THE ROLE OF PROTEIN
When we do consume sufficient amounts of high quality and complete proteins, it has a whole host of benefits.
THE FUNCTIONS OF PROTEINS
Growth and Maintenance:
Body structures. Proteins form vital parts of most body structures, such as skin, nails, hair, membranes, muscles, teeth, bones, organs, ligaments and tendons.
Regulatory Roles:
Enzymes. Proteins facilitate numerous chemical reactions in the body; all enzymes are proteins.
Hormones. Some proteins act as chemical messengers, regulating body processes; not all hormones are proteins.
Antibodies. Proteins assist the body in maintaining its resistance to disease by acting against foreign disease-causing substances.
Fluid balance. Proteins help regulate the quantity of fluids in body compartments.
Acid-base balance. Proteins act as buffers, to maintain the normal acid and base concentrations in body fluids.
Transportation. Proteins move the required nutrients and other substances into and out of cells and around the body.
Energy Production:
Energy. Protein can be used to provide calories (4 calories per gram) to help meet the body’s energy needs.
PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS
The debate still continues on how much protein we should be taking daily, but there appears to be a general agreement that active individuals need a higher intake than sedentary people.
The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) suggests 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. This means an intake for a man weighing 80kg is 64g. This means an intake for a woman weighing 60kg is 48g.
As you can see, this isn’t a lot of protein and we now know that for optimal body composition and health, we need a lot more. It’s difficult to put an exact figure on how much protein everyone should really be consuming, as it all depends on their goals, activity levels, caloric intake, muscle mass, training schedule and current health.
In the Next post I will cover different protein needs according to different goals such as building muscle, losing weight, younger needs, older individual needs... etc.