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The Science of Higher Protein

After my post about the importance of protein to ensure a healthy old age, I came across a talk by Prof. Stuart Phillips. He is a professor in Kinesiology (the study of the anatomy, physiology and mechanics of movement) at McMaster University in Canada. His research focuses on how the way the human body uses skeletal muscle protein is affected by nutrition and exercise. He is specifically interested in how diet and exercise can change body composition, particularly in older people.

The takeaway from this talk in 2019 is that the best way of making the most of the protein one eats is to combine it with regular, daily exercise, and not just any exercise, but resistance training, for example weight training. He recommends a daily intake of a minimum of 1.6 g of protein/kg of body weight. In this talk he also addresses the myth that a higher protein diet might be detrimental to kidney function.

So you may ask what to eat for a higher protein diet. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be just meat.

To know how much protein a food contains, the concept of protein percentage is used. This reflects how much the protein in a food contributes to a food’s total calories (excl. calories from fibre).

Animal protein is known to have the highest protein percentages:

  • shrimp (97%)
  • egg whites (85%)
  • white fish (82%)
  • chicken breast with skin (63%)
  • chicken drumstick without skin (65%)
  • wild salmon (69%)
  • chicken liver (60%)
  • steak (60%)
  • lean minced beef (54%)

It may come as a surprise that the protein percentage of vegetables may be as high as 50+% (these numbers from dietdoctor.com):

  • spinach (57%)
  • arugula or rocket (42%)
  • asparagus (53%)
  • mushroom (52%)
  • romaine lettuce (40%)
  • kale (41%)

The best plant-based protein can be found in

  • lentils (42%)
  • edamame beans (40%)
  • lupini beams (55%)
  • sunflower seed protein powder (66%)
  • pea protein powder (79%)
  • tempeh (40%)
  • tofu (48%)
  • seitan (77%) – this is a form of vital wheat gluten considered to be an good substitute for meat
  • nutritional yeast (72%)

The protein powders included above may be used to supplement a plant-based diet as otherwise it might be difficult to meet protein needs.

Lastly, dairy is also a good source of protein:

  • plain non-fat Greek yogurt or Skyr (80%)
  • low-fat cottage cheese (65%)
  • reduced-fat Swiss or cheddar cheese (60%)
  • plain low-fat Greek yogurt or Skyr (57%)

With non-fat or low-fat yogurt it is important to check that there is no sugar added, as this will only push up the calorie count with no nutritional benefit.

Obviously, as an omnivore/carnivore I prefer to get my protein from animal sources, but with vegetables and dairy it means it won’t be as expensive as what might be the case otherwise.

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The case for whole food supplementation

It is well-known that the incidence of chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes and cardiac disease is on the increase. All of these are linked to something called metabolic syndrome. Something else that shows this increasing trend is auto-immune diseases, where the body attacks itself.

Obesity seems to play an important role in the increase in chronic diseases. There are various theories to explain this increase. In my opinion it has to do with what we eat, as Dr Zoe Harcombe says “I don’t think obesity is a disease. I think it’s a natural response to an unnatural diet.” This unnatural diet is one lacking in the crucial nutrients our bodies need.

People often say that they follow a healthy diet and don’t need to supplement as their diet is sufficient for their nutritional needs. BUT, research has shown that whilst there has been great advances in crop yields over the past 100 years, the nutritional content of crops has actually declined. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157516302113

It is ironic that nowadays (in the Western world, at least) we have more food than ever, but that the available food is worth a lot less in terms of nutritional content: 10-25% less iron, zinc, protein, calcium, vitamin C and other nutrients.

This paper ( https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/44/1/article-p15.xml ) confirms this decrease in nutrient value: “Contemporaneous analyses of modern versus old crop varieties grown side-by-side, and archived samples, show lower mineral concentrations in varieties bred for higher yields where increased carbohydrate is not accompanied by proportional increases in minerals.” What this means in practice is that one has to eat much more in order to maintain the amount of minerals ingested. And that clearly doesn’t help with the obesity epidemic.

Furthermore, the paper states that “The benefits of increased yield to supply food for expanding populations outweigh small nutrient dilution effects addressed by eating the recommended daily servings of vegetables, fruits and whole grains.”

I am unconvinced by this argument. The increase in crop yields may produce more food, but people will need to eat more to be able to obtain sufficient nutrition from the food they eat. The published recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals are sufficient to support a notional 50% of the population who are healthy, but the other 50% of the population will need a higher intake. Given the high incidence of chronic diseases it is likely that even more than 50% of the population will need to supplement their diets to ensure an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals for a healthy life.

In addition to the decrease in nutritional content, the use of GMOs and pesticides are also compromising the quality of the food we eat (http://www.ewg.org/key-issues/food/gmo-foods). Indeed, this may also be contributing to the rise in chronic and autoimmune diseases.

Using the building blocks provided by the protein we eat in combination with vitamins and minerals, the body has the ability to repair itself. Unfortunately, various substances in the environment may interfere with the body’s ability to heal itself, often due to free radical damage of the DNA structure inside the cell. Antioxidants found in fruit and vegetables neutralise the effect of these free radicals and help the body to protect itself against the effects of free radicals.

For all of this to happen, the body needs a combination of both macro- and micronutrients from the diet. These macro- and micronutrients must come from real food. In the case of poor health, supplementation may increase the availability of micronutrients to support nutrition at the cellular level.

A whole food supplement providing healthy oils from whole grains and omega-3 fatty acids from fish, 23 vitamins & minerals and carotenoids from fruit and vegetables.

Whole food nutritional supplements tend to be significantly more expensive than synthetic versions, especially if they are made from organic, pharmaceutical grade, whole food sources:

  • organic, as that means it is uncontaminated by pesticides
  • pharmaceutical grade, as often food supplements don’t contain the amount of nutrient stated on the label
  • whole food, as the bio-availability of synthetic nutritional supplements is significantly lower than whole food supplements

I take Neolife whole food supplements for the three reasons listed above – at least I know my body will recognise the contents as “food” and won’t just eliminate it without minimal absorption.

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Why eating too little protein may set us up for poor quality of life in old age

In the UK & US it is recommended that people’s daily intake of protein should be 0.8 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight or ~50 grams (i.e. the RDA is ~50g).

However, what is less known is that RDA values are meant to be sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of ~97% of healthy people. What this then means is, if anybody has any health issues, they should consider increasing their protein intake, unless they have known kidney disease. (Anyone who has any concerns about their kidney health, do consult your medical professional before eating more protein).

So why is protein intake important?

Proteins are the building blocks of our bodies. They are required for the structure, function and regulation of the body. Proteins are included in:

  • cell membranes
  • the cellular structure of skin, hair, muscle & bone
  • hormones
  • enzymes

Proteins consist of amino acids chained together to form the different proteins. Amino acids are divided into three categories: essential amino acids, conditionally essential amino acids and non-essential amino acids.

Essential amino acids are ones that must be included in the diet. Non-essential amino acids are ones that the body is able to build from other amino acids if needed. Some amino acids are considered “conditionally essential”, meaning that for most people they are not required in the diet because the body can make them from other amino acids. But for some populations who don’t make them in sufficient amounts, they may become essential, i.e. they had to be specifically included in the diet.

Non-essential amino acids are especially important to vegetarians and vegans, as many of the essential amino acids the body needs are contained in animal protein, which are considered as “complete” protein.

Increasing protein intake to 1.2-2 gram per kilogram of body weight has been shown to preserve muscle mass and improve body composition. There are multiple apps and websites which give an indication of the actual amount of protein in the chosen food. As a rough guide 100 g of meat contains ~20-25 gram of protein.

From the third decade onwards, muscle protein synthesis declines, and declines even faster from the age of 60 onward. For older adults, international consensus now recommends protein intake of 1-1.2 g/kg per day.

Sarcopenia is a condition primarily seen on older people. It is characterised by progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength and it correlates with physical disability, poor quality of life and death. Increased protein intake at a younger age may prevent this debilitating condition in old age.

People who are underweight or healing from illness, injury or surgery may temporarily increase their intake to more than 2 g/kg per day, to aid and accelerate healing and recovery. Increased protein intake during time of illness or recovery makes sense knowing that protein are the building blocks of our body.

Anecdotally, too high an intake of protein has been linked to kidney failure, especially in athletes/body builders. Thus there is a perception that too much protein is bad for one’s kidneys. However, the question here may not be protein itself, but the quality of protein, e.g. artificial protein shakes vs. protein from real food.

As I have experienced the benefits of a higher-protein diet, I will continue eating this way for a healthier old age.