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Wellness Foods Europe Protein
Protein – a
nutrient that has
received mixed
press over the
years
Claire Mac Evilly, Communications
Manager, Food for Health Ireland
Photo©:Fotolia/Elena Schweitzer
When you open the nutrition books, the first
thing you learn about is the macronutrients
– proteins, fats and carbohydrates and while
it may seem that dietary advice is always
changing about these nutrients, their importance in our diet has not changed.
In terms of protein, the nutritional and scientific focus has clearly shifted onto the source
or type of protein and the functional benefits of certain proteins. The reality is that that
most of us eat more protein than we need, as
it is found in many foods that make up our
daily diet including meat, poultry, fish, eggs,
nuts and dairy products. But are we eating
the right type of protein and are all proteins
created equal?
Proteins are part of every cell, tissue and
organ in our bodies. These body proteins are
constantly being broken down and replaced.
The protein in the foods we eat is diges­ted
and later used to replace these proteins in our
bodies. The ‘building blocks’ of protein are
known as amino acids. There are 20 different
amino acids that combine together to make
4 | Wellness Foods Europe – April/May 2014
all types of protein. Some of these amino
acids can’t be made by our bodies, so these
are known as essential amino acids. It’s essential that our diet provide these.
In the diet, protein sources are differentiated
according to how many of the essential amino acids they provide:
– A complete protein source is one that provides all of the essential amino acids. These
are high quality proteins. Animal-based
foods; for example, meat, poultry, fish,
milk, eggs, and cheese are considered complete protein sources.
– An incomplete protein source is one that is
low in one or more of the essential amino
acids.
Complementary proteins are two or more incomplete protein sources that together provide adequate amounts of all the essential
amino acids. For example, rice contains low
amounts of certain essential amino acids;
however, these same essential amino acids are
found in greater amounts in dry beans. Simi­
larly, dry beans contain lower amounts of
other essential amino acids that can be found
in larger amounts in rice. Together, these two
foods can provide adequate amounts of all
the essential amino acids the body needs.
The most health-conscious consumers are
becoming more and more aware of the bene­
fits of protein above and beyond basic nutrition. This is leading to a steady increase in
the demand for high quality protein particularly from within the dairy industry. Whey
proteins up until recently have been the dietary fuel of choice for body builders and elite
athletes, but they are slowly making their
way into mainstream consumer foods and
beverages.
High protein, low GI diets have blown hot
and cold among weight conscious consumers and nutrition experts over the past decade. However, late 2010 saw the publication
of the results of the Diogenes study, which
has since provided an unprecedented boost
for such diets. Heralded as the world’s largest
dietary study, Diogenes investigated the optimum dietary composition for the prevention
and treatment of obesity. The results showed
that a high-protein, low-glycemic index (GI)
diet was the single most effective diet for
weight management. The researchers suggest
diets with 25 % of calories from high-quality, low-fat protein sources.
But it’s not just about the macro nutrient. Scientists have recently begun to look at
chains of amino acids called peptides. Peptides are formed when proteins are broken
down by enzymes in the gut or by fermentation or ripening during food processing.
Some of these peptides are ‘bioactive’, in
other words, they have an effect on systems
in the body. Specifically, they may positively affect the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune and nervous systems. For this
reason the potential of these peptides to have
positive health benefits has aroused interest
among not only the scientists but also the
food industry as they see the benefits in de-
Photo©:Fotolia/Janine Fretz Weber
Protein Wellness Foods Europe
veloping health promoting functional foods
containing bioactives.
Bioactive peptides of particular interest
are found in foods including peas, soya, seaweed and milk. Ireland currently processes
5.6 billion litres of milk annually but this figure is set to rise by 50 % by 2020. Eighty
five per cent of milk produced in Ireland is
exported. In fact, Ireland produces enough
milk to feed 52 million people; roughly 11
times the national population. Milk is a valuable and highly complex biological material, composed of multiple constituents such as
proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and
minerals. Milk contains two primary sources of protein, casein (80 %) and whey (20 %)
which behave differently in the body. Casein is digested slowly and therefore proteins
are slowing broken down into amino acids.
On the other hand whey protein is digested
quickly.
The reason milk proteins are of interest
is because of their amino acid composition
and their sequencing which makes them particularly active. Milk is also easily available
in large quantities, and it is easier to work
with than solid protein-rich foods like meat.
Milk proteins exert a wide range of nutritional, functional and biological activities. One
potential health benefits of different bioacApril/May 2014 – Wellness Foods Europe | 5
Photo©:Fotolia/kubais
Wellness Foods Europe Protein
tive milk peptides include reducing the risk
of type two diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a serious condition with 366 million people globally living
with the disease. The global prevalence of diabetes is forecast to continue to increase, while
the World Health Organisation projects that
diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death
in 2030. Diabetics have high blood sugar
(blood glucose) either because the pancreas
does not produce enough of the hormone insulin or because cells in the body do not respond to the insulin that is produced. Milk
proteins given to diabetics in a research study
which is part of the Food for Health Ireland
project based in University College Dublin
have shown some promising effects in keeping the patients blood glucose levels within
a normal range and this research is ongoing.
Formulations derived from milk have also
shown promising effects in reducing the risk
of the age related progressive decline of skeletal muscle mass known as sarcopenia and
building muscle in athletes. Healthy active
ageing and improving sports performance
share similar mechanisms in terms of muscle
health and development.
As we age the amount of muscle and lean
tissue mass we have begins to decrease. This
can lead to frailty, disability and loss of independence in older adults. Conversely, high
performance athletes generally try to increase
6 | Wellness Foods Europe – April/May 2014
muscle mass and muscle function which then
has to recover and adapt quickly to sustain
and improve optimal performance. Many of
the nutrient and metabolic regulators of these
effects on muscle in ageing and high performance overlap. Can milk, specifically the proteins within milk, help older people and athletes to rebuild their muscle and to recover
quickly for the next performance, respectively? Further research is required but the potential is there.
Other new areas where research about bioactive peptides is underway include inducing
satiety, cognitive function, memory-related
diseases and mood control. Demonstrating
the impact of bioactive peptides on these disease states is only the beginning. The challenge will be to scale up the production of
the peptides, their bioavailability, safety and
putting them into other foods that people
will buy.
Also further studies are needed to assess
the bioactive mechanisms of action and researchers will be using new nutrigenomic
techniques, for example proteomics and metabolomics. This research area is currently
considered highly challenging and will revolutionize the protein research in the near
future. Another issue with functional foods
products containing novel bioactive is if any
health-related claims are attached to the
products. Currently healthy claim regulations seem to vary greatly in different countries but regional and international harmonization processes are underway.
So the next time you pour your milk into
your cereal or have a glass of milk – look
carefully. There is a lot more going on in its
proteins than meets the eye!
The Author: Claire Mac Evilly,
Communications Manager, Food for Health Ireland,
University College Dublin
Tel + 353 1 7162394
E-Mail [email protected],
www.fhi.ie