health problems associated with protein and EFA deficiencies

Problems associated with protein deficiency

Proteins are substances that are part of cells, tissues and organs throughout the body. Protein deficiency is common among people who live in developing countries, those who live in impoverished communities in developed countries and in the elderly who lack access to nutritious food. Protein deficiency also affects people who are born with a genetic disorder to produce certain proteins, and people with diseases that cause them to lose appetite and experience muscle breakdown.

Problems from high protein intake

Although proteins act in virtually all life-sustaining processes in your body, too much of a good thing can be bad. Athletes and bodybuilders also consume high-protein diets as a way of life for their performance needs. However, excessive protein intake has been linked to many health problems, from relatively benign and reversible conditions such as dehydration, constipation and nutritional deficiencies to obesity, heart and kidney diseases, insulin resistance and diabetes, prostate cancer, decreased thyroid function, metabolic acidosis and reduced immune function.

Second important essential requirement of our body is the essential fatty acids.

Do you know what are essential fatty acids?

Essential fatty acids, commonly known as EFAs, are fatty acids that humans and other animals must ingest because the body requires them for good health but cannot synthesize them. The term "essential fatty acid" refers to fatty acids required for biological processes.

(Please note: essential fatty acids do not include the fats that only act as fuel)

There are only two fatty acids that are known to be essential for humans:

a)     alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid)

ii)  linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid).

These two fatty acids cannot be synthesized by humans because humans lack the desaturase enzymes required for their production.

Some other fatty acids are sometimes classified as "conditionally essential," meaning that they can become essential under some developmental or disease conditions; examples include docosahexaenoic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and gamma-linolenic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid).

What are important multiple functions of FFA?  

 The most important multiple functions are made through a group of derivatives and are modified to play a part in many metabolic processes, and there is evidence to suggest that low levels of essential fatty acids, or the wrong balance of types among the essential fatty acids, may be a factor in a number of illnesses, including osteoporosis. Important functions include:

·         Cellular functions.

·         Affecting mood, behavior and inflammation.

·          Affecting cellular signalling.

·         They act on DNA (activating or inhibiting transcription factors  which is linked to pro-inflammatory cytokine production

What are the sources of FFA?

Some of the food sources of ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids are:

a)      Fish

b)      Shellfish

c)      Flaxseed (linseed)

d)     Flaxseed oil

e)      Hemp seed

f)       Olive oil

g)      Soya oil

h)      Canola (rapeseed) oil

i)        Chia seeds

j)        Pumpkin seeds

k)      Sunflower seeds

l)        Leafy vegetables

m)    Walnuts.

What type of problems one has to face due to deficient EFA?

Essential fatty acid deficiency results in a dermatitis similar to that seen in zinc or biotin deficiency.