Amino Acids

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve heard talk of amino acids and their importance to the human body. Anyone who’s interested in physical fitness for whatever the reason has more than likely picked up a magazine or read the side of a supplement bottle and seen advertisements touting amino acids or the exemplary bold words placed in bold on the side of their protein jug. There’s a good reason for this and you can rest assured the hype surrounding amino acids isn’t hype at all.

Conditional Amino Acid

For a human being to function properly there are twenty various amino acids essential to that function; ten of which the body produces naturally, ten which must come from outside sources. The ten amino acids we must receive via our food or through supplementation are known as essential amino acids or indispensable amino acids. To gain each essential amino acid one must do so through food or supplements, there is no other way to acquire each essential amino acid. Bear in mind, amino acids that are non-essential simply carry the name because they are provided naturally, you need each amino acid in both categories for proper function. However, there is a third class or description sometimes not mentioned and we refer to these as conditionally essential amino acids or sometimes environmentally essential amino acids. A conditionally essential amino acid is one that typically falls in the non-essential amino acid category but becomes essential when your body does not produce enough of this amino acid to meet the physical requirements of an individual. This is one of the reasons you’ll see many avid gym rats supplementing with the non-essential amino acid glutamine or arginine.

The Amino Acid why all are a Must

Of the twenty amino acids, generally speaking all are equally important, although in varying amounts. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein; protein being an essential nutrient to the human body. Without amino acids there can be no protein and it takes all twenty, every last needed amino acidto create proper protein synthesis. However, it is very difficult to create a deficiency in regards to any particular amino acid because they are found so heavily in most all of our foods. Where amino acid deficiency can become a problem is when the individual requires more than the amounts needed by the average human being. If this individual is in need of a greater supply of amino acids, odds are this individual is eating a larger quantity of food but even still, supplementing with various amino acids can be a welcome protocol to ensure your body is getting every last amino acid it needs.

There is no doubt about it, amino acids are very important; without every last amino acid needed we cannot gain the muscle tissue we desire simply because the synthesizing of our protein will not be adequate if we fail to receive the needed amount of amino acids. Further, in order to understand the importance of protein fully, how it aides us in our physical pursuits, we must understand first amino acids equally. When we understand something in a fuller way we are able to implement its benefits to the fullest extent and maximizing our knowledge, regardless of the pursuit is always the number one name of the game.