Your Nutritional and Vitamin Supplement Information Resource

posted by Ronald on May 5

An amino acid is a compound that your body uses to make proteins. Every part of your body, from your brain cells to your hair, from your teeth and nails to your muscles are made up of proteins. Your body can synthesize many of the amino acids it needs to make proteins on its own, but there are some that your body cannot synthesize and must acquire from the food you eat. These are known as essential amino acids.

Interesting, amino acid deficiencies can manifest themselves in many ways. You will find your hair becoming brittle and weak, and perhaps even falling out. Your muscles will begin to shrink and your skin will lose its luster and elasticity. Your eyesight will become blurry and even your fingernails will become brittle and weak. When your body doesn’t have the necessary building blocks-namely amino acids-it will fail to rebuild itself properly and you will suffer a myriad of symptoms. These are all symptoms of amino acid deficiency, and come about because almost all the tissue of your body is constantly being torn down and rebuilt.

The easiest way to get a balanced dose of amino acids is to eat meat. Since meat is predominantly protein, it has the perfect balance of essential amino acids that your body needs. Any dietary source of complete proteins like meat, fish, milk, and eggs are excellent sources of amino acids. This is why most people do not suffer from amino acid deficiencies unless they are poor, vegetarians, or just do not consume enough meat. Another source of essential amino acids are beans, nuts, and plant-based whole food nutritional supplements. The key is to make sure that you consume foods from all the different non-meat sources so that you will get a cocktail of the amino acids your body needs, and therefore your body will be able to attain all the different essential amino acids from your diet.

For more information on the importance of Amino Acids in our diet and to read the full article, see the

All About Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants, and more

section of our Health and Nutrition library. It includes many important articles written to help you achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.