IN PROFILE
the power of Protein
T he Go Vita team brings you the latest news on protein, to ensure you are getting the right kind and the right amount. Protein is essential for growth and development. It provides the body with energy and is needed for the manufacture of hormones, antibodies, enzymes, tissues and all metabolic functions. It also helps maintain the proper acid-alkali balance in the body. The recommended daily intake of protein falls within a range of 10 to 35 per cent of your caloric intake, which is around 50 grams a day, varying to take into account
age, gender, weight and build, and any specific health conditions – for example, protein requirements increase during fitness training, pregnancy and adolescence, as well as during recovery from illness. Protein naturally activates the body’s own satiety response, so adequate dietary protein means it is far less likely that you will overeat. Plus, when your diet has an optimal balance of protein to carbohydrate, this will stabilise blood sugar and reduce insulin response. Leucine, an amino acid found in protein, helps to maintain muscle mass while losing excess body fat during weight loss. Sources of protein When you eat a protein, the body breaks
it down into amino acids, the ‘building blocks’ of all proteins. Amino acids are described as
being either ‘non-essential’, which means they do not have to come from the diet because the body can make them from other amino acids, or ‘essential’, which means that the body cannot synthesise them, and therefore they must come from the diet. There are 22 different amino acids: 14 of these can be made by the body, and the eight other ‘essential’ amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine) must be obtained via the diet.
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ISSUE 66 • 2023
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