In this day and age, unless we are thinking about children living in third world countries, we tend to think of malnutrition and protein deficiency as being a thing of the past, like scurvy on the pirate ships of olden days. But, protein deficiencies are a lot more common than you think, even in developed countries.
When we don't get enough protein in our diets, we are subjecting ourselves to countless health problems. Some of the health issues caused by protein deficiencies include breast and colon cancers, cirrhosis of the liver, edema, muscle weakness and deterioration, low blood pressure, low heart rate, and heart disease, just to name a few. Insufficient protein in our diets can even lead to complications during surgery, and longer healing times, because there is not enough protein in the body for tissue growth and recovery.
One of the most important things that have been learned about protein deficiencies is that there is a decrease in serum proteins, especially within the albumin fraction. In a normal, healthy adult, total proteins in serum should be 6-8 grams per 100 ml of albumin. This number decreases when the body is not getting the amount of the right proteins that it needs. This can be a very serious issue, because basically, for each gram of albumin that the body loses, approximately 30 grams of protein is lost. When it comes to testing for protein deficiencies, testing protein serum often produces better results than regular blood testing.
When we don't get enough protein in our diets, we are subjecting ourselves to countless health problems. Some of the health issues caused by protein deficiencies include breast and colon cancers, cirrhosis of the liver, edema, muscle weakness and deterioration, low blood pressure, low heart rate, and heart disease, just to name a few. Insufficient protein in our diets can even lead to complications during surgery, and longer healing times, because there is not enough protein in the body for tissue growth and recovery.
One of the most important things that have been learned about protein deficiencies is that there is a decrease in serum proteins, especially within the albumin fraction. In a normal, healthy adult, total proteins in serum should be 6-8 grams per 100 ml of albumin. This number decreases when the body is not getting the amount of the right proteins that it needs. This can be a very serious issue, because basically, for each gram of albumin that the body loses, approximately 30 grams of protein is lost. When it comes to testing for protein deficiencies, testing protein serum often produces better results than regular blood testing.