On a regular grocery shopping trip, I am greeted by high-protein everything. High-protein milk, high-protein ice cream and high-protein … water? And, admittedly, if I’m not playing the role of a marketing-conscious consumer, high-protein ice cream gets a double take. In fact, maybe that extra protein somehow negates its otherwise undesirable nutritional makeup.

America’s obsession with protein is not new. But the International Food Information Council’s 2024 Food & Health Survey suggests that the hunger for protein has become even more pronounced in recent years, perhaps due to American adults’ extensive exposure to food and nutrition content on social media, especially among Gen Z and millennials. The viral “TikTok meal,” a spread of the leanest of steaks, two or three runny-yolk eggs and some mashed avocado on a cutting board, as well as high-protein recipes abundant with cottage cheese, make their occasional appearances on my “For You Page.” If your social media algorithms share any similarities with mine, you might have asked yourself whether or not you should be stocking up on cottage cheese (which has seen a 16% boost in dollar sales in the U.S. from 2023 to 2024). Should you be eating more protein?

Protein is a macromolecule alongside carbohydrates, nucleic acids and fats and is a necessary nutrient for replenishing amino acids, some of the building blocks of our cells. Therefore, not consuming enough protein can lead to muscle loss, an impaired immune system, fatigue and brittle hair and nails. However, the average person in the U.S. and Canada consumes 90 grams of protein a day, which is 1/5 more than the official recommended amount — 0.36 grams per pound of body weight (assuming the average American adult). Only a few studies robustly indicate that high protein intake is beneficial, and any benefits associated are small. Given the abundance of protein in the typical American diet, you probably consume more than enough protein already. That high-protein tag on your morning cereal is likely redundant.

Though, if you are looking to gain muscle, more protein can support your body in building lean body mass, given that your muscles are also getting the proper stimulation that it needs to grow. While consuming more protein does have benefits up to a point, they eventually taper off. The exact threshold for these diminishing returns isn’t universally agreed upon, but one widely cited systematic review suggests it occurs around 0.72 grams of protein per pound of body weight. To complicate matters further, strength training may suppress typical reductions in muscle gains when protein intake exceeds that threshold. 

Can excessive protein intake be harmful then? One review article concludes that high intake from protein sources such as red and processed meat is associated with increased risks of diabetes, cancers and cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, vegetable proteins show opposite, inverse correlations for cardiovascular disease risks and other health benefits. The same review assessed that most disease associations with high protein intake are inconclusive — suggestive at best. But inconclusive means that the research conclusions are unsettled as to whether or not high protein intake has adverse health effects and that the point of “too much protein” is not established. Chronic high protein intake should probably be avoided, especially when weighed against the marginal benefits, as an excessively high-protein diet for long periods of time is not worth any risk — even if not substantial.

Moreover, if you are chasing an unreasonable protein goal, you may be unintentionally consuming calories in excess or neglecting other important nutrients. Making healthy choices is unfortunately not as simple as choosing the option that is higher in protein. The high-protein label is not the indicator of health that social media would have you believe it to be. The next time you shop for groceries, try to remember that there are more consequential health concerns and look past the protein labels.

A version of this article appeared on p.8 of the May. 1, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.