Protein hype: How much protein do people need? PZ – Pharmaceutical Newspaper

Protein hype If you believe the advertising, the following applies to protein: the more, the better. Not only athletes, but also many "normal" people use products with extra protein. But how healthy are they really?

Nicole Schuster

04/23/202107:00

CONTENTSRead on one pageHow much protein do people need?Quality instead of quantityKidneys in danger

Food consists of three Main nutrients, also known as macronutrients: fats, carbohydrates and proteins (protein). In the case of the proteins, the name itself indicates a presumed special role: It is derived from the Greek »protos«, which means »the first«.

The body needs more than 20 different amino acids in order to produce proteins such as structural, transport and receptor proteins as well as immunoglobulins, enzymes, peptide hormones such as insulin and finally also DNA and RNA. Eight of the proteinogenic amino acids are essential; the term "essential" is considered obsolete. Humans cannot produce them themselves and must therefore ingest them through food: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine, and histidine in infants as well. If the supply is insufficient, there is a risk of deficiency symptoms.

"Protein is the only macronutrient that the body cannot store in large quantities," says Professor Dr. Johannes Georg Wechsler, doctor for internal medicine, gastroenterology - endoscopy, nutritional medicine DGEM/DAEM and President of the Federal Association of German Nutritionists (BDEM) to the PZ. But how much protein does the body need every day? Strictly speaking, it's not about the protein itself, but about the essential amino acids.

The recommended intake is given in protein per kilogram of body weight. Babies, pregnant women, breastfeeding women and the elderly have an increased need. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) has published reference quantities on its website.

Accordingly, an average adult needs 0.8 to 1 g/kg of body weight every day. According to a DGE position paper, people who exercise for more than five hours a week can take in 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg of body weight per day, depending on their training condition and goal.

There are a few things to consider in order to meet the demand. “Not all proteins are created equal,” says Wechsler. A good biological value is crucial. »This means the extent to which an ingested dietary protein can be converted into the body's own protein. The more similar the amino acid composition, the better the implementation.«

Proteins from animal sources usually contain all proteinogenics including the essential amino acids, while vegetable proteins sometimes do not have the full spectrum and therefore have a lower biological value. This measure is given as a number on preparations - for example 90 or 100. The higher the quality of a protein, the less of it you need to cover your daily needs.

Hen whole egg, which serves as a reference in this system, has a biological value of 100. A value over 100 is also possible, since the value 100 is dimensionless. For example, potatoes and whole eggs together result in a biological value of 136. "Anyone who skilfully combines foods with a relatively low biological value can also achieve a biologically high-quality meal from purely plant-based foods," explains Wechsler. »The individual components complement each other and enhance each other, such as cereals with legumes.«

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