Is there any Drawbacks for Using Protein Shakes?

Protein shakes are the most common nutritional supplement that gymanist use. When the professor mentioned the nutrition supplement that gymanist use I started wondering if there are any drawbacks for the protein shakes that I use 3 times at least in daily bases. I started my investigation by asking some of my friends who are body builders for almost 3 years or more. "It is just a dietary supplement, I am using them for 3 years and nothing happened to me (Algahtani, Ahmed)." Also, some of my friends told me exactly the opposite. They told me that it's extremely dangerous because it is not a natural supplement, and I must stop using them immediately.

Of course, a bodybuilders experience may be a very good source. However, it wasn't enough for me, so I started looking in the internet articles. One of the drawbacks that I found was the fact that most protein shakes contain a lot of sugar. The taste of protein is unpleasant flavor that can be difficult to mask. Therefore, companies add a huge amount of sugar to make it taste better. What is more, Mayo Clinic report "too much protein in the diet can be dangerous for those with kidney or liver disease. Excess nitrogen created by protein is filtered through the liver and kidneys. It can cause kidney stones and other complications for those who already have chronic problems". Finally, some protein shakes according to Katherine Zeratsky made with full-fat dairy products, which can elevate levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in the human body.

Overall, the answer for my question is still controversial. There are many advantages for protein shakes, and as I can see most disadvantages are affecting certain people. I think that choosing the right protein shake, and not making the diet based on it can be a solution to avoid all the drawbacks.


Sources :
1) Russo, Juinper. "Negative effects of protein shakes". Live Stronger. Mar 31, 2011. Web. 28 Oct 2013.
2) Ray, Lenda. "The disadvantages of protein shakes" Live Stronger. Mar 13 2011. Web. 28 Oct 2013.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/198253-negative-effects-of-protein-shakes/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/84141-disadvantages-protein-shakes/