The Powerhouse Nutrient: Why Protein is Essential for Your Daily Health

Protein is the only macronutrient your body cannot store for later use. Fat is stored as adipose tissue and carbohydrate as glycogen, but there is no protein reserve. When intake falls short, the body breaks down muscle to obtain the amino acids it needs for more urgent jobs — making enzymes, antibodies, haemoglobin and hormones. That is why protein shortfall shows up as things people rarely connect to diet: slow wound healing, frequent infections, hair thinning, brittle nails, and a gradual loss of strength that gets attributed to age. Every cell in your body contains protein, and your tissues are continuously broken down and rebuilt using amino acids from what you ate that day. This article covers what protein actually does inside the body, how deficiency presents, and who needs more than the standard recommendation.

What does protein actually do in the body?

Structure. Muscle, skin, hair, nails and connective tissue are built largely from protein. Collagen and keratin are both proteins.

Enzymes. Nearly every chemical reaction in the body is catalysed by an enzyme, and enzymes are proteins.

Immune defence. Antibodies are proteins. Sustained inadequate intake measurably impairs immune response.

Oxygen transport. Haemoglobin is a protein. This is one reason protein and iron status are linked.

Hormones. Insulin and several others are proteins or peptides.

Satiety. Protein is more satiating per calorie than carbohydrate or fat, which is why protein-light meals leave you hungry sooner.

Why can the body not store protein?

Excess carbohydrate becomes glycogen; excess fat becomes body fat. There is no equivalent store for amino acids. Surplus protein is either used immediately or the nitrogen is stripped off and excreted.

The practical consequence is that protein needs meeting daily, and spread across the day rather than concentrated in one meal. A day of low intake is not offset by a large dinner.

What are the signs of not getting enough protein?

Frank protein deficiency is rare in India outside of poverty and illness. Sub-optimal intake is common, and presents subtly:

• Gradual loss of muscle tone and strength
• Hair thinning and shedding; brittle, ridged nails
• Slow healing of cuts and wounds
• Getting ill more often than you used to
• Persistent hunger shortly after eating
• Fluid retention and puffiness in more severe cases

None of these is specific to protein — all have other causes. They are worth investigating rather than self-diagnosing.

Who needs more protein than the standard recommendation?

Adults over 60. Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) accelerates from midlife, and older adults respond less efficiently to the protein they eat, so requirements rise rather than fall.

People doing resistance training. Muscle protein synthesis is elevated for a day or more after training.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women. Requirements increase substantially.

Anyone recovering from surgery, injury or illness. Tissue repair is protein-intensive.

Vegetarians and vegans, because plant proteins are generally less digestible and individually incomplete in some essential amino acids.

Does protein quality matter, not just quantity?

Yes. Nine amino acids are essential, meaning the body cannot make them and must obtain them from food. A complete protein contains all nine in useful amounts.

Animal sources — eggs, dairy, meat, fish — are complete. Most single plant sources are not, though soya and quinoa come close. This is not a problem in practice: eating a variety of plant proteins across the day covers the full set, which is exactly what dal-chawal and idli achieve.

Whey is worth noting because it is high in leucine, the amino acid most directly involved in triggering muscle protein synthesis.

How does protein relate to the rest of your nutrition?

Protein does not work alone. Haemoglobin needs both protein and iron, which is part of why anaemia and low protein intake often occur together. Bone is roughly half protein by volume, so adequate protein matters alongside calcium and vitamin D. And muscle maintenance depends on protein plus the stimulus of physical activity.

Fixing one nutrient in isolation rarely produces the result people expect.

References

1. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Nutrient Requirements for Indians — Recommended Dietary Allowances, 2020. nin.res.in/rdabook/brief_note.pdf
2. India’s protein deficiency and the need to address the problem. Observer Research Foundation. orfonline.org

A note on medical advice

This article is general information, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. If you have kidney or liver disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are managing a health condition, speak to your doctor before significantly changing your protein intake or starting a supplement.