Ammino Acids
The Function of Amino Acids
Amino acids are the chemical units or the “building blocks,” as they are popularly called, that make up proteins. Protein could not exist without the proper combination of amino acids. To understand how vital amino acids are, you must understand how essential proteins are to life. It is protein that provides the structure for all living things.
In the human body, protein substances make up the muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs, glands, nails, hair, and body fluids (except for bile and urine). Next to water, protein makes up the greatest portion of our weight. Consequently, it is easy to see why meeting our body’s protein requirement is so important to good health.
In order for a protein to be complete, it must contain all of its particular amino acids. Amino acids may be linked together almost indefinitely to form more than 50,000 different proteins and 20,000 known enzymes.
Amino acids contain about 16 percent nitrogen. This distinguishes them from carbohydrates and fats in the body.
There are approximately twenty-nine commonly known amino acids that account for the hundreds of different types of protein present in all living things. In the human body, the liver produces about 80 percent of the amino acids we need. The remaining 20 percent must be obtained from outside sources. The amino acids that must be obtained from the diet are called essential amino acids. The essential amino acids that enter the body through diet are arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionie, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Other amino acids that the body seems to be able to manufacture from other sources are alanine, arginine, aspartic aced, asparagines, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, praline, and serine.
Most of the amino acids (excluding glycine) can appear in two forms – one being the mirror image of the other. These are called the D and L series. Because amino acids found in living plant or animal tissue, they are considered to be more compatible to human biochemistry. The ones that make up a protein are all of the L- configuration, except phenylalanine, which can also appear as DL – phenylalanine.
The process of assembling amino acids to make protein or breaking down proteins into individual amino acids for the body’s use is continuous. If the diet is improperly balanced, that is, contains inadequate amounts of the essential amino acids, physical and mental disorders will arise.
Amino acids enable vitamins and mineral to perform their jobs properly. Even if the vitamins and minerals are assimilated rapidly and in appeal supply, they will not be effective unless amino acids are present.
In order to avoid such problems, we can make sure we eat a properly balanced diet, or we can take supplements containing essential amino acids.
