Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels

Bar chart of daily protein intake in grams per kilogram for adults with healthy kidneys, from 0.8 at the RDA floor to 2.0 for trained adults

Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels

Is Too Much Protein Bad for Your Kidneys? What Research Shows

by Mo Mandegar, PhD on May 28 2026
The protein-kidney warning has shadowed nutrition advice for decades, but the modern evidence base tells a clearer story. For adults with healthy kidneys, a meta-analysis of 28 controlled trials found no change in kidney function across the safe upper range, up to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. The caveat is real but specific: it applies to people with diagnosed chronic kidney disease, not to the general healthy-adult population.