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What are the Different Types of Amino Acids?

Can you explain what Amino Acids are, and why are bodies need them?


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Amino acids are very important for our body since these are the basic building blocks wherein protein is made. Amino acids comprise 75% of our body structure and it is being used by almost all of the physiological functions our body is doing. Without amino acid, or a deficiency of even one type of amino acids, would disrupt the overall functions of our body. It can cause protein degradation. Our body cannot store proteins for future use so it is very important to take in the important amino acids daily. Amino acids are present in virtually any types of food, so getting the right amount of amino acids daily should never be a problem.

There are different types of amino acids and these amino acids form a bundle called polypeptide chains. From then on, these polypeptide chains develop into a more complex structure which in turns creates the proteins.
There are 20 kinds of amino acids and all of them are equally important for the body to function properly. Out of these 20 amino acids come the three essential amino acids needed by the human body. These are tryptophan, valine, and phenylalanine. Different types of amino acids have their own different functions. The tryptophan, for, example, is responsible for the human body clock. It helps the body regulate its normal sleeping pattern as well as strengthens the immune system.

Aside from these three essential amino acids, the most common amino acids that the human body needs are lysine, isoleucine, glutamine, methionine, threonine, glycine, and leucine. These different types of amino acids are responsible in determining the type of protein the body is creating. How much amino acids we need will be determine by how much we used up our proteins. People who work out more often and do activities may need more amino acids to sustain their basic needs for these compounds.

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