Protein deficiency is a problem. Dietary supplements are better than drug supplements.

[Key Points]: Protein is one of the six major nutrients. Together with carbohydrates and fats, it is called the three major energy nutrients. However, its main function is not to supply energy, but to constitute various parts of the human body. Our hair, nails, skin, etc., as well as various hormones and digestive enzymes in the internal organs are all composed of protein. When the human body lacks protein, it will show various symptoms. How can we effectively supplement protein?

Protein is an important nutrient for the human body

Protein is an important component of all cells and tissues of the human body. All important components of the body require the participation of protein. Protein accounts for about 18% of the total mass of the human body. Every tissue in the human body: hair, skin, muscles, bones, internal organs, brain, blood, nerves, endocrine system, etc. are all composed of protein. Therefore, when we say that diet shapes a person, we are referring to the structural function of protein.

In addition to constituting the human body, protein also has carrier transport function, such as hemoglobin that transports oxygen and albumin that maintains the body's osmotic pressure balance; antibody immune function, such as the formation and renewal of important immune cells such as white blood cells, lymphocytes, macrophages, etc.; the function of forming enzymes, our body has thousands of enzymes, and enzymes promote the digestion, absorption, and utilization of food; hormone regulatory function, such as the formation of insulin and growth hormone.

When protein is deficient, the initial symptoms of the human body are a decrease in metabolic rate, reduced resistance to disease, and susceptibility to illness. If protein deficiency continues for a long time, organ damage will occur, children may suffer from growth retardation, and adults will develop nutritional deficiency diseases such as protein malnutrition.

What are the symptoms of protein deficiency?

In fact, protein deficiency does not only mean insufficient protein intake, but also includes the problem of unbalanced protein intake. This is because protein is made up of amino acids, and there are 8 kinds of amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize on its own and must be taken in through food. These 8 amino acids are called essential amino acids. When essential amino acids are deficient, some important proteins cannot be synthesized and symptoms of certain protein deficiency will appear.

In addition to obvious symptoms such as low immunity and weight loss, some small signals from the body in daily life also indicate insufficient protein. For example, hair changes from black and shiny to dull, dry, and brittle, hair loss increases, and hair grows very slowly; nails become soft, layered, and easily broken; appetite is lost and indigestion occurs easily, etc. These are all manifestations of protein deficiency, which prevents the normal physiological activities in the human body from proceeding well.

For women, some symptoms of protein deficiency often make them extremely entangled, and even spend a lot of money on beauty treatments, cosmetics, and hair care. But in fact, all they need to do is improve their dietary structure and increase the intake of high-quality protein to solve most beauty problems easily and healthily.

How to supplement protein safely? Dietary supplements are better than medicinal supplements

Except for most vegetables and fruits, almost all foods contain protein. When people choose ingredients for protein supplementation, they should give priority to foods containing high-quality protein. At the same time, they should wisely combine different ingredients to achieve the purpose of mutual supplementation of essential amino acids.

Which foods contain high-quality protein? Most animal ingredients contain high-quality protein, such as milk, eggs, lean meat, fish and shellfish, which are all sources of high-quality protein; plant ingredients generally contain little protein, and the protein quality is not high. The only exception is soybeans and their products, which contain more than 40% high-quality protein and can provide a good supplement of high-quality protein for vegetarians.

If a thin person wants to gain weight, it is not enough to have high fat content.

Although the number of obese people is increasing, there are also many people who are too thin and want to gain weight. When choosing food ingredients, most thin people will give priority to foods with high fat and sugar content, such as fatty meat, greasy dishes, cream cakes, etc., but this approach may not necessarily achieve the effect of weight gain. If the energy intake is sufficient but the protein intake is insufficient, the muscles cannot be generated without sufficient "building materials" and the body will remain thin. If even the total energy intake required for a day is insufficient, protein malnutrition may occur over time, requiring not only an increase in total energy intake but also a large amount of protein supplementation.

For people who eat fatty meat, greasy dishes, cream cakes and other foods, these foods are high in energy but lack protein. They contain almost no high-quality protein, and the types of amino acids are not complete, which cannot meet the body's demand for protein. This is why some people are confused, "Why do I not gain weight even though I eat so many high-energy foods?" If you want to gain weight, high energy alone is not enough. On the basis of maintaining a rich variety of diet and balanced nutrients, you should increase the intake of total energy and total protein. Only in this way can you gain weight healthily, get a well-proportioned figure and a healthy body.

Source: 39 Health Network www.39.net

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