Diets with too much meat may cause health problems, low testosterone in men: study

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A new study suggests that having a diet with too much protein can cause serious health problems in men. This means that many low carbohydrate diets can have a negative effect on men's testosterone and cortisol.

Nutritionists Joseph Whittaker and Miranda Harris published their study in Nutrition and Health, an academic journal. The researchers compared the results between participants [adult men] partaking in a high carb diet and participants participating in a low-carb diet. In the low-carb diet, the missing calories were replaced with protein.

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A new study defined a high-protein diet as any diet that was made up of more than 35% of protein. (iStock)

For the study, a high protein diet was defined as a diet where more than 35% of the calories came from protein. A diet that was made up of less than 35% protein was considered a moderate-protein diet.

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There are two types of carbohydrates: complex and simple. Many diets recommend avoiding simple carbs and allowing for healthy amounts of complex carbs. (iStock)

Lead researcher Joseph Whittaker explained that there appeared to be a connection with eating too much protein and having lower levels of testosterone, the New York Post reported. High protein diets caused a condition he referred to as protein poisoning.

This condition occurs when the body breaks down too much protein, which results in high levels of ammonia, which then become toxic.

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People looking to avoid carbs often try to replace those missing calories with meat. (iStock)

Whittaker theorized that the reason why this causes low testosterone levels is that the body stops producing the hormone while it focuses on combating the protein poisoning.

There are benefits to eating a proper amount of protein, however. These include helping the body build muscle and feeling full for longer periods of time. Also, low-carb diets have shown positive results in previous studies and can be an effective method for losing weight, providing the dieter follows a healthy diet.