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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, kinda obviously, we’ve got
nonessential amino acids – those that the body can usually make for itself
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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.1 Glucagon is released when blood sugar levels
go down. This causes the liver to break down stored glycogen into glucose
for the body
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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.2 Our hypothetical 150 lb (68 kg) person would
thus need about 95-135 g of protein per day
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