protein! A deep dive into why it’s so important for athletes

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Part 1: Amazing Aminos

By: Kenneth Smith, Ph.D.

Protein is a much debated and researched topic when it comes to nutrition and performance. What IS the recommended protein consumption, and in what forms? Can my body perform at its best without animal proteins? Or with them? What about eating vegan? Before we can answer these frequently asked questions, we must first understand protein at its most basic level. 

Let’s take a step back and review: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. We all have heard of these and probably can associate one of them with the foods we eat. Why, when we discuss diet and nutrition, do these three words always come up? They come up because they are the three macro-nutrients required by our bodies. Let’s take a look at the generally accepted calories to grams ratios of each macronutrient: 

Carbohydrates: 4 calories per gram

Protein: 4 calories per gram

Fat: 9 calories per gram

It doesn’t take a food scientist to know that carbohydrates look, taste, and do different things to our body than protein, so we have to look further than the simple calories to gram ratio because from this standpoint - they appear same. 

Like most things in nature - you just need to take a closer look to see what pieces make the whole thing function. As we apply this to protein- we learn that peptides link together to make a protein and each peptide consists of even smaller building blocks, the real game changers: Amino Acids (1). 

Proteins: Proteins are made up of 20 amino acids (2). Proteins carry out a nearly endless array of functions. Some of the functions of proteins include repairing tissue, breaking down food, and helping us grow.  At a structural level, amino acids are arranged in combinations that vary in order, length and shape, to make up proteins or subunits of proteins. Subunits are arranged to make up larger proteins. To add to this complexity, proteins are folded. The folds themselves are vital for the protein’s functionality. Think of functionality as the job the protein has. You could think of something like a sweater that is made from wool (amino acids) that is wound into threads (peptide chains) that is then put into fabric (a subunit) that is then stitched together to make the sweater (the protein).

To get back to proteins and their folds. If these folds are disrupted by something like heat or acid, the protein is changed. Sound familiar yet? We manipulate proteins during cooking with heat or acid all the time. When you scramble an egg you are irreversibly changing or denaturing a protein through heat. As it is heated, the proteins in egg whites, or albumin, go from clear to white, a visual result of result of denaturing the protein. What about the amino acids that are vital for our body to function? Are they intact even though the protein is destroyed? Yep, amino acids are incredibly stable and even when the protein they make up is denatured, the amino acids are still viable and ready for our bodies to utilize.

I’ve heard an amino acid referred to as essential? Aren’t they all important? What does this mean?

Essential vs. Non-essential Amino Acids: 

Non-essential amino acids are amino acids that the human body is able to synthesize if we do not have them in our diet. There are 11 non-essential amino acids (alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine). 

Essential amino acids are amino acids that we cannot produce in our body so we MUST get them from food. There are 9 essential amino acids (histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine). When things are labeled as essential it can cause some stress or make us think that we need to get these at every meal. Don’t worry. With proteins, the overall intake is what is important (3). 

What is a “complete protein”? When we hear about foods like eggs, fish, quinoa, hempseed or soy, we might hear “ they are complete proteins”.  What this means is that they have all 9 essential amino acids in them, which is great! What we sometimes forget, however, is that foods like lentils, beans, whole grains, and seeds each have some of these essential amino acids as well, when eaten in combination, we can more than meet our daily needs (4).

Now that we are aware of the basics of what protein is made of, how it can be altered, and the importance of amino acids, we can move forward with what it means for our body when we consume proteins from various sources. Stay tuned for more on this topic coming up in… 

Protein Part 2

1. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/howgeneswork/protein/

2. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002222.htm

3. hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/

4. https://www.webmd.com/diet/difference-between-complete-and-incomplete-proteins