Please explain protein to me

AN EXPLANATION OF PROTEIN

Summary
We all need to make proteins because they form the bulk of the machinery that operates our bodies to make us functional living things, To make proteins, we need to have the building blocks for them, which are amino acids. To get these amino acids, we eat the protein of other living things, and we break these proteins apart into individual amino acids during digestion.


Deeper Explanation
A protein is a linear chain of amino acid molecules. There are 20 different amino acids that we humans use to build our proteins. Each differs in its chemical properties. The specific order of amino acids in each protein is determined by our DNA. This is the central dogma of biochemistry: in the molecular machinery of our bodies, chunks of our double-stranded DNA gets transcribed to single-stranded RNA molecules, which then gets translated to a protein. In short, the DNA contains all the code to build the machinery that collectively forms a living thing. The machinery is primarily made up of proteins. There are RNA molecules play important roles as part of our machinery, but proteins still make the bulk of it.

So, proteins are just a sequence of linked amino acids, and this sequence will fold into a very specific three-dimensional structure because of the different properties of the different amino acids in the chain. For example, some amino acids have a slight positive charge, which make them attracted to negatively charged things (opposite charges attract), some have negative charges, some are attracted to water, some are repelled by water. The shape of a protein depends on the sequence of amino acids in its chain as well as the environment it's in.

The final three-dimensional structure of the folded protein is what gives the protein its function. There are some proteins that function as part of an iron-binding complex, or zinc-binding complex. Our blood cells are made up of four protein subunits which work together to bind a single oxygen molecule.

So, to answer your question, there are many different proteins because living things tend to require a lot of different molecular machinery to operate successfully. And the molecular machinery is made up of lots of different types of proteins.

Soy plants make proteins that are required for it to survive as a soy plant, which are unique to the types of proteins that we make.

Whey is a milk protein, which we get high concentrations as a by-product of cheese production. According to Wikipedia, whey is packaged and sold in three ways: isolate, concentrate, and hydrolysate. I think the difference between whey isolate and whey concentrate is in how much the protein is filtered or purified to remove fats and cholesterol. The whey hydrolysate is partially digested whey, which is to say the protein has been partially broken up for you.

When we eat, we break down the proteins in our food into their component parts (the individual amino acids). Then we use those parts to build our own proteins.

We choose one type of protein or another because different proteins have varying amounts of the different amino acids. For instance, whey has a lot of the amino acid called leucine. If your body needed more leucine, you could eat whey to get it.


Holy god. I spent about two hours writing this. I am such a loser.

Whey and Casein are both milk proteins. Whey is the form that is most biologically available to humans because we make it after having babies. Casein is less biologically available so when we drink milk that has both, it is less biologically available to use because it has to be broken down to separate the two before we can then break them down to their individual amino acids. There is actually a scale of biological availability kind of like the glycemic index for carbohydrates and whey isolate ranks number one on that scale (at least the versions I've seen of it) for being the most usable for humans. Isolate is a processing type, where it has been filtered out to nothing but whey. Soy is a plant protein and is the only plant protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. On that scale, whey gets a 100 score and soy gets a 74 score, so it isn't as biologically available to humans, but still pretty good. The drawback to soy is that some people are susceptible to the phytoestrogens and can have an elevated estrogen level from consuming it. Some biologists are blaming the fact that little girls are "maturing" faster and teenage boys have more feminine features because of the soy estrogen effect and soy formulas. Body builders tend to shy away from soy protein because of the possible link to gynomastica (male breasts). The research on soy and estrogen goes back and forth, though, so it could very well be a genetic predisposition to having the estrogen effects kind of like an allergy or intolerance and it only happens in those people who are susceptible.

You can also get your complete proteins (proteins with all the essential amino acids) by combining other plant based foods. You have to eat whole grains with legumes or legumes with nuts and seeds. When you combine, you don't have to eat them in the same meal, but you do need to eat them in the same day. Sorry, I don't have my bio availability chart in front of me to remember how they rank, but I know it is lower then whey.

Beware of soy(like tofu) unless it is fermented soy such as tempeh, miso, and the soy in Bragg;s amino acid's. Whey proteins can be troublesome for many people who are sensitive to dairy. Body buiders need one gram of protien( at leas)t per pound of body weight. I would need 130 grams a day which is impossible. I feel good with 75 grams a day from sources such as farm fresh eggs (i have 8 chickens) organic chicken, turkey and some fish plus a protein powder by Pure Encapsulations made with hemp and pea protein (vegan) good luck! eat CLEAN and weight comes off quicker. Keep away from chemicals in foods and drinks!

Actually, the standard recommendation for most people is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Body builders should have 1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight. Endurance athletes should have 1 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight. I don't know where the 1 gram per pound recommendation came from because that is not in any of the nutrition texts for any of my certifications or my nutrition minor or exercise physiology major. I think maybe it was lost in translation to our American measurement system from metric. :laugh:

I would describe the different kinds, but it seems that others have it covered.

When you boil it all down, it doesn't matter that much. I'm allergic to milk protein, so I use soy and rice-based proteins (if at all). It can be intimidating to see all of the choices. here are some steps to deciding:
1) What form do you want it in? Powder? Pre-made drink? Bar form? Meal replacement?
2) What's your price range? Aiming for the low end of the spectrum will knock off a good number of products.
3) Once you've narrowed it down, look for the one with the best nutritional stat combination: lowest cals/highest fiber/highest protein/lowest sugar; plus no preservatives, artificial colors and flavorings.
This aught to knock off most of the protein supplements that you find in the aisle.

Don't avoid any protein source unless you have to (like I do). People get so caught up in the "too much of this will lead to that!" mentality that they forget that too much of anything will cause problems.

Experiment and see what works for you.

Beware of soy(like tofu) unless it is fermented soy such as tempeh, miso, and the soy in Bragg;s amino acid's. Whey proteins can be troublesome for many people who are sensitive to dairy. Body buiders need one gram of protien( at leas)t per pound of body weight. I would need 130 grams a day which is impossible. I feel good with 75 grams a day from sources such as farm fresh eggs (i have 8 chickens) organic chicken, turkey and some fish plus a protein powder by Pure Encapsulations made with hemp and pea protein (vegan) good luck! eat CLEAN and weight comes off quicker. Keep away from chemicals in foods and drinks!

Actually, the standard recommendation for most people is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Body builders should have 1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight. Endurance athletes should have 1 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight. I don't know where the 1 gram per pound recommendation came from because that is not in any of the nutrition texts for any of my certifications or my nutrition minor or exercise physiology major. I think maybe it was lost in translation to our American measurement system from metric. :laugh:

Also need to be aware that the body can make all but 8 of the 22 amino acids used in making the proteins it needs. The critical thing is to ensure you get these 8 amino acids especially if you are a vegan or vegetarian.

Soy and fenugreek seed sprouts contains all the required amino acids for those not eating meat

Beware of soy(like tofu) unless it is fermented soy such as tempeh, miso, and the soy in Bragg;s amino acid's. Whey proteins can be troublesome for many people who are sensitive to dairy. Body buiders need one gram of protien( at leas)t per pound of body weight. I would need 130 grams a day which is impossible. I feel good with 75 grams a day from sources such as farm fresh eggs (i have 8 chickens) organic chicken, turkey and some fish plus a protein powder by Pure Encapsulations made with hemp and pea protein (vegan) good luck! eat CLEAN and weight comes off quicker. Keep away from chemicals in foods and drinks!

Actually, the standard recommendation for most people is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Body builders should have 1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight. Endurance athletes should have 1 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight. I don't know where the 1 gram per pound recommendation came from because that is not in any of the nutrition texts for any of my certifications or my nutrition minor or exercise physiology major. I think maybe it was lost in translation to our American measurement system from metric. :laugh:

It is also important to not over do eating protein (meat etc) / drinking protein shakes (thinking you will build muscle - which can only be done with excercise).

This is because in times of dietary surplus of protein (amino acids) the potentially toxic nitrogen of amino acids is eliminated (giving urea into our urine); the carbon skeletons (of the amino acids) are generally conserved as carbohydrate (which can give glucose) or as fatty acid (ie to fat storage). That's the biochemical brief summary.

So taking excess protein, thinking it will help with muscle building can (in the wrong amounts) increase fat and carb levels. You have to be careful therefore with lots of protein shakes, protein bars etc