There’s a medical term that we’ve all likely heard, but most of us may not understand it–amino acid. There are at least 20 amino acids in the human body, and they are necessary for us to survive.
What is an amino acid?
Put simply, amino acids are the compounds that bond together to form proteins. When we digest food or liquids, the proteins break down into amino acids again. Generally, amino acids are separated between essential amino acids and nonessential amino acids.
What is an essential amino acid?
An essential amino acid is necessary for the body to make protein. Without essential amino acids, our bodies struggle to heal, grow, and maintain our cells. Unfortunately, our bodies are unable to create essential amino acids, so we must obtain them from other resources.
What is a nonessential amino acid?
A nonessential amino acid does not mean that our bodies do not need it; it just means that our bodies are able to create these amino acids, and they are readily available to use.
You can think of amino acids as the ingredients for chocolate cake. You probably have some ingredients on hand already, like sugar, flour, and eggs. These would be considered nonessential amino acids because you need them to make your cake, but you do not have to go anywhere to get these ingredients.
You might look in your pantry and realize you don’t have any cacao powder. You can’t make chocolate cake without this ingredient, so you will need to go to the store to get some. The cacao would be considered an essential amino acid because it is necessary for your cake, but you have to go outside your basic resources to obtain it.
What do amino acids do?
There are a number of functions in the body that amino acids assist with:
- Muscle growth and regeneration
- Immunity
- Skin
- Metabolism
- Sleep and mood
- Tissue growth
- Blood sugar
- Wound healing
- Energy production
- Digestion
How many amino acids do we have?
Scientists believed for a long time that there were 20 essential and nonessential amino acids in the human body. Later studies discovered the rare amino acids selenocysteine and pyrrolysine. They are considered the 21st and 22nd amino acids, but most studies only include selenocysteine.
There are continued debates on how many amino acids are in our genetic code, but many recent studies reflect 21 amino acids. Scientists wanted to be sure that the 21st amino acid was a necessary component of our genetic codes. The additional amino acids continue to be scrutinized, but it is widely acknowledged that there are either 20 or 21 amino acids in the human body.
How can we get more amino acids?
As we discussed earlier, we must provide our bodies with the essential amino acids that our bodies do not produce on their own. The best and easiest way to do this is through your diet! Some common foods that contain essential amino acids are meat, fish, eggs, soy, cheese, and nuts. The wonderful thing is that you can make sure you have essential amino acids no matter your diet or food preferences!
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