NEW YORK – If you have browsed the packaged-food aisle of a grocery store lately, or scanned the updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you might think that when it comes to protein, more is better.

Packaged cereal, popcorn, pancake mix and coffee drinks are being infused with the nutrient. And the new inverted food pyramid, released by the Trump administration in January, features protein prominently, with steak, chicken and cheese at the top.

Research suggests that most US adults are eating far more protein than is needed for good health. And according to a 2025 survey of 3,000 US adults, 71 per cent said they were trying to eat more – up from 59 per cent in 2022.

Protein is an essential nutrient. But more is not necessarily better, said Bettina Mittendorfer, a professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.

And in some cases, eating much more than what nutrition experts recommend can come with some risks.

There is no strict rule for how much protein is too much, experts say, and many people can exceed recommended amounts with no issues. But potential problems can arise when people eat much more than around 1.2g of protein per kg of body weight per day, Mittendorfer said. Here are some of those concerns.

Most of the protein that Americans eat comes from meat and other animal products. In one study published in 2021, researchers from the Department of Agriculture found that animal foods (including beef, chicken and cured meat) accounted for nearly 70 per cent of people’s protein consumption.

Research suggests that those who eat larger amounts of red and processed meat tend to have higher risks of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, said Donald Hensrud, an associate professor of nutrition and preventive medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

In one large analysis published in 2023, for instance, researchers found that eating an extra 100g of red meat (equivalent to about one thin, boneless pork chop) per day increased the risk of heart disease by 11 per cent – and e...