Summary:
1. definition
2. are amino acids proteins?
3. what are amino acids made of?
4. what does the L before amino acids mean?
5. structure
6. amino acid structure
7. amino acids list
8. how many amino acids are there?
9. what types of amino acids are there?
10. production
11. production of amino acids as food supplements
12. comparison of the production of JARMINO bone stock and bio collagen
13. amino acids vegan?
14. use / intake
15. amino acids deficiency
16. are amino acids harmful?
17. too many amino acids
18. amino acid overdose / side effects?
19. take amino acid when?
20. amino acid supplementation
21. muscle building
22. effect
23. amino acids food
24 What do amino acids do?
25. lose weight with amino acids
26 Which amino acids does the body need?
Definition
Are amino acids proteins?
Amino acids are the smallest unit of proteins. When we eat protein-rich foods, our intestines break down the proteins into amino acids. And amino acids play a very important role in our health.
What are amino acids made of?
The key elements of amino acids are carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N), although other elements are found in the side chains of certain amino acids.
What does the L before the amino acids mean?
With the exception of one amino acid, all amino acids have two forms: D and L. Surprisingly, however, only L-amino acids are building blocks of proteins. Since proteins are essential for the maintenance of the cell, the origin of L-amino acids is directly linked to the evolution of life.
Amino Acids Structure
Amino acids are the monomers that make up proteins. Each amino acid has the same basic structure, consisting of a central carbon atom, also called alpha-carbon (α), which is bound to an amino group (NH2), a carboxyl group (COOH) and a hydrogen atom.
Each amino acid also has another atom or group of atoms attached to the central atom. This R group or side chain gives each amino acid protein specific properties.
Amino acids list
How many amino acids are there?
About 500 naturally occurring amino acids are known, although only 20 occur in the genetic code.
What types of amino acids are there?
All proteins in the human body consist of 20 amino acids. 9 of these amino acids are called essential amino acids. This means that our body cannot produce them itself, but we have to take them in through food.
The remaining amino acids can be obtained by the body itself. However, some of them are called conditionally essential. The body may not be able to produce these in sufficient quantities. This can be the case if our body is stressed, for example by a diet that is too rich in sugar or carbohydrates. The sufficient supply of conditionally essential foods is therefore just as important today as the consumption of essential foods.
- Essential amino acids: Histidine, isoleucine, lysine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine
- Conditionally essential amino acids: arginine, cysteine, glycine, glutamine, proline, tyrosine
- Non-essential amino acids: alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine
Production
Production of amino acids as food supplements
Amino acids in food supplements are often unnatural amino acids or non-proteinogenic amino acids that are chemically synthesized. There is no nutritional scientific justification for the individual intake of these unnatural amino acids as dietary supplements, in fact they can be dangerous. Instead of relying on individual amino acids as dietary supplements, you should integrate healthy foods that provide natural amino acids into your diet.
Comparison with the production of JARMINO bone broth and organic collagen
JARMINO bone broths and our organic collagen powder contain amino acids in a natural way, through a purely thermal and mechanical process. We boil bones (e.g. from organic cattle) for 20 hours to obtain a broth that contains many amino acids. For the organic collagen powder, the bone stock is then dehydrated and ground into a powder, which results in an even higher amino acid content.
Amino acids vegan?
Proteins that the body breaks down into amino acids are found in both plant and animal foods. This means that amino acids can also be obtained from vegan foods. Proteins from animal foods are often referred to as complete because they contain all essential amino acids. Vegetable proteins, on the other hand, often lack one or two essential amino acids.
Use / intake
Amino acids deficiency
If you have stomach problems, heartburn, flatulence or other digestive problems and also mood swings, this may be caused by a low stomach acid level, which can lead to a lack of amino acids.
However, possible reasons for amino acid deficiency can also be the incomplete breakdown of proteins in the digestive system, inherited abnormalities in the body's biochemical mechanisms, poor diet or stress.
Are amino acids harmful?
There has been no evidence in the literature to suggest that a normal, healthy person would benefit in any way nutritionally from supplementing with a single amino acid. Even in people with a less than ideal diet, single amino acid supplementation is considered potentially dangerous. (1)
Therefore, it is recommended to take single amino acids, rather we should integrate healthy and high quality protein sources like bone broth or bio collagen, which offer a wide range of amino acids, into our diet.
Too many amino acids
If your body contains too many amino acids, the following effects may occur: gastrointestinal problems, such as flatulence, abdominal pain or diarrhoea, increased risk of gout (accumulation of uric acid in the body leading to joint inflammation), unhealthy drop in blood pressure.
Amino acid overdose / side effects?
An increased intake of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA, essential amino acids that make up 20% of total protein intake) can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (2).
When to take amino acids?
Amino acids should be part of a healthy daily diet:
Amino acids are needed to build new proteins. Proteins then provide the structure of our cells, tissue, organs, muscles, skin and hair.
Amino acids are precursors of enzymes. This means that without amino acids no metabolic reactions would take place. And metabolic reactions include energy production and fat burning.
In addition, amino acids can also have an anti-inflammatory effect and prevent oxidative stress that leads to premature aging.
The amino acids contained in protein can promote muscle building. Despite the long-held theory that you have about 45-60 minutes after training to achieve maximum muscle growth by taking protein, recent research suggests that this time window can be up to five hours after training (3). Taking it before training also has the same effect (4).
Amino acids dietary supplement
There is also a lot of discussion about the consumption of amino acids supplementation. It is often argued that taking certain amino acids (BCAAs - Branched Chain Amino Acids) before or after training helps build more muscle. This may be true, but it also brings with it risks. An overdose of BCAAs can lead to considerable side effects, such as gastrointestinal problems and diarrhoea.
Muscle building
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are a group of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. Studies have shown that a diet rich in BCAAs helps build muscle, reduce muscle fatigue and relieve muscle soreness.
When you eat protein-rich foods, your body breaks down protein into amino acids. These amino acids are then used to repair and grow new muscle fibers.
Effect
The foods listed below are the richest sources of essential amino acids:
- Lysine: meat, eggs, soy, black beans, quinoa, pumpkin seeds
- Histidine: meat, fish, poultry, nuts, seeds, whole grain
- Threonine: cottage cheese, wheat germ
- Methionine: eggs, grains, nuts, seeds
- Valin: soy, cheese, peanuts, mushrooms, wholemeal cereals, vegetables
- Isoleucine: meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, lentils, nuts, seeds
- Leucine: milk, soy, beans, legumes
- Phenylalanine: dairy products, meat, poultry, soy, fish, beans and nuts
- Tryptophan: Protein-rich foods such as wheat germ, cottage cheese, chicken
The best sources of the conditionally essential amino acids are:
- Arginine: chicken, dairy products, pumpkin seeds, peanuts,
- Cysteine: beef, chicken, tuna, lentils, oats
- Glycine: bone stock, collagen, beef, veal, lamb, chicken
- Glutamine: seafood, milk, eggs, cabbage, beans
- Proline: bone stock, collagen, beef, cheese, soybeans
- Tyrosine: beef, salmon, tofu, chicken, ricotta, white beans, wild rice
- Collagen-rich bone broth and collagen powder from pastureland are excellent amino acid foods. They provide all the important essential and conditionally essential amino acids. In addition, the proteins are already broken down into small pieces, which facilitates digestion.
What do amino acids do?
Amino acids, often referred to as the building blocks of proteins, are compounds that perform many important functions in our body:
Skin structure: Amino acids are essential for healthy skin. All essential and non-essential amino acids play a role in maintaining beautiful skin, but there are some that have special effects:
- Arginine: Helps to repair visible skin damage.
- Histidine: Soothes the skin and has anti-oxidant properties.
- Methionine: Protects the skin from harmful substances.
- Lysine: Strengthens the skin surface.
Wrinkles:
Proline, Leucine and Glycine: Make fine lines and wrinkles less deep.
Hair:
About 18 amino acids can be found in hair, such as proline, threonine, leucine and arginine. A healthy amino acid balance gives the hair structure stiffness and resistance.
Hair loss:
Amino acids are present in almost all of our tissues, including our hair, and are of vital importance. A deficiency of the amino acid L-lysine can lead to hair loss, but an adequate supply of this amino acid can prevent this problem and promote healthy hair growth.
Sleep:
How we sleep also depends on the amino acids. The most common amino acids associated with sleep health are Glutamine, Glycine, L-Theanine and Tryptophan.
metabolism:
In metabolism, amino acids have several important functions: Building blocks for protein synthesis, precursors of nucleotides, energy source, neurotransmitters, precursors of neurotransmitters and hormones.
Joints:
Our body uses amino acids to protect and rebuild joint cartilage. Especially people suffering from arthritis should ensure a sufficient supply of amino acids.
Intestine:
The amino acids glycine and proline contribute to the healing of the intestine, which is often damaged by our western diet, which is strongly influenced by carbohydrates and sugar. Because of this diet, many people (most of them unconsciously) suffer from the so-called Leaky Gut Syndrome.
This permeable bowel is formed when an unbalanced intestinal flora causes the intestinal wall to be attacked by the bad intestinal bacteria and become porous. As a result, toxins from the intestine can get into the bloodstream and cause inflammation in the body, which can lead to autoimmune diseases, skin diseases and skin aging.
Slimming with amino acids
Amino acids can help prevent weight gain and promote fat loss. To lose weight with amino acids, a balanced diet of protein, fiber and healthy fats is recommended, while the proportion of carbohydrates is reduced.
Intestinal health plays a central role in losing weight with amino acids, since many factors of digestion are crucial in the breakdown of protein into amino acids. In fact, if the bowel is diseased, it can be difficult for our body to digest proteins completely in order to absorb the important amino acids.
It is therefore beneficial to consume proteins that are already partially broken down, such as from gently cooked meat, bone stock and collagen powder. The body can then absorb the amino acids more easily. It is also very important to chew your food thoroughly. On the one hand, it is easier for our body to digest smaller pieces of food and on the other hand, the chewing process makes the digestive juices flow. The stomach acid is essential for the digestion of proteins.
Which amino acids does the body need?
Are the essential amino acids enough? Are the subgroups of essential amino acids produced by the body itself?
Our body needs all 20 different amino acids to grow and function properly. Although all 20 are important for your health, we should take special care to ensure that the essential and the conditionally essential amino acids are ingested in a balanced diet.
In addition to these amino acids, so-called modified building blocks also play an important role, including hydroxyproline. Our body needs glycine, proline and hydroxyproline to produce collagen. From the age of about 25 years, the body's own production of collagen gradually decreases. And a higher collagen content means healthier bones and joints, firmer skin and stronger hair and nails. Hydroxyproline is only found in animal foods. Bone broth and collagen provides glycine, proline and hydroxyproline in a purely natural form.
Our JARMINO Organic Bone Broth and Collagen Powder gives you the opportunity to supply your body with all the important amino acids in a natural way.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209070/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5264279/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28070459
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23360586
