Negative Effects of Low Protein

Low protein diets may positively benefit individuals with kidney or liver disease, but for most people, protein is an important aspect of our body's ability to grow, repair tissue and preserve muscle. When the body isn't given enough protein, the negative effects include hair loss, stunted growth and wasting muscle.

Growth

• Children require more protein than adults, due to their rapid growth. Protein deficiency creates growth retardation. This is most common in Third World countries, where protein food sources are scarce.

Muscles

• When the body is low on protein, it enters starvation mode, wherein it pulls stores of protein from unnecessary systems for recycling. The muscles are among the first to experience protein withdrawal; as a result, muscles weaken, wasting. Muscle weakness is an early symptom of protein withdrawal.

Anemia

• On their website, the World Health Organization says that over 30% of the world's population is anaemic due to iron deficiency (as of September 2010) (see resource 2). Without iron, the body cannot make red blood cells (see resource 3).

Hair Loss

• Because the body doesn't deem hair a necessary body part, a body in starvation mode will deny hair protein. Hair requires the iron in protein to stay healthy, and without iron hair thins or turns brittle. This also is true of fingernails, which will result in split, thin nail.

Edema

• Edema, the swelling of abdomen, legs, feet and ankles due to fluid buildup is a painful effect of low protein. Protein holds water and salt in the blood vessels, and without protein, the fluid leaks into tissue, causing swelling.