Dietary Proteins

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Protein is in every cell in the body. Our bodies need protein from the foods we eat to build and maintain bones, muscles and skin. We get proteins in our diet from meat, dairy products, nuts, and certain grains and beans. Proteins from meat and other animal products are complete proteins. This means they supply all of the amino acids the body can't make on its own. Most plant proteins are incomplete. You should eat different types of plant proteins every day to get all of the amino acids your body needs.

It is important to get enough dietary protein. You need to eat protein every day, because your body doesn't store it the way it stores fats or carbohydrates. How much you need depends on your age, sex, health, and level of physical activity. Most Americans eat enough protein in their diet.

Start Here

• All about the Protein Foods Group (Department of Agriculture)
• FoodData Central (Department of Agriculture)
• Protein (Harvard School of Public Health)
• Protein (Department of Veterans Affairs) - PDF

Diagnosis and Tests

• Total Protein and Albumin-Globulin (A/G) Ratio (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Related Issues

• High-Protein Diets: Are They Safe? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Beans and Other Legumes: Types and Cooking Tips (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• What Is Structural Biology? (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Dietary Proteins (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Therapeutic Effects of Lactoferrin in Ocular Diseases: From Dry Eye Disease...
• Article: Increased IgE-Mediated Food Allergy With Food Protein-Induced Allergic Proctocolitis.
• Article: Lactoferrin as potential preventative and adjunct treatment for COVID-19.
• Dietary Proteins -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• The Structures of Life (National Institute of General Medical Sciences) - PDF

Find an Expert

• Food and Drug Administration
• Food and Nutrition Information Center

Patient Handouts

• Kwashiorkor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Protein in diet (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish