Protein for Your Body




Protein builds and replaces tissues, carries nutrients and oxygen through the bloodstream and to cells, maintains fluid balance, and helps maintain the hormonal chemistry that keeps the body going. Approximately one-fifth of your body weight is made up of protein. There are two types of protein: Complete protein contains all essential amino acids. Sources of complete protein are seafood, soy products, eggs, milk, meat, and fowl.

Complementary protein, on the other hand, requires two food sources to provide all essential amino acids. For example, beans and rice.
Nearly all proteins have structural similarities with other proteins and, in some of these cases, share a common evolutionary origin. The SCOP database (http://scop.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/scop/), created by manual inspection and abetted by a battery of automated methods, aims to provide a detailed and comprehensive description of the structural and evolutionary relationships between all proteins whose structure is known. As such, it provides a broad survey of all known protein folds, detailed information about the close relatives of any particular protein, and a framework for future research and classification.
Every function in the living cell depends on proteins. Motion and locomotion of cells and organisms depends on contractile proteins. The catalysis of all biochemical reactions is done by enzymes, which contain protein. The structure of cells, and the extracellular matrix in which they are embedded, is largely made of protein. (Plants and many microbes depend more on carbohydrates, e.g., cellulose, for support, but these are synthesized by enzymes.) The transport of materials in body fluids depends on proteins. The receptors for hormones and other signaling molecules are proteins. Proteins are an essential nutrient for heterotrophs. The transcription factors that turn genes on and off to guide the differentiation of the cell and its later responsiveness to signals reaching it are proteins.

And here’s one more reason why proteins are so important. Proteins make up about 15% of the mass of the average person. Protein molecules are essential to us in an enormous variety of different ways. Much of the fabric of our body is constructed from protein molecules. Muscle, cartilage, ligaments, skin and hair - these are all mainly protein materials. Truly proteins are the physical basis of life.
Whether you are a vegetarian or a ‘meat eater’ you must have protein in your diet. The protein in the food we eat is our main source of the chemical building blocks we need to build our own protein molecules.
Protein deficiency can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, insulin resistance, hair loss, loss of hair pigment, loss of muscle mass, low body temperature, and hormonal irregularities. Severe protein deficiency is fatal.
Excess protein can cause problems as well, such as causing the immune system to overreact, liver dysfunction from increased toxic residues, possibly bone loss due to increased acidity in the blood, foot problems in horses, and can also be linked to obesity.
Proteins can often figure in allergies and allergic reactions to certain foods. This is because the structure of each form of protein is slightly different, and some may trigger a response from the immune system while others are perfectly safe. Many people are allergic to casein, the protein in milk; gluten, the protein in wheat and other grains; the particular proteins found in peanuts; or those in shellfish or other sea foods.
Cuero Delota is the webmaster of protein protein http://www.proteinz.com