The Importance of Amino Acids in Human Nutrition

Twenty percent of the human body is made up of protein. Protein plays an important role in many processes of the body and amino acids are necessary for its formation. A large part of the body's cells, muscles and tissues are made up of amino acids. Which means that amino acids are essential in the formation of cells, as well as amino acids fulfill many important bodily functions. Not only this, amino acids also play an important role in the preservation and use of nutrients.

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Amino acids also affect the function of body organs, glands and arteries and work to heal injury wounds and tissues. Amino acids are especially essential for muscles, bones, skin and hair and also work to remove waste related to metabolism from the body.

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There are two types of amino acids - essential and non-essential. It is necessary to take both types of amino acids through your diet or medicines. These are important for various functions of the body. Know about the types of amino acids below.

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Types Of Non-essential Amino Acids

• Glutamic acid
• Alanine
• Glutamine
• Arginine
• Asparagine
• Glycine
• Tyrosine
• Aspartic acid
• Cysteine
• Proline
• Serine

Types Of Essential Amino Acids

• Tryptophan
• Threonine
• Methionine
• Phenylalanine
• Histidine
• Lysine
• Isoleucine
• Leucine
• Valine

Leucine, isoleucine and valine are three types of amino acids that are very important for the body. They are known as BCAA. The group of these three helps in increasing muscle mass, reducing fat and increasing the efficiency of the body.

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Every person needs to take a certain amount of amino acid. This amount depends on the weight of the person. It is measured on the basis of per kg of the person's weight. This amount is explained in a simple way as follows. 

Amino Acids           Amount required per kilogram        Amount for a 70 kg person

• Histidine                                   10                                                    700
• Isoleucine                                 20                                                   1400
• Leucine                                     39                                                   2730
• Lysine                                        30                                                   2100
• Methionine + Cysteine              10.4 + 4.1= 15                                1050
• Phenylalanine + Tyrosine           25                                                  1750
• Threonine                                    15                                                  1050
• Tryptophan                                   4                                                     280
• Valine                                           26                                                  1820

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Amino acids have many benefits. Amino acids mainly work to reduce fatigue, remove excess fat, increase brain functions, reduce inflammation, accelerate muscle formation and repair other damage in the body. Let's know about their other benefits further.

Benefits Of Amino Acids For Swelling
BCAA amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) have anti-inflammatory properties. They work to reduce inflammation of muscles and joints and protect you from inflammation caused by arthritis, diabetes and other liver related problems. 

Benefits Of Amino Acids For Weight Loss
Research has shown that amino acids reduce fat, it is mainly important in removing fat accumulated in the stomach. Fat accumulated in the stomach hinders the functions of the internal organs of the body, inflammation and other diseases start in the body due to this fat. 

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Benefits Of Amino Acids For Muscle Growth
When you do more physical work, the muscles get stretched and damaged. This damage to the muscles gets cured automatically after some time and it takes a certain time to get cured. Amino acids work to heal this damage to the muscles quickly. 

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Benefits Of Amino Acids For Brain Health
An amino acid called tryptophan is considered essential for the serotonin hormone in the body. This hormone is essential for keeping your mood good. With the help of tryptophan, your brain is able to function better and you get mental peace.

Benefits Of Amino Acids For Fatigue Management
As soon as you start working at the beginning of the day, the source of energy in your body, glycogen (a kind of glucose), starts decreasing. Due to its rapid decrease, you start feeling tired, and this makes you feel sleepy. However, some research has shown that by taking a diet rich in amino acids, you can increase the level of glycogen. Along with this, due to an adequate amount of amino acids in the body, your body uses glycogen at a slow pace. Due to this, you do not feel tired even after doing more physical work.

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Benefits Of Amino Acids For Muscle Growth
People who take amino acids regularly have a rapid increase in muscle mass. After working out, protein is needed for muscle growth, for which amino acids are very essential. 

Benefits Of Amino Acids For Wound Healing
Protein plays an important role in most parts of the body. It is important for the formation of hair, muscles, cells, tissues and nails. Protein works to repair damage to any part of the body. It helps to compensate for the damage caused by injury, illness, surgery and excessive exercise, and speeds up the process of recovery of the body.

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The harmful effects of taking an excessive amount of amino acids depend on its quantity. Although most amino acids are harmless, taking some amino acids (such as tyrosine) in excess has in some rare cases caused symptoms of restlessness, anxiety and increased heart rate.

Taking BCAA amino acids in excess in the form of medicines has fewer side effects, as they usually either get converted into other amino acids, are used as energy, or are stored inside the body as fat. If you have any liver or kidney related disease, then in this situation do not take excessive amounts of amino acids without asking your doctor.

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You can get amino acids from both non-vegetarian diets and vegetarian diets. Some of its sources are being described in detail below.

Vegetarian Sources of Amino Acids

• Soybeans
• Lentils
• Cashews
• Spinach
• Brown Rice
• Black Mulberries
• Sesame
• Sunflower Seeds
• Cabbage
• Chia Seeds
• Whole Grains
• Onions
• Oats
• Raisins
• Avocados
• Peanuts
• Green Leafy Vegetables
• Almonds
• Broccoli
• Oranges
• Turnip
• Figs
• Bananas
• Carrots
• Dates
• Chickpeas, etc.
• Non-Vegetarian Sources of Amino Acids
• Chicken
• Meat
• Fish
• Eggs

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Amino acids are what proteins are made of and are essential nutrients for our body. They are made up of nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. There are 20 types of amino acids, 9 of which are essential amino acids that our body cannot make on its own and we have to get them from our food.

Amino acids help the body build and repair muscles, produce enzymes and hormones, and strengthen the immune system. In addition, they regulate brain function. Major sources of essential amino acids include meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, and some plant-based foods such as quinoa and soy. Amino acid deficiency can cause problems such as fatigue, weakness, and muscle loss.