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Protein PowerThe Critical Role of Protein in Health

With Steven Horne, RH(AHG)

Guest Speaker

Why is Protein so Important?

• Proteins, and the amino acids that form them, are the chief building blocks of organic life

• They are critical to both the structure and function of every cell

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Major Protein Uses

• The structure of bones, muscles, skin, hair and cell membranes

• The enzymes that digest food, synthesize compounds the body needs and break down toxins

• Neurotransmitters and many hormones are amino acid based

• Antibodies that aid immune responses are proteins

• Hemoglobin is a protein

• Amino acids can be used as fuel for energy production

Protein Requirements

• The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound, so…– Babies need about 10 grams a day– School-age kids need 19-34 grams a day– Teenage boys need up to 52 grams a day– Teenage girls need 46 grams a day– Adult men need about 56 grams a day– Adult women need about 46 grams a day

• This is a minimal amount for sedentary people.• Athletes, pregnant women and nursing mothers need more • Optimal amounts may be much higher and higher protein

intake (coupled with lower carbohydrate intake) may assist in weight management

Amino Acids

• Proteins are chains of amino acids strung together like beads, making them the building blocks of proteins

• Formed from oxygen, hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen

• There are 20 amino acids: 10 can be synthesized in the body, the other 10 must be derived from food and are considered essential

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Protein Digestion

• Proteins must be broken down into free amino acids to be absorbed and utilized

• Hydrochloric acid and pepsin begin this process in the stomach

• It is completed by pancreatic and small intestinal proteases

• HCl or enzyme deficiencies may result in poor assimilation of proteins

Essential and Non-Essential Aminos

Essential

• Tryptophan

• Arginine

• Lysine

• Histidine

• Phenylalanine

• Methionine

• Threonine

• Valine

• Isoleucine

• Leucine

Non-Essential• Carnitine• Glutamine and Glutamic Acid• Gama Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)• Cysteine and Cystine• Citrulline• Taurine• Tyrosine• Asparagine and Aspartic acid• Glycine• Proline• Alanine and b-Alanine• Ornithine• Serine

Protein Structure

• These chains of amino acids collapse into a three dimensional shape called a protein

• As electrical charges are changed, the protein shape can be altered to allow movement

• Proteins called enzymes can also alter other chemicals Illustration from Wikipedia

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Protein Structures

• Here are three different views of the same protein structure

• The first shows the chains of amino acids, the second the folded structures and the last, the molecular shape they create

Illustration from Wikipedia

Living “Parts”

• Just as a piece of machinery has moving parts, so do cells

• Proteins can change shape with minor changes in electrical charges (often induced by minerals), which creates movement

• Below are some examples of protein shapes

Genes and Proteins

• Genetic material is nothing more than a blueprint for creating proteins

• The proteins created by reading the genetic code form all the basic cell structures and control all basic cell functions

• Before the human genome project, scientists estimated there were about 120,000 genes, one for each protein in the human body

• Instead, they found there were only about 25,000 genes

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DNA

• DNA consists of strings of Deoxyribose ( a sugar) attached to a Nucleic Acid

• There are only four types:– Adenine (A)– Cystosine (C) – Guanine (G)– Thymine (T)

• Each can only bond to one other type:– A-T– T-A– C-G– G-C

RNA

• RNA is similar to DNA but uses a base of the sugar ribose to attach the nucleic acids

• The nucleic acid thymine is replaced with uricile (u)

• DNA is used to create RNA which is then transported to ribosomes where it is used to create proteins

Blausen.com staff. "Blausen gallery 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 20018762. (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Reading the Genes

• Each “link” of an RNA chain is coded to attach a specific amino acid to a polypeptide chain

• This process takes place in ribosomes within the cell, which build the proteins from the RNA blueprints

Illustration from Wikipedia

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Amino Acid RNA Chart

Illustration from Wikipedia

Major Amino Acids

Arginine

• Essential amino acid• Food Sources:

– Peanuts, peanut butter, cashews, pecans, almonds and chocolate

• Arginine is important in immune functions and in tissue generation and regeneration

• It is also essential to the formation of nitric oxide (NO) which dilates blood vessels

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Histidine

• Essential Amino Acid• Food Sources

– Meat and dairy products

• Histidine aids production of stomach acid

• It is also used in immune (inflammatory) reactions in the form of a neurotransmitter called histamine

• It is also used in the detoxification of heavy metals

Lysine

• Essential Amino Acids

• Food Sources– Fish, chicken, beef, lamb, milk,

cheese, beans, bean sprouts

• A carrier molecule for calcium, helping it to be absorbed and distributed

• Aids immune system in combating viral infections

• Used in the production of carnatine

Methionine

• Essential Amino Acid• Food Sources –

– Beef, chicken, pork, soybeans, eggs, cottage cheese, liver, sardines, and yogurt

• A sulfur based amino acid used to synthesize cystineand cysteine.

• Helps liver detoxification and the removal of heavy metals

• Protects against free radicals

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Phenylalanine

• Essential Amino Acid• Food Sources

– Soybeans, cottage cheese, fish, meat, poultry, almonds, brazil nuts, and pecans

• Used to synthesize tyrosine, which is used to create the neurotransmitters and dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine.

• Stimulates production of cholyscystokinin and thus induces satiety, which helps regulate appetite

Threonine

• Essential Fatty Acid

• Food Sources

– Dairy, beef, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds.

• Helps digestive and intestinal function

• Aids liver metabolism of fats

• Deficient in grains

Tryptophan

• Essential Fatty Acid• Food Sources

– Chicken, beef, brown rice, nuts, fish, milk, eggs, cheese, fruit and vegetables

• Used in the synthesis of serotonin and melatonin

• Also used to create pincolinicacid, which helps with absorption and transportation of zinc

• Lack of tryptophan causes carbohydrate cravings

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Valine

• Essential Fatty Acid

• Food Sources

– Raw brown rice, cottage cheese, fish, beef, lamb, chicken, almonds, brazil nuts, lima beans, mushrooms

• Valine is useful in muscle development

• It is also important for nervous system function

Proline

• Non-Essential Amino Acid

• Food Sources– Dairy Products

• Used to make the protein collagen, which is found in bones and connective tissue

Taurine

• Non-Essential Amino Acid

• Food Sources– Eggs, fish, meats and dairy

products

• One of the most abundant amino acids in the body

• Used in the central nervous system

• Conjugates with bile salts to maintain solubility of fats and cholesterol

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Carnitine• Non-Essential Amino Acid• Food Sources

– Red meat and dairy products

• Carnitine is a dipeptide—a combination of the essential amino acids methionine and lysine

• Helps the body burn fatty acids• Important for heart function

By Manuel Almagro Rivas (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Tyrosine

• Non-Essential Amino Acid• Food Sources

– Almonds, avocados, bananas, dairy products, lima beans, pumpkin seeds and sesames seeds

• Derived from phenylalanine• Precursor of thyroid

hormones• Used to produce

catecholomines—dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine

Glutamine & Glutamic acid

• Non-Essential Amino Acid

• Food Sources– Most high-protein foods, beef,

chicken, fish, beans and dairy products

• The most prominent amino in wheat

• Involved in the metabolism of sugars and fats

• Helpful for intestinal health and brain function

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Cysteine and Cystine

• Non-Essential Amino Acid

• Food Sources– Poultry, yogurt, egg yolks, red peppers,

garlic, onions, broccoli

• Another major sulfur containing amino acid

• Helps to eliminate excess copper, which has been linked to behavioural problems

• A major component of glucose tolerance factor

• Aids skin texture and flexibility

Glycine

• Non-Essential Amino Acid

• Food Sources– Fish, meat, beans and dairy

products

• Another important component of collagen

• Aids detoxification as part of the glutathione molecule

• Also a component of the glucose tolerance factor

Alanine

• Non-Essential Amino Acid

• Food Sources– Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and

dairy products

• Essential in tryptophan and pyridoxine metabolism

• Helps in reducing cholesterol

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Gama Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

• Non-Essential Amino Acid

• Food Sources

– Almonds, tree nuts, bananas, beef, liver, broccoli, brown rice, and halibut

• GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitters and plays an important role in the regulation of muscle tone

Asparagine and Aspartic Acid

• Non-Essential Amino Acid

• Food Sources– Asparagus, dairy products,

potatoes, beef, poultry, meat, and eggs

• Play a vital role in metabolism, aids athletic endurance

• Used in the synthesis of glycoproteins and the detoxification of ammonia

Comparing NSPs Protein Supplements

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Protein SupplementsSupplement Whey Soy Rice Pea Chorella Other

IN.FORM Pea ✓ ✓✓ Black bean, adzuki bean, garbanzo bean

IN.FORM Soy ✓✓ ✓ ✓

IN.FormWhey

✓✓

Nature’s Harvest

✓✓ ✓✓ ✓ Adzuki bean, black bean, garbanzobean, spirulina

NutriBurn ✓✓

SmartMeal, Vanilla

✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓

SynerProtein ✓✓

Sweeteners

Supplement Cane Sugar

Fructose Stevia Other

IN.FORM Pea ✓ ✓ Lo han guo

IN.FORM Soy ✓ ✓

IN.FORM Whey ✓ ✓

Nature’s Harvest ✓ ✓ Brown rice syrup

NutriBurn ✓

SmartMeal ✓ ✓

SynerProTein ✓

Special Ingredients

Supplement Fats Fibre Other

IN.FORM Pea Sunflower oil, medium chain triglycerides, flax seed, borage oil

Inulin, acacia gum, pea fibre, bamboo fibre, rice

bran, xanthan gum,

Vitamins and minerals

IN.FORM Soy Sunflower oil Inulin, acacia gum,xanthan gum, cellulose

gum, guar gum

Vitamins and minerals

IN.FORM Whey Sunflower oil Guar gum, inulin, xanthan gum

Vitamins and minerals

Nature’s Harvest Flax seed, borage oil, sunflower oil, medium chain triglycerides

Fructo-oligo-saccharides, pea fibre, bamboo fibre, xanthan

gum, guar gum, carrageenan

Whole food blend (amaranth, brown rice, chia, millet, quinoa,

flax), fruit and vegetable powders, antioxidants, herbs, enzymes,

vitamins and minerals,

NutriBurn CLA, sunflower oil

SmartMeal, Vanilla

Sunflower oil, medium chain

triglycerides, flax seed

Cellulose gum, guar gum, inulin

Vitamins and minerals

SynerProtein Canola oil Vitamins and minerals, fruit and vegetable powders

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Special Notes

SmartMeal Vanilla flavour is good for mixing with fruits or other ingredients to make smoothies

Nature’s Harvest

Great for whole food nutrition, makes good smoothies, but imparts a green colour and flavour

IN.FORMPowders

Meal replacements as part of the IN.FORMprogram, helpful for weight management, chose

whey, pea or soy

NutriBurn Has ingredients that make it helpful for weight management

SynerProTein Great basic protein powder

Other Supplements

Protein Digestive Aid

Supplements HCl and pepsin to aid protein digestion in the stomach

Digestive Enzymes

Contains pepsin, pancreatin, bromelain, papain, extract of ox bile and lipase

Protease Plus Supply proteolytic enzymes to aid protein digestion in the small intestines

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