Protein is an essential nutrient whose name comes from the
Greek word protos, which means
“first.” To visualize a molecule of protein close your eyes and see a very long
chain, rather like a chain of sausage links. The links in the chains are amino acids, commonly known as the
building blocks of protein. In addition to carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms,
amino acids contain a nitrogen (amino) group. The amino group is essential for assembling specialized proteins in
your body.
The human body is chock-full of protein. Proteins are
present in the outer and inner membranes of every living cell. Here’s where
else protein makes an appearance:
·
Your hair, your nails and the outer layers of
your skin are made of the protein Keratin. Keratin is a scleroprotein, or a protein resistant to digestive enzymes. So, if
you bite your nails, you can’t digest them.
·
Muscle tissue contains myosin, actin, myoglobin
and a number of other proteins.
·
Bone has plenty of protein. The outer part of
bone is hardened with minerals such as calcium, but the basic, rubbery inner
structure is protein; and bone marrow, the soft material inside the bone, also
contains protein.
·
Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein compound that carries oxygen throughout the
body. Plasma, the clear fluid in
blood, contains fat and protein particles known as lipoproteins, which ferry cholesterol around and out of the body.
Your body uses proteins to build new cells, maintain
tissues, and synthesize new proteins that make it possible for you to perform
basic bodily functions. About half the
dietary protein that you consume each day goes into making enzymes - the specialized worker proteins that do specific jobs
such as digesting food and assembling or dividing molecules to make new cells
and chemical substances. To perform these functions, enzymes often need
specific vitamins and minerals. Your
ability to see, think, hear, and move – in fact, to do just about everything
that you consider part of a healthy life – requires you nerve cells to send
messages back and forth to each other and to other specialized kinds of cells,
such as muscle cells. Sending these messages requires chemicals called neurotransmitters. Making
neurotransmitters requires… guess what – Proteins. Finally, proteins play an important part in
the creation of every new cell and every new individual. Your chromosomes
consist of nucleoprotein, which are
substances made of amino acids and nucleic acids. And the nucleic acids carry
the genetic codes.
The cells in your digestive tract can absorb only a single
amino acid or very small chains of two or three amino acids called peptides. So
proteins from food are broken into their component amino acids by digestive
enzymes – which are, of course, specialized proteins. The other enzymes in your
body cells build new proteins by reassembling the amino acids into specific
compounds that your body needs to function. This process is called Protein
Synthesis. The carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen that are left over after protein synthesis is complete are converted to
glucose and used for energy. The nitrogen residue (ammonia) isn’t used for
energy. It’s processed by the liver, which converts the ammonia to urea. Most
of the urea produced by the liver is excreted through the kidneys in urine;
very small amounts are sloughed off in skin, hair, and nails.
Every day, you reuse more proteins than you get from the
food you eat, so you need a continuous supply to maintain your protein status.
If your diet does not contain sufficient amounts of proteins, you start
digesting the proteins in your body, including the proteins in your muscle and
– in extreme cases – your heart muscle.
As you grow older, you synthesize new proteins less
efficiently, so your muscle mass (protein tissue) diminishes while your fat
content stays the same or rises. This change is why some people erroneously
believe that muscle “turns to fat” in old age. Of course, you still use protein
to build new tissue, including hair, skin and nails, which continue to grow
until you crossover into The Great Beyond.
The first sign of protein deficiency is likely to be weak muscles. A protein deficiency may also show up in your
blood. Red blood cells live for only 120 days so protein is needed to produce
new ones. People who do not get enough protein may become anemic; having fewer
red blood cells than they need. Protein deficiency may also show up as fluid
retention (the big belly on a starving child), hair loss, and muscle wasting
caused by the body’s attempt to protect itself by digesting the proteins in its
own muscle tissue.
Here are some great protein food sources to include in your
daily nutrition plan: meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, milk, beans, peas,
nuts, grains, vegetables and even some fruits.
Want to learn more about protein and how much you need on a
daily basis? Stop by 4x Nutrition and talk to a Certified Sport Nutritionist.
Not only can we customize a nutrition plan that will include the amount of
protein needed to meet your fitness/nutrition goals, but we’ll also introduce
you to some great tasting protein powders which will help you stay on track.
Whether it’s vanilla, chocolate, orange creamsicle, cookies-n-cream, banana,
strawberry, peanut butter or caramel latte, chances are we have a protein
flavor that will have you coming back for more.
Here’s to your health,
Missy
4x Nutrition, Certified Sport Nutritionist
