What are the most important proteins for our health?

From the Greek proteios, translated “preeminent or first rate”, the word protein defines a “substance constitutive of living matter formed by one or more chains of amino acids”, according to art. Royal Spanish Academy.

So are proteins essential macronutrients which ensure the correct functioning of the body.

Other macronutrients of this type are carbohydrates, fats and, of course, water. Vitamins and minerals, on the other hand, are micronutrients.

Of the 20 amino acids that make up proteins, eight or nine are essential and must be ingested through food. Knowing them is one way to do this ensure good health.

The most important proteins for our health

The body itself produces 12 non-essential amino acids (alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glycine, glutamic acid, hydroxylysine, hydroxyproline, glutamine, proline, serine and tyrosine). In reality, the organism synthesizes them starting from the eight (nine in the case of childhood) considered essential.

THE essential amino acids for adults they are: lysine, methionine, threomine, tryptophan, valine, leucine, isoleucine and phenylalanine. Histidine, meanwhile, is essential during childhood.

From amino acids cells “build” proteins which, in turn, they shape tissues, enzymes, hormones, antibodies and some neurotransmitters. In this way, proteins, for example, form or repair muscles and bones, facilitate chemical reactions. They transport nutrients or micronutrients and contribute to the immune system.

Proteins can be of animal or vegetable origin and, according to the recommendations of World Health Organization, both are necessary. The WHO recommends consuming between 0.8 and 1 g of protein per day, for every kilogram of weight.

THE Clinic of the University of Navarra (Spain) remembers it dried fruit, soy, cereals and legumes They are good sources of plant-based protein. While, meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products They contain proteins of animal origin.

THE amount The number of proteins needed in the daily diet is determined by many factors, such as age or the state of our intestines and kidneys, on which the absorption capacity will depend, and also by the biological value of the proteins we consume ”, he adds.

THE meat Contains all essential amino acids, as well as vitamins and minerals. The problem is that it also contains saturated fats which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. THE Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (Aesan) recommends a weekly consumption of three portions (a portion of steak contains approximately 150 g). This means that you should not exceed 450g of meat per week.

Other warning is that, when proteins from cattle, poultry or fish are ingested, “the waste from cellular metabolism present in those tissues (ammonia and uric acid) also enter the body, acting as toxins”.

To avoid these toxic substances, Scientists recommend proteins contained in eggs, milk and yogurt. In the case of the egg it is important to clarify that, in the last decade, various investigations have disproved the myth according to which the egg yolk consumption It is associated with a high risk of suffering from coronary heart disease or stroke due to its high cholesterol levels.

Among many other investigations on this topic, a meta-analysis based on eight studies and published in the British Medical Journal concluded that by consuming one egg a day It has no relation to the factors that trigger these pathologies.

Combine animal-based proteins with vegetable proteins It is also good advice: a third of them should come from this origin to ensure a balanced diet.