Protein
Basic Information about Protein in the Human Body
Protein is the steel of the body. Protein is used in some form throughout the body to strengthen and create cells, regulate body functions, and sustain human life. Protein is a collection of amino acids. These amino acids are like the core materials of steel. The different blends of amino acids will give the protein in the body different characteristics; all of these differences are determined by the blue prints of the body. The DNA codes will help to shape and create different proteins to perform a myriad of tasks in the human body. Everything that the body does has something to do with the proteins constructed to perform each and every task. The human body really is a combination and creation of protein.
Proteins are made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and folded into a globular form. This folding is normally due to different chemical bonding, peptide bodings, existing from the different amino acids in the protein. The sequence of amino acids in a protein is defined by the sequence of a gene. This sequence of the gene is determined by the DNA which has been accessed to create the protein. In most of the protein there are twenty standard amino acids use; however, there are some codes which do use more.
Every cell in the human body contains protein. Protein can be found in the muscles, organs, glands, and skin in the body. There is also protein in all of the bodily fluids of the body except for urine and bile. Protein is what the body uses in order to grow. Protein is used to help repair cells when they are damaged, or simply to create a new cell.
How Much Protein Does a Person Need in Their Diet?
There are many ready sources of protein for humans to consume. These sources of protein will help to power the human body. There are certain times in a person’s life when they will require more protein. During childhood and adolescence it is important for a person to have enough protein to allow their bodies to reach their full growth potential. For women it is important to have enough protein during the pregnancy, and when they are lactating to help their children to grow properly.
There are many consequences of people not having enough protein in their diet. There are many countries in the world that don’t have enough protein in their standard diet. These countries have higher amounts of protein deficient diseases and disorders. The foods in these countries are normally supplemented with additional protein, and this supplementation is normally sufficient for the people to have enough protein in their diets.
There has been some debate over the proper amount of protein to be consumed in a normal diet. There have been limits placed on the amount of protein needed to avoid suffering from a deficiency. Women aged 19 - 70 need to consume 46 grams of protein per day, and men aged 19 – 70 need to consume 56 grams of protein per day, according to the US/Canadian Dietary Reference Intake Guidelines, to avoid a deficiency.
While the amount of protein recommended will help a person to avoid the consequences of a deficiency; however, this is only for the structural problems which occurs in the body when it is facing a lack of protein. This means the body still requires a higher level of protein in order to have sufficient for metabolic digestion. The extra amount of protein which a person needs beyond that needed to avoid a structural deficiency is hotly debated. Especially with the rise of high protein diets, and the new information this has been discovered regarding carbohydrates in the human system. A conservative estimate is that a person should at the maximum have 25% of their total caloric intake come from protein sources. Those who set this limit believe that any additional protein would have a more detrimental effect on the body out weighting any potential benefits which the additional protein might have on the human system.
Food Sources of Protein
There are many items of food which are very high in natural protein. There are two groups of proteins when talking about foods sources of protein—complete and incomplete proteins.
The nine essential amino acids make up the complete proteins. The nine essential amino acids are amino acids which cannot be produced in the body and must come exclusively from a diet, the nine are: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Two of these essential amino acids are poorly represented in most plants; therefore, it is recommended that vegetarians seek out sources of amino acids which contain a proper amount of all essential amino acids.
The sources of complete carbohydrates include animal foods—meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk byproducts (yogurt, cheese, butter, etc). The only plant source which is considered to contain all the essential amino acids is soybeans.
Incomplete proteins are also made up of amino acids, but lack one or more of the essential amino acids which the body is unable to produce. Source which are high in incomplete protein include: beans, peas, nuts, seeds, and grains. Most vegetable sources of protein contain incomplete protein, but plants can be combined together to become a compete protein. There are some combination of plant proteins which make up a large portion of the protein consumption in many nations. Examples of combination plant proteins include: rice and beans, wheat cereals, wheat breads, and corn and beans. These combination of vegetables will provide a person with sufficient protein in order to function without meat. It is recommended that vegetarians try to combine their different proteins they consume in order to get enough proteins in their daily diet.
Weight Loss and Protein
There has been a lot made in recent years about diets which are high in protein helping individuals to lose weight. There have been studies which indicate people who are obese obtaining a higher amount of their caloric intake from sources of protein actually have a more success with losing weight. In these studies a person will get 25% of their caloric intake from protein sources. All of these individuals had more weight loss success in comparison to those who ate a more traditional diet. There have also been studies showing that women in particular who consume a higher percentage of protein to carbohydrates will also have greater weight loss success than those women consuming a higher carbohydrate diet.
These results are limited to a healthy diet which incorporates protein. There are many problems with extremely high protein diets which don’t incorporate enough vitamin and minerals. There are also problems with eating too much protein without taking in enough liquids into the body. A high protein diet can also be deceptive with the weight loss which occurs in the body. High protein diets can simply flush out much of the water weight which is contained in the body. Many of the high protein fad diets will flush out the water weight from the body, and it is nearly impossible for a person to maintain that weight loss over long periods of time. Once a person stops the high protein diet their body will almost instantly regain the additional water weight.
Weight Training and Protein
Another aspect of the how much protein is the right amount of protein debate is those people who are actively engaged in strenuous physical activities. There have been studies showing that for athletes or those people who will weight train daily to function properly they need higher amounts of protein in their diet. Protein as explained above is the structural component of the body, every cell in the body is made up of different strands of amino acids and proteins. When the cells in the body need to be repaired the body uses protein to make the repairs. A person needs protein in their body in order to increase their muscle mass.
Muscles are constructed through the tearing of muscle fibers. As the fibers of the body are torn through exertion the body will build new muscle fibers further expanding the overall mass of the muscles in the body. Protein is the building block the body uses to create new muscle mass. An insufficient amount of protein in the body will lead to a structural deficiency in athletes or people who weight train and this protein deficiency will lead to a lack in overall muscle growth or performance.
How People Add Protein to Their Diet
Those people who are actively looking to expand the muscle mass in their bodies should consider adding a protein supplement to their diet. A good protein supplement will be able to help the body to fill in the gaps in the muscle growth, and also help the body to build strong lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is ideal for any person who is looking to add muscle to their body without adding large amounts of bulk. The lack of bulk and addition of strength is good for an athlete who is looking for quick explosive movements. A lack of bulk is also good for those people wishing to add muscle mass without gaining overall weight.
Lean muscle mass is ideal for those people wishing to lose weight. Lean muscle mass acts like little fat burning factories. Unlike body fat, muscle is an active part of the body. This means the body must expend calories in order to maintain the muscles mass in the body. The calories which a person expends maintain lean muscle mass quickly add up, and in many cases can be more than a full hour worth of cardiovascular activity. Lean muscle mass is great for those people who struggle to maintaining weight loss goals. Many diets are designed to eliminate all of the bulk in the body, regardless of whether it is muscle or fat. This is great for a person looking to lose a large amount of weight in a short amount of time; however, these types of weight loss programs normally end with poor results. Without a frame work of lean muscle mass burning up additional unwanted calories the body will simply start to store extra calories as fat. This will result in a person replacing the weight they have lost in a very short amount of time.
The best supplement to provide additional protein to a diet without unwanted calories or high amounts of carbohydrates is whey protein isolates. Whey protein isolates come from a dairy source, and are very high in the proportion of protein to carbohydrates. There are very few recorded side effects of taking whey protein isolates, especially in comparison to protein supplements which come from soy based products. A whey protein isolate is easier for the body to digest and metabolize. This means the body can use this type of protein quicker and more efficiently immediately after a workout, and that means the body will build more overall muscle mass.
Some weight training specialists recommend taking upwards of half a person’s body weight in pounds worth of grams of protein per day to get the maximum benefits of protein in a weight training diet. This recommendation is high, and isn’t back by any studies. It is recommended that before a person takes such a high dosage of protein, they consult their health care professional. When taking protein there are many people who recommend extremely high dosages. It is recommended to follow the recommendations on the supplement bottle, or follow the guidelines of a person’s health care provider to get the maximum results. There are health consequences from taking too much protein, and they need to be avoided for the best healthy results.
The Problems of Too Much Protein
A person having too much protein in their system can be just as damaging as not having enough. Too much protein for an extended period of time will lead to problems in the kidney. The body is unable to store extra amounts of protein. The lack of storage of protein means that a person must replenish their body’s proteins supplies daily. It also means that excessive amounts of protein are converted into different materials and then sent through the kidney and the body’s urinary tract. Normally a person’s kidney is able to contend with the extra protein in the body through supplementation. Yet, if a person goes extreme with the amount of protein they have in their body, then the kidney will begin to fail. This failure of the kidney will force the body to find another way to deal with the excessive protein in the body. The body will try to store the extra amounts of protein in the blood stream, and then it will try to aspirate the remaining amount in the lungs. Foul breath is one of the warning signs of protein toxicity. Kidney failure can be fatal; therefore it is important for a person trying to get the health benefits of protein to consider just how much protein they have in their bodies.
Another side effect of weight training and protein use is the expansion of the number of free radicals a person has in their body. Free radicals are elements in the body which develop through natural processes of aging. These free radicals have been linked to many diseases—cancer, mental degeneration, and cardiovascular disease to name a few. These free radicals are released into the body when a person is tearing their muscle fibers in order to expand their muscle mass. The number of free radicals in the body has also been influenced by the amount of protein which a person has in their body. A person who is weight training and taking a protein supplement is more susceptible to hazardous effects of free radicals in the body. It is recommended that a person supplement their diet with antioxidants. Antioxidants seek out and eliminate free radicals in the body. There are good antioxidant supplement products which will help the body to have sufficient antioxidants to weight train in perfect health.
Amino Acids
Basic Information about Amino Acids and Human Health
There are over twenty amino acids which can be used in the human body. These amino acids are: alanine, asparagines, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, selenocysteine, serine, tyrosine, arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, thronine, trytopahn, and valine.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. If protein was the biological steel of the human body, then amino acids would be the raw materials used in the refining process. Protein is contained in all the cells in the human body, therefore, amino acids can also be found in every cell as well. When the body is producing protein in the body it will read the blueprints stored in the genetic code. DNA is the blue prints which tell the body how to construct different proteins to perform different tasks. The DNA is then copied and transported within the cells of the human body, until the information is read and the body start protein synthesis. The human cells will then take different amino acids in different orders to construct the proteins. The different orders of amino acids will create different bonds within the proteins—these changes of bonds allow the proteins to better perform their different tasks. All of the proteins will have different shapes and sizes, all to help the protein to interact with the human body.
Most of the amino acids in the body are used for protein creation; however, there are a few which help with different tasks in the body. Yet, the majority of amino acids are for creating protein, or other bio-molecules in the body to be used as a source of energy.
Amino acids are all very similar when it comes to chemical structure. Each amino acid contains an amino group (NH2), an acid group (COOH), a hydrogen atom(H), and a distinctive side groups that makes proteins more complex than either carbohydrates or lipids. Amino acids are attached to a central carbon atom (C).
A distinctive side group gives each of the amino acids a distinctive identity. The side groups give the amino acids characteristics that attract it to, or repel it form, surrounding fluids and other amino acids. Some amino acids are attracted to water molecules (making the amino acid hydrophilic), and other amino acids and repelled by water (making the amino acid hydrophobic). Whether an amino acid is hydrophilic or hydrophobic is determine by the electrical charge of the amino acid—a neutral charge makes the amino acid hydrophobic, and an electrical charge makes the amino acids hydrophilic. When amino acids are combined to make a protein the side group characteristics help to determine the function of the newly created protein.
Of the over twenty amino acids there are eight which the body is unable to produce on its own. The body must get eight essential amino acids through caloric intake.
Eight Essential Amino Acids
The eight essential amino acids which the body requires are Isoleucin, Leucine, Lysine, Methinonine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine. There are two other amino acids which are recommended to be taken with two of the essential amino acids—Cysteine, to be taken with Methionine, and Tyrosine, to be taken with Phenylalanine.
There have been some misconceptions regarding the essential amino acids in the body. The essential amino acids are in no way more important than the other amino acids in the body for overall health. The human body needs a supply of all amino acids in order to survive. What makes these eight amino acids so essential is the fact that the human body cannot produce them inside of the body. This means the body can only get the eight essential amino acids through a person’s diet. Therefore it is important for all people to know exactly how much of the eight essential amino acids they are getting in their daily diet.
Recommended Daily Intake of Essential Amino Acids
There are many changing theory in nutritional science. One of the theories which have gone through the biggest change over the last twenty years is the amount of essential amino acids which the body requires in order to function. The recommended amounts have changed dramatically over the last twenty years, and more modifications are expected as more research shows better health patterns. The current recommendations from the World Health Organization are as follows: isoleucine (I) 20 mg per kg body weight, 1400 mg per 70 kg body weight, and 2000 mg per 100 kg body weight; leucine (L) 39 mg per kg body weight, 2730 mg per 70 kg body weight, and 3900 mg per 100 kg body weight; lysine (K) 30 mg per kg body weight, 2100 mg per kg body weight, and 3000 mg per kg body weight; methionine (M) + cysteine (C) 10.4 +4.1 (15 total) mg per kg body weight, 1050 mg per 70 kg body weight, and 1500 mg per 100 kg body weight; phenylalanine (F) + tyrosine (Y) 25 mg per kg body weight, 1750 mg per 70 kg body weight, and 2500 mg per 100 kg body weight; threonine (T) 15 mg per kg body weight, 1050 mg per 70 kg body weight, and 1500 mg per 100 kg body weight; tryptophan (W) 4 mg per kg body weight, 280 mg per 70 kg body weight, and 400 mg per 100 kg body weight; and valine (V) 26 mg per kg body weight, 1820 mg per 70 kg body weight, and 2600 mg per 100 kg body weight.
(The conversion formula to get from kg to lbs is as follows: lbs/2.2=kg or kg x 2.2 = lbs. This means that a person who weighs 70 kg weighs 154 pounds—likewise a person who weighs 100 kg weighs 220 pounds. So for example a person who weighs 210 lbs would have to take 1909 mg of isoleucine according to the World Health Organization (WHO) to get a sufficient amount of isoleucine in their diet.)
Other Body Functions of Amino Acids
There are functions which amino acids play in the body that don’t have anything to do with protein synthesis. In humans the non-protein amino acids play an essential role in the biosynthesis of many neurotransmitters, including gamma-aminobutyric acid. Non-protein amino acids are also important for their roles in the body as metabolic intermediates. Tryptophan is a precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Glycine is a precursor of porphyrins such as heme. Arginine is a precursor of nitric oxide. Ornithine and s-adenosylmethionine are precursors of polyamines. Aspartate, glycine, and glutamine are precursors of nucleotides. Phenylalanine is a precursor of carious phenylpropanoids which are important in plant metabolism.
There is still further research require for some of the amino acids in the body. There are some which scientists agree play a vital role in the human body. Taurine, for example, is an amino acid in muscle and brain tissue; however, researchers are still trying to determine the precise role taurine plays in the body. This doesn’t mean that taurine isn’t important to the human body, or that taurine isn’t vital to a person’s overall health. It simply means there are still health mysteries which need to be explored to determine the overall health benefits of all amino acids. In all reality the field of nutritional science is relatively new, and with the passage of time more and more information will become knows about how to give the body all of the nutrients it requires.
How to Get Amino Acids in a Diet
As explained above amino acids are very important to all the functions in the human body. This means a person needs to be sure to get a full diet which especially includes the essential amino acids which the body cannot naturally produce within itself. So how does a person get enough amino acids in their diet for proper health?
Amino acids make up protein, so when a person is eating protein they are also consuming amino acids. The body can also convert other food sources which are taken into the body to produce the non-essential amino acids. The best way to ensure that the body always has a supply of amino acids for use is to eat a well balanced and healthy diet. A healthy diet should consist of low fat lean meats, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, little bad fats, and plenty of whole grains. Such a well balanced diet should provide the body with all the nutrients which it normally requires.
Yet, there are times when the body will require a higher amount of certain nutrients. For example when a person is weight training the body requires a higher amount of protein to rebuild muscle mass. One of the many jobs of protein in the cell is to repair cells. The way a person adds muscle mass to their body is through tearing their original muscle mass. When the body repairs itself it will also create new muscle fibers to make itself stronger. The higher demand for protein also means the body will require more amino acids to produce the protein. To get enough amino acids in a person’s diet, a person needs to add more protein to their diet.
How People Add Protein to a Diet
Those people who are actively looking to expand the muscle mass in their bodies should consider adding a protein supplement to their diet. A good protein supplement will be able to help the body to fill in the gaps in the muscle growth, and also help the body to build strong lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is ideal for any person who is looking to add muscle to their body without adding large amounts of bulk. The lack of bulk and addition of strength is good for an athlete who is looking for quick explosive movements. A lack of bulk is also good for those people wishing to add muscle mass without gaining overall weight.
Lean muscle mass is ideal for those people wishing to lose weight. Lean muscle mass acts like little fat burning factories. Unlike body fat, muscle is an active part of the body. This means the body must expend calories in order to maintain the muscles mass in the body. The calories which a person expends maintain lean muscle mass quickly add up, and in many cases can be more than a full hour worth of cardiovascular activity. Lean muscle mass is great for those people who struggle to maintaining weight loss goals. Many diets are designed to eliminate all of the bulk in the body, regardless of whether it is muscle or fat. This is great for a person looking to lose a large amount of weight in a short amount of time; however, these types of weight loss programs normally end with poor results. Without a frame work of lean muscle mass burning up additional unwanted calories the body will simply start to store extra calories as fat. This will result in a person replacing the weight they have lost in a very short amount of time.
The best supplement to provide additional protein to a diet without unwanted calories or high amounts of carbohydrates is whey protein isolates. Whey protein isolates come from a dairy source, and are very high in the proportion of protein to carbohydrates. There are very few recorded side effects of taking whey protein isolates, especially in comparison to protein supplements which come from soy based products. A whey protein isolate is easier for the body to digest and metabolize. This means the body can use this type of protein quicker and more efficiently immediately after a workout, and that means the body will build more overall muscle mass.
Some weight training specialists recommend taking upwards of half a person’s body weight in pounds worth of grams of protein per day to get the maximum benefits of protein in a weight training diet. This recommendation is high, and isn’t back by any studies. It is recommended that before a person takes such a high dosage of protein, they consult their health care professional. When taking protein there are many people who recommend extremely high dosages. It is recommended to follow the recommendations on the supplement bottle, or follow the guidelines of a person’s healthcare provider to get the maximum results. There are health consequences from taking too much protein, and they need to be avoided for the best healthy results.
