AMINO ACIDS - ESSENTIAL AND NON-ESSENTIAL

Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins. The amino acids are classified into essential and non-essential amino acids. The essential amino acids have to be provide through the food we eat. They cannot be produced in the body. The non-essential amino acids can be produced by the body.

The nine essential amino acids are:

• Histidine: Histidine helps make a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) called histamine. Histamine plays an important role in your body’s immune function, digestion, sleep and sexual function.

• Isoleucine: Isoleucine is involved with your body’s muscle metabolism and immune function. It also helps your body make hemoglobin and regulate energy.

• Leucine: Leucine helps your body make protein and growth hormones. It also helps grow and repair muscle tissue, heal wounds and regulate blood sugar levels.

• Lysine: Lysine is involved in the production of hormones and energy. It’s also important for calcium and immune function.

• Methionine: Methionine helps with your body’s tissue growth, metabolism and detoxification. Methionine also helps with the absorption of essential minerals, including zinc and selenium.

• Phenylalanine: Phenylalanine is needed for the production of your brain’s chemical messengers, including dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. It’s also important for the production of other amino acids.

• Threonine: Threonine plays an important role in collagen and elastin. These proteins provide structure to your skin and connective tissue. They also help with forming blood clots, which help prevent bleeding. Threonine plays an important role in fat metabolism and your immune function, too.

• Tryptophan: Tryptophan helps maintain your body’s correct nitrogen balance. It also helps make a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) called serotonin. Serotonin regulates your mood, appetite and sleep.

• Valine: Valine is involved in muscle growth, tissue regeneration and making energy.

Your body produces the rest of the 11 amino acids you need. These are called nonessential amino acids. 

The nonessential amino acids are alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine and tyrosine.