“Dietary protein provides amino acids for humans to make their own proteins in the body that are essential for growth, development, health, survival, and reproduction,” Guoyao Wu, Ph.D., a distinguished professor at Texas A&M University specializing in protein metabolism, tells mindbodygreen.
“A human cannot survive without proteins,” internist Diana Lev, M.D., emphasizes. “Every single tissue in the body is built on proteins.”
Proteins are made up of some 20 amino acids, and nine of them are only available in food sources. “If your body does not get a continuous, near-daily supply of these essential amino acids, then certain proteins cannot be made, leading to a protein deficiency,” says Michael Hirt, M.D., an internal medicine doctor who is also board-certified in nutrition.
Without a sufficient supply of aminos, the body has to start making some pretty tough decisions to stay alive, Hirt adds. “Our emergency systems will break down essential tissues (like your biceps, quads, and skin) and repurpose those quality proteins to repair the heart or blood vessels or make certain life-sustaining hormones and blood proteins.”
A protein deficiency commonly happens because of malnutrition, but it could also be hereditary or connected to an underlying health condition, like celiac or Crohn’s disease, which can interfere with nutrient absorption.
There are a few types of protein deficiencies, explains J. Wes Ulm, a Harvard- and MIT-trained M.D., Ph.D. with a background in bioinformatics and gene therapy. They are:
