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Proteins

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Protein and the Body
Robert Jacob
SCI/241 NUTRITION
March- seventh-2014
Dr. Nearor

Protein and the Body
Protein has six primary bodily functions. Protein is used to repair and maintain body tissue as well as your skin, hair, and eyes. It is also used as a major energy source for the body and is involved in the creation of some hormones. Protein increases the rate of chemical reactions in the body in the form of enzymes, and it aids in transportation of certain molecules like hemoglobin; which is a protein that transports oxygen throughout the body. Protein is also responsible for forming antibodies that help stop infection, illness and disease.
The "Centers For Disease Control And Prevention" (n.d.) website lists the the two types of proteins as complete proteins; being the one that provides all of the essential amino acids, and incomplete proteins; sources that are low in one or more of the essential amino acids needed to form a complete protein. Complete proteins or high quality proteins are found in meat, poultry, fish, milk and eggs. Incomplete proteins can be found in rice and dry beans. But when consumed together, the rice and beans contain enough amino acids that the body needs.
Amino acid content and the sequence of amino acids of a specific protein is determined by the sequence of the bases in the gene that encodes the specific protein. Within the amino acid sequences of proteins we can find the necessary information that will determine how the protein will fold into a three dimensional structure and its stability. The body only produces ten out of twenty of the essential amino acids. The remainder must be received in the form of food. If we do not taken in any of the 10 essential amino acids our body will start to eat its own proteins like muscle content(“The Chemistry Of Amino Acids”, 2003). Having too much protein in the body could lead to high cholesterol, reduced liver and brain function, and weight gain. According to your age and gender, the amount of protein you consume should be between 10-35% of you daily caloric intake. For adult women between the ages of 19 and 70+, protein intake should be 46 grams daily and for men within the same age range it should be 56 grams. Healthy sources of protein can be found in fish, eggs, lean meat, and nuts and legumes. Having too much protein in your system can have a negative effect on the body. High protein diets can increase your risk of osteoporosis, put strain on your kidneys from not being able to filter protein from the blood, cause internal organ damage, and cause other nutritional deficiencies. Fruits and vegetables provide vitamins and minerals that essential to the body and limiting or cutting those out along with whole grains can lead to vitamin E and B deficiencies, irritable bowel syndrome, and even colon cancer.

References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Nutrition For Everyone. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein
University of Arizona. (2003, September 03). The Chemistry of Amino Acids. Retrieved from http://www.biology.arizona.edu

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