II.

Proteins-”proteios”(prime importance/ holding 1st place)

-Vital part of living tissues
-amino acids(bldg. blocks of CHON)
Classification of Amino Acids:
Accdg. to Essentiality
Essential amino acids(indispensable)- can’t be synthesized by the body & are necessary in the diet.
Ex: Threonine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine,
methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, histidine

Non-essential amino acids(dispensable)- can be manufactured by

the body, are not as necessary for consideration in the diet

Conditionally Essential (acquired dispensable)-under most conditions the body can synthesize adequate amts. of
amino acids
Functions of Proteins:
I. Tissue Growth and Development(structural role)

• 1/5 or 20% of an adult body weight is protein

• 1/3 in the muscles *1/10 in the skin
• 1/5 in bones & teeth *the rest in body fluids & tissues
Keratin – chief protein in hair
Collagen – connective tissue, in tendons & bone matrices
Fibrin – of a bld. clot
Myosin – of muscle
Elastin – in bld. vessel walls

• Anabolism- refers to production of new cellular material.

• Catabolism- breaking down/destruction of body tissues so they can be reused or
excreted.
II. Protein Synthesis- process by which cells build proteins specific to the needs of the body.
IV. Immune Function
• Immune response- is the way the body identifies and defends itself against
antigens such as viruses, bacteria and othe foriegn matter.
• antibodies-a blood protein produced in response to and counteracting a specific
antigen.

V. Provision of Energy
Protein supplies 4 kcalories/gm
DAILY PROTEIN NEEDS

Adults: 0.8 gm of protein per kilogram of body weight/day

• Example: A man weighing 70 kg.
70 kg x 0.8 gm/kg = 56 gm protein per day

Inborn Errors of Protein Metabolism:

disorder caused by an inherited defect in an enzyme pathway that affect the way the body
metabolizes.
a.)Phenylketonuria- (PKU)disease caused by deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase, the enzyme
responsible for converting the amino acid phenylalanine to tyrosine.
 causes harmful accumulation of phenylalanine which results in nerve damage that causes
mental retardation.
Diet: foods containing very little phenylalanine
Foods limited:Foods containing high amounts of protein(milk, dairy products, meat,fish,
chicken, eggs, beans, nuts
b.) Branched Chain Ketoaciduria( Maple Syrup Urine Disease/ MSUD )
causes severe neurological damage and death
 Protein Malnutrition/Deficiency

• Kwashiorkor the deficiency dse.caused by inadequate protein in the presence of

adequate food energy(kcalories).
• Symptoms:edema, hair discoloration,altered skin pigmentation
• Marasmus is a severe form of protein-energy malnutrition(PEM); severe
deprivation of food over a long period of time caused by a shortage/insufficiency
of protein and calories in the body.
• Symptoms: abnormally dry or loose skin folds, altered pigmentation of the hair,
and severe loss of tissue from normal areas of fat deposits like the buttocks and
thighs.