Protein is not protein. Here's why

Summary

The video script delves into the nuances of protein quality, highlighting the importance of digestibility and essential amino acids in meeting daily protein requirements. It challenges the misconception that all proteins are equal, emphasizing the superior bioavailability of animal proteins like eggs and beef compared to plant-based sources. The script also addresses the impact of protein quality on health and growth, especially in developing countries, and the need for a varied diet to ensure adequate intake of all essential amino acids.

Takeaways

• 🥚 The quality of protein is crucial as it affects how well the body absorbs and utilizes it, with animal proteins like milk, eggs, beef, and chicken breast being high quality due to their digestibility and complete essential amino acid profile.
• 🌱 Plant-based protein sources like soy and peas are considered good quality but are ranked lower than animal proteins, while some plant proteins like rice, lentils, peanuts, and wheat are of poorer quality.
• 📊 Data from NHANES indicates that 40% of Americans may not be meeting their minimum protein requirements, which is important for various bodily functions including bone health and hormone production.
• 🌍 Many countries, particularly those in developing regions, rely heavily on plant-based protein sources and may not be meeting their protein needs when considering digestibility and amino acid completeness.
• 📈 A study on the height of men across 105 countries found that protein quality, not just quantity, was correlated with height in developed countries where protein intake is generally higher.
• 🏫 In Brooklyn public schools, the introduction of 'Meatless Mondays' may require additional high-quality plant protein sources to ensure students meet their nutritional needs.
• 📉 A study on Polish children found that those not consuming meat, a high-quality protein source, were shorter and had weaker bones, highlighting the importance of protein quality in growth and development.
• 💪 For muscle growth, the essential amino acid leucine is particularly important, and plant protein sources may require larger quantities to match the leucine content found in animal proteins.
• 🥗 Combining different plant proteins can improve overall protein quality by compensating for the lack of certain essential amino acids in individual sources.
• 🌾 The processing of plant foods can sometimes reduce their protein quality, such as the conversion of wheat to bread, which deactivates lysine, a limiting nutrient.
• 🌱 While plant-based diets can meet protein requirements with careful selection and combination of foods, they often require larger quantities of food and may be less efficient in providing essential amino acids compared to animal proteins.

Q & A

Why might 30 grams of protein from one food be less effective in building muscle than the same amount from another food?

The effectiveness of protein can vary due to differences in how the body absorbs and utilizes different proteins. Factors such as digestibility and the presence of essential amino acids can affect protein quality and its impact on muscle building.

What is the minimum daily protein requirement for a healthy body function according to the script?

The script suggests that a person requires a minimum of 50 grams of protein a day for healthy body function.

What does the script indicate about the protein intake of Americans based on NHANES data?

The script indicates that data from NHANES suggests that 40% of Americans are not even hitting their minimum protein requirements.

What is the PDCAAS scoring system mentioned in the script, and how is it used?

The PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score) is a scoring system recognized by the FAO that evaluates the quality of a protein based on its digestibility and the presence of essential amino acids.

Why are animal proteins like cow's milk, boiled eggs, beef, and chicken breast considered high-quality proteins?

Animal proteins are considered high-quality because they are very digestible and contain high amounts of all the essential amino acids, which are crucial for various bodily functions.

How does the script address the protein quality of plant protein powders like soy or pea?

The script states that plant protein powders like soy or pea are of a lower rank compared to animal proteins but are still considered good quality proteins.

What is the issue with simply assuming that 18 grams of protein from different sources is equivalent?

The issue is that different protein sources may not provide the same amount of essential amino acids and may not be as digestible, which affects the overall protein quality and utilization by the body.

How does the script relate protein quality to the height of men across different countries?

In a study mentioned in the script, the height of men in developing countries correlated with protein quantity, while in developed countries, the quality of the protein consumed mattered more for height.

What is the potential impact of instituting 'Meatless Mondays' in schools, as mentioned in the script?

The script suggests that without ensuring an adequate replacement of high-quality protein, such as meat, children might suffer from stunted growth and weaker bones due to lower protein quality intake.

How do the essential amino acids leucine and tryptophan relate to the script's discussion on protein quality?

Leucine is highlighted as important for muscle growth, while tryptophan is a precursor for making hormones like melatonin and serotonin. The script emphasizes that protein quality comes down to the presence and absorbability of these essential amino acids.

What is the script's stance on the ability to meet protein requirements on a vegetarian or vegan diet?

The script acknowledges that it is possible to meet protein requirements on a vegetarian or vegan diet but emphasizes the need to carefully select and combine the right plant proteins to ensure adequate intake of essential amino acids.

How does the script discuss the impact of food processing on protein quality?

The script points out that processing plant foods, such as turning wheat into bread, can lower the protein quality by inactivating or making certain essential amino acids, like lysine, less available.

What role does the essential amino acid leucine play in muscle building, according to the script?

Leucine is presented as a very important amino acid for muscle growth, and its content in protein sources is a critical factor for those trying to gain muscle.

How does the script compare the protein quality and amino acid balance of a plant-based meal versus an animal-based meal?

The script illustrates that an animal-based meal, such as eggs and steak, provides a better balance of essential amino acids and requires fewer calories to achieve the same protein quality as a plant-based meal.

What is the significance of the script's mention of the WHO's stance on protein sources for children globally?

The script points out that the WHO recommends meat, eggs, dairy, and seafood as the best protein sources for children, emphasizing the importance of high-quality protein for growth and development.

Outlines

00:00

🥚 Protein Quality and Digestibility

This paragraph discusses the concept of protein quality, emphasizing that not all proteins are equal in terms of their ability to build muscle and support overall health. It explains the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) and how it measures the quality of proteins, with animal proteins like milk, eggs, beef, and chicken being high quality due to their digestibility and complete essential amino acid profile. Plant proteins, while still valuable, are often of lower quality due to incomplete amino acid profiles and lower digestibility. The paragraph also highlights the importance of protein for various bodily functions and the prevalence of inadequate protein intake among Americans, as indicated by NHANES data.

05:00

🌱 The Challenge of Plant-Based Protein Intake

This section delves into the challenges of meeting protein requirements through plant-based diets. It points out that while many people assume equal protein content equates to equal nutritional value, this is not the case due to differences in protein quality and digestibility. The paragraph discusses the varying DIAAS scores of different foods and how combining different plant proteins can help meet amino acid requirements. It also addresses the potential consequences of inadequate protein intake, such as shorter stature and weaker bones, as suggested by studies. The importance of essential amino acids like leucine for muscle growth and tryptophan for hormone production is highlighted, and the paragraph concludes by noting that while plant-based protein sources can be sufficient, they often require more consumption to match the protein quality of animal sources.

10:02

📊 Protein Recommendations and Global Intake

This paragraph examines the global protein consumption patterns and the challenges of meeting the revised protein intake recommendations, which suggest that a 62 kg individual may need 75 to 100 grams of high-quality protein daily. It highlights the difference in protein quality between animal and plant sources, using lentils as an example of a plant protein with a lower DIAAS score. The paragraph also discusses the importance of combining various protein sources to ensure a complete amino acid profile and the impact of a high percentage of plant protein in the diet on overall protein quality. It mentions a study on vegetarian athletes and their protein utilization, emphasizing the need for careful selection and combination of plant proteins to meet dietary requirements.

🌐 Protein Quality in Global Nutrition

The final paragraph broadens the discussion to the global context, noting that the WHO recommends meat, eggs, dairy, and seafood as the best protein sources for children. It discusses the importance of protein quality in animal nutrition and how it is a common practice to balance animal rations based on amino acids. The paragraph also points out that a significant portion of the global protein supply is plant-based and that protein quality is a concern not only for developing countries but also for developed ones, where many individuals may not be meeting the revised protein intake recommendations. It concludes with a teaser for a future video that will address the reasons why even non-athletes need higher protein intake.

Keywords

💡Protein

Protein is a macronutrient essential for the human body, playing a crucial role in building muscles, bones, and hormones. In the video, it is emphasized that not all proteins are equal in terms of quality and digestibility, which is central to the narrative. For instance, the script mentions that '30 grams of protein from one food could build less muscle than 30 grams of protein from another food.'

💡Dyets Score

The Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (Dyets Score) is a method recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to measure the quality of protein based on the digestibility and content of essential amino acids. The video script discusses how animal proteins like milk, eggs, and beef have high Dyets Scores, indicating high protein quality, while plant proteins like soy and pea are of lower rank but still considered good quality.

💡Essential Amino Acids

Essential amino acids are those that the human body cannot synthesize on its own and must be obtained through diet. The script highlights the importance of these amino acids in protein quality, stating that 'animal proteins like cow's milk, boiled eggs, beef, and chicken breast are all considered high-quality proteins because they are very digestible and have high amounts of all the essential amino acids.'

💡Protein Absorption

Protein absorption refers to how well the body can take in and utilize the protein from food. The video script explains that 'we absorb and utilize certain proteins better than others,' which is a key factor in determining the effectiveness of protein intake from different food sources.

💡NHANES

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The script cites NHANES data to suggest that '40% of Americans aren't even hitting their minimum protein requirements,' emphasizing a widespread issue of inadequate protein intake.

💡Plant Proteins

Plant proteins are derived from vegetables, grains, legumes, and other non-animal sources. The video discusses the varying quality of plant proteins, with some like soy and peas being of good quality and others like rice, lentils, peanuts, and almonds being considered poor quality. The script also points out that many countries get most of their protein from plants and are hitting their protein needs 'just fine.'

💡Leucine

Leucine is an essential amino acid particularly important for muscle growth and protein synthesis. The video script states that 'leucine is a very important amino acid for muscle growth,' and it is used to illustrate the difference in protein quality between animal and plant sources, as plant-based sources may not provide as much leucine as needed for muscle development.

💡Tryptophan

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that serves as a precursor for the production of the hormones melatonin and serotonin. The video mentions tryptophan to highlight the specific roles that essential amino acids play in the body, and the importance of obtaining them from protein sources.

💡Protein Utilization

Protein utilization refers to the body's ability to effectively use the protein consumed. The script discusses a study where 'vegetarian athletes...only utilized 89% of the protein they ate,' indicating that the quality of protein can impact how much of it the body can actually use.

💡Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian diet is one that excludes meat, poultry, and fish. The video explores the challenges and considerations of meeting protein requirements on a vegetarian diet, such as combining different plant proteins to ensure a complete amino acid profile. It also references the documentary 'The Game Changers,' which suggests that plant-based diets can provide all necessary protein and amino acids.

💡Amino Acid Imbalance

Amino acid imbalance occurs when the body does not receive adequate amounts of one or more essential amino acids, which can affect the utilization of other amino acids. The script points out that 'if you're not getting enough of one amino acid, you can't properly utilize the other amino acids,' which is a critical consideration when evaluating protein sources.

Highlights

Protein quality varies significantly, affecting muscle building and overall health.

30 grams of protein from different sources may have different impacts on muscle growth.

Some individuals may not meet their daily protein needs even with 50 grams of protein intake.

Protein is essential for various bodily functions, including bone health and hormone production.

40% of Americans may not be meeting their minimum protein requirements according to NHANES data.

The Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAS) evaluates protein quality based on digestibility and essential amino acids.

Animal proteins like milk, eggs, beef, and chicken are considered high-quality due to their digestibility and amino acid profile.

Plant protein powders like soy and pea rank lower but are still considered good quality proteins.

Many plant proteins, such as rice, lentils, peanuts, and wheat, are considered poor quality due to limited essential amino acids.

Protein quantity alone may not be enough; quality and digestibility are also crucial.

In developing countries, protein quantity affects height, while in developed countries, protein quality is more significant.

Studies show vegetarians and vegans may not be meeting their protein requirements despite consuming enough protein grams.

Combining different plant proteins can improve overall protein quality by compensating for missing essential amino acids.

Protein sources' DIAS scores indicate the amount and absorbability of essential amino acids.

Athletes following a vegetarian diet may not be getting enough utilizable protein despite meeting total protein intake.

The film 'The Game Changers' oversimplifies the protein and essential amino acid requirements for a plant-based diet.

Recent research suggests higher protein intake recommendations, especially for certain demographics.

Protein quality is important not just for athletes but also for the general population's health.

Globally, over 60% of protein supply comes from plant-based sources, emphasizing the importance of protein quality.

Processing plant foods can decrease their protein quality, as seen in the example of wheat and bread.

Animal nutritionists have long considered amino acid balance in diets, a practice that could benefit human nutrition.

Transcripts

protein

is not protein

for example did you know that 30 grams

of protein from one food could build

less muscle than 30 grams of protein

from another food or in a person who

requires a minimum of 50 grams of

protein a day for healthy body function

50 grams of protein from this would not

actually meet their protein needs this

is important because the body requires

protein for all kinds of things to stay

healthy anything from building bones to

making hormones and data from nhanes

suggests that 40 of americans aren't

even hitting their minimum protein

requirements

okay so how can 30 grams of protein not

be 30 grams of protein

well we absorb and utilize certain

proteins better than others

there's a scoring system called dyas

recognized by the fao that tells you the

quality of a protein

animal proteins like cow's milk boiled

eggs beef and chicken breast are all

considered high quality proteins because

they are very digestible and have high

amounts of all the essential amino acids

plant protein powders like soy or pea

are of a lower rank but are still good

quality proteins another good rank

protein is baked chickpeas however many

plant proteins for example rice lentils

peanuts almonds and wheat are all

considered poor quality proteins

people often just assume 18 grams of

protein from chicken is the same as 18

grams of protein from lentils or peanut

butter sandwich or some eggs

but here's something you might find

surprising

50 grams of protein per day is the

minimum protein requirement for adults

and if you look here most of these 103

countries get most of their protein from

plants and they're hitting their 50

grams a day just fine

but plant proteins aren't digested as

well so if you incorporate the

digestibility of the proteins

far more countries are just under the 50

gram requirement

now if you account for the fact that

many plant proteins don't provide enough

of one or more of the essential amino

acids and therefore that protein can't

be fully utilized then it turns out that

none of these 103 countries are hitting

the 50 gram protein requirement

now these countries could certainly hit

50 grams of utilizable protein by simply

eating a lot more plant protein

in developed countries we simply eat a

bunch of protein in total so this is

less of an issue

but research suggests that protein

quality may still matter

in a study looking at height of men in

105 countries they found that in

developing countries the height of men

correlated with protein quantity

unsurprisingly the challenge in

developing countries is having access to

enough protein

however in developed countries where

people eat plenty of protein the quality

of the protein they were eating is what

mattered for height

in 15 public schools in brooklyn we will

be instituting meatless mondays

let's hope mayor de blasio at least adds

an extra soy protein shake to lunches on

monday especially considering another

march 2021 study looking at 187 polish

children found that children not eating

meat a high quality protein were three

centimeters shorter and had weaker bones

protein quality comes down to amino

acids we don't just need protein we need

all the nine essential amino acids that

that protein source provides and they

each have important functions just to

name two leucine is a very important

amino acid for muscle growth and

tryptophan is a precursor for making the

hormones melatonin and serotonin

so diaz scores are considering how much

and how absorbable the essential amino

acids in a food are

here's an easy example say you're trying

to gain muscle in the gym

both leucine and essential amino acid

content are important for that

soy and pea protein powders do have a

decent amount of well-digested amino

acids but still to match the leucine

content and essential amino acid content

of 25 grams of whey protein you need 40

grams of soy protein or 38 grams of pe

protein

this protein quality issue may be why

this study found that women not eating

meat have less muscle mass than women

who do eat meat even though they ate the

same total grams of protein

i ate my 10

15 eggs a day you know i had my 250

grams of protein a day but as i got

older i recognized the fact that you

really don't have to get your protein

from meat so we start going more in the

direction of the vegetarian kind of a

diet of course plant foods have various

benefits other than just protein but the

recent very popular film the game

changers backed by big names like arnold

schwarzenegger and james cameron makes

it sound like you can get all the

protein and the essential amino acids

you need from only plant-based foods

without much effort at all for example

one cup of cooked lentils or a peanut

butter sandwich has about as much

protein as three ounces of beef or three

large eggs

now recent research says the old 50

grams of protein a day recommendation

was way too low and that a 62 kilogram

or 135 pound person needs at least 75 to

100 grams of high quality protein per

day

so if you eat 75 grams of protein from

animal foods then you've met your

protein requirements because most animal

proteins have a diet score of 100 or

higher however since lentils for example

have a diet score of only 54

75 grams of protein from lentils would

only cover a little over half of your

protein requirement

but nobody eats just lentils and you can

combine foods to make up for the

essential amino acids other foods lack

so it's really good that people

typically eat a variety of proteins in

the same day

because if you're not getting enough of

one amino acid you can't properly

utilize the other amino acids

[Music]

corn flakes cereal has a very poor diet

score of 19 and it is very lacking in

the amino acid lysine however milk has a

very high dye score of 114 and has

plenty of extra lysine so if you eat

your cornflake cereal with milk like

most people do then the diet of your

breakfast is actually 89.

also eating lentils with your millet

will improve the protein quality of the

millet but unfortunately as this 2021

paper shows as the percentage of plant

protein in the diet goes up the overall

protein quality of the diet goes down

in this study even athletes who were

following a vegetarian diet didn't end

up getting the minimum recommended

amount of protein the vegetarian

athletes were getting enough protein in

terms of total protein but they only

utilized 89 of the protein they ate so

they missed the lower end of their

protein target by 10 grams and the upper

end of the target by 22 grams of

utilizable protein

now 89

is actually not bad but as vegetarians

they would be eating high quality

proteins like dairy or eggs so if they

were vegan we would expect their overall

protein to be a lot lower than 89

utilizable

the solution for these athletes is quite

simple really they could just add

another scoop of soy protein powder a

day but it was surprising to me that

even these athletes who i imagine would

be very calculated with their protein

could be missing their recommended

protein intake

with the right knowledge and diligence

yes you can meet your protein

requirements on a vegetarian or vegan

diet but you need to make sure to pick

the right proteins

what are you

eating peanut butter let's go back to

this example from the game changers one

cup of cooked lentils or a peanut butter

sandwich has about as much protein as

three ounces of beef or three large eggs

so yeah technically you get the same

grams of crude protein from a peanut

butter sandwich

a cup of lentils a three ounce steak or

three eggs but let's look a little

closer here are the dye scores of these

foods boiled eggs are 113 beef is 112.

lentils are 54.

roasted peanuts are 43 and wheat bread

is 29.

wheat and peanuts are both limiting in

lysine so even if you combine them their

diet score couldn't be higher than 43.

so let's say you start off with a peanut

butter sandwich here's the amino acids

you're getting

so we'll want to make up for the poor

lysine content of the peanut butter

sandwich so you can add some lentils

which have plenty of lysine and this

will have increased the overall protein

quality of the meal but now you're still

quite low in methionine

so then you add some edamame boiled soy

beans because they're one of the best

plant sources of methionine but even

then you're not getting that much

methionine relative to all the other

amino acids so that's the amino acids

you're getting from 54 grams of protein

from these plant foods

now compare this to what you get from

just eating three eggs and a four and a

half ounce skirt steak

well at first glance you can see that

with the plant-based meal you have to

eat 245 more calories to get less

essential amino acids and you get a

better balance of the amino acids from

the animal proteins

so the point is if you're not eating

meat you'll need to get a variety of

plant proteins every day

dr lane norton did his phd dissertation

on the critical role of the essential

amino acid leucine in building muscle he

discussed in this video here how despite

the game changers being all about

athletes and performance it glossed over

this very important topic

so with 54 grams of protein from steak

and eggs you're getting 5.3 grams of

leucine but only 3.7 grams from the

plant-based meal

meaning you'd have to eat almost 1200

calories of these plant foods to match

the leucine content of the steak and

eggs meal which is only 570 calories you

can get enough protein from vegan

sources of protein but if you're using a

whole food vegan source of protein you

are going to have to eat a ton of them

something like 59 of children globally

don't eat

aren't given

eggs

seafood dairy meat

and

the the who says the best foods for them

are

the meat eggs dairy seafood now they say

it in a footnote they in the text they

say high quality right or nutrient dense

or something like that they but down in

the footnote they specify

i had a chat with forage agronomist and

animal nutritionist dr peter balor said

who has been a key voice on this protein

quality topic in fact his detailed

presentation on youtube called when is

protein not protein is what got me

interested in this topic in that

presentation he gets into a lot of

important nuances for example processing

plant foods can lower the protein

quality of that plant food for example

we don't just eat wheat we process that

wheat into bread and that processing

actually worsens the protein quality and

so we make whole wheat bread we cut that

value in half

because all this processing

inactivates makes unavailable the lysine

which is already the limiting nutrient

interestingly human nutritionists don't

fuss too much about protein quality or

specific amino acids but for an animal

nutritionist like dr balor said paying

attention to protein quality is just

common sense after all animal

nutritionists have been balancing the

rations given to pigs based not just on

protein but amino acids for almost 40

years now in fact the fao has suggested

that maybe we should be putting

individual amino acids on food nutrient

labels

this protein quality discussion is

important not just because of the recent

popularity of plant-based diets but also

as dr balor said points out more than 60

percent of our current global protein

supply is already plant-based

so humanity

gets less of its protein

supply

from all animal source foods combined

than it does from cereals

now developed countries certainly eat

much more animal source foods so you

might be thinking protein quality is an

issue for developing countries

well as mentioned earlier data from 2015

says 40 of americans are not getting the

minimum recommended amount of protein

and that is based on the old low

recommendation of 0.8 grams of protein

per kilogram body weight but as we

discussed researchers are saying we need

to get at least 1.2 to 1.6 grams of

protein per kilogram

and that data from 2015 is only looking

at total protein

so it's not accounting for the fact that

some proteins are of lower quality than

others

so we'd expect that more than 40 of

americans are not hitting their minimum

protein requirements

okay but why would normal people not

doing bodybuilding or competitive sports

need that much protein

this is an important question and it

deserves a thorough answer i'll be

talking about this in another video so

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