Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Dietary Proteins
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.
It sits within Food and Nutrition.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Dietary Proteins
669 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- High-Protein Diet and HMB Supplementation in Patients With Heart FailureHospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre
- LiveSMART Trial to Prevent Falls in Patients With Cirrhosis - Supplementary StudyUniversity of Michigan
- Plant-based Diet in Older People: What Consequences for Muscle Health?University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand
- Protecting Kidneys Through a Low Protein Diet: A Stepwise Multiple-Choice System ApproachCentre Hospitalier le Mans
- Combating Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Personalized Supportive Care ProgramUNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
- High-Protein Diet for Improving Alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseLi Lab,MD
Research already completed
- Suitability of Two Flavours of a High-energy, Low-protein Formula (Renalive® LP) in Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 3b-5 Outpatients in TaiwanFresenius Kabi Taiwan Ltd.
- A Culture-tailored Plant-based Dietary Intervention in TaiwanTzu Chi University
- Effects of a Buriti Suplpement on Body Composition and Function in Older AdultsFederal University of Minas Gerais
- Effect of Proteins on Antioxidant CapacityTC Erciyes University
- Effect of Protein on Endoplasmic Reticulum StressTC Erciyes University
- Effects of Diet Changes on MetabolismNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- ProteinHarvard School of Public Health
Related Issues
- High-Protein Diets: Are They Safe?Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Dietary ProteinsNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Dietary Proteins. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Dietary Proteins, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.