Hemp: A Plant Protein

Hemp foods have surged into the health food market over the last 5 years and with good reason. Hemp foods are an excellent source of highly digestible plant-based protein with a long list of additional nutritional benefits such as plentiful Omegas and essential minerals rarely found in this range and magnitude in plant sources.

Humans need to intake a balance of 9 essential amino acids to meet daily dietary requirements. Amino acids are the building blocks of the proteins which perform thousands of different functions in the human body. They are structural and mechanical, giving form to animal cells via the cyto-skeleton, and make up the functional contracting/relaxing elements of muscles - actin & myosin. They are abundant in cell-signalling mechanisms, enzymatic activity, cell turnover & reproduction, immune responses, and cell adhesion.

Benefit 1: A ‘Complete’ plant protein

There are many sources of plant-based protein, but not all can be considered ‘Complete’ proteins. The 9-essential amino acids are very important for two reasons:

1. They are the building blocks of all protein

2. Humans are incapable of naturally producing them, they must come from the diet

The 9 essential amino acids are:

1. Histidine

2. Isoleucine

3. Leucine

4. Lysine

5. Methionine

6. Phenylalanine

7. Threonine

8. Tryptophan

9. Valine

Hemp protein is composed of 60-80% edestin; a globular protein and 25% Albumin, both of which are good sources of all 9 essential amino acids. A 2018 study showed that essential amino acids comprised 22% of the total protein content, higher than lupins, wheat or oats. The same study showed Lysine is the limiting amino-acid in plant-based proteins including hemp foods, but still occurs at 2.8% of total protein content.

The structure & behaviour of proteins vary depending on their amino acid composition. Studies on amino acid breakdown of hemp protein have shown similar amino acid composition as other high-quality protein sources such as egg white and soy.

Benefit 2: Digestibility

How useable a protein is to humans, depends on digestibility. I.e. How efficiently and easily the digestive tract can breakdown and absorb the hemp protein into a form usable by the body. Digestibility, in turn, depends on enzyme accessibility which is affected by structure. Hemp protein has been shown to have a Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) of up to 92.1 for hulled hemp seed and up to 97.5 for hemp seed meal. These scores indicate that the protein ingested has a very efficient conversion to usable amino acids.

Benefit 3 – BCAA’s – Building and Repairing Muscles

The three important BCAAs are the branch-chained amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine which perform many physiological and metabolic tasks. BCAAs account for 35% of essential amino acids in muscle proteins, and 40% of the pre-formed amino acids required by humans.

BCAAs help in two ways by both aiding protein synthesis (muscle growth) and reducing muscle soreness which helps accelerate post work out recovery.

Studies have shown increased BCAAs reduced fatigue, lowered muscle damage indicators such as creatine-kinase and lactate dehydrogenase and accelerated recovery.

Leucine has been shown to regulate the initial steps of protein-synthesis. During exercise, inhibition of translation initiation factors decreases muscle protein synthesis. Muscle tissue requires high levels of leucine to release these inhibitors and increase levels of muscle protein synthesis. Leucine levels therefore help coordinate protein synthesis in muscles according to current exercise state and dietary intake.

Like the other 6 essential amino acids, BCAAs are also involved in general protein synthesis, enzymatic activity, cell-signalling, cell turnover & reproduction, brain function and immune responses.

Benefit 4 – Weight Management

Significant evidence supports an increased dietary intake of protein as a successful strategy for weight management; preventing and treating obesity through metabolic changes. High fibre and protein intake help regulate blood glucose levels and makes you feel fuller for longer reducing the likelihood of energy crashes occurring. Protein requires 20-30% of its equivalent usable energy for its own metabolism, much higher than carbohydrates; 5-10% & dietary fats 0-3%. Higher protein diets counter the metabolic decline experienced in humans while resting.

Summary

Humans need protein daily to maintain normal bodily function, especially when doing exercise. Plant protein has seen significant popularity in the last few years but choosing which plant protein to use is an important task. When choosing a plant-based protein ensure that it is a complete protein and offers more than just protein. Hemp is an exceptional option containing a wide range of essential amino acids, fatty acids, macro & micro-nutrients, vitamins, and minerals and a range of other benefits; a powerful combination rarely found in other plant proteins.