Amino Acids are the Alphabet of Life
Amino acids are the alphabet
characters of body proteins. Proteins are chains of amino acids linked together
like beads on a necklace. The individual amino acids fall into two groups: the
essential AA's, which must be ingested, and the non-essential AA's, which can be
synthesized in the body and need not appear in the food. A total of 9 amino
acids are considered essential, while another 11 or so can be synthesized from
the essential amino acids.
There are other amino acids that appear in nature that are not included in
protein structure. These odd amino acids appear especially in plants, where they
may have roles as insect deterrents. An occasional non-nutrient amino acid may
be useful in the food supply, as an accessory nutrient - carnitine and taurine
are
candidates.
Essential amino acids : Histidine, isoleucine, Leucine, lysine,
methionine phenylalanine, threonine tryptophan, and valine
Nonessential amino acids: Alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, cystine, glutamic
acid, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine
Possible accessory nutrient amino acids: Taurine, l-ornithine, l-carnitine
Life is an exercise in molecular synthesis and control. The programs, which
determine what we are and how we function, are coded in DNA molecules, housed in
the nucleus of every cell. The DNA code consists of strings of 64 alphabet
characters that specify amino acids in-groups of three characters (codones). A
single character is a base pair that is visualized as the rung on a ladder,
twisted into a helix. The entire range of cellular procedures of life consists of stringing amino
acids together. The DNA alphabet (blueprint) is first translated into enzyme
synthesis. Enzymes, in turn, orchestrate and control the synthesis of all
molecules (construction procedures). This is an elegant, simple plan that
permits the evolution of great complexity.
Molecular synthesis takes the form:
DNA---->RNA----> Enzyme Proteins
enzyme
Molecule 1 + Molecule 2 ---------> Products
vitamin +
mineral cofactors
The amino acid sequence is read from the DNA molecule and transferred to the
protein synthesis machinery in a cell by transfer RNA. Protein synthesis occurs
at Ribosomes where free amino acids are taken form the cellular pool and then
linked by enzymatic action to form proteins. The link between amino acids is as
a peptide bond. The "Amino" of amino acids is a nitrogen-hydrogen group, NH2.
Every amino acid has NH2 at one end and COOH, the acid, at the other end. The
peptide bond links the NH2 with the COOH like this: -CO-NH-OC-
When the peptide bond is made, a surplus of two hydrogen and one oxygen atom
is removed as H2O (water). We use a 3-letter abbreviation of the amino
acid name to write an amino acid sequence which is the primary structure of a
peptide or protein: Gly-Leu-Gly-Try- is a 4 amino acid sequence.
Short chains of amino acids are peptides; longer chains are polypeptides.
Even longer chains are proteins. Peptides assume information characteristics at
3 or more AA lengths. As the AA chain elongates, its shape becomes more complex
and more meaningful. A typical globular protein has about 350 amino acids. The
long amino acid chains of proteins are folded into a shaped object. The shape is
known as the tertiary structure of the protein.
Protein shape is information. The shape may determine where the protein can
go in a cell or which biological membrane will let it pass. The shape determines
its structural role. The shape of a protein is also its identity. Shape ID is
recognized and remembered by the immune system and is the basis of the body's
immune defense. A small error in the DNA code results in a large manufacturing
error. The study of individual enzyme defects has given us insights into the
control of molecular assembly. If a single gene, encoding the procedures for a
single protein, is defective, the protein is missing or does not function
properly.
Amino Acid Requirements & Intolerance
The need for specific amino acids is difficult to determine. There is a wide
range of needs and tolerances among different individuals. Amino acids appear to
be relatively easy to obtain in adequate amounts, even on simple vegetarian
diets with no meat, fish, eggs, or milk, if different vegetables are combined.
Mixing a legume with a grain or with a tuber should provide a complete amino
acid mixture, as well as a good variety of vitamins and minerals.
Protein-deficiency anxiety is not well founded in affluent countries. Some of
the non-essential AA's may become essential if their synthesis is blocked by
enzyme deficiencies. In order for protein synthesis to proceed, all the amino
acids must be supplied at the same time. Since we are mammals, all mammalian
proteins tend to have the same set of AAs as our own. Plant proteins may be
deficient in lysine, threonine, and tryptophan. Vegetables should be combined to
achieve a complete the AA set. Corn or maize, for example, is deficient in
lysine, although many years of corn-breeding research have produced hybrid corns
with increased lysine content. The substitution of the newer corn hybrids may
eliminate protein malnutrition where corn is a staple.
Some patients on very limited diets (rice and a few vegetables alone, for
example) remain well, at least for several months although their food may be
appear to be deficient in essential AAs. A minimal diet presents minimal
problems to one's metabolism. A protein deficient diet may be better tolerated
than a protein excess diet. The missing amino acids are supplied from internal
reserves as protein is recycled every day. If you look at RDA values for
protein, you get the wrong idea that amino acid intake level has to the same as
protein intake but we believe that a daily intake of 25 grams of free form amino
acids will be adequate most of the time. RDA protein values are approximations
based on eating food. The proteins in foods have to be digested into dipeptides
and free amino acids before nutrients are available and protein digestion is
incomplete Some percentage of food protein is wasted in the digestive tract.
The trick is that if amino acids arrive in high concentrations, the liver is
obligated to destroy most of them; so that high protein intake is wasteful if
you want the amino acids to be utilized as protein building blocks and as
neurotransmitter substrates. You have to know that the body recycles amino acids
an becomes every efficient when protein intake is low; the loss of amino acids
can drop to about 2 grams per day. You have to know that amino acid
proportioning is relevant to how amino acids are admitted to cells and how they
are utilized. The concept of protein quality is used to express the idea that
all the 9 essential amino acids have to be present before any of them can be
used to make proteins.
On the positive side of the equation, if a completely available, precisely
engineered amino acid set is available, the total daily requirement is lower the
RDA values for food protein intake As a rule of thumb we recommend calculating
the RDA protein requirement in Grams and supplying 30 % to 50% of that value as
Alpha AAX, a blend of amino acids (available separately in Alpha AAX or combined
with other nutrients in Alpha ENF, Alpha PMX, Alpha BMX and Alpha DMX.)
Alpha AAX; l-form amino acids are provided. Alpha AAX
contains a complete set of the nine essential amino acids, complemented by 10 of
the non-essential amino acids. Amino acids are the real nutrients derived from
proteins by digestion of food. Amino acids do not trigger immune responses.
Alpha AAX Ingredient List:
Amino Acids: l-leucine, l-lysine HCl, l-phenylalanine, l-arginine, l-aspartic
acid, l-glycine, l-isoleucine, l-glutamine,-methionine, l-proline, l-threonine,
l-alanine, l-tyrosine, l-valine, l-serine, l-histidine, l-glutamic acid,
l-tryptophan, l-cystine
