells like ammonia or chlorine. That’s the body trying to get rid of these toxins through the skin because the kidneys are overwhelmed.
This can lead to long-term problems—and in people with existing kidney or liver issues, it can become a serious health risk.
So How Do We Avoid This—and How Much Protein Is Too Much?
In the end, it’s not about how much protein you eat—it’s about how many of the amino acids from that protein your body can actually use. And that depends on two things:
1️⃣ You might simply be eating more protein than your body needs.
There are various recommendations—like 0.6 grams of protein per pound of body weight, or 1 gram, or even 1.5 grams. These recommendations depend on your goals:
Are you trying to lose body fat, maintain muscle, or build muscle?
How much protein you actually need depends on what you’re putting your body through—a two-hour workout requires more protein than a 30-minute session.
2️⃣ But the bigger issue is where your protein comes from.
Not all proteins are created equal.
Different protein sources contain different amounts and ratios of essential amino acids, and many have excess amino acids or non-essential amino acids the body can’t use.
BCAAs and single amino acids are the worst offenders. That’s why you often smell ammonia on people who take high doses of them.
Why? BCAAs are just three of the essential amino acids. But your body needs all of them at the same time to build new protein. If you’re only taking three, you get zero protein synthesis and 100% of those amino acids going straight into breakdown mode.
This is why BCAAs give you a burst of energy—they’re being turned into sugar or fat.
But that conversion process releases toxic ammonia and nitrogen, so you’d actually be better off eating the same number of calories from carbs—you’d get the energy without the waste products or the extra strain on your liver and kidneys.
Protein powders like whey, pea, soy, and collagen have the same problem.
They only provide enough of the essential amino acids in the correct ratios to support 10% to 18% of the protein you eat.
The remaining over 80% gets broken down, converted into sugar or fat, and releases ammonia and nitrogen that your body has to deal with.
Meat has about a 32% utilization rate, while whole eggs (yolk + white) are about 48%—the highest of any natural protein source.
If you want to cover your protein needs without the ammonia, nitrogen, or excess calories, you need just the essential amino acids in the right ratio—nothing more.
That’s exactly what Daminoc provides.
Five grams of Daminoc give you the same protein-building potential as 30 grams of whey, pea, soy, or collagen protein, 15 grams of meat, or two whole eggs—without the calories or the toxic waste.
By cutting out BCAAs and replacing protein powders with Daminoc, you eliminate a major source of extra calories and toxic byproducts.
In fact, many people with kidney issues use Daminoc because they can’t handle the nitrogen and ammonia from regular protein sources.
Daminoc gives your body the exact protein building blocks it needs—without the toxic leftovers.
If you want to meet your protein needs without the calorie load or the risk of protein toxicity, Daminoc is the answer because it is a copy of our own endogenous essential amino acids profile.