3.

B:
PROTEINS
 Protein & Amino Acids
• Glucose – Carbs; Amino acids are the basic building block
for protein.
• Chemically, protein contain the same atoms as carbs &
lipids – carbon, hydrogen, oxygen. But protein also contain
nitrogen.
• Our body has 20 different AA. AA are linked together by
peptide bond.
• 9 AA are called ‘essential AA’ (our body cannot make
them & must get them from diet)
• 11 AA can be manufactured by our body – ‘non-essential
AA
• Sometimes NEAA can become EAA – e.g., phenylalanine
tyrosine. But if the diet fails to supply enough
phenylalanine, then tyrosine becomes ‘conditionally
essential’.
Structure of Amino Acid
 Essential Amino Acid
(EAA)
1. Histidine
2. Isoleusine*
3. Leucine*
4. Lysine
5. Methionine
6. Phenylalanine
7. Threonine
8. Tryptophan
9. Valine*

* Branched chain amino acids (BCAA)

 Non Essential Amino Acids
(NEAA)
1. Alanine
2. Arginine
3. Asparagine
4. Aspartic acid
5. Cysteine
6. Glutamic Acid
7. Glutamine
8. Glycine
9. Proine
10. Serine
11. Tyrosinel
 Conditionally Essential

• Argine
• Cysteine
• Glutamine
• Tyrosine
 Protein & Amino Acids
• Protein contained in animal & plant food
• A way to evaluate protein quality is by the ability of the
body to retain nitrogen (nitrogen balance)
• (+) nitrogen balance – body retain adequate protein to
support the growth & development (N in > N out)
• (-) nitrogen balance – body losing protein and caused
impairment to growth & development (N in < N out)
• Protein can be classified as complete or incomplete
• Complete protein – high quality protein which contain
adequate content of all EAA
• Incomplete protein – low quality protein which lack of one
or more EAA
 Protein Digestion

1. Mouth & salivary glands

– Chewing & crushing moisten protein rich foods &
mix them with saliva to be swallowed

2. Stomach
Pepsin, HCL Smaller
Protein
polypeptides
 Protein Digestion

3. Small intestine & pancreas

Pancreatic & Tripeptides,
Polypeptides Intestinal Proteases Dipeptides,
Amino acids

Intestinal Tripeptidases Amino

& Dipeptidases Acids
Peptides
(Absorbed)
 Protein Functions
1. For growth, maintenance and repair of body tissue
– Protein form the building blocks of muscles, blood, skin
& most of body structures. E.g., protein collagen – give
skin and bone their elastic strength
2. Formation on enzymes, antibodies and some hormones
– Every cell contains thousand of enzymes, each with its
own proposes (e., digestion, trigger the reaction that
build muscle & tissue)
– Antibodies are blood protein that attack and inactivate
bacteria and viruses (antigens)
– Hormone: Insulin – protein hormone that regulate blood
glucose; Thyroxin – increase the body metabolic rate;
serotonin – CNS function
 Protein Functions
3. To regulate water balance and help maintain proper
acid base balance within the body
– Help to maintain appropriate fluid levels in the
vascular system. Blood protein attract fluid into
capillary. This provides a balancing and counteracting
force that keep fluid in the circulatory system
– Proteins act as a buffer. When condition are acidic
(acidosis), protein pick up extra H+. When condition
are alkaline (alkalosis), protein donate H+.
4. Energy when carbs & fats are lacking
– To release energy from AA, the body first remove the
nitrogen – process called deamination
– Excess protein converted to glucose or stored as fat
 Protein Functions
5. Transport function
– Protein hemoglobin – carries oxygen from the lungs to
the cell
– Lipoprotein – transport lipids around the body
– Other protein – carry fat soluble vitamins, certain other
vitamins & minerals.
6. Other roles
– Blood clotting – when tissue is injured, fibrin (insoluble
mass of protein fibers) form a clot from liquid blood.
Later, the protein collagen forms a scar to replace a
clot & heal the wound.
– Vision – The light sensitive pigments in the retina are
molecule of protein opsin. Opsin response to light &
initiating the nerve impulses that convey the sense of
light to the brain
 Protein Metabolism
Dietary protein

Pool of AA in blood Synthesis Body tissue

& body fluid Hormone
Degradation Enzyme
Deamination (in liver) Antibodies

Nitrogen Carbon residue Energy

Oxidation
Skin
Hair
Feces

Urea (excretion) carbs or fats

Protein RNI for Adolescents

Age Gram/day
Boys 10-12 45

13-15 63
16-18 65
Girls 10-12 46
13-15 55
16-18 54
 Protein RNI for Adults &
Elderly
Adults Age Gram/day
*Men 19-59 62

*Women 19-59 55
Elderly
Men ≥ 60 57
Women ≥ 60 49

* Reference body weights for Malaysian adult men and women

are 62 kg and 55 kg respectively.
 Do athletes need more
protein?
• Extra protein does not build muscles, only regular
workouts fueled by mix of nutrients does.
• Studies estimate that actual protein needs during
resistance training is 1.7 to 1.8g/kg b.wgt (Positive
nitrogen balance)
• Endurance athlete, less protein used for muscle building,
but used as a fuel source. Protein need for endurance
athletes are 1.2 – 1.4g/kg b.wgt bodyweight
• Risk of supplements – excess calorie, calcium loss,
dehydration, interfere with other AA absorption,
contamination (L-Tryptophan)
• If you are a weekend athletes, there’s no need for you to
increase your protein intake.
 Food Sources

• Complete
proteins –
chicken, turkey,
fish, duck,
seafood, eggs,
milk, cheese
• Plant proteins –
legumes, seeds,
nuts, vegetables
 Health Effects on Protein

• Deficiency of Protein (Protein energy malnutrition)

– Kwashiorkor
• Protein deficiency in infants & children due to inadequate protein
– Marasmus
• Inadequate calorie & protein

• Excess Dietary protein

– Kidney function
• Strain kidney function. Harmful for people with kidney disease or
diabetes
 Maramus

§ Marasmus is a form of severe protein energy

malnutrition characterized by energy deficiency.
§ A child with Marasmus looks emaciated (when an
organism loses substantial amounts of much needed
fat and often muscle tissue, making that organism
look extremely thin).
§ Body weight may be reduced to less than 80% of the
normal weight for that height. Marasmus occurrence
increases prior to age 1.
 Kwashiorkor

q Kwashiorkor is a virulent form of childhood

malnutrition characterized by edema (swelling of the
feet), irritability, anorexia, ulcerating dermatoses, and
an enlarged liver with fatty infiltrates.
q Victims of kwashiorkor fail to produce antibodies
following vaccination (cost-effective method of
preventing infectious diseases) to against diseases,
including diphtheria (respiratory tract illness) and
typhoid.
q Kwashiorkor occurrence increases after 18 months.
 Health Effects on Protein
– Mineral loss
• High protein intake can cause the body to excrete more
calcium, contributing to mineral losses and increase the
risk of osteoporosis
• Animal protein trigger more calcium loss than plant
protein
– Obesity
• High protein food is also high in fat.
– Heart disease
• High intake of animal protein link to high blood
cholesterol level
– Cancer
• Diet high in animal protein foods, increased the risk of
cancer (colon, breast, pancreas, prostate cancer)
 Protein: Ergogenic Aspects

• Arginine, Lysine & Ornithine

• Tryptophan
• BCAA
• Glutamine
• Creatine