Protein
Protein…
…The Facts vs. The Fiction!
We will cover:
- Overview of Protein
- What is Protein and what does it do?
- Amino Acids
- Protein Quality
- How Much Protein?
Overview of Protein…
There is much controversy within the field of nutrition concerning proteins. The main areas of conflict revolve around how much should be consumed. This leads to a great deal of confusion amongst people trying to obtain the perfect diet.
The subject of protein is possibly one of the most complex ones in nutritional science and even in biology. Everyone's protein is different and the structure and manufacture of it is controlled by their “Genes”. In fact, our protein is what makes us unique.
What is protein, where is it from and what does it do?
Protein is an essential Macro-nutrient. The human body contains about 65% water and 25 % protein. It provides, amongst other things, the structure of muscle, of bones, your hair, nails, skin and blood. Proteins are made up of long chains of, what are known as “Polypeptides” which are built up from “Amino acids”.
The components of protein are the amino acids which in turn were built up from Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen. Some of the amino acids are fairly simple in molecular structure; the simplest being “Glycine”. Some of them, however, are fairly complex.
An amino acid is known as a molecule. They are made by plants and some of them are made by animals. The ones that animals (including humans) cannot make for themselves are known as the 9 “essential amino acids”. Just for the sake of reference these are:
- Isoleucine
- Histidine*
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Valine
*Some have suggested that Histidine is semi-essential.
As well as the 9 essential amino acids there are about another 11 “commonly” known amino acids. The optimum nutrition bible quotes 25 and even gives there relation to other amino acids.
When amino acids link up together they form a different molecule known as a “polypeptide chain” as already mentioned. These can be massive and extremely complex in structure. The polypeptide chains are then combined with other chains to form even more complicated structures.
Hopefully I have not lost you there. I have just given a simplified version of the subject. Knowledge of the amino acids may seem like something that is unimportant. That is generally true until you go for a more unique diet.
Confusion surrounding the subject of protein
Either way, any type of protein that you put into your body will be broken down into amino acids first and then made into human protein. When people suggest that eating animal protein is better than eating vegetable protein they are referring to the protein quality. It is not really to do with the protein itself being any better for you. You do not have pig protein in your muscles; you have your own specially built protein structures.
Because all animals are similar to each other biologically we tend to have the same balance of amino acids. This is true of chickens and other birds regardless of the fact that they are not mammals. Technically speaking this could mean that vegetarian diets are not so good for us but that is generally untrue.
As long as you eat a varied diet you will not go wrong as far as amino acids are concerned. There have been suggestions that if you wished to be a body builder then you may be better off eating meat. It would require for those people to give firm proof of that before any conclusions can be drawn. The fact is, only a small percentage of the population become professional body builders. An even smaller percentage of the population are genuine “Vegans.” It is actually possible that people who are “inclined” to become vegan are just not “inclined” to body build. That is very much hypothesis though… but so is the suggestion that vegans make poor body builders due to their diet.
Basically… you are not at risk of protein deficiency if you become a vegan UNLESS you do not pay proper attention to your intake. Also, unless you are very selective in your diet and only eat the same types of food all the time you will have no problem with getting the right amino acids. There is evidence to suggest that you should try to aim to get the right balance of amino acids in each meal (Jane Brody).
Protein Quality
Proteins from certain foods are graded by its “quality”. This is a somewhat confusing term because it tends to make people believe that a certain type of food is not very good. It merely indicates the balance of the essential amino-acids within that food.
As long as you eat a well rounded diet you should not have a major problem with the quality of protein you eat. If you do not eat meat or animal products at all then you do need to pay a little more attention than those who do. For further information on vegetarianism see the document pertaining to that issue.
The most sensible way of referring to protein’s usability is to describe them as either complete or incomplete. Protein from a chicken, for example, is a complete protein. It has the right balance of everything that the human body needs. On the other hand, the protein from rice is not complete.
How much Protein?
If the amount of protein that humans need varies slightly depending on whether they are male or female, or rather, how large they are. Obviously that is slightly more difficult to work out if the person in question is overweight. The recommended daily allowances vary from institute to institute. According to the UK Dept of health it is 36 grams for women and 44g for men. As a general rule in first world countries you need not be too worried about getting enough protein. The main problem seems to be that of getting too much!
(this article will be expanded upon!)
