Proteins are organic elements required by the body as they have several important functions:
- plastic functions, as they help the structure of the muscle;
- defensive functions in the organism when they give rise to antibodies, hormones and enzymes;
- transportation functions of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
They also have energy functions but it is less important, they are used to produce energy if we are poor in carbohydrates and sugars.
Chemically proteins are made from amino acids some of them called "essential" because the body is unable to synthesize them by itself.
The most important function of proteins is the plastic function because our body consumes continuously cells and tissues, which must then be reconstituted by the proteins. If we do not take enough proteins the body goes to get the proteins from other tissues such as muscles, because we needs to renew tissues such as kidney, heart and liver. We deprive proteins from tissues less vital.
The proteins can be both animal and vegetable. The differentiates from them is the quality.
The quality of a protein means the number and type of amino acids present in the proteins of the two different sources. The proteins of animal origin have superior quality because they have all the essential amino acids, proteins instead vegetables may be deficient in one or two of these. However, if you consume grains and legumes for example in one dish the shortcomings of one are fully compensated from the other and can completely replace a plate of animal origin.
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