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Snapshot: What are amino acids?

Have you ever thought about why doctors tell us to eat protein-rich food? Why eating proteins is so important for our health and wellbeing? Well, it is because of what they consist of and how important proteins are to maintain our body functions under control.

Amino acids are organic chemicals containing carbon-hydrogen bonds. They combine and form proteins, which are also considered the building blocks of life. You can think of amino acids as letters; different combinations of these letters will produce different proteins that will have different functions. Our body uses these amino acids to perform many functions, such as growth and repair of tissues, or they can be used by our body as a source of energy.

Three Categories of Amino Acids

There are 20 different amino acids that our body needs in order to function properly. They are grouped into three categories: essential, nonessential, and conditionally essential amino acids.

Essential amino acids are organic compounds that are necessary for our body to function properly. They are at the core of many vital processes. They cannot be produced by our body and should be obtained from food, such as beef, eggs, and dairy. These essential amino acids are: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. These 9 out of the 20 amino acids are critical for many important functions. A deficiency of essential amino acids might affect our entire body, including our nervous, reproductive, immune, and digestive systems.

Nonessential amino acids are the ones that can be produced by our body even if we do not get them from our food. These are alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine.

Conditionally essential amino acids which include arginine, cysteine, glutamine, tyrosine, glycine, proline, and serine are usually not essential. But they are very important during special circumstances. This includes illness, trauma, pregnancy, or stress. For example, arginine is considered nonessential. But our body needs more of arginine when fighting a serious disease. More arginine is also needed during pregnancy when our body needs more amino acids to support the health of the fetus and the mother. In these cases, taking arginine supplements might be necessary to help our body function properly.

Where do we get amino acids from in our diet?

Protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, or soybeans have a higher concentration of amino acids. Some people also take supplemental forms of amino acids as a way to increase athletic performance. Some plant foods, such as edamame or tofu contain all 9 essential amino acids, making them a “complete” source of proteins.

After eating protein-rich foods, our body breaks them down into amino acids, that are used for various processes, such as building muscles or regulating immune functions. They help our body to grow and make hormones and regulate our brain chemicals. Amino acids are also a good source of energy and are beneficial for the health of our skin, hair, and nails. Amino acids do not have to be a part of every meal, but following a balanced diet is important in the long term.

If you would like to learn more about amino acids, take a look at these resources by MedlinePlus and the Cleveland Clinic.