What percentage of the human body is made up of protein? What is protein?

Proteins must contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and may also contain sulfur, phosphorus and other elements. Proteins are involved in all important components of the human body. They are organic macromolecules, the basic organic matter that constitutes cells, and the material basis of life. So what everyone is most concerned about is foods with high protein content in daily life. Come and have a look!

Contents of this article

1. What percentage of the human body is protein?

2. What is protein?

3. Foods high in protein

What percentage of the human body is made up of protein

Protein accounts for about 16% to 20% of the total mass of the human body. Protein is one of the important components of all cells and tissues of the human body. Almost all activities of important parts of the human body require the participation of protein. Protein is the material basis of life and the main bearer of life activities.

Protein is an organic macromolecule and is the basic organic matter that makes up cells. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of protein. There are many types of protein in the human body, which are basically composed of 20 kinds of amino acids in different proportions and are constantly metabolized in the body.

Proteins are mainly divided into complete proteins and incomplete proteins. Generally, proteins that lack essential amino acids or have very low content are called incomplete proteins, such as the proteins contained in gelatin in cereals, wheat, corn and animal skins and bones.

What is protein

Protein is an organic macromolecule, the basic organic matter that constitutes cells and the material basis of life. Protein must contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and may also contain sulfur, phosphorus and other elements. All important components of the human body involve protein.

Under the action of gastric juice digestive enzymes, protein is initially hydrolyzed and the entire digestion and absorption process is completed in the small intestine.

Protein is an important raw material for building and repairing the body. The development of the human body and the repair and renewal of damaged cells are inseparable from protein.

Protein is a polypeptide chain composed of amino acids condensed by water, a substance with a certain spatial structure formed by coiling and folding.

Foods high in protein

High-protein foods include animal proteins such as milk, meat, poultry, eggs, fish, and shrimp, and beans such as soybeans, green beans, and black beans, and plant proteins such as dried fruits such as sesame seeds, melon seeds, walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts. Protein is an essential nutrient for the human body, and we need to pay attention to the intake of high-protein foods in our daily lives.

Among foods, beans, peanuts, meat, milk, eggs, fish and shrimp contain higher levels of protein, while cereals contain less, and vegetables and fruits contain even less.

The human body's need for protein depends not only on the protein content, but also on the types and proportions of essential amino acids contained in the protein.

The types and proportions of amino acids contained in animal protein are more in line with human needs, so animal protein has higher nutritional value than plant protein.