What are aminoacids and why it is essential in diets? When we hear about all protein products and powders , they usually talk about the aminoacids in them and the effect of aminoacids in food. For complete understanding about aminoacids I thought it is best to write a post separately detailing aminoacids facts in our diet.
Next to water, proteins make up larget amount of body weight since they form muscles, organs, hair, hormones ,membranes, blood transport molecules, fingernails etc. So an adequate supply of protein in diet is a must for maintaining health and reproduction.
These proteins in humanbody are macromolecules made up of Aminoacids. Human body has around 20 aminoacids which when linked in different combinations make different types of proteins all over the body. The body, through assimilation of amino acids, produces over 50,000 proteins and over 15,000 enzymes
Example - Insulin hormone is composed of totally 51 aminoacids.
Source of aminoacids :
Plants are in the lucky position that they are able to make all the amino acids they need for their protein needs from basic chemicals like carbon and nitrogen. Animals, on the other hand, can’t produce amino acids and are dependent on dietary sources for their supply. Humans can convert some of the amino acids they obtain from their diet to other amino acids in the liver. But they cannot produce all 20 aminoacids.
Essential and nonessential aminoacids:
There are 8 aminoacids which humans cannot produce and these must be supplied in food. These are called Essential aminoacids. The essential aminoaacid are phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, histidine, arginine (required for the young, but not for adults) leucine and lysine. These can be remembered as " PVT TIM HALL " using the first letters of these aminoacids.
The other aminoacids which human body can produce are called nonessential aminoacids. these are alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine and tyrosine.
This term "non-essential" however is misleading since all amino acids are necessary for human body body to maintain its operating efficiency. In addition, both non-essential amino acids and essential amino acids must be present in sufficient quantities and in the proper combination to maintain and build muscle.
Dietary sources can provide both essential and non-essential aminoacids. So it is important that humans consume the complete sources of protein and not the weak source of proteins alone.
Fact about Protein needed to make body protein :
The body, through assimilation of amino acids, produces over 50,000 proteins and over 15,000 enzymes. Amino acids are not only responsible for the production of all the body's enzymes (including digestive enzymes). After protein is consumed, it is broken down into amino acids. Then, individual amino acids are used to create necessary body proteins and enzymes. Digestive enzymes break down the proteins a person consumes into amino acids. In a person ,if there is trouble digesting food then that means there is less production of digestive enzymes. Less digestive enzymes results in poor nutrition because food cannot be absorbed in body without enzymes. So protein intake in food and the production of enzymes are having complex relationship. In essence, one's body needs amino acids in order to get amino acids from food.
Did you know?
Almost one half of the total protein in human body is mainly in four proteins. They are myosin, actin ,collagen and Haemoglobin.
At the tissue level, proteins are continually being synthesized and degraded to maintain the amount of each enzyme and strucutre. The aminoacids unlike carbohydrates and fat gets stored when in excess. So if one persons daily intake of protein is not taken in food, the body tends to obtain the neccessary aminoacids for the formation of body proteins from other sources ,for eg degrading the muscle cells. If this continues, the persons gets weekened everyday and overall health is spoiled and will lead to a risk for life. So it is improtant to get the protein balance from diet or as supplements.
So in diseased state, in children , in old age people , pregnant women needs extra amount of protein to maintain the protein balance in our body. Refer the following table for amount needed in each stage of life. DRI TABLE
Make sure that you eat a balanced meal with protein from a high aminoacids source such as meat, chicken , fish and egg. For vegtarians legumes ,beans and nuts which are relateively weak source of aminoacids. Eating non vegetarian source of protein has it drawbacks as they contain fat and cholestrol along with good protein source.
Having whey protein and Herbalife based protein, soy protein and whey protein solve this problem in an easy way.
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