Amino Acids

Amino Acids: The Building Blocks of Protein & Muscle Tissue

Trammell's Health & Fitness Tips - Health, Fitness, Nutrition & Training Tips to Keep you Healthy and Motivated

Amino acids are the building blocks from which protein molecules are made. Every cell in your body contains amino acids. In fact, about 3 quarters of dry weight of most cells is protein; which of course is made up of amino acids.

Major contractile muscles contain a lot of protein, but in actuality, there are thousands of different kinds of protein in your body; including hormones like insulin, growth hormone, enzymes, and antibodies.

There are 17 amino acids I consider important and each one has a nitrogen part and a carbon skeleton. The nitrogen part is the same for all amino acids. But the carbon part is different for every amino acid.

A protein molecule is nothing more than a large string of these amino acids, connected end-to-end, much like beads in a necklace.

For essential amino acids you have 8 amino acids such as isoleicine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalaninine, threonine, tryptpphan, and valine.

If you were to consume a diet rich with these 8 amino acids each day, your body would be able to manufacture all of the other amino acids needed for proper muscle growth, hormone and enzyme formation.

Its almost true that your body has to have these 8 amino acids supplied by the diet; they are essential.

The amino acids that are essential for bodybuilders are arginine, alanine

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