Why Protein Is So Important For Your Body

Why Protein Is So Important For Your Body

Protein is truly one of the most crucial nutrients your body needs, and getting enough of it should be a top priority. See, protein isn't just for bodybuilders trying to stack on muscle. It has vital roles in nearly every process in the human body – from building and repairing tissue to making important hormones and enzymes. No matter who you are, protein should be on your radar.

Protein Builds and Maintains Muscle Mass

This is likely the benefit most people already associate with protein, especially among fitness buffs and bodybuilders. And for good reason!

Protein provides the amino acids that are the building blocks your body uses to add and repair muscle tissue. Without it, you simply can't effectively recover from workouts or build your muscles over time.

• Resistance training creates tiny tears and damage to muscle fibers
• Protein supplies the body with amino acids to repair and rebuild those fibers
• More repaired fibers builds muscle size and strength over time

Consuming protein around workouts is particularly important. Your muscles are primed to soak it up and put it to use.

Skip the protein after lifting, and you miss that crucial muscle-building window.

But maintaining your muscle mass as you age relies on getting enough protein day-in and day-out too.

After around age 30, adults can lose up to 3-5% of muscle mass per decade. But adequate protein intake helps counteract age-related muscle wasting and weakness.

The recommendation is to eat around 0.36 grams of protein per pound that you weigh per day. That ensures your body has plenty of amino acids to continually repair exercise damage and offset muscle loss over time.

For a 150-pound person, that equates to about 54 grams daily. And if building muscle is the goal, aim for the higher end of recommended intakes. That’s where supplements like organic whey protein get you there more easily!

Protein Fuels Weight Loss and Boosts Metabolism

Here's an eye-opener – protein is hands-down the most filling nutrient. Getting more of it doesn’t just build metabolic muscle tissue, it keeps hunger at bay!

In study after study, high-protein diets lead to decreased appetite, better portion control, and greater weight loss compared to low-protein approaches, without having to consciously restrict calories.

Several theories explain protein’s superior impact on appetite and metabolism:

• It suppresses ghrelin (the “hunger hormone”) longer than carbs or fat
• It boosts peptides YY and GLP-1, hormones that signal fullness to the brain
• It increases thermic effect – the calories burned digesting and metabolizing foods – by 20-35%

On the flip side, skimping on protein leads predictably to increased hunger and cravings.

The more protein you eat, the more body fat you tend to lose too, even without cutting carbs and fat.

The satisfying nature of protein-rich foods, combined with protein’s innate metabolism-revving abilities, gives your body an automatic edge for shedding fat.

Protein Keeps Your Bones Strong

You probably know that calcium builds strong bones, but here’s something you may not know…

Your body can't effectively use and retain that bone-building calcium without adequate protein!

Several analyses tie low protein diets to decreased calcium absorption and weaker bones over time. The theory is low protein intakes alter hormone levels in a way that promotes more bone breakdown than building.

However, even small increases in protein make a difference. Consistently meeting protein recommendations protects bone mineral density all over your body – reducing fracture risks as you age.

This is especially important for women protecting against osteoporosis. But men with low protein intakes also show rapidly declining bone mineral density over 10-year periods.

Protein Balances Important Hormones

Now this one may surprise you… Consuming enough protein doesn’t just help balance your physical health. It also balances key hormones that influence your whole sense of well-being – mood, sleep, stress levels, sex drive, and more!

• Serotonin & Dopamine: Brain chemicals influencing moods, emotions, and sleep
• Melatonin: Regulates sleep/wake cycles
• Cortisol: Controls stress responses
• Testosterone: Impacts sexual function and lean body mass
• Human Growth Hormone: Declines naturally as you age

These hormones are made of protein building blocks, so eating protein literally supplies the ingredients.

Studies also show diets higher in protein improve regulation of stress hormones and blood sugar, decrease anxiety, and improve overall emotional stability and outlook – even controlling mental health conditions like schizophrenia.

Meanwhile, low protein intake allows stress hormones like cortisol to run wild, blood sugar imbalances, mental fog, unstable moods, poor sleep, etc.

Protein Powers Your Immune System

Ever noticed how run down you feel after a week of grabbing fast food and poor nutrition? Or how people often get sick after crash dieting?

There’s a reason for that. Your immune system runs on protein to perform properly.

Protein and the amino acids it provides are literally the building blocks your body uses to create new immune cells and antibodies.

Think of antibodies like soldiers that seek out and destroy bacteria, viruses, and foreign invaders to keep you healthy.

• Not enough protein? Your body can’t make enough immune cells and antibodies.
• Run down protein supplies? Your existing immune army deteriorates.

This explains why deficiency and low-protein diets often result in more frequent sickness. While protein-rich diets provide the raw materials to fight back!

Wrap-up

At the end of the day, making sure you get enough high-quality protein sets you up for better body composition, energy levels, immune defenses, and quality of life all around.

So be sure to keep protein a consistent priority in your eating plan! Your body will thank you for it.