Dietary protein
It's one of the most important topics when it comes to your physique and making improvements to it. If you've ever wondered what it is, why it's so important and how much you should be eating it, check out this article.
What are
proteins?
Proteins are organic molecules made up of amino
acids the building blocks of life. These amino acids are joined together by
chemical bonds and then folded in different ways to create three dimensional
structures that are important to our body’s functioning. There are two main
categories of amino acids in the body. First, we’ve got essential amino acids those
that the body can’t manufacture, and thus we must consume in our diets.
Some amino acids are conditionally essential,
which means that our bodies can’t always make as much as we need (for example,
when we’re under stress). Next, kind an obviously, we’ve got nonessential amino
acids those that the body can usually make for itself.
Why is it important to get enough protein?
During digestion, the body breaks down the
protein we eat into individual amino acids, which contribute to the plasma pool of amino acids.
This pool is a storage reserve of amino acids that circulate in the blood.
The amino acid pool in the bloodstream readily
trades with the amino acids and proteins in our cells, provides a supply of
amino acids as needed, and is continuously replenished. (Think of it like a
Vegas buffet of protein for the cells). Since our bodies need proteins and
amino acids to produce important molecules in our body like enzymes, hormones,
neurotransmitters, and antibodies without an adequate protein intake, our
bodies can’t function well at all.
Protein helps replace worn out cells,
transports various substances throughout the body, and aids in growth and repair.
Consuming protein can also increase levels of the hormone glucagon, and glucagon
can help to control body fat. Glucagon is released when blood sugar levels go
down. This causes the liver to break down stored glycogen into glucose for the
body. It can also help to liberate free fatty acids from adipose tissue another
way to get fuel for cells and make that body fat do something useful with
itself instead of hanging lazily around your midsection.
How much protein do you need?
How much protein you need depends on a few
factors, but one of the most important is your activity level. The basic
recommendation for protein intake is 0.8 grams per kilogram (or around 0.36 g
per pound) of body mass in untrained, generally healthy adults. For instance, a
150 lb (68 kg) person would consume around 54 grams a day. However, this amount
is only to prevent protein deficiency.
It’s not necessarily optimal,
particularly for people such as athletes who train regularly and hard.
For people doing high intensity training,
protein needs might go up to about 1.4 - 2.0 g/kg (or around 0.64 - 0.9 g/lb)
of body mass. Our hypothetical 150 lb (68 kg) person would thus need about 95 -
135 g of protein per day. These suggested protein intakes are what’s necessary
for basic protein synthesis
(in other words, the creation of new proteins from individual building blocks).
The most we need to consume throughout the day for protein synthesis probably
isn’t more than 1.4 - 2.0 g/kg.
Beyond the basics of preventing deficiency and
ensuring a baseline of protein synthesis, we may need even more protein in our
diets for optimal functioning, including good immune function, metabolism,
satiety, weight management and performance. In other words, we need a small
amount of protein to survive, but we need a lot more to thrive. We can only store
so much protein at one time. As the graph below shows, the body’s protein
stores fluctuate over the course of a day. Notice how the upper limit never
increases, the amount of protein in the body just cycles up and down as we eat
or fast.
The take home here is that you can’t simply eat
a 16-pound steak (a la Homer Simpson consuming “Sirloin A Lot”) once and be
done with it. The body needs its protein stores to be continually replenished,
which means that you should consume moderate amounts of protein at regular
intervals which just happens to be an important Precision Nutrition guideline. Consuming
more protein may help maintain an optimal body composition (in other words,
help you stay leaner and more muscular) and a strong immune system, good
athletic performance, and a healthy metabolism. It may promote satiety (i.e.
make you feel full longer) and consequently help you manage your body weight. Indeed,
physique athletes such as bodybuilders have long relied on the rule of 1 gram
of protein per pound of body weight or 150 g per day for a 150 lb individual.
Can I eat too much protein?
If you overeat protein, this extra protein can
be converted into sugar or fat in the body. However, protein isn’t as easily or
quickly converted as carbohydrates or fat, because the thermic effect (the amount
of energy require to digest, absorb, transport and store protein) is a lot
higher than that of carbohydrates and fat. While 30% of the protein’s energy goes toward
digestion, absorption, and assimilation, only 8% of carbohydrate’s energy and
3% of fat’s energy do the same.
You might have heard the statement that a high
protein intake harms the kidneys. This is a myth. In healthy people, normal
protein intakes pose little to no health risk. Indeed, even a fairly high
protein intake up to 2.8 g/kg (1.2 g/lb) does not seem to impair kidney status
and renal function in people with healthy kidneys. In particular, plant
proteins appear to be especially safe.
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