Amino Acids - The Life Giving Proteins!

What are Amino Acids (Proteins): -

Amino acids are molecules containing both amine and carboxyl functional groups. These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry, where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H2NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent.

Amino acids are critical to life, and have a variety of roles in metabolism. One particularly important function is as the building blocks of proteins, which are linear chains of amino acids. Every protein is chemically defined by this primary structure, its unique sequence of amino acid residues, which in turn define the three-dimensional structure of the protein.

Just as the letters of the alphabet can be combined to form an almost endless variety of words, amino acids can be linked together in varying sequences to form a vast variety of proteins. Amino acids are also important in many other biological molecules, such as forming parts of coenzymes, as in S-adenosylmethionine, or as precursors for the biosynthesis of molecules such as heme. Due to this central role in biochemistry, amino acids are very important in nutrition.

List of Essential Amino Acids: -

• Isoleucine
• Leucine
• Lysine
• Methionine
• Phenyalaline
• Threonine
• Tryptophan
• Valine
• Histidine
  

Amino acids form the proteins that in turn form muscle tissue and increase fat metabolism. Look in the cupboard of just about any serious athlete, and you’ll likely find some kind of amino acid supplement or protein drink designed to help them increase strength, build muscle tissue, or otherwise enhance their athletic performance. However, amino acids are not just important to those who wish to “bulk up.” Without amino acids, all cellular development, respiration, or renewal would cease.

There are just 22 amino acids, but without them all of the metabolic processes necessary to spark and sustain animal life would simply not be possible. Long chains of amino acids combine to form up to 55,000 different proteins, and each protein is used to produce the enzymes, neurotransmitters, and hormones that support normal growth and functioning of all bodily organs, including the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and sex organs.

There are two types of amino acids: essential amino acids and nonessential amino acids. Essential amino acids cannot be manufactured in the body (you get them by eating foods that contain protein), and nonessential amino acids are manufactured within the body by combining two or more essential amino acids. However, adequate amounts of dietary protein are needed to form all 22 amino acids—if you don’t get enough protein your body won’t have the 9 essential amino acids it needs to make up the other 13 nonessential amino acids.

Today’s Western diet is composed largely of processed foods, and often sadly lacking in quality protein, so just about everyone could benefit from some form of amino acid supplementation. This section provides articles and information related to the role of amino acids in promoting and maintaining good health.

Essential Amino Acids in Detail: -

Isoleucene: -

Isoleucine is an amino acid that is best known for its ability to increase endurance and help heal and repair muscle tissue and encourage clotting at the site of injury. This amino acid is especially important to serious athletes and body builders because its primary function in the body is to boost energy and help the body recover from strenuous physical activity. Isoleucine is a branched-chain amino acid (BCAA). There are three branched-chain amino acids in the body, isoleucine, valine, and leucine, and all of them help promote muscle recovery after exercise. Isoleucine is actually broken down for energy within the muscle tissue. Is also keeps energy levels stable by helping to regulate blood sugar; a deficiency of isoleucine produces symptoms similar to those of hypoglycemia, and may include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, depression, confusion, and irritability.

Isoleucine is an essential acid, which means that it cannot be manufactured in the body and must be obtained through dietary sources. Good sources of isoleucine include high-protein foods, such as nuts, seeds, meat, eggs, fish, lentils, peas, and soy protein. People that exercise a lot or that have a low-protein diet should consider supplementation. Isoleucine is also available in stand-alone supplemental form, but should always be taken together with the other two branched-chain amino acids, leucine and valine. The ideal balance is 2 milligrams of leucine and valine for each 1 milligram of isoleucine. Combination supplements that provide all three of the BCAAs may be more convenient.

Leucine: -

Leucine works with the amino acids isoleucine and valine to repair muscles, regulate blood sugar, and provide the body with energy. It also increases production of growth hormones, and helps burn visceral fat, which is located in the deepest layers of the body and the least responsive to dieting and exercise. Leucine, isoleucine, and valine are branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), and all three of them help promote muscle recovery after exercise.

Leucine is the most effective BCAA for preventing muscle loss because it breaks down and is converted to glucose more quickly than isoleucine and valine. Increased glucose supplies prevent the body’s cannibalization of muscle for energy during intense workouts, so it is no surprise that this amino acid supplement is popular among professional body builders.

Leucine also promotes the healing of bones, skin, and muscle tissue after traumatic injury, and is often recommended for those recovering from surgery. Because it is so easily converted to glucose, leucine helps to regulate blood sugar; a deficiency of leucine produces symptoms similar to those of hypoglycemia, which may include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, depression, confusion, and irritability.

Natural sources of leucine include brown rice, beans, meat, nuts, soy flour, and whole wheat. Leucine is an essential amino acid, which means that it cannot be manufactured in the body and must be obtained through dietary sources. People that exercise a lot, have a low-protein diet, or are seriously trying to build muscle mass should consider leucine supplementation.

Lysin: -

Lysin is an essential amino acid that is well known for its antiviral properties. It helps prevent outbreaks of herpes and cold sores, and is needed for hormone production and the growth and maintenance of bones in both children and adults. Lysine is involved in the production off antibodies for a strong, healthy immune system, which may be part of the reason it is so effective at fighting herpes viruses. Lysine also helps prevent the body’s absorption of the amino acid arginine, which the herpes virus must have in order to replicate. Studies have shown that taking supplemental L-lysine in combination with vitamin C and flavonoids can effectively fight and/or prevent herpes outbreaks. Results of a six-month trial involving more than 50 people indicate that lysine is far more effective than a placebo in preventing cold sores. Lysine supplements have also been used to prevent eruptions of shingles, a blistering condition that is caused by the herpes varicella-zoster.

Lysine is one of the essential amino acids, which means it cannot be manufactured in the body and must be obtained from dietary sources. Good sources of lysine include cheese, eggs, fish, lima beans, milk, potatoes, red meat, soy products, and yeast. Most people get enough lysine from their diet, but there have been recorded cases of lysine deficiency, particularly in those that have a low-protein diet or eating disorder.

Methionine: -

Methionine is an essential amino acid that helps the body process and eliminate fat. It contains sulfur, a substance that is required for the production of the body’s most abundant natural antioxidant, glutathione. The body also needs plenty of methionine to produce two other sulfur-containing amino acids, cysteine and taurine, which help the body eliminate toxins, build strong, healthy tissues, and promote cardiovascular health.

Methionine is a lipotropic, or a chemical substance that helps the liver process fats (lipids). Other lipotropics include choline, inositol, and betaine (trimethylglycine), all of which help prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver and thus ensure normal liver function, which is essential for the elimination of toxins from the body. Methionine also supports liver function by regulating glutathione supplies; glutathione is needed to help neutralize toxins in the liver.

Methionine is needed to make creatine, a nutrient naturally found primarily in muscle tissue that provides the energy our muscles need to move, and has been found to boost athletic performance during short, intense workouts. Creatine is necessary for all muscular function, and thus supports normal functioning of the heart and circulatory system.

Methionine is essential for the formation of healthy collagen used to form skin, nails, and connective tissue, and helps reduce the level of inflammatory histamines in the body. People with conditions linked to excessive histamine production, such as arthritis and chronic allergies, may benefit from methionine supplementation. People with AIDS have low levels of methionine.

Phenylalnine: -

Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that is needed for normal functioning of the central nervous system. It has been used successfully to help control symptoms of depression and chronic pain, as well as other diseases linked to a malfunctioning central nervous system. Phenylalanine is especially effective for treating brain disorders because it is able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier is a protective barrier formed by the red blood cells and the glia of the brain that protects the brain from any toxins, bacteria, and viruses, etc., that are circulating through the bloodstream. Only chemicals that are able to cross this barrier can directly affect brain function. The body needs phenylalanine to make epinephrine, dopamine, and norepinephrine, three neurotransmitters that basically control the way you perceive and interact with your environment.

Phenylalanine supplementation may help you feel happier, less hungry and more alert; it has also to treat chronic pain and improve memory and concentration. Recent research indicates that phenylalanine, which aids in melatonin production, may be effective for treatment of vitiligo, a condition that causes white patches on the skin.

There are three different kinds of phenylalanine: L-phenylalanine, D-phenylalanine, and DL-phenylalanine. Each type of phenylalanine is used to treat different symptoms. D-phenylalanine is more effective for controlling pain, while L-phenylalanine is more effective for regulating mood, appetite, and mental alertness; DL-phenylalanine affects both pain sensitivity and mental state. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid, which means it must be obtained from dietary sources.

Phenylalanine has also been used to treat Parkinson’s disease, and schizophrenia, but anyone with a serious health condition should not take any form of supplementation without first consulting their physician about proper dosage and possible side effects. Anyone with high blood pressure or migraines should not take phenylalanine or even eat foods high in this amino acid, as it may aggravate their condition.

Theronine: -

Threonine is an essential amino acid that promotes normal growth by helping to maintain the proper protein balance in the body. Threonine also supports cardiovascular, liver, central nervous, and immune system function. Threonine is needed to create glycine and serine, two amino acids that are necessary for the production of collagen, elastin, and muscle tissue. Threonine helps keep connective tissues and muscles throughout the body strong and elastic, including the heart, where it is found in significant amounts. It also helps build strong bones and tooth enamel, and may speed wound healing or recovery from injury.

Threonine combines with the amino acids aspartic acid and methione to help the liver with lipotropic function, or the digestion of fats and fatty acids. Without enough threonine in the body, fats could build up in the liver and ultimately cause liver failure. Threonine supports the immune system by aiding in the production of antibodies, and because it is found largely in the central nervous system, may be helpful in treating some types of depression.

Valine: -

Valine is a branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) that works with the other two BCAAs, isoleucine and leucine, to promote normal growth, repair tissues, regulate blood sugar, and provide the body with energy. Valine helps stimulate the central nervous system, and is needed for proper mental functioning. Valine helps prevent the breakdown of muscle by supplying the muscles with extra glucose for energy production during intense physical activity. Valine also helps remove potentially toxic excess nitrogen from the liver, and is able to transport nitrogen to other tissues in the body as needed.

Valine may help treat liver and gallbladder disease, as well as damage to these organs caused by alcoholism and drug abuse. Valine may help treat or even reverse hepatic encephalopathy, or alcohol-related brain damage. Valine is an essential amino acid, which means that it cannot be manufactured in the body and must be obtained through dietary sources.

Natural sources of valine include meats, dairy products, mushrooms, peanuts, and soy protein. Although most people get enough valine from their diet, there have been recorded cases of valine deficiency. People that exercise a lot, have a low-protein diet, or are seriously trying to build muscle mass should consider valine supplementation. Valine is available in stand-alone supplemental form, but should always be taken together with the other two branched-chain amino acids, isoleucine and leucine.

Histidine: -

Histidine is an amino acid that is used to develop and maintain healthy tissues in all parts of the body, particularly the myelin sheaths that coat nerve cells and ensure the transmission of messages from the brain to various parts of the body. It may be useful for treatment of mental disorders as well as certain types of sexual dysfunction. Histidine levels in the body must be balanced to ensure good mental and physical health.

High levels of this amino acid have been linked to the presence of psychological disorders such as anxiety and schizophrenia, while low levels of histidine are thought contribute to the development of rheumatoid arthritis and the type of deafness that results from nerve damage. Taking histidine supplements may help relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Histidine is important to normal sexual functioning, because it gets converted into histamine, a chemical needed to stimulate sexual arousal. When taken together with vitamin B3 (niacin) and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), histidine can increase sexual pleasure by boosting histamine levels in the body.

Histamine is also needed to help the immune system know when the body is experiencing an allergic reaction, and for the production of gastric juices needed for normal digestion. Research suggests that hsitidine also acts as a natural detoxifier, protecting against radiation damage, and removing heavy metals from the system. It may even help prevent the onset of AIDS—histidine is crucial to the production of both red and white blood cells. Like other amino acids, histidine is found in many high-protein foods, such as meat and dairy products, as well as grains such as rice, wheat, and rye.

It is not certain if histidine is an essential or non-essential amino acid—most health experts agree that, although the body manufactures its own histidine, it is fairly easy for natural supplies to run short. The chronically ill, post-surgery, or arthritic individual may wish to consider supplementation with this amino acid. Histidine is available in both capsule and powder forms, as well as in combination amino acid formulas.

Because it has a proven effect on the central nervous system and histamine production, people with manic (bipolar) depression should not take supplemental histidine without first consulting their physician. Anyone with liver or kidney disorders should not take histidine without first consulting with a licensed health care provider. Taking any one amino acid supplement may cause levels of nitrogen in the body to become imbalanced, as well as disrupt the Krebs cycle by which toxins are eliminated from the liver and kidneys.