You Piss A Lot. And That's Okay
Dr. Lowery is doing some work right now on kidney function and he's noticed something interesting in his research.

It seems that "protein-seekers" — which is apparently geek-speak for people who eat a lot of protein — have a much higher urine output than non-protein seekers, dudes who don't eat much protein.

"Average urine output is supposed to be about 1.2 liters daily, maybe 1.5 liters," says Lowery, who's the kinda guy who knows stuff like that, like, right off the top of his head. (It's eerie.)

"Well, the guys in this study who are averaging 250 grams a day of protein are bringing me 3 and 4 liters a day, sometimes hitting 3 liters in only twelve hours!"

Devil's advocate mode again for me: "Well, are they getting a lot of this protein from shakes and therefore just consuming more water?"

"I'm able to look at the urine-specific gravity and see how dilute it is. So I can adjust for this to some extent. Either way: high-protein eaters have a much higher urine output. They're filling up all the containers we provide them! And it's not just the fluid volume that's doing it."

Now, is this a bad thing? Well, for decades there's been something out there called the Brenner Hypothesis. Basically, it states that all this extra filtration, this urine production, is "hard on the kidneys." It causes extra work.

"That's speculation!" says Lowery. "Asking a tissue to do extra work does not equal 'damage.' It does not 'ruin' it. Think about your biceps. When you ask it to do extra work does it ruin it? No, it adapts, it gets better! It's silly to think that your kidneys would get seriously damaged if you ask them to create extra urine. Although not definitive, I see no damage in my studies. And mind you, we're talking about a mean intake of 250 grams per day for over 10 years." (3)

Now, I don't know about TMuscle readers, but I'm glad to hear this. Pharmaceutical ads on TV tell us every day that peeing a lot is a sure sign that we need their latest wonder drug because frequent urination is a bad sign. Well, it can be (prostate issues, etc.), but it seems it can also be a sign of simply eating a high-protein, gym-monkey diet.

Add caffeine and, well, there ya go. Literally.