Quote:
Originally Posted by stevie667
I always thought the calories in protein were next to useless, because you'd have to be in serious deficit elsewhere before your body would resort to glucogenesis (sp)?
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Proteins are important in many actions within cells. Think of all the enzymatic functions required to keep your metabolism going. Think of your immune system responding to certain conditions to ward off sickness. Think of the cell functions that do such things as grow tissue. Protein is crucial to all of that, and that's where many of the calories go.
Alternatively, if there is a glucose or glycogen deficit, the body will convert available protein to that instead. It will take much of it even before a lot of fat tissue on the body. If it needs protein simultaneously for other functions, and there isn't enough readily available, it might take it from muscle or other tissue. This is why many crash diets (and diets such as Atkins) cause the loss of muscle tissue along with fat tissue (let alone the loss of water weight in certain low-carb diets).
Glycogen is produced and used mainly in the muscles and liver.
This conversion of protein has a byproduct of nitrogen, which must be eliminated by the liver. Too much can cause it a lot of stress.
This is why it's important to balance your diet.