Category Archives: Amino Acid

Tyrosine

Tyrosine is a nonessential amino acid the body makes from another amino acid called phenylalanine. It is a building block for several important brain chemicals called neurotransmitters including epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. Neurotransmitters help nerve cells communicate and influence mood. Tyrosine also helps produce melanin, the pigment responsible for hair and skin color. It helps

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Tryptophan

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which means your body cannot produce it you must get it from your diet or supplemental sources. Tryptophan is an amino acid needed for normal growth in infants and for nitrogen balance in adults. The body uses tryptophan to help make niacin and serotonin. Serotonin is thought to produce

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Threonine

Threonine is an essential amino acid. Amino acids are organic compounds that combine to form proteins. Amino acids and proteins are the building blocks of life. When proteins are digested or broken down, amino acids are left. The human body uses amino acids to: break down food, grow and repair body tissue. Amino acids can

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Methionine

Methionine is one of two amino acids containing sulfur (cysteine is the other).  The sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine are generally considered to be nonpolar and hydrophobic.  Methionine is so hydrophobic it is almost always found on the interior of proteins. Methionine as the free amino acid plays several important roles in metabolism.  It

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Amino Acid

Amino acids are organic compounds that combine to form protiens.  Amino acids and proteins are the building blocks of life. When proteins are digested or broken down, amino acids are left.  The human body uses amino acids to make proteins to help the body: Break down food Grow Repair body tissue Perform many other body

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Isoleucine

Isoleucine is an essential amino acid and is one of the three amino acids having branched hydrocarbon side chains.  It is usually interchangeable with leucine and occasionally with valine in proteins.  The side chains of these amino acids are not reactive and therefore not involved in any covalent chemistry in enzyme active centers; however, these

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Valine

Valine is an aliphatic amino acid that is closely related to leucine and isoleucine both in structure and function.  These amino acids are extremely hydrophobic and are almost always found in the interior of proteins.  They are also seldom useful in routine biochemical reactions, but are relegated to the duty of determining the three-dimensional structure

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Leucine

Among anti-atrophic therapies, amino acid supplementation, particularly with leucine, has received a lot of attention.  Atrophic conditions include muscle disuse, sarcopenia and cancer.  The characterization of the mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle atrophy under different conditions has been a constant focus of research.  Supplementation has been shown to have remarkable effects on muscle remodeling through protein

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Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid (a building block for proteins in the body), meaning the body needs it for health but cannot make it.  You have to get it from food or supplements.  Phenylalanine is found in 3 forms:  L-phenylalanine, the natural form found in proteins; D-phenylalanine (a mirror image of L-phenylalanine that is

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