Amino Acids
The Power of Protein
Protein is far more than just muscle—it's essential for antibodies, immune cells, and connective tissue. We explain why quality protein sources and specific amino acids are crucial for your longevity.
Amino Acids
Protein is far more than just muscle—it's essential for antibodies, immune cells, and connective tissue. We explain why quality protein sources and specific amino acids are crucial for your longevity.
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We suspect: most of us haven't truly understood "protein." This likely stems from the fact that many are afraid to put real stress on their kidneys and liver, and so they chronically consume less than 100 g of high-quality (!) protein per day. Moreover, we're indoctrinated. There's no fighting it. For decades, we've heard the same mantra: protein and meat are evil—at least, that's what the general wisdom says—and perhaps only athletes need more (but not that much more, mind you ;-) Then some radical vegans come along, arguing the minimalist principle: "Nobody in our society has ever died from protein deficiency"—which is like a final blow to our subconscious mind.
The problem is, we're all more or less driven by our subconscious mind. Once it's filled with such "truths," you really have to work hard to teach yourself about "protein" again. Protein isn't just about muscle—structurally speaking, protein also makes up connective tissue, bones, neurotransmitters, and of course, the immune system. What are antibodies made of? What are antimicrobial peptides made of? What substances do T cells use to fight cancer or virus-infected cells (think Perforin and others)? Exactly: all of it is made of protein, in other words, amino acids.
"Intangible," something that's not really tangible for a physician or scientist, is our life feeling. That is, the sum of hopefully well-functioning bodily processes that signal to the brain between our ears that everything is great inside us. The result is a sense of well-being, mental resilience, life energy, and drive. The opposite is evident (or felt) when you have COVID (note: this was true for Delta...). Extreme exhaustion. Dead on your feet. What happens is, in principle, simple to understand: in response to the (possibly severe) infection, the body releases cytokines that paralyze us. In science, this is called sickness behavior. A particularly marked feature of Delta infection.
In any case, the body is trying to force us to conserve energy. Why? Because we have an incredible protein consumption. Immune cells must multiply massively. Must massively produce defensive substances (see above). Must massively produce antibodies. Must repair tissue damage (lungs, for example)—and conversely, a severe infection drains us dry, and the entire immune system has to "refill"; similar to a muscle you've trained hard and completely depleted. If the body doesn't get a foothold quickly, it can become chronic; we drag out the infection and people talk about... you know what.
However, COVID and the immune system are merely the transition—the transition to understanding the importance of protein and amino acids, particularly with an eye toward the immune system. Over the years, we've become fans of...
But that's far from all. There are 20 (21) of these miraculous substances that all control important functions in the body. Others include:
Threonine: An amino acid most people have never heard of. In animal studies, a deficiency makes the liver fatty. It's essential (!) for the proliferation of certain stem cells. It makes the gut robust and healthy and—pay attention—it's essential for the production of antibodies and mucus (mucins). If the mucous membranes can no longer defend themselves (properly) because they're producing too little mucus, perhaps the threonine reserves have simply been depleted. No joke: conversely, animal studies have shown that, among other things, threonine supplementation can stimulate mucus production. Best source, probably: fish
Arginine: An amino acid that's increasingly being talked about these days. This is because, especially as men age, certain problems develop. The underlying cause is usually circulation, which has to deal with a cardiovascular system that's no longer quite as healthy. Arginine is the precursor for the formation of nitric oxide, possibly the most important vascular gas when it comes to keeping blood vessels healthy. A decline in it makes blood vessels sick—and at the same time, energy metabolism. We even wrote a book about it. Most people don't realize that nitric oxide also serves pathogen defense. In other words, arginine is also essential for the immune system's weapons. Additionally, arginine depletion weakens the "innate" immune response. Arginine also very potently promotes wound healing. Excellent source: soy protein
Yet another favorite is cysteine. It makes the proteins in the body, the connective tissue, the arteries, resilient. This is due to the so-called terminal sulfhydryl group—it can react freely and is responsible, for example, for crosslinks between proteins. But heavy metals and other toxins can also react with it and be neutralized. At the same time, this sulfhydryl group serves as perhaps our most important sulfur source in the body. As a component of glutathione (like glycine, above), cysteine also inhibits inflammation. Excellent source: eggs
Many of the effects of these amino acids don't come from them directly, but from their role as components of proteins, for example, in the form of connective tissue or antibodies. The body must always be building protein. For that, it obviously needs the raw materials, but also the right hormonal input—for example, enough testosterone or normal thyroid hormone levels. You can imagine that the body then builds body proteins somewhat faster and more efficiently.
Most of us are not optimally supplied with the broad spectrum of amino acids. This is partly because there's a difference between getting 100 g of protein from a high-quality source—meat, for example—versus having your body cobble together those 100 g from inferior sources. The digestibility of plant proteins, for instance, is low—whole grain bread isn't a great amino acid supplier. Conversely, glycine, the amino acid that researchers originally thought the body could synthesize in sufficient quantities, has been shown to be lacking by up to 10 g daily.
10 grams! So if you're eating an average 5 g of glycine per day—which is already quite a lot—you could potentially double that amount. That's how much room for improvement we have. That's why we have our extremely glycine-rich grass-fed collagen. ;-) You can expect similar findings from many other amino acids. There's a huge difference in terms of blood vessel health (and immune system and...) whether you get 3 or 6 g of arginine per day. Which is also true for cysteine or threonine.
Therefore, the goal should (or must) be to get a good, preferably very high-quality portion of protein into your body as often as possible—if you start your day with a jam roll and a slice of sausage, you've already lost. Especially if you want to recover from lingering virus-related illnesses. The recipe here would be: energy-saving mode + enough food + the right food (no wheat, for example) + enough protein intake.
For exactly these reasons, we have our protein and amino acid supplements.
