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Amino acids
Commonly referred to as 'the building blocks of
protein', amino acids are needed to make almost all components of the
body including enzymes, blood corpuscles, hormones, antibodies, hair,
skin, bone and tissues.
Amino acids are generally linked together by peptide bonds, to
form peptides. When ten or more are linked, these are known as
polypeptides. Very large polypeptides are known as proteins.
Amino acids are often classified according to whether they are
'essential' or 'non-essential'. This is a potentially misleading
description since it is sometimes assumed to mean that most amino acids
do not play an essential role in the body. In fact the term 'essential'
does not refer to the role of the amino acids but to the body's ability
to synthesize them. 'Essential' amino acids are those which the body is
incapable of synthesizing and which must, therefore, be obtained from
the diet. Although equally important, amino acids such as taurine,
carnitine and tyrosine can, at least in healthy individuals, be
synthesized from other amino acids and are therefore described as
'non-essential'.
Some authorities have made statements that amino acid
supplementation is valueless because most people in the western world
already eat too much protein. However this fails to take account of
individual biochemistry and possible errors of metabolism. Some people
may be less capable than others of synthesizing 'non-essential' amino
acids and would therefore benefit from supplementation, especially if
they do not regularly consume animal products in their diet.
Amino acids can be divided into a number of categories according
to their structure and functions:
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