Some General Information About Protein Formulation

By Joanna Walsh


The tissue of the human body consists of various components. Each of these has a specific function in the metabolism of the body. There are substances that provide energy, chemicals such as enzymes which enable other processes to take place, and then there are the primary building blocks of which the actual tissue consists. The latter are known as proteins, and protein formulation is important in understanding how the body functions and in maintaining good health.

A protein is not, in itself, a basic unit. It always consists of its own subsidiary particles, known as amino acids. There are about 20 of these amino acids, and they combine in different ways to form protein molecules. Each of these has its own unique combination of aminos.

The obvious implication is that those with formulations which are almost the same may still be very divergent in how they function in the body or their characteristics. For example, there are poisons, while others are simply used in the tissue to repair damage or add new cells, or for some metabolic process.

People may assume that the term protein simply means meat, or the main constituent of meat. It is actually a broader technical term for many different substances, which may have other, more colloquial names according to what effect they have. As already mentioned, a poison may be one. What is important from a dietary perspective is that each one contains different amino acids.

Aminos have scientific names, such as taurine, arginine, or lysine. The human body needs certain aminos on a regular basis. They are essential to sound health. The question that arises is then as to which foods contain these acids, and in what concentrations.

It is true that meat is an ample source of these aminos. What is also true is that meat, i. E. The flesh of animals, contains what is known as complete protein, that is, it contains all of the necessary aminos. Other complete sources are eggs (the albumen or white part), milk, and fish. Fish is especially rich as a source.

Turning to alternative sources, the matter becomes more tricky. The only complete plant source is soya. No other plant contains all the amino acids required by the human body. However, some plants may be able to provide them all in combination, such as wheat and beans (as an example, baked beans and toast is a complete source). But this is not satisfactory, since the concentration in plant sources is extremely low and cannot supply the human body adequately (once again, soya is an exception to this rule).

Trying to focus on only certain amino acids is also not advisable, because the human body breaks down the protein in food into the base aminos and then reconstitutes its own proteins in its tissues. Even if most of the necessary acids are available in a plant source, the absence of one or two makes the body's internal synthesis of the required human proteins impossible. The plant is therefore useless as a substitute for meat, and someone who tries to rely on that plant for their protein will suffer from a dietary deficiency.




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