Page 36 - Fall2011

Eating a adult women who are pregnant, the result is a since they do not have all of the essential amino
hamburger lower amount of suggested protein for a pregnant acids in adequate amounts. The body needs all
the amino acids to make cells, such as those in
teenager than for the pregnant adult.
or a steak on muscles.
Sunday will PROTEIN TRANSIT TIME
It is worth pausing to consider the fact that CHOLESTEROL AND PROTEIN
not still the protein in our body is constantly being de- Cholesterol is carried in the blood by lipo-
supply an stroyed, that is, it is used up during normal me- proteins. Lipoproteins include (1) apoproteins,

adequate tabolism. A study on the rate at which a protein combinations of essential and nonessential amino
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amount of is “used up” has been carried out in pigs. Pigs acids in varying amounts; (2) phospholipid, a
were used because the pig is the animal closest fat- and water-soluble complex; and (3) fat. These
essential to us in the way food is metabolized. This study apoprotein carriers must be carefully constructed
amino acids indicated that it took thirty-six hours before by the body out of the correct combination of

on Tuesday, the protein was used up. “Used up” in this case essential and nonessential amino acids. These
means the protein was freed of its nitrogen and carriers cannot be made properly if one of the
even though no longer furnishing building blocks for body essential amino acids is missing—another reason
on Sunday all tissue. This study compared feeding pregnant not to short yourself on the essential amino acids.
the essential pigs every day with feeding pregnant pigs with The important role of apoproteins in transporting
the same amount of food, but every three days. cholesterol in the blood has been documented
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amino acids The pregnant pigs fed every day gave birth to and there has been an immense amount of
were there. heavier and healthier piglets than those fed every research tying differences in apoproteins to a
third day. possible cause for heart disease.
As far as I’m aware, studies on humans to Not only must all the essential amino acids
date do not cover this “transit time” for proteins. be present, they must also be present in the right
However, I believe the protein metabolism works amounts to carry cholesterol. Chickens have a
the same way in people. This means that eating similar metabolism to human beings and are
a hamburger or a steak on Sunday will not still often used in scientific experiments. A study 7
supply an adequate amount of essential amino in which one-week-old chicks were fed various
acids on Tuesday, even though on Sunday all combinations of essential and non-essential
the essential amino acids were there. Even more amino acids showed that the lowest cholesterol
problematical is eating soy-based cheese pizza level was always in the chicks fed the required
five times a week. This food is likely missing essential amino acids in the correct amount.
an essential amino acid. Both soy products and Whenever an essential amino acid was missing
wheat flour are considered “incomplete” proteins or even a non-essential amino acid was fed in

FIGURE 3: The recommended daily allowances (RDA) of the nine essen- FIGURE 4: Daily amino acid requirement of an
tial amino acids by age groups in mg/kg of weight. 3 infant compared with the human milk con-
sumption of an infant. 4
Infants Preschool children (1-3 yr) Adolescent (14-18 yr) girls
Adolescent (14-18 yr) boys Adults (19+ yr) g/946 g human milk 4 kg infant requirement g/kg/day

1. Histidine; 2. Isoleucine; 3. Leucine; 4. Lysine; 5. Methionine g Cystine; 6. Phenylalanine g Tyrosine; 7. Threonine; 8. Tryptophan; 9. Valine g/100g
36 Wise Traditions FALL 2011 FALL 2011 Wise Traditions

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