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Protein poisoning (also referred to colloquially as rabbit starvation, mal de caribou, or fat starvation) is an acute form of malnutrition caused by a diet deficient in fat and carbohydrates, where almost all bioavailable calories come from the protein in lean meat.[1][2] The concept is discussed in the context of paleoanthropological investigations into the diet of ancient humans, especially during the Last Glacial Maximum and at high latitude regions.[3][4]
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The term rabbit starvation originates from the fact that rabbit meat is very low in fat, with almost all of its caloric content from the amino acids digested out of skeletal muscle protein, and therefore is a food which, if consumed exclusively, would cause protein poisoning.[4] The reported symptoms include initial nausea and fatigue, followed by diarrhea and ultimately death.[4]
Physiology
editThe U.S. and Canadian Dietary Reference Intake review for protein mentions "rabbit starvation", but concluded that there was not sufficient evidence by 2005 to establish a tolerable upper intake level, i.e., an upper limit for how much protein can be safely consumed.[5]
According to Bilsborough and Mann in 2006, protein intake is mainly restricted by the urea cycle, but deriving more than 35% of energy needs from protein leads to health problems.[6] They suggested an upper limit of 25% or 2-2.5 g/kg, "corresponding to 176 g protein per day for an 80 kg individual", but stated that humans can theoretically use much larger amounts than this for energy.[6] For arctic hunter-gatherers, the amount can seasonally increase to 45%.[7]
See also
edit
- Atkins diet
- Carnivore Diet - Meat based diet
- Country food / Inuit diet – Traditional diet of the Inuit and many other Canadian indigenous peoples
- Christopher McCandless - possibly a protein poisoning victim
- Dukan Diet
- Kwashiorkor – Disease resulting from sufficient caloric intake with very low protein content
- Low-carbohydrate diet
- Marasmus – Disease caused by inadequate caloric intake
- Montignac diet
- Protein Power
- Protein toxicity – Damage caused by buildup of protein metabolic waste products in the bloodstream
- Proteopathy – Damage caused by misfolded proteins
- Scarsdale diet
- Stillman diet
- Sugar Busters!
- Zone diet
References
edit- ^ Cordain L, Miller JB, Eaton SB, Mann N, Holt SH, Speth JD (March 2000). "Plant-animal subsistence ratios and macronutrient energy estimations in worldwide hunter-gatherer diets". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 71 (3): 682–692. doi:10.1093/ajcn/71.3.682. ISSN 0002-9165. PMID 10702160.
- ^ Hosfield R (2016-10-02). "Walking in a Winter Wonderland? Strategies for Early and Middle Pleistocene Survival in Midlatitude Europe". Current Anthropology. 57 (5): 653–682. doi:10.1086/688579. ISSN 0011-3204. S2CID 162879417.
- ^ Hardy BL (2010-03-01). "Climatic variability and plant food distribution in Pleistocene Europe: Implications for Neanderthal diet and subsistence". Quaternary Science Reviews. 29 (5): 662–679. Bibcode:2010QSRv...29..662H. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.11.016. ISSN 0277-3791. Archived from the original on 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- ^ a b c Fiorenza L, Benazzi S, Henry AG, Salazar-García DC, Blasco R, Picin A, Wroe S, Kullmer O (2015). "To meat or not to meat? New perspectives on Neanderthal ecology". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 156 (S59): 43–71. doi:10.1002/ajpa.22659. hdl:10550/42057. ISSN 1096-8644. PMID 25407444. Archived from the original on 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- ^ Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids, Institute of Medicine. National Academy Press, 2005, doi:10.17226/10490, ISBN 978-0-309-08525-0, archived from the original on 2019-08-14, retrieved 2021-01-09
- ^ a b Bilsborough S, Mann N (April 2006). "A review of issues of dietary protein intake in humans". International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 16 (2): 129–52. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.16.2.129. PMID 16779921. S2CID 10339366.
25% of energy requirements at approximately 2 to 2.5 g · kg−1 · d−1, corresponding to 176 g protein per day for an 80 kg individual.
- ^ Lahtinen M, Clinnick D, Mannermaa K, Salonen JS, Viranta S (December 2021). "Excess protein enabled dog domestication during severe Ice Age winters". Scientific Reports. 11 (1): 7. Bibcode:2021NatSR..11....7L. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-78214-4. PMC 7790815. PMID 33414490.
Further reading
edit- Speth JD (2010). "The Other Side of Protein". The Paleoanthropology and Archaeology of Big-Game Hunting. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology. pp. 45–85. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-6733-6_4. ISBN 978-1-4419-6732-9.