Protein Found In Potatoes Can Help Maintain Muscle Gains

Protein from potatoes can help develop and maintain muscle mass. This is what researchers found when they examined the impact of plant-based diets on physical health, exercise performance capacity, and environmental sustainability. The research, which was published in the journal Nutrients, is essential as there has been an increasing number of people shifting toward plant-based foods.

Plant And Animal Protein

When considering protein quality, people would usually compare plant-based and animal-based proteins. In a 2019 review published in the Nutrients journal, it found that plant-based foods provide tremendous health and environmental benefits. However, the varieties of single sources of plant protein that can provide all the beneficial amino acids are limited.

Furthermore, plant-based protein is hard to digest, which means some of its potential nutritional worth may be lost. In comparison, animal-based proteins have all the amino acids that you need and are usually easier to digest.

More Healthy And Environmentally Sustainable

Despite what the review says, however, it has been observed that more people are transitioning to a plant-based diet as it is healthier compared to meat and dairy diets. In addition, it is also environmentally sustainable.

In a 2019 article published in the journal Advances in Nutrition, the authors noted the increase in mortality and morbidity caused by diet-related chronic ailments. They pointed to poor diet quality and too much consumption of calories. “At the same time, the global food production system is draining our planet’s resources, jeopardizing the environment and future food security,” the authors said.

Measurable Benefits

Potatoes are primarily starchy food. Researchers say, however, that they also contain protein that can be extracted. “While the amount of protein found in a potato is small, we grow lots of potatoes and the protein, when isolated, it can provide some measurable benefits,” Sara Oikawa said. She is the lead author of the study and a former graduate student in the department of kinesiology at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.

Animal-based protein, on the other hand, requires land and other resources. Plant-based replacement diets, according to the study, can generate 20 times more nutritionally similar food for every cropland compared to beef and eggs. As such, understanding the vital role of plant protein in human health, like those derived from potatoes, is critical.