Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Amino acids

What are Amino acids....?


      Amino acids are an essential part of your diet. They are the building blocks of protein - which also makes them the building blocks of muscle tissue. Their importance extends to the amount of energy we have, the speed of recovery, weight loss and brain and memory function. Amino aicds are important for not only building muscle, but having a higher quality of life. The human body does not produce all 21 amino acids on its own. Proper diet is necessary to make sure your body can continue to build muscle. Amino acid supplements are a great way to make sure your body gets all 21 amino acids required to function properly.

There are two types of amino acids – essential and non-essential. 


Non–essential aminos are produced by your liver - these account for approx. 80% of all amino acids you need.

The essential ones cannot be manufactured by your body and need to be taken in through your diet.

What Does It Do? 

        During exercise, protein breakdown increases with no rise in protein synthesis. This means that  training and competing can be very catabolic times, no matter what type of exercise you do. Fortunately, during the post-exercise period, this muscle catabolism can be slowed as protein synthesis begins to rise.

       However, this increase still isn't enough to counter the protein breakdown that's still occurring. The net result of this workout and post workout catabolism is that muscle recovery and improvement (if endurance exercise is your thing) or growth (if strength exercise is your thing) is hampered.

Current research in dietary supplementation has targeted these catabolic times, attempting to minimize the catabolism and maximize the anabolism (including recovery, improvement, and/or growth). This research has demonstrated that essential amino acids (alone or with carbohydrates) ingested before, during, or after exercise promote huge increases in protein balance.

Where Does It Come From? 

         Essential Amino Acids are basic dietary components that comprise all of the proteins we eat. However, the provision of these amino acids individually (or as part of an easily digestible complete protein like hydrolyzed or isolated whey protein) can lead to more rapid digestion and absorption and faster recovery.


       Furthermore, 3 of the 9 essential amino acids are the often-discussed branched chain amino acids (BCAA). These amino acids are important to muscle metabolism and may prevent central fatigue.

How Do I Use It?

         Strength and endurance athletes will benefit from approximately 6g per 70kg mass of EAA ingested immediately prior to and/or during exercise.

         Alternatively, athletes could choose to consume 0.4g/kg of rapidly digesting protein like whey hydrolysate or whey concentrate/isolate. For further benefit add 0.8g/kg carbohydrate to enhance the recovery effects of these amino acids.

Dosage Levels


        Recommended levels for individual amino acids vary from 1,000 mg to 6,000 mg per day. This varies depending on which amino acids are being supplemented. Supplements will provide recommendations on the bottle. Amino acids can also be taken in complex form to include all the essential amino acids. These are also given suggested intake levels on the bottle and are best absorbed on an empty stomach, allowing more of the amino acids to be absorbed by the liver.

Abdominal Fat Loss

       Although most fat loss supplements contain high levels of stimulants and other ingredients that claim to increase your metabolism, amino acid supplements may effectively promote regional fat loss.


          According to a study published in the January 1997 issue of the "International Journal of Sports Medicine," supplementation of an amino acid supplement for 19 days produced significant decreases in abdominal fat. According to the researchers, use of an amino acid supplement in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet may offer superior fat loss compared to dieting alone. This study used a supplement containing the branched chain amino acids, which Men's Fitness explains are isoleucine, valine and leucine.

Benefits of AMINO ACIDS

Functions served by intact amino acid

1. Synthesis of cell protoplasm. Amino acids are necessary to build up living cells, since proteins are main and essential constituents of them.

2. Taking up wear and tear. Amino acids repair the damaged parts when tissue proteins break down during metabolism.

3. Storage of protein. In adult/elderly people, protein breakdown exceeds protein synthesis; proteins cannot be stored when nitrogen equilibrium is established. But they can be stored in active/growing age, when protein synthesis exceeds protein breakdowns.

4. Essential amino acids: There are some amino acids, which cannot be synthesized in the body, but are essential for growth and maintenance of life.

5. Other synthesis process. Amino acids help in synthesis of bile acids, plasma proteins, haemoglobin, hormones, enzymes, milk proteins in lactating mothers, glutathione and cytochrome, purine and phyrimidine, melanin, antibodies, and formation of rhodypsin and urea. When the above functions are served by the amino acids in tact form, to the required stage, the surplus amounts of amino acids break down and undergo the following next group of functions.

Functions of Amino acids while breaking down

1. Supply of energy. Amino acids liberate energy on break down at the rate of 4.3 Calories per gram of protein.

2. Dynamic action. Amino Acids while breaking down, excret a specific stimulating action to the extent of about 30% on tissue metabolism.

3. Deamination. During deamination under the influence of certain enzymes, the amino acid losses its radicle, into nitrogenous part and non-nitrogenous part, each of which perform separate function.

      The nitrogenous part, ammonia, a large part (80%) of it is converted to Urea, and the smaller part combines with acids to form ammonium salts. It is also utilized for the synthesis of simple amino acids like glycine, alanine, glutamic acid; and some nitrogenous substances like creation, purine, uric acid, pyrimidine, lecithin etc.

      The non-nitrogenous residues are utilized as carbohydrates, and some also get broken down as fatty acids in the body. It suphur and phosphorus components get converted into their compounds before excretion.

Side effects

      Amino acid supplements should not be taken by diabetics or alcoholics. Oral amino acid supplements may cause a build-up of amonia in muscle tissues and can cause a temporary lack of motor coordination; test their effects when you will not have to drive or use machines.

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