Understanding the essentials and trying to optimise them in your diet should be basic knowledge for any bodybuilder and any person.
A complete spectrum of amino acids and optimum health can only be brought forth by gearing your protein intake to eight essential amino’s of which we will be discussing four this week.
Histidine:
In the human body, histidine is needed for the growth and repair of tissue of all kind. It plays a key role in the maintenance and manufacture of glial nerve cells called oligo-dendrocytes which wrap themselves around your nerves to form a protective sheath called myelin. This prevents unintended impulses that can obviously lead to serious defects in the brain and spinal cord.
Histidine is also a manufacturer of both red and white blood cells and it helps in radiation protection and removing excess heavy metals (such as iron) from the body.
In the stomach, it produces gastric juices that may speed up and improve digestion, so it’s a helpful tool in fighting indigestion and gastro-intestinal disorders. It is a precursor to the non-essential amino acid histamine, which is released by the immune system as a response to allergic reactions. Chances are you get at least two or three times that in your diet.
Used in the treating of arthritis and nerve deafness. Found in dairy, meat, poultry, and fish as well as rice, wheat and rye.
Lysine:
L-Lysine is one of the amino’s that is of utmost importance to growth and development. It is used in the body for calcium absorption, which results in bone and muscle growth as well as fat mobilisation for energy uses.
It maintains the nitrogen balance and helps to maintain lean body mass in periods of extreme stress and fatigue. It is also needed to produce antibodies, hormones (GH, testosterone, and insulin among others), enzymes, collagen and to repair damaged tissue, much like histidine and most of the essential amino acids.
It maintains and helps to build new muscle protein and the cardiovascular benefits include the maintenance of healthy blood vessels. It is used in treating cold sores and lack of energy and is found in cheese, eggs, milk, meat, yeast, potatoes and lima beans.
Phenylalanine:
It elevates the mood by stimulating the nerve system and may be important to staying motivated for whatever reason. It aids memory and together with its derivative, glutamine, is considered a smart-vitamin (though they aren’t vitamins).
It increases levels of epinephrine, nor-epinephrine, and dopamine in the anterior pituitary. All three are important neurotransmitters needed for optimum operation of the nerve system. It also helps the absorption of UV rays in sunlight, which in turn gives a higher rate of Vitamin D, a strong body hormone. Its main metabolite is tyrosine which increases levels of dopamine and nor-epinephrine, as stated above.
It’s also one of the manufacturers of glutamine, the amino acid that makes up the largest part of the amino acid pool. It’s an essential amino acid and most nutritionists will tell you that you are more likely to be deficient than run the risk of overdosing. Used for treatment of arthritis and depression. Found in all dairy products, almonds, avocados, nuts, and seeds.
Methionine:
Assists in the breakdown and use of fats, which in turn yields a higher testosterone rate. Together with zinc is how ZMA does its thing. It also eliminates excess fat from the bloodstream, resulting in less potential adipose (fat) tissue. It is key in digestion and the removal of heavy metals from the stomach and liver. It is a good antioxidant because it readily supplies sulphur, inactivates free radicals and helps with memory recall.
It is a precursor to cysteine, which is the amino that produces glutathione to detoxify the liver. It’s also one of the three amino’s that are needed to manufacture creatine monohydrate within the body, an essential compound for energy production and muscle growth.
Used for treating depression, arthritis and liver disease. Found in meat, fish, beans, eggs, garlic, lentils, onions, yogurt and seeds.
Isoleucine, Leucine, Valine and Threonine will be discussed next week.
Lizel Britz 072 243 7707
