Proteins are essential macronutrients that our bodies need. Each protein comes as an assimilation of multiple different amino acids. There are 20 amino acids that can be found in proteins, 9 of which are essential and the rest are non-essential. These amino acids are fused together by amide (also known as peptide) bonds, where the amine functional group on one amino acid links to the carboxylic acid functional group on the next amino acid.
It is the case that the human body can synthesize the non-essential amino acids from the 9 essential amino acids — but that we do need to consume sufficient quantities of the 9 essentials in our daily diets first.
Most plant-based proteins on their own are incomplete — they do not provide all of the 9 essential amino acids and have to be consumed in a complementary manner, while most animal-based proteins contain all the necessary amino acids.
But these foods are treated the same way as they enter our digestive system. The proteins travel down from our mouths into our stomachs, where the acidic environment in the stomach and the catalytic activity from protease enzymes (which are basically proteins that help to decompose other proteins) break down the individual amide bonds in the dietary proteins to turn them all into individual amino acids.
These amino acids comprise the chyme that exits the stomach into the small intestine. The small intestine contains semi-permeable walls for the amino acids in the chyme to diffuse from the small intestine into the blood.
Basically speaking, all proteins get decomposed into amino acids, the amino acids get absorbed into the blood, and the cells in the body take these amino acids to synthesize new molecules.
Such as it is in the case of synthesizing glutathione antioxidants within each cell, because glutathione is a tripeptide unit consisting of the 3 amino acids cysteine, glycine and L-glutamate:
Antioxidant Protection In The Body Begins From Within The Cell.
Our body is constantly in a tug of war between reduction and oxidation (redox), which basically comprises multiple reactions where electrons are being transferred from one component to another.
Even collagen synthesis and its crosslinking for providing the necessary structural support for our skin and our joints is dependent on protein consumption:
The Biochemistry Behind Collagen Synthesis In The Human Body
We do know of collagen as this structural protein in our body. It’s a protein that supports the physical structure of our skin and our joints. We can even find it in our bones. It even seals off the atherosclerotic plaques that are prevalent in heart disease patients.
It doesn’t mean that the consumption of collagen protein or collagen supplements will provide an extra source of collagen for our body.
No, the collagen that we consume will be decomposed into the individual amino acids in the stomach, get transported into the small intestine through the chyme, and the amino acids are absorbed by the blood and used by the cells in the body to synthesize new proteins — some of which could be collagen.
Even then, Vitamin C is necessary for facilitating the synthesis of collagen itself.
With our bodies containing that many different proteins, enzymes and cells, there will be multiple processes that require the use of the same amino acid — which is why it is vital for us to consume sufficient proteins in our diet.
Bodybuilders and weightlifters who are out to build muscle mass know that a higher level of protein consumption is required to build that muscle mass, with a recommendation of 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.
If that protein consumption rate is not maintained, the excess muscle mass that is built up can easily be decomposed to free up the necessary amino acids for other biochemical processes within the body, and that can also result in muscular atrophy — the muscles start wasting away and lose their definition.
Therefore, it is necessary for us humans to consume sufficient quantities of protein in our daily diets.
Unfortunately, though, our stomach capacities are limited.
But we get marketing advertisements thrown in our faces all day on various processed foods.
Aldehydes In Sugars Are So Silently Destructive To Our Bodies.
It’s quite interesting to note these days what we can eat and what we shouldn’t be eating. Even if the food product is actually edible, the metabolites may not be regarded as safe.
If we do consume a majority of our daily calorie intake in the form of carbohydrates, how much space do we have left in our stomachs for the necessary proteins that the cells in our body require?
While processed foods are great for the food industry, let’s keep in mind that we do have to balance out our diets with what the cells in our body really do need.
Eggs are a good source of proteins, but people erroneously believe that it can cause high blood cholesterol, which leads further on to heart disease:
It Isn't Really Just The Cholesterol That Contributes To Heart Disease.
The cholesterol molecule is something that we have a problem with.
But even then, cholesterol accumulation in our body can be analyzed by a simple mass balance, if we know how it enters our blood and how it exits our blood — and that isn’t really too dependent on how much cholesterol we’re consuming in our daily diets:
Cholesterol - Does It Spell Doom Or Is It Even Remotely Useful To The Human Body?
Cholesterol is one of those words that people dread discussing as they grow older. Beyond the obvious implications of heart attacks or strokes, the whole issue behind that C word starts at the doctor’s office.
The bottomline is that we can’t really do without proteins, even if we get bombarded all day by advertisements relating to more delicious looking processed carbohydrates!
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