New Delhi, June 1 (IANS): Ninety nine percent of the people in Delhi are protein deficient while over 80 percent of the Indians' diet lacks adequate protein, a study has revealed.

Conducted by the Indian Market Research Bureau, the study released here on Monday also warned that the deficiency of essential nutrient amongst Indians was increasing at an alarming rate.

The study titled "Protein consumption in diet of adult Indians" and carried out in seven cities including Delhi, included over 1,200 respondents (males and females), aged 30-55 years.

"Delhi reported a protein gap of 99 percent, meaning that almost the entire population was not receiving sufficient amount of protein as per their body needs," the study said.

Around 98 percent of the respondents in north India were unaware about the ideal protein requirement for an average adult.

Ritika Samaddar, Dietician at Max Healthcare, said deficiency of protein often results in weakness and fatigue and affects the processing of sensory signals by the brain.

"The protein requirement of an average adult per day is one gram per kg of the body weight. Any intake less than the amount will lead to difficulty in performing simple tasks and processing sensory signals by the brain," Samaddar said.

Ninety one percent of the vegetarians were found to have a higher protein deficiency as compared to 85 percent of their non-vegetarian counterparts.

Over 80 percent of the people surveyed were aware of the health benefits associated with proteins. But 85 percent of them believed a regular diet was sufficient for their daily protein requirement.