Science of Supplementation
by Troy Pearsall
Amino Acids the
Building Blocks of Life!
How important are amino acids? Well, we are told that the human body is made up
of about 60-70% water, and 20 % proteins (proteins are made of amino acids).
Therefore a person weighting 200 lbs is about 40 lbs of proteins, and 120 to 140
lbs of water. That leaves about 10 to 20 lbs of other stuff. So basically think
they’re not important? Think again.
I was once told “As a brick is to a house, so is an amino acid is to protein.”
This little statement has worked wonders in teaching me to understand what amino
acids are and their function. Remember, “As a brick is to a house,
so is an amino acid is to protein” sounds mystical doesn’t it? It not!
Of the 20 amino acids needed for the human body, ten are considered essential
and 10 are non-essential.
Essential amino acids are those that the body can not
produce itself and must be ingested from diet. Non-essential amino acids the
body can produce when needed.
Essential Amino Acids
Humans do not
have all the enzymes required for the
biosynthesis of all of the amino acids.
(Biosynthesis is the production of a chemical compound with the body) Just like
a vitamin deficiency, a deficiency of even a single amino acid can result in
drop in the quality of the body’s protein. Unlike fat and starch the human body
does not store any amino acids greater than what is needed. Amino acids must
come from foods daily for good health. The essential amino acids are arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine,
tryptophan, and valine. Of the twenty amino acids regarded as essential for
humans two histidine and arginine are essential only in children.
Some sulfur amino acids can be converted into each other, but the body can not
create the amino acid itself. Cysteine can be made from homocysteine but not
from scratch. Arginine,(molecularly branched as ) AKG, ornithine (molecularly
branched as OKG) and citrulline are
inter-convertible
( I
don’t even know if that is a word)
by the urea cycle so may be considered non-essential
Before We Go Any further
For a bodybuilder
to get the most out of amino acid supplementation he/she has to keep in mind
that without the presence of insulin and elevated blood sugar the absorption of
any amino is difficult to impossible. Therefore amino acid supplementation
should never be taken on an empty stomach. Even though some people would suggest
using insulin regulators like
chromium picolinate to assist in the uptake of
amino acids. I suggest that it be taken at times when we naturally have a higher
insulin level e.g. after meals, and post workout right after the increase
carbohydrate intake as part on the secondary phase of recovery.
Conditionally Essential Amino
Acids
There is also another type of amino acid called a
conditionally essential amino
acid. Before we go any further let’s talk about how or why an amino acid would
be put into this category of conditionally essential.
When an amino acid that is normally non-essential is required by the body at a
higher level or amounts greater than the body can produce it is called
conditionally essential. At times of intense stress, as in surgery, starvation,
serious infections, for burn victims and even prolonged exercise the body is
unable to produce enough of this amino acid and it must supplemented, when this
happens that amino is for all intense purposes essential. Remember a deficiency
of an amino acid can result in death!
Glutamine
 Glutamine
was the first amino acid to be classified conditionally essential, today other
amino acids like arginine, ornithine, and even taurine are now considered
conditionally essential.
Since we are
capable of making glutamine on our own, it was originally labeled a
non-essential amino acid.
However, most scientists now consider glutamine to be a "conditionally"
essential amino acid, because under certain conditions we are unable to make
adequate amounts and thus need to obtain it from outside sources. Studies have
shown that our body's concentration of glutamine is markedly decreased during
times of severe bodily stress, such as during major surgery, burns, starvation,
serious infections and even prolonged exercise.
Glutamine is the
most abundant amino acid in our bodies, comprising approximately half of the
free amino acids in our muscles and blood. The majority of the bodies glutamine
is stored in skeletal muscle. Even though the human body can make its own
glutamine we still get a small portion from the foods we eat.
Glutamine helps in the functioning of the digestive system, immune system, and
of course the muscular system. When the body makes glutamine it removes a
nitrogen molecule from free ammonia, thereby protecting our bodies from high
levels of ammonia. Glutamine is also involved in the production of other amino
acids, and can be used converted into sugar when the body need energy.
Arginine
Arginine has the
reputation for keeping the heart healthy, but there are a number of other things
that arginine does for the body. Arginine is instrumental in facilitating the
healing of wounds, and work to promote powerful hormones like
glucagons and
insulin. By the time we are adults arginine
may no longer be needed because it
can be manufactured from proteins we regularly eat. This fact may have led to
the categorizing of arginine as a conditionally essential amino acid. As a
supplement arginine seems to have a lowering effect on blood pressure by
enhancing the synthesis of nitric oxide (gas) in the cell walls. Many of the
supplements today that advertise enhanced pumps do this by increasing nitric
oxide. Nitric oxide is one of the body’s most potent blood vessel expander
(notice the name in the products)
Arginine
supplements may also slow the development of a condition called atherosclerosis
which is a hardening of the vessel walls due to the buildup of plaque. It has
been know to be effective in the treatment of angina, and coronary artery
disease by increasing the circulation of blood to and from the heart.
Lastly, not that
any of us would care about this, arginine has been used in the treatment of In
male infertility caused by circulation problems. This is not the same and male
infertility caused by testosterone level. One little precaution when
supplementing with arginine make sure if you are taking any type of drugs that
dilate the blood vessels, such as nitroglycerin or sildenafil (Viagra) you
consult your doctor before supplementing with arginine.
Normal dose for
an athlete is about 9 to 15 grams taken 3 times in amounts of 3 to 5 grams each
time.
Branched
Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)
Three amino
acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine make up what is know as branched chain
amino acids (BCAAs). Because the human body can not manufacture these amino
acids they are considered essential. A branched chain amino acid is one with an
open chain of atoms with one or more side chains attached to it.
Most studies show
t hat
there is no increase in muscle growth directly related to assumption of BCAA.
However a daily does of 10-20 grams seems to protect against catabolic effects
of muscle breakdowns over a course of extreme exercise or prolong exercise.
BCAA has been
know to be used I the treatment of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), (Lou
Gehrig’s disease, and even the treatment of diabetes. And even though there is
no studies on this fact patients with liver disease have could be treated with
BCAA since one other problem is low levels of branch chain amino acid and higher
levels of other amino acids. When taken during pre-
workout BCAA may
spare muscle and liver glycogen supply and increase energy fuel supply. What
this means is that important glutamine reserves will not be take from the muscle
and no or little muscle catabolism ( breakdown) will occur.
Normal dose for an athlete is about 12 to 20 grams taken 4 times in amounts of 3
to 5 grams each time
There a many more
amino acids over 500 occur in nature but right now science only scribes to the
need for 20 for life as wee know it here on earth
Troy C Pearsall
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