Why is Essential Amino acid important to your health?

Last updated on May 23rd, 2023 at 09:44 pm

5 minutes read.

Amino acids are the fundamental constituents of body proteins and serve as substrates (substances) for protein synthesis (production).

Essentially amino acids (indispensable amino acids) are the type of amino acid that our body and another vertebrate cannot produce on their own but your body system highly demands it to function well.

As a result, it demands that you need to supply your body with this amino acid through dietary protein.

Dietary protein has a wide variance of essential amino acid contents that can easily be digested, and absorbed by the body, by so doing, it helps you to meet up with the required essential amino acid. No

 I created this article to help you understand how important essential amino acid is to your body and how you can start improving your health with it.

• What’s Essential amino acid?
• Types
• Food Sources
• Functions and Benefits
• Essential amino acid supplements
• Sighs of Deficiency
• Risk and side effects
• Conclusion

What is Essential Amino acid?

Amino acids are biologically important organic compounds that contain amine and carboxylic acid functional groups, along with a side-chain specific to each amino acid which builds protein and saves as signals regulating multiple biological pathways.

In simple terms, amino acids are the building block of protein in plants and animals.

Out of five hundred amino acids that have been identified in nature, only twenty amino acids make up the proteins found in the human body.

Then out of the twenty, only nine amino acids are considered essential amino acids, meaning they cannot be synthesized by the body, or the body cannot make the adequate amounts needed by the body to stay healthy.

Others are said to be nonessential (dispensable amino acids) because they’re readily found in nature, meaning your body can easily synthesize them on its own. Chains of amino acids create proteins in the body.

In the same way, chains of essential amino acids form the protein in your food. Such food that contains essential amino acids in high quantity is regarded as proteinous food.

Incorporating essential amino acids into your diet is very crucial for your optimal health because protein is incredibly important to your health.

But essential amino acid which you must obtain from diet makes a vital protein that builds different tissues of your body synthesize hormones, and enzymes, maintain neurotransmitters, increases immune functions against diseases and infections, grow muscles, and supplies energy.

Particularly essential amino acids from your dietary intake play a vital role in helping the body build muscle tissue in adults and promote overall body growth in children.  

Structure and classification

Structurally they can be classified according to the location of the functional groups;

• Alpha- (α-)
• Beta- (β-)
• Gamma- (γ-)
• And delta- (δ-) amino acids.

Types

Based on the scope of this article am going to list only the twenty amino acids that make up protein in the body and explain the essential amino acids in detail.

Here are the twenty amino acids:

1. Alanine

2. Arginine

3. Asparagine

4. Aspartic acid

5. Cysteine

6. Glutamic acid

7. Glutamine

8. Glycine

9. Histidine

10. Lysine

11. Isoleucine

12. Leucine

13. Methionine

14. Phenylalanine

15. Proline

16. Serine

17. Threonine

18. Tryptophan

19. Tyrosine

20. Valine

Of these 20 amino acids, the essential amino acids among them include:

1. Phenylalanine

2. Valine

3. Tryptophan

4. Threonine

5. Isoleucine

6. Leucine

7. Methionine

8. Histidine

9. Lysine  

Nonessential amino acids, also known as dispensable amino acids, can be excluded from a diet. The human body can synthesize these amino acids using only the essential amino acid.

 For most physiological states in a healthy adult, the above nine essential amino acids like arginine and histidine may be considered conditionally essential because the body cannot synthesize them in sufficient quantities during certain physiological periods of growth, including pregnancy, adolescent growth, or recovery from trauma.

Food Sources

Which food contains high essential amino acids?

The food sources that are high in essential amino acid includes;

Meat (beef, lamb, sheep/ram, venison, dog, etc.

Fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardine, etc.

Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, eggs), etc

Dairy products (yogurt, cheese) fermented soy (tempeh, natto, and miso).

 Legumes (lentils, beans, akidi, peas)

Whole grains (quinoa, buckwheat, oats, amaranth, brown rice), etc

Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, ground nuts)

Seeds (chia seeds, pumpkin seeds-mkpuru egwusi, flaxseeds), etc.

Functions and Health Benefits

Let’s look at the specific functions and health benefits of each of the essential amino acids.

Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine is involved in the production of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine, which are essential for the proper functioning of the brain and nervous system.

Phenylalanine also helps with the production of the pigment melanin, which gives color to the skin, hair, and eyes.

Phenylalanine regulates the discharge of the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK). Phenylalanine conveys signals to the brain that the person is satisfied.

Valine

Valine is one of three branched-chain amino acids (the others are leucine and isoleucine) that enhance energy, increase endurance, and aid in muscle tissue recovery and repair.

This group also lowers elevated blood sugar levels and increases growth hormone production.

Valine is needed for muscle metabolism and coordination, tissue repair, and the maintenance of proper nitrogen balance in the body.

Tryptophan

The body uses tryptophan to help make melatonin and brain serotonin.

Melatonin helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, and serotonin is thought to help regulate appetite, sleep, mood, and pain.

The liver can also use tryptophan to produce niacin (vitamin B3), which is needed for energy metabolism and DNA production

The L- isomer form of tryptophan is used in protein synthesis and can pass across the blood-brain barrier.

Threonine

Threonine mainly serves as a substrate for protein synthesis, particularly mucin.

In addition, it can enter the catabolic pathway, where it can be metabolized to a variety of important products (glycine, acetyl CoA, pyruvate) that play a crucial role in host metabolism.

Threonine is not only an important component of gastrointestinal mucin but also acts as a nutritional modulator that influences the intestinal immune system via complex signaling networks, particularly mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the target of the rapamycin (TOR) signal pathway.

Threonine is also recognized as an indispensable nutrient for cell growth and proliferation

A 2021 Research shows that threonine is an indispensable amino acid involved in lipid metabolism, protein synthesis, embryonic stem cell proliferation and differentiation, and intestinal health and function.

However, further experiments are required to determine how threonine regulates the dynamic balance between intestinal microbiota, immune response, and barrier says the researchers.

Isoleucine

Isoleucine, as one of the branched-chain amino acids, is also critical in the physiological functions of the whole body, such as growth, immunity, protein metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and glucose transportation.

Isoleucine can improve the immune system, including immune organs, cells, and reactive substances.

Methionine

Methionine is an antioxidant. It may help protect the body from damage caused by ionizing radiation.

It may detoxify harmful substances in the body, such as heavy metals. It may also prevent liver damage from acetaminophen poisoning.

One of methionine’s main functions is to serve as a “methyl donor,” speeding up or maintaining chemical reactions within your body.

Histidine

Histidine is required for the synthesis of proteins. It plays particularly important roles in the active site of enzymes, such as serine proteases (e.g., trypsin) where it is a member of the catalytic triad.

Excess histidine may be converted to trans-urocanate by histidine ammonia lyase (histidase) in the liver and skin.

In addition, histidine is required as a precursor of carnosine in human muscle and parts of the brain where carnosine appears to play an important role as a buffer and antioxidant.

Lysine

Lysine appears to help the body absorb calcium, and it plays an important role in the formation of collagen, a substance important for bones and connective tissues including skin, tendons, and cartilage.

Lysine seems to be active against the herpes simplex virus. Lysine has a role as a micronutrient, a nutraceutical, an anticonvulsant, an Escherichia coli metabolite, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolite, a plant metabolite, a human metabolite, an algal metabolite, and a mouse metabolite.

Essential amino acid help to improve weight loss and muscle gain.

 In addition to the efficacy of essential amino acids;

Scientific research carried out on adult mice to determine the effect of an essential amino acids-rich diet on whole body weight demonstrated a dramatic reduction in retroperitoneal white adipose tissue volume, and reduced body weight, but had an increase in muscle mass.

Following the result of the study and other previous related studies that showed similar results, they suggested that it is possible that the low consumption of free essential amino acid-rich food is sufficient to induce satiety and to provide a metabolically active nitrogen source for the animals’ life.

Other studies show that elevated plasma concentrations of essential amino acids can trigger satiety signals, thereby decreasing food intake.

 Essential amino acid supplements

The truth is all these essential amino acids can easily be obtained from protein-rich food.

However, when you don’t have easy access to the required Essential Amino acid diet, it is important you help your body with the supplement form.

Essential Amino acids come in different types of supplements such as;

Protein powder supplements like whey protein, hemp protein powder or brown rice, etc, offer the same health benefits as the native essential amino acid.

Collagen and protein powder made from bone broth (mmiri okpukpu anu) are two other easy options that can provide a good amount of protein as well as essential amino acids to your body.

You can also opt for isolated amino acid supplements, such as tryptophan, leucine, or lysine.

Each of these has been linked to specific health benefits, and they’re all often used as natural treatments for conditions like cold sores, depression, or insomnia.

Related: What are non-essential amino acids? List, Uses, and Functions

Related: What are the Health Benefits of Dietary Supplement? Risk and Side Effects

However, for any amino acid supplement you choose to consume, endeavor to follow the recommended dosage to avoid consumption which could cause unwanted negative symptoms. If any symptoms or signs occur, please discontinue and talk to your medical professional.

Signs of Deficiency

How do I know when am lacking essential amino acids?

A deficiency of essential amino acids is also known as protein deficiency.

When you lack essential amino acids, it can result in all kinds of negative signs and symptoms such as; Dry skin, Splitting hair, Hair loss, and Brittle nails.

Thinning hair, Decreased muscle mass, Impaired growth in children, increased appetite, Decreased immune function, increase urinating, puffiness, lethargy, itchy eyes, headache, and may lead to anemia.

Moreover, Kwashiorkor and marasmus are examples of more severe clinical disorders caused by malnutrition and inadequate intake of essential amino acids.

 Kwashiorkor is a form of malnutrition characterized by peripheral edema, dry peeling skin with hyperkeratosis and hyperpigmentation, ascites, liver malfunction, immune deficits, anemia, and relatively unchanged muscle protein composition.

Kwashiorkor and marasmus is a severe disorder that results from a diet with insufficient protein (essential amino acids) but adequate carbohydrates.

Protein deficiency can affect anyone who doesn’t get enough essential amino acids in the diet.

Risk and side effects

You expose your body to the risk and side effects of essential amino acid deficiency when you don’t add essential amino acids rich food to your diet.

Sever risks and side effects include kwashiorkor and marasmus. Other minor side effects include constant headache, reduced physical energy performance, eye irritation, decreased muscle mass, increased urination, and increase appetite.

It’s important you habitually find a means to incorporate essential amino acids in your diet, that’s the ultimate way to get enough.

A little addition of essential amino acids-rich food to your diet goes a long way in preventing deficiency and helping your body perform its function properly.

If you want to understand the importance of essential amino acids in your body, intentionally feed on only carbohydrate-rich foods for three to six consecutive months then you will confirm the risk and side effect yourself.

This is a good breakdown of information on essential amino acids right?

Conclusion

Essentially amino acids (indispensable amino acids) are the type of amino acid that our body and another vertebrate cannot produce on their own but your body system highly demands it to function well.

As a result, it demands that you need to supply your body with these amino acids through dietary protein. Out of twenty amino acids that synthesized body protein only nine are regarded as essential.

 Food rich in essential amino acids is regarded as high proteinous food. Such as poultry, beef, eggs, nuts and seeds, milk, brown rice, legumes, fish, etc.

Essential amino acid which you must obtain from diet makes vital proteins that build different tissues of your body, synthesizes hormones, and enzymes maintains neurotransmitters, increases immune functions against diseases and infections, grows muscles, and supplies energy.

Deficiency of essential amino acids ranges from minor to severe clinical disorders.

It is of high importance you habitually start incorporating essential amino acid-rich food in your diet. A little addition of them to your diet will go a long way in protecting you from deficiency. 

I believe you got value worth your time.  I appreciate the time you spend with me. Leave a comment if you like this post. Has it been any time in your life you ate only carbohydrate-rich food for a long period of time? What was your experience like?  Feel free to share with me in the comment below.

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