|
Amino acids
Amino acids are organic compounds, molecular building blocks of proteins. The
9 indispensable amino acids (IAA), sometimes called essential amino acids, must
be ingested from a food or supplement source. The other non-essential amino
acids are correctly termed dispensable amino acids (DAA) or conditionally indispensable,
depending on the body’s ability to synthesize them from other amino acids. Protein
makes up the largest portion of human body weight, second only to water, since
it is present in muscles, organs, hair, and so on. Dietary protein is broken
down into amino acids that the body uses to make the specific proteins needed.
Amino acids are used in most body processes, affecting how the body works to
how the brain functions, by activating and using vitamins and other nutrients.
The liver produces 80% of amino acids, but the remaining 20% must be supplied
by diet. The ratio of IAA to DAA present in foods is what determines the health
building value of a protein food or supplement. Protein quality is related to
the amount of specific aminos within both the IAA and DAA categories. Unfortunately,
even though a food may appear to have a perfect balance of amino acids, issues
surrounding digestion, absorption, and bioavailability exist and must be explored.
Bioavailability means the extent to which a substance reaches its site of utilization
in the body, and measures how much what is ingested actually gets used for its
intended purpose. What this means, is that two diets containing exactly the
same amount of specific amino acids, could have significant differences in their
absorption and use. The most bioavailable source is powdered free form amino
acids that can elevate specific amino acid levels in the body’s circulation
within 15 minutes, making it available for metabolism at the site where it will
be used. The IAAs are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine,
threonine, tryptophan, and valine. The DAAs produced by the liver include alanine,
arginine, asparagines, aspartic acid, citrulline, cysteine, cystine, gamma-aminobutyric
acid, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, ornithine, proline, serine, taurine,
and tyrosine. A balanced supply of these nutrients are necessary to maintain
proper body function as the functioning of amino acids are interrelated, and
a dietary shortage of amino acids can negatively affect your health. Free form
amino acids are immediately absorbed into the body and require no digestion.
When taking amino acid supplements, its best to take vitamin C and vitamin B6
at the same time to ensure maximum absorption.
|
