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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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Diet and Nutrition |
Protein metabolism06/25/2009 |
The question answer I read on this topic indicated that protein from meat takes 2-4 hours to enter the bloodstream, but what about protein from other sources like legumees. Also, once protein is metabolized and in the bloodstream, how long does it tyically stay there - how often should protein be ingested to maintain healthy levels?
Thanks for your question. Protein digestion and metabolism varies from person to person. Protein digestion starts in the stomach when hydrochloric acid works on proteins to break them down into amino acids. Foods like meat (which are higher in fat) may take longer to digest than other proteins (from vegetables or beans).
When protein is digested, it is broken down into amino acids, which are then circulated throughout the body (including the liver) and made into other proteins. In general, protein does not stay in the blood stream for long because it has multiple uses in the body including the creation of blood cells, antibodies, hormones (such as insulin).
There are levels of protein in the blood which reflect nutritional status such as albumin, pre-albumin and retinol binding protein. Each of these has a different half life and reflect visceral (organ) protein stores in the body. If a person is in a state of starvation, protein will be broken down for energy (fuel for the body).
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Lisa Cicciarello Andrews, MEd, RD, LD Adjunct Faculty College of Nursing University of Cincinnati |
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