How amino acids work
Humans need proteins to support our muscles and facilitate cellular growth and muscle build up. Muscle Protein is very essential to our body’s ongoing growth, repair, and maintenance of its skeletal muscle groups. As we all know, proteins are compounds that are comprised of amino acids- the building blocks of tissue formation within the body.
There are twenty amino acids that are very important to obtain proper cell function. Ten of these are considered essential amino acids while the other half is the non essential amino acids. Non essential amino acids are naturally produced by our body and it consists of alanine, asparagines, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, prolene, serine and tyrosine. The other ten amino acids are categorized as essential amino acids. These nutrients are supplied by our everyday diet and include arginine, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.
Expert nutritionists believe that insufficient levels of any of these amino acid nutrients greatly affect our body’s cellular function and growth. It causes drastic change to our physical well being as well as our neurological functions and behavior.
In order to achieve the needed muscle proteins for our body, a balanced diet is always a necessity. Having a balanced diet ensures that we obtain all the necessary nutrients to keep our body healthy and strong. Proteins provide the building blocks for cellular processes. It is broken down to peptides and amino acids by hydrolytic enzymes in the pancreas and small intestines. Peptides are chains of amino acids. The peptides are then further broken down to the component amino acids in the intestine by enzymes called aminopeptidases and dipeptidases. The amino acids are transported from the lumen in the intestine to the cytoplasm of the cells. From there the amino acids are transported to the separate organs of the body. Amino acids may also be broken down from tissue proteins. These provide energy and are used to build the nucleic acids, purines and pyrimidines, are used to synthesize DNA, the molecules of life. Any amino acid that is not used by the body is excreted as urea si
nce too much nitrogen is toxic to our bodies.
Amino acids are necessary for DNA synthesis and provide energy for the body. They are involved in the metabolic processes of glucaneogenesis and the Citric Acid Cycle. They also help transport oxygen in the blood. Amino acids are the underlying components of hemoglobin which carries oxygen from the blood to the different parts of the body. Amino acids also help vitamins do their jobs, as well as control enzymatic processes and hormonal activity. It transmits signals to our brains and to other parts of the body and are the carriers of information in our bodies. The lack of these products makes us emotional and fatigued. Without amino acids, our bodies are rendered defenseless against bacterial and viral infections since proteins make antibodies against these invaders. Waste builds up and we end up getting sick.
Amino acids are vital to all the mechanisms of life, be it plant, animal, or human. A balanced diet is important to providing the essential amino acids in order to build the non-essential ones that sustain us.
The best way to get amino acids is to eat quality foods high in protein. Lean meats and nonfat dairy products are excellent source of protein in our daily diet. Vegetable and legumes also provide high levels of amino acids. That is why it is advisable to consume a portion of each of these food products to ensure that your body is getting the right amount of amino acids it needs for better function and cellular repair.
Athletes need additional protein supplements to fill in their needs for added muscle protein in their diet. There are protein powders and pure free form amino acids that are very effective as alternatives to their regular food intake.
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