8 Nutrients to Know – Proteins
Proteins
Leon Martinez Gist; San Juana Cruz; and Ana PIna Vega
Introduction – Proteins
Protein is well known as being the main ingredient bodybuilders use in their shakes to be so strong; however, this nutrient has many more functionalities going for it than just workout competitions. Proteins are made of amino acids and are incredibly important for the well being of the body. Proteins can aid the body in numerous ways and are critical for many functions, making them so important and interesting. This chapter will give some insight into the nutrient protein, why it is important, how to attain it, and more.
Amino Acids
There are plenty of unique proteins and amino acids; however, humans only use 20 amino acids to create the proteins needed. This graph shows which need to be obtained through diet and which the body can produce all on its own. 9 amino acids are considered essential amino acids because they need to be obtained in the diet while the rest can be created autonomously. However, some non-essential amino acids can become essential, creating conditionally essential amino acids; these exist when the body is, for some reason, not producing enough of the particular amino acid.
– Lets see if the thinking caps are on:
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All the info about amino acids begs the question, how exactly are proteins made? Which leads into the next learning phase.
How to Make Proteins 101
Proteins are formed by combining amino acids, which can form a variety of bonds called peptide bonds. This is why it is important to incorporate meals with all amino acids or consume the essential amino acids if you are not faced with a conditionally essential acid. Once these bonds are formed, they begin to take shape determined by the different amino acids in the peptide bonds. The process of protein synthesis can be especially convoluted – as well as the way proteins are shaped. Their structures may sound familiar to anyone who has taken a biology class, and there are four levels. These four levels consist of the primary structure, which is essentially the order in which the aforementioned amino acids are arranged. The secondary level is when the amino acid arrangement begins to take on a shape and either take on a form known as an alpha-helix or a beta-pleated sheet – in this stage; the immature protein takes on a 3D shape. The third form is called the tertiary structure and regards the 3D arrangement of the protein, which is quite interesting in how this shape is welded together. To simplify – the help of hydrophobic interactions fold the alpha-helix or beta-pleated sheet, and hydrogen bonding glues this structure together. The fourth level is called the quaternary structure (fun to pronounce), which not all proteins have – in this structure, the protein subunits come together with their own structures to form the quaternary structure – keep in mind shape determines function, so the shape of the structure will direct the physiological workload even