What are the symptoms of protein deficiency in the human body?

Protein is one of the six major nutrients for the human body. Although it does not provide energy to the body, various parts of our body are mainly composed of protein. If the body lacks protein, it will have a great impact on our health. Therefore, when symptoms of deficiency appear, it is necessary to supplement protein in time. So, what are the symptoms of protein deficiency in the human body?

In fact, protein deficiency does not only mean insufficient protein intake, but also includes the problem of unbalanced protein intake. This is because protein is made up of amino acids, and there are 8 kinds of amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize on its own and must be taken in through food. These 8 amino acids are called essential amino acids. When essential amino acids are deficient, some important proteins cannot be synthesized and symptoms of certain protein deficiency will appear.

In addition to obvious symptoms such as low immunity and weight loss, some small signals from the body in daily life also indicate insufficient protein. For example, hair changes from black and shiny to dull, dry, and brittle, hair loss increases, and hair grows very slowly; nails become soft, layered, and easily broken; appetite is lost and indigestion is easy to occur, etc. These are all manifestations of protein deficiency, which prevents the normal physiological activities in the human body from proceeding well. For women, some symptoms of protein deficiency often make them extremely entangled, and even spend a lot of money on beauty treatments, cosmetics, and hair care. But in fact, all they need to do is improve their dietary structure and increase the intake of high-quality protein to solve most beauty problems easily and healthily.

Except for most vegetables and fruits, almost all foods contain protein. When people choose ingredients for protein supplementation, they should give priority to foods containing "high-quality protein". At the same time, they should wisely combine different ingredients to achieve the purpose of mutual complementation of essential amino acids. Which foods contain high-quality protein? Most animal ingredients contain high-quality protein. Ingredients such as milk, eggs, lean meat, fish and shellfish are all sources of high-quality protein. Plant ingredients generally contain little protein, and the protein quality is not high. The only exception is soybeans and their products, which contain more than 40% high-quality protein, which can provide a good supplement of high-quality protein for vegetarians.

Some netizens are unwilling to improve their dietary structure and choose to supplement protein by eating protein powder. This practice is not very desirable. If the chewing ability is not basically lost, it is generally recommended to supplement protein through a balanced diet. For adults with normal digestive ability, as long as the diet is balanced, the daily protein intake can fully meet the body's needs and there is no need for additional supplementation through health products. The reason why it is not recommended to supplement protein in large quantities through protein powder without authorization is that protein, as a nutrient, has a recommended daily intake standard for the human body. If a large amount of protein is consumed every day, it will be converted into fat in the body, causing fat accumulation and inducing lifestyle diseases; secondly, the kidneys need to excrete the protein eaten, and when the protein is broken down, a large amount of nitrogen will be produced, which will increase the burden on the kidneys. If the kidney function is not good, the harm will be even greater. Excessive intake of animal protein will also cause excessive intake of sulfur-containing amino acids, which can accelerate the loss of calcium in the bones and easily cause osteoporosis. In other words, more protein is not necessarily better, a moderate amount is enough.

You can eat more seafood, such as fish. The protein content of fish is very high. Eating fish regularly can supplement our body with a certain amount of protein and it is also rich in nutritional value. When the body is protein deficient, it is very important to replenish protein in time.