Amino Acids: Why They Are So Important

What are amino acids?

Amino acids are essential building blocks of life for biologists, while athletes primarily see them as the building blocks of muscle tissue. Our dry body weight consists of 75% amino acids. There are hundreds of types, but only twenty are important for humans. Of these fundamental amino acids, our body can produce twelve on its own, while the remaining eight must be obtained through diet. These eight are therefore called essential amino acids.

Of these fundamental amino acids, our body can produce twelve on its own, while the remaining eight must be obtained through diet.

Where are amino acids found?

Rich sources of amino acids include meat, fish, dairy, legumes, nuts, and seeds. They are also present in vegetables and fruits in the form of proteins. Our body cannot directly use these proteins but must first break them down into individual amino acids with the help of digestive enzymes.

To obtain all the necessary amino acids for a vital life, we need to eat a varied diet. A varied diet consists partly of raw foods and partly of animal products. Ovo-lacto vegetarians are less likely to have deficiencies because, unlike vegans, they consume eggs and dairy. With regard to the amino acid taurine, it is also advisable to eat fish regularly. Especially growing children should eat as varied as possible so that they have all the necessary amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals available every day.

Muscles

Amino acids are important for muscles. The heart muscle, for example, consists of 95% amino acids. Athletes may benefit from the intake of certain amino acids before, during, or after training. Various dietary supplements are available with so-called free amino acids. These require no digestive activity to be absorbed and can therefore be taken without concern just before or during a sporting performance. Other supplements, such as whey protein, do require some digestive activity and are therefore mainly taken after exercise. Well-known amino acids for athletes include carnitine, glutamine, and the so-called BCAAs (“branched-chain amino acids”, consisting of valine, leucine, and isoleucine).

The heart muscle, for example, consists of 95% amino acids.

Virtually every biochemical reaction in our body is regulated by amino acids. Examples:

• 100% of all our neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, consist of amino acids
• 100% of our hormones consist of amino acids
• 100% of our neuropeptides, which are involved in all thoughts in our brain, consist of amino acids

Hair and nails

We've all heard of keratin, a well-known ingredient in shampoos. Keratin is a tough, insoluble protein found in our nails, hair, and the outer layer of our skin. Keratin consists largely of sulphur, which is supplied via sulphur-containing amino acids such as cysteine and methionine. Human hair consists of approximately 14% cysteine. Keratin, through sulphur bridges, ensures that hair and nails do not break easily. The fact that hair consists largely of sulphur becomes clear when we accidentally burn some hair.

Keratin is not digestible. Therefore, consuming keratin is pointless. Many dietary supplements for skin, hair, and nails therefore contain the precursors of keratin. Well-known sulphur-rich food sources include leeks, onions, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, chicory, artichokes, asparagus, and Chinese cabbage. Some of the volatile sulphur is lost during cooking through the extractor hood. Raw vegetables therefore have a much higher percentage of sulphur. Raw for beauty!

Left-handed amino acids

What is the ‘L’ in, for example, L-lysine, L-glutamine? Amino acids can have a right-handed or left-handed structure. Our body uses the left-handed amino acids. For this reason, many amino acids have an L before their name, such as L-lysine. In this article, we have omitted the L for convenience.

Author: Sanne van der Rijt