The role of amino acids

1. The digestion and absorption of proteins in the body are accomplished through amino acids: protein, as the primary nutrient in the body, plays an obvious role in food nutrition, but it cannot be directly utilized in the human body. Instead, it is utilized by transforming into small molecules of amino acids.

2. Nitrogen balance effect: When the quality and quantity of protein in the daily diet are appropriate, the amount of nitrogen intake is equal to the amount of nitrogen excreted from feces, urine, and skin, which is called the total nitrogen balance. In fact, it is a balance between the continuous synthesis and decomposition of proteins and amino acids. The daily protein intake of a normal person should be maintained within a certain range. When there is a sudden increase or decrease in intake, the body can still regulate protein metabolism to maintain nitrogen balance. Excessive intake of protein beyond the body's regulatory capacity can disrupt the balance mechanism. Not eating protein at all, the tissue protein in the body still decomposes, and negative nitrogen balance continues to occur. If not corrected in a timely manner, it will eventually lead to antibody death.

3. Transformed into sugars or fats: a-ketoacids produced by the breakdown metabolism of amino acids are metabolized along the metabolic pathways of sugars or fats according to their different characteristics. A-ketoacids can be synthesized into new amino acids, converted into sugars or fats, or enter the tricarboxylic cycle for oxidation and decomposition into CO2 and H2O, releasing energy.

4. Participating in the formation of enzymes, hormones, and some vitamins: The chemical essence of enzymes is proteins (composed of amino acid molecules), such as amylase, pepsin, cholinesterase, carbonic anhydrase, transaminase, etc. The components of nitrogen-containing hormones are proteins or their derivatives, such as growth hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, adrenaline, insulin, and intestinal stimulating hormone. Some vitamins are converted from amino acids or exist in combination with proteins. Enzymes, hormones, and vitamins play a crucial role in regulating physiological functions and catalyzing metabolic processes.

5. The requirement for essential amino acids in the human body: The requirement for essential amino acids in adults is about 20% to 37% of the protein requirement.

The efficacy of amino acids

1. Extend life and prolong lifespan

If elderly people lack protein in their bodies, they tend to decompose more and their synthesis slows down. Therefore, generally speaking, elderly people require more protein than young adults, and their demand for methionine and lysine is also higher than that of young adults. Elderly people over 60 years old should consume about 70 grams of protein per day, and the protein should have a complete variety of essential amino acids and an appropriate ratio, so that high-quality protein can prolong life.

2. Amino acids are mainly used in medicine to prepare compound amino acid infusions, as well as therapeutic drugs and for synthesizing peptide drugs. There are currently over a hundred amino acids used as drugs, including 20 amino acids that make up proteins and over 100 amino acids that make up non proteins.

The compound formulation composed of multiple amino acids plays a very important role in modern intravenous nutrition infusion and "essential diet" therapy, playing a positive role in maintaining the nutrition of critically ill patients and saving their lives. It has become one of the indispensable medicinal varieties in modern medicine.

Amino acids such as glutamic acid, arginine, aspartic acid, cysteine, and L-dopa act alone to treat some diseases. They are mainly used to treat liver diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, encephalopathy, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, as well as to improve muscle vitality, pediatric nutrition, and detoxification. In addition, amino acid derivatives have shown hope in cancer treatment.

Food nutrition

In order to survive, humans must consume food to maintain the normal physiological, biochemical, and immune functions of antibodies, as well as life activities such as growth, development, and metabolism. Food is digested, absorbed, and metabolized in the body, promoting antibody growth and development, promoting intelligence and health, anti-aging and disease prevention, and prolonging life. The comprehensive process of nutrition is called. The active ingredients in food are called nutrients.

As the most basic substances that make up the human body, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, inorganic salts (i.e. minerals, containing both major and trace elements), vitamins, water, and dietary fiber are also essential nutrients for the human body. They have their own unique nutritional functions in the body, but are closely related in the metabolic process, participating in, promoting, and regulating life activities together. The body communicates with the outside world through food, maintaining a relatively constant internal environment and achieving unity and balance between the internal and external environments.