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About Protein

Protein is necessary as part of a balanced diet to stay healthy. It is found in milk, meat, cheese, eggs, fish, nuts, seeds, tofu and other foods like peanut butter and yogurt. Eating enough protein from a variety of foods including protein from vegetables is essential for growth, good health and life itself.

  1. Function

    • Protein contains chains of amino acids; eight are essential amino acids important for building muscle, hair, skin, nails and vital organs. Although the body produces some amino acids independently, it cannot produce the eight essential amino acids; they must be obtained through dietary intake to keep the body healthy.

    Effects

    • Athletes and bodybuilders consume massive amounts of protein-rich foods including whey protein shakes to build muscle density and mass to enhance ability and performance. Different proteins have a unique chain-sequence responsible for a particular function. A typical protein may contain close to 500 amino acids.

    Types

    • The names of the eight essential amino acids are leucine, isoleucine, valine, threonine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and lysine; all are needed by the body for growth and repair. The word protein comes from the Greek word "proteios," which means primary.

    Features

    • Amino acids are made of simple compounds like sulfur, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen; there are about 13 of them besides the 8 essential amino acids. Linking together to form chains, these amino acids are called peptides.

    Size

    • The size of a typical protein molecule is 3 nm (nanometers). In 1958, Frederick Sanger first sequenced insulin and won the Nobel Prize. Proteins pack the DNA neatly and ensure the right genes go to the correct places at the proper time. The order of things doesn't always go according to plan; occasionally when the shape of the protein is changed or it is unfolded improperly, it cannot do its job correctly. If the mutated cell's job is destroying bad cells, those bad cells are free to proliferate and wreak havoc within the body. When this happens, we call it cancer.

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