by Paul Dunn on
Tags: Personal Trainer
10 things you should know about Protein
Protein is a very popular macronutrient, recently it has had a lot of coverage in the media and there are now numerous products out there that have “with Protein” written on the branding.
Protein is a versatile essential nutrient for the body; from repair, and growth of muscle to, supplying energy, this macronutrient is essential for healthy functions in every single cell of your body.
Because protein acts as the building blocks of all our cells we need a good portion every day, the current recommendations are 0.8g for a sedentary adult to 1.5g for the recreational exerciser per kilogram of body weight. Depending on the goal, the sport, the level of performance, your protein intake will change. Here’s 10 things you should know about protein.
1. Building Blocks
Protein is an organic compound with many functions. Proteins are formed from building blocks known as Amino Acids, there are 20 Amino Acids in the human body.
2. Proteins are Built from Chains of Amino Acids
Proteins are built by forming chains of amino acids; just like the alphabet they form a sequence. Each type of protein has a different sequence of amino acids depending on its function. Most protein molecules contain at least 100 amino acids.
3. Heavy Stuff
Protein comprises 18-20% of your total body weight, the largest source being skeletal muscle.
4. Three Types of Amino Acid
Essential: 9 of the 20 amino acids are considered essential to the daily diet because the body cannot make it’s own supply. We need essential amino acids to break down the other non essential amino acids through digestion.
Non-Essential: Formed from the normal breakdown of proteins, they are present in many foods but are not essential to be consumed in your daily diet. There are 4 non essential amino acids.
Conditionally Essential: Present in many foods but not always required to be part of your daily diet. As long as ample amounts of the 9 essential amino acids are consumed, the liver can synthesise the remaining conditionally essential amino acids. In children there are 7 conditionally essential amino acids because they are unable to make enough to meet their needs. Pre/Post Natal, and the older adult also have conditional requirements.
5. Complete Proteins
Complete proteins contain all 9 essential amino acids that the liver requires to breakdown and form the remaining non-essential amino acids. These mainly come from animal protein such as, meat, fish, eggs, milk, and cheese. These sources are closer to the sequences of human amino acid chains and are considered to have higher biological values because of this. There are few plant based proteins that are complete, those being, soy foods, buckwheat, and quinoa.
6. Incomplete Proteins
Plants contain protein, although they are incomplete and have a lower biological value. This is because they do not contain all of the essential amino acids; plant proteins also contain lower amounts of protein. Sources include; vegetables, cereals, bread, pasta, pulses, and nuts. A very popular peanut butter spread is an incomplete protein, 2 tablespoons gives us 8g of protein.
7. Complimentary Relationship
Plant Sources of protein are considered incomplete proteins; this is because the patterns of amino acids are different to those in our body and are considered to have a lower biological value. It is best practice to consume proteins from various sources of plant proteins to ensure you consume sufficient protein sources that compliment each other and your daily requirements. This is essential for those following vegetarian or vegan diets.
8. Protein has 6 functions
- They serve as enzymatic catalysts
- They form complex molecules in the body such as haemoglobin to transport oxygen in the blood, and storage molecules such as the protein ferritin combined with iron for storage in the liver.
- They are used in movement, specifically skeletal muscle
- They are needed for mechanical support (skin and bone contain collagen, which is a fibrous protein)
- They mediate cell responses
- They protect the body from infection, antibody’s protecting us from viruses are proteins.
9. Three Categories of Protein
Protein functions can be summarised into three categories
Structural Proteins: Forming the main frameworks of the body including collagen in bone and connective tissue, keratin in skin, and in muscle tissue.
Homeostatic Proteins: Hormones regulate various processes, e.g. insulin controls blood sugar, enzymes speed up reactions, and white blood cells fight infection.
Fuel Proteins: Protein can be used as energy, they can be converted to glucose, fatty acids, or keytones to produce ATP. Think of your body as a hybrid car, it can use different energy sources when needed and the conditions require it to do so.
10. Protein Anabolism or Catabolism?
Protein as we know can be repaired and grown, we also know that proteins can be broken down for energy. These are metabolic processes within the body at either a cellular, organ, or organism level. Anabolism refers to repair and growth of protein, making smaller proteins bigger. So when your looking to make muscle gains, you need to be in an anabolic state, whereby the body has enough protein available for repair and growth to ensure you can make gains with muscle growth.
Catabolism is the opposite of this process, breaking down proteins into it’s smaller units, amino acids. Catabolism occurs all the time, damaged cells in the body are recycled to make new ones all the time including cell repair in skin, bone, muscle and all of the body’s cells. Specifically in exercise, micro tears in muscle caused by exercise and weight training produce a catabolic state. To ensure they are repaired, recover and if required grow, they require sufficient dietary protein available to do so.
So, hopefully you have learned a few things About protein from this article, there is much more to cover and I will do so in future posts. You may now be thinking, how much protein should I be eating or how much protein should my clients be eating? I will be covering macro calculating in a future post and I am looking forward to sharing it with you all. Knowing your client’s macros is important for achieving the results they signed up for. Get your client’s macros right and your training sessions with them will be much more fun. Get it wrong, and your client’s motivation will dwindle along with your client base. As always if you would like more information about becoming a Personal Trainer and our next course in Leeds, please visit our website www.ptskills.co.uk
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British Nutrition Foundation www.nutrition.org.uk