Amino Acids are essential to your health because they are the building block components that make up proteins. Proteins are involved in the critical bio-chemical processes that sustain life and are a necessary component of every living cell in your body. So yes, we need them.
Protein substances makeup your muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs, glands, nails, hair, many body fluids, and are essential for the growth of your bone. They form the basis of your immune system as components of antibodies. But the proteins making up your body do not come directly from protein foods you eat – your body breaks down any protein you consume into Amino Acids which it then uses to build the specific proteins needed.
Amino Acids not only build proteins but some are critical to metabolic functions and others act as precursors to neurotransmitters – the chemicals that convey messages from one nerve to another. Amino Acids also act as cofactors to vitamins and minerals – not for absorption but to allow them to perform their duties correctly once they have been assimilated in you.
There are two types of Amino Acids:
- Non–essential Amino Acids which are produced by your liver.
- Essential Amino Acids cannot be manufactured by your body and need to be taken in through your diet. Essential Amino Acids are called: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine.Your body manufactures some non-essentials from some essentials but if these essentials are not present in your diet in sufficient quantities then you can’t produce the non-essentials. An insufficient supply of even one essential amino can cause serious problems to your health. This would upset your body’s continuous synthesis of proteins – leaving it short of the proteins it needs. This can result in negative nitrogen balance, an unhealthy condition in which the body excretes more nitrogen than it assimilates. Further, all of the essential Amino Acids must be present simultaneously in the diet in order for the other Amino Acids to be utilized – otherwise, the body remains in negative nitrogen balance.
A lack of vital proteins in the body can cause problems ranging from indigestion to depression to stunted growth. Some Amino Acids also have antioxidant properties. In short, Antioxidants defend your body against environmental aggressors both internally and externally which results in an overall health boost. Think Immune Boosters. Glutathione and Acetyl L-Cysteine are powerful antioxidants.
Why you need supplemental Amino Acids:
- Lack of proper protein intake. This is largely found in those who diet, especially women.
- Vegetarians, especially vegans, are particularly susceptible.
- Improper or lack of absorption, infection, trauma, stress, drug use, age, and imbalances of other nutrients can all affect the availability of essential Amino Acids. That just about sums up our population.
- Inadequate amounts of vitamins and minerals in your diet can stop absorption of Amino Acids.
Bottom line…if your diet provides insufficient intake amounts of Amino Acids it will lead to illness. That is a powerful statement, yet the premise is simple. Amino Acid supplements are a much healthier option to supplement these deficiencies versus taking an extreme amount of proteins because that it unhealthy.
My personal favorite to make sure all areas are covered Super Amino Acid Complex.
All my best,
Stefani Thionnet
Stay focused and never give up!
