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Natural Health News Articles
| Posted: 7th August 2004 |
| Proteins |
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Protein is essential for growth and developmentIt provides the body with energy and is needed for the manufacture of hormones, antibodies, enzymes and tissuesIt also helps maintain the proper acid-alkali balance in the body.
When protein in consumed the body breaks it down into amino acids, the building blocks of all proteinsSome of the amino acids are designated ‘non-essential’This does not mean that they are unnecessary, but rather that they do not have to come from the diet because they can be synthesised by the body from other amino acidsOther amino acids are considered ‘essential’, meaning that the body cannot synthesise them and therefore must obtain them from the diet.
Whenever the body makes a protein, when it builds muscle for example, it needs a variety of amino acids for the protein-making processThese amino acids may come from dietary protein or from the body’s own pool of amino acidsIf a shortage of amino acids becomes chronic, which can occur if the diet is deficient in essential amino acids, the building of protein in the body stops and the body suffers.
Dietary proteins belong to two different groups, depending on the amino acids they provideComplete proteins, which constitute the first group, contain ample amounts of all of the essential amino acidsThese proteins are found in meat, fish, poultry, cheese, eggs and milkIncomplete proteins, which constitute the second group, contain only some of the essential amino acidsThese proteins are found in a variety of foods, including grains, legumes and leafy green vegetables.
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