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Importance of essential amino acids for the body

Fernando
Fernando
4 min de lectura

Essential amino acids are undoubtedly among the most necessary protein components for the optimal functioning of the body, therefore, they must represent key pieces in any diet.

The importance of their inclusion lies in the fact that the body is unable to synthesize them on its own, making their introduction through food necessary.

Importance of essential amino acids for the body – Wellness and Health

What are amino acids?

The monomers that make up proteins are known as amino acids and are divided into two types: essential and non-essential, the first group is made up of 9 members, and corresponds to those that the body cannot synthesize by itself, quite the opposite of the naturally synthesized seconds.

What is the importance of amino acids?

One of the most important tasks of amino acids is to structural muscle tissue, however, they are also responsible for accelerating metabolic processes as they are part of enzymes, in the same way, they perform transporting, contractile, pH buffering and gene expression.

Main sources of amino acids

As mentioned, it is food that represents the source of amino acids that the body needs for its proper development and functioning, these are found mainly in those rich in protein, so they can be derived from foods of animal origin or foods of Animal origin.

The first group includes eggs, meat, fish, milk and dairy products, while the second includes legumes, cereals, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

In each of them, it is endowed with a different content of amino acids, leading to the need to combine protein foods in such a way that the essential ones are provided to the body. How is it achieved? following the golden rule, mix cereals with legumes!

For example, the example of lentils and rice is taken, while the former have a deficit of the essential amino acid methionine, the latter compensates for it but is devoid of lysine. Due to having different limitations, united in the same dish, a complete protein is achieved.

What is called conditional amino acids?

Corresponds to non-essential amino acids that, at a certain point in life, be it stress or illness, become essential. Within the category are distinguished arginine, glutamine, cysteine, tyrosine, ornithine, glycine, proline and serine.

Starting from the fact that proteins are made up of branched-chain amino acids, it is to be understood that the foods with the highest protein content will be those that will have the greatest amounts of conditional amino acids, being meat and meat derivatives, shellfish, fish, eggs, milk and dairy derivatives the foods with more abundance in them.

This does not mean that those of plant origin are foods without the presence of essential amino acids, but rather that it is common for them to lack one, requiring their combination to complete the complete branched chain.

What is the importance of amino acids for the body?

The impact that the deficiency of amino acids has on the body varies depending on the one that is lacking, for example the decrease in neurotransmitters, hormones and digestive enzymes often reduce without causing symptoms or noticeable side effects, although sometimes, the deficit generates cassation and irritability.

In other scenarios, the lack of amino acids in the body can lead to depression of the immune system and inefficiency of the digestive system. On the other hand, the side effects of excess products come from:

- Excess weight: once the average sedentary adult exceeds the consumption of 0.8g of protein per day for each kilo of weight, his body begins to convert part of it into stored fat, giving rise to overweight.

- Negative nitrogenous balance: another damage derived from abuse in consumption, occurs once, in its attempt to compensate, the body begins to excrete more amino acids than those ingested.

- Renal function: in this case, the amino acids are expelled from the body by entering an oxidative cycle of the renal system.

- Toxicity: cellular oxidative damage, lesions in the arteries and reductions in the production of nitric oxide, are some of the most frequent repercussions of excess methionine, glutamine and arginine.

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