No matter what your age or health condition, amino acids are essential building blocks for your muscles, and play an important role in healthy cell functioning. Since your body needs enough protein for growth and energy, it also requires a significant amount of amino acids. Amino acids help with protein breakdown and processing, making the key nutrients available to your body. This is known as bioavailability, and is especially important for athletes since the body needs enough protein to recover after a hard workout.

Amino Acid Functions

Amino acids help to repair muscles, provide your body with fresh skin cells, and also help with hair and nail growth. If you aren’t getting enough of the essential amino acids from food sources, a supplement is another option. An amino acid deficiency can lead to a variety of health problems.

Types of Amino Acids

There are approximately 23 amino acids, nine of which are indispensable. This means that your body cannot function properly without them, and these can only be found in specific types of food. Eating a healthy and well-balanced diet is vital for ensuring that you’re getting the nutrition you need, and adding a supplement can help provide the valuable protein sources for muscle building, repair, and growth. The nine essential amino acids are:

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  Isoleucine: essential for the body to manufacture hemoglobin.

  
  


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  Leucine: essential for promoting healing of skin and preventing osteoporosis.

  
  


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  Valine: essential for neurotransmitter processes in the brain.

  
  


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  Histadene: essential for the production of red and white blood cells.

  
  


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  Methionine: essential or removing toxic waste from the liver, and also reducing blood cholesterol.

  
  


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  Lysine: essential for bone growth and collagen production.

  
  


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  Threonine: essential for collagen growth and working as an amino detoxifier.

  
  


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  Phenylaline: a natural appetite suppressant that can enhance learning, mood, and alertness.

  
  


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  Tryptophan: stimulates the release of growth hormones and has a natural calming effect.

  
  

Amino Acid Deficiency

Amino acid deficiencies are related to a variety of disorders and imbalances, including Alzheimer’s disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, epilepsy, and even hepatitis. People suffering from high blood pressure often have a deficiency of taurine, and those who need chemotherapy support can find many benefits from the amino acids cysteine and N-acetyl cysteine.

Other deficiencies can lead to problems such as infertility, emphysema, high blood pressure, and difficulty in recovering from surgery.

Best Sources of Amino Acids

The richest natural sources of amino acids are found in meat, fish, and dairy products. This is why many vegetarians and vegans supplement their daily diets with amino acids, and it is especially important to balance out a meat-free diet with quality sources of protein. Both natural grains and beans can be good sources of protein, as can soy-based products. Still, it may be important to include an amino acid supplement to prevent a deficiency. Nutritionists recommend that at least 10 to 12 percent of daily calorie intake be from protein sources rich in amino acids.

—Sabah Karimi