If your task is to improve muscle tone or overall health, you may hear something about amino acids. But what exactly are they? And, is it necessary to take amino acid supplements to get benefits? To find out, we asked nutritionist Jo Woodhurst, nutrition director at British supplement brand Ancient+Brave. Continue reading everything we learned. And, spoiler alert: As long as you keep some key factors in mind, the amino acids may be exactly what your doctor ordered.
What are amino acids?
Amino acids are crucial to our health and our lives themselves. They are so-called protein “buildings”. They play a key role in the growth, repair and maintenance of nearly every human tissue and system, including energy production, muscle growth, regulation of the immune system, metabolism and mood, as well as the production of enzymes, hormones, collagen and elasticity.
You can think of amino acids as letters of letters, each of which plays a unique role. When strung together in certain combinations, amino acids form peptides and proteins, just as letters form words and phrases. Some of these proteins and peptides support the production of hormones. Some, the synthesis of neurotransmitters; others, the metabolic process.
For example, collagen and keratin are both composed of amino acids, so they are critical to the strength, elasticity and structure of the skin, nails, and hair. These tissues are constantly regenerating and depend on the continuous supply of amino acids to maintain elasticity and vitality.
What are essential amino acids?
Our body needs 20 different amino acids to work. Of these 20, 9 are considered “essential” amino acids (EAAS) because the body does not naturally make them natural. Instead, these nine essential amino acids must be consumed through food.
Each amino acid has a different function. When combined into proteins, the role expands further. It is believed that the human body contains between 10,000 and 50,000 different proteins, each with a unique purpose, including:
- Muscles, skin, blood, ligaments, tendons, bones, collagen, and structural materials such as intestinal and arterial walls.
- Enzymes catalyze reactions that are critical to digestion, energy production and detoxification.
The nine essential amino acids are:
- Phenylalanine
- Isoleucine
- Histidine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- valine
Which foods contain essential amino acids?
The human body cannot produce the necessary amino acids and must be eaten from the foods we eat. Fortunately, many foods containing essential amino acids:
