Amino Acids are frequently referred to as the building blocks of proteins, and they play a range of critical roles within your body.

Amino Acids are most commonly found in protein-rich foods like meat, fish and soybeans, and your body needs them for critical processes like building proteins, hormones and neurotransmitters. Taking them in supplement form is an effective and natural way to improve your athletic performance and enhance your mood.

Amino Acids are categorised as essential, conditionally essential and non-essential depending on a number of factors. Your body requires 20 different Amino Acids to function effectively, but only 9 are considered essential (Kubala, J. 2022).

Kubala, J. 2022, ‘Essential Amino Acids: Definition, Benefits, and Food Sources’, accessed 2 November 2022,https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/essential-amino-acids

Amino Acids are organic compounds that are primarily composed of nitrogen, carbon, oxygen and carbon. There are nine essential Amino Acids: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.

A key difference between essential Amino Acids and non-essential Amino Acids is that your body cannot make essential Amino Acids and must obtain them through your diet. The best source can be found in animal proteins such as meat, eggs, and poultry(Kubala, J. 2022).

Kubala, J. 2022, ‘Essential Amino Acids: Definition, Benefits, and Food Sources’, accessed 2 November 2022,https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/essential-amino-acids

Amino Acids perform a range of important functions within your immune system. Tryptophan is a crucial part of the production of serotonin, which is essential in regulating your mood, sleep and behaviour.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids in valine, leucine and isoleucine can improve your athletic performance, stimulate muscle recovery and reduce symptoms of fatigue after training(Kubala, J. 2022).

Kubala, J. 2022, ‘Essential Amino Acids: Definition, Benefits, and Food Sources’, accessed 2 November 2022,https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/essential-amino-acids

Amino Acids are considered safe to consume daily and can offer certain benefits to your performance as long as you’re not consuming excessive amounts(Amino Vital. 2020).

Amino Vital Staff. 2020, ‘Is It OK To Take Amino Acids Every Day?’ Amino Vital, accessed 2nd November 2022,https://www.amino-vital.com/blogs/new/is-it-ok-to-take-amino-acids-every-day#:~:text=Amino%20acids%2C%20specifically%2C%20are%20generally,for%20amino%20acids%20in%20general

Amino Acids are molecules that contain an amine group, a carboxylic acid group, and a side-chain that is specific to each Amino Acid. They are considered to be the building blocks of protein, and there are 9 essential Amino Acids (histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine)(Soult, A. 2021).

Soult, A. 2021, ‘13.1: Amino Acids’, LibreTexts Chemistry, accessed 2 November 2022,https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/University_of_Kentucky/UK%3A_CHE_103_-_Chemistry_for_Allied_Health_(Soult)/Chapters/Chapter_13%3A_Amino_Acids_and_Proteins/13.1%3A_Amino_Acids#:~:text=The%20amine%20and%20carboxyl%20groups,the%20amino%20acid%20side%20chain

Amino Acids are molecules that become proteins. They are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins are long chains of Amino Acids(Cleveland Clinic. 2021).

Cleveland Clinic Staff. 2021, ‘Amino Acids’, Cleveland Clinic, accessed 2 November 2022,https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22243-amino-acids#:~:text=What%20are%20amino%20acids%3F,that%20each%20have%20important%20jobs

Amino Acids and proteins are closely related, but they’re not exactly the same. Amino Acids are organic compounds that are primarily composed of nitrogen, carbon, oxygen and carbon, while proteins are chains of amino acids linked together. Your body has the ability to break proteins down into Amino Acids while also rebuilding Amino Acids into proteins. Both processes are important to your health(Annigan, J. 2018).

Annigan, J. 2018, ‘What’s the Difference Between Proteins & Amino Acids?’ SFGate, accessed 2 November 2022,https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/whats-difference-between-proteins-amino-acids-6805.html

Amino Acids are not carbohydrates. They are building blocks of proteins, while carbohydrates come in three primary forms; sugars, fibres and starches(Kubala, J. 2020).

Kubala, J. 2020, ‘What you need to know about carbs’, Medical News Today, accessed 2 November 2022,https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161547

Creatine is an Amino Acid, however, it is not considered an essential Amino Acid. Creatine is primarily located in your body’s muscles, as well as in the brain. Seafood and red meat are the best sources of Creatine, and your body stores it as phosphocreatine mainly in your muscles to use as energy(Mayo Clinic. 2021).

Mayo Clinic Staff. 2021, ‘Creatine’, Mayo Clinic, accessed 2 November 2022,https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-creatine/art-20347591#:~:text=Creatine%20is%20an%20amino%20acid,gram%20of%20creatine%20per%20day

Amino Acids are not fats, but they share a number of similarities. Both Amino Acids and Fatty Acids are types of building blocks of macromolecules in the body. The main difference is that Amino Acids are the building blocks of proteins, whereas Fatty Acids are bound to glycerol and form a triglyceride, which is the main constituent of fat(Lakna. 2018).

Lakna. 2021, ‘What is the Difference Between Amino Acids and Fatty Acids’, PEDIAA, accessed 2 November 2022,https://pediaa.com/what-is-the-difference-between-amino-acids-and-fatty-acids/#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20between%20amino,the%20main%20constituent%20of%20fat

Of the three types of Amino Acids (essential, non-essential and conditional), they can be broken down into further groups depending on the type of intermediates they form during their metabolism.

The 20 Amino Acids are classified into ketogenic Amino Acids, glucogenic Amino Acids, or both. Lysine and Leucine are the only two ketogenic Amino Acids, while tryptophan, isoleucine, phenylalanine, tyrosine and threonine are both ketogenic and glucogenic(Gracia, Z. 2022).

Gracia, Z. 2022, ‘Ketogenic Amino Acids: Stay On Top Of Your Keto Game!’ BetterMe, accessed 2 November 2022,https://betterme.world/articles/ketogenic-amino-acids/