The importance of protein
Protein is fundamental to human life. Proteins are found in every cell in the body and there are many different types. Enzymes, hormones and antibodies are just three examples. Each performs a different function and is vital for growing, developing babies.
Proteins:
- Enable growth of muscle, organs and blood volume
- Repair body tissue
- Aid development of the immune system
- Affect digestion and metabolism
- Provide energy
- Transport molecules around the body, for example in haemoglobin in the blood
What is protein?
Proteins are formed from amino acids that combine to form different structures. These proteins in the diet are broken down during digestion into amino acids and then reformed into new proteins as required by the body. Amino acids are classed as:
- Essential amino acids – these cannot be made by the human body and so must be obtained from food sources
- Non-essential amino acids – these can be made in the human body
Infants require a greater number of essential amino acids than adults, because of their rapid growth.
Essential amino acids in infancy
Tryptophan, cystine, arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tyrosine, valine.
Non-essential amino acids
Alanine, aspartic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine.
Why is protein important?
- Growth is particularly rapid during the first 6 months of life, when infants usually double their birth weight
- Dietary protein requirements per kilogram of bodyweight are at their highest during infancy to support the high growth rates
Excess protein
- Excessive protein intake in the first few months of life may lead to rapid undesirable weight gain1
- Rapid weight gain during early infancy has been shown to be associated with obesity in childhood and young adulthood2
- Protein that the body doesn’t need is not stored, but broken down by the body and excreted through the kidneys
- Excess protein may therefore place an increased burden on the developing kidneys
