About 68% people in India are protein deficient, while 71% have poor muscle health, a recent survey has pointed out.
Citing reports, experts on Monday said 84% of Indian vegetarians and 65% of non-vegetarian diets are protein deficient.
“According to our latest survey with IPSOS, a leading global market and opinion research firm, around 68% of people have lower protein content in their body than adequate and 71% of the people have poor muscle health,” InBody Clinical Executive Dr Ankita Ghag said in a statement.
The findings stated a correlation between poor muscle health and protein deficiency in India which needs to be addressed, she added.
Referring to a Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) study in 2017, nutritionist Kavita Devgan said 84% of Indian vegetarians and 65% of non-vegetarian diets are protein deficient.
“This (the study) concluded people are not getting enough protein from their daily diets and to maintain good muscle health, the body needs between 10 and 14 additional grams of protein per day,” she said.
“So in this situation, protein supplements, which come with hydrolyzed proteins, could be a very helpful resource to fulfill daily protein intakes,” she added.
Expressing similar views, head of Danone, a French multinational food-products corporation, nutrition science and medical affairs, Nandan Joshi said protein is the most misunderstood nutrient with a lot of fallacies around it like it is only for body builders or the belief that our daily diets have sufficient protein.
“To compound the situation, not many people are aware about their daily protein requirements. Similarly, muscle health is often ignored since it is misunderstood as an area which is of relevance only to a sportsperson or a gym-goer. Not many Indians know about its overall impact on health and wellness,” he added.
As per the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) given by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for Indians, 0.8 to 1 gm protein per kg body weight per day is the requirement of a normal, sedentary person without any disease.