What does protein "really" do?

I've been asked many times over the years..."how much protein should I be eating?" And "how much protein is too much?" And "what is the best kind of protein?"

I've also been asked "what should I be eating to lose weight?" For three years now, I've leaned towards getting a balance of all three macros (carbs, protein, fat) (50/25/25) and also reading many studies and reports on how much protein should we be getting (.8g/kg body weight) and is it possible to eat too much? Will it ruin my kidneys?

While you should ALWAYS check with your doctor about your health I will say that based on my own research and the research of several doctors I've followed now...we all need more protein and most do NOT get enough!

That doesn't mean cut out ALL carbs!!!

BALANCE! BALANCE! BALANCE!

I'm going to include my notes from the latest lecture from Mitch Kanter, Ph.D.

I'm still preaching the following macros...
50/25/25
40/30/30

Carbs/protein/fat

All three macros are NEEDED by the body to function minimally and optimally!!!

I can personally say I have experienced the difference between optimal protein and minimal. Give it a try!!
*****
65% of US adults are overweight.

Children born in 2000 and later have a 1 in 3 chance of getting diabetes.

Mitch Kanter, Ph.D. Lecture on protein.

In the United States, we are currently eating approximately 65% + of our diet in carbohydrates.

I personally can vouch for a lot of people who eat more than that!

We need to add more protein to our diets.

Studies show, in general we can get by on 140 grams of carbs a day even if we are active.

Animal protein tends to be the highest quality protein, studies show. Eggs and milk being the highest quality.

Health benefits of more protein:
It can help treat....
Obesity
Heart disease
Metabolic syndrome
Type 2 diabetes
Osteoporosis
Sarcopenia
(Ask me how)

Minimum vs. optimum
Minimum = what is needed to prevent
disease
Optimum = what is needed to function
at your bodies best

RDA = recommended daily allowance (minimum)
RDA's are the lowest amount needed
to prevent disease.

The RDA for protein is .8g / kg of body weight (this is approximately 55 grams of protein a day for a 150 lb person).

This is lowest level needed to balance
nitrogen loss in the body (WHO Tech
Report 935, 2008).

Protein= a long chain of amino acids.
There are 20 amino acids that our
body needs.
9 are essential and needed from
food.

Vegetables and legumes have some amino acids but you need to mix and match them to get all 20 amino acids.

Animal products have complete (all 20 amino acids) proteins.

Protein is needed for building muscle, hair, teeth and nails, for energy and for nutrient signals. For connections of other nutrients.

Amino acids ALSO play other roles in our body.

Example: ARGININE builds nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide is a vasodilator.
It can lower blood pressure.
LEUCINE is involved in
making mTOR.
mTOR is needed for protein
synthesis.
TRYPTOPHAN helps with
raising serotonin levels.

The minimal requirement (RDA) of LEUCINE is <3g/day (=about 30 grams of protein a day is needed to acquire this amount of leucine.
This RDA (minimal amount) simply
keeps us from getting ill/or for our
body to be able to at least function
minimally.

The OPTIMAL amount of leucine our body needs to perform all the protein synthesis and insulin signal pathways is
8 g/day (=about 30 grams of
protein at each meal 90 grams
of protein a day)

Leucine is an indispensable amino acid.

Eating 30 grams of protein at breakfast gives you a 50% increase of protein synthesis for the day.

"Studies show that waiting until lunch to eat 30 grams of protein does not allow your body the protein synthesis it gets by eating 30 grams at breakfast."

Eating 30 grams of protein at each meal is what is needed for the average person to function OPTIMALLY in general.

Some FACTS to ponder on....
Protein promotes satiety
Suppresses food intake at next meal
Stimulates the intestinal "satiety
hormone" CCK
Inhibits ghrelin, a hunger hormone
High protein breakfast results in less
calories all day
A higher protein diet = more weight
loss over longer periods
Protein makes up 50% of bone
volume and 33% of muscle mass
Higher protein and higher calcium
equals higher bone density
Of the three macros, protein
produces the highest thermogenic
effect.

Bottom line...eating more protein burns more calories in several ways, helps us heal and helps us function OPTIMALLY!