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Amino Acids in Your Diet

In: Science

Submitted By jefwis2002
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It is important to have amino acids and proteins in your body with any diet. Essential amino acids are those supplied by the diet, since the human body either cannot make them at all or cannot make them in sufficient quantity to meet its needs.Because your body needs amino acids for healthy nerve and brain functions and also for remolding muscles and bone tissues to function properly. If you don’t get enough amino acids it will result in degradation of the body’s proteins your body will pull it from your muscles and so on. Your body also does not store any amino acids for excess uses later; you must get it from foods. You will not get any amino acids from carbohydrates because they are mainly made of sugars and starches not protein which make amino acids. All amino acids have a similar chemical structure—each contains an amino group, an acid group, a hydrogen atom, and a distinctive side group that makes proteins more complex than carbohydrates
The reason we need to have proteins in our diets is to give our body’s energy and also help our bodies grow. It also helps regulate the balancing of water and nutrients in our body. Proteins are what makes amino acids for our body and help it function and to keep everything healthy. Proteins maintain fluid balance and acid and base balance. They also transport substances such as oxygen, vitamins, and minerals to target cells throughout the body. Carbohydrates give your body energy also but when the body does not need that energy is stored by the liver and muscles for a later use. Carbohydrates are made up of three basic elements and are in polygon in shape. They are usually found in fruits, it activates the enegery and where stored in the form of glucose or either sucrose in the plants.
Without proteins the most basic functions of life could not be carried out. Your body uses the protein you eat to make lots of specialized protein molecules that have specific jobs. For instance, your body uses protein to make hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen to every part of your body. Other proteins are used to build cardiac muscle. In fact, whether you're running or just hanging out, protein is doing important work like moving your legs, moving your lungs, and protecting you from disease. When you eat foods that contain protein, the digestive juices in your stomach and intestine go to work. They break down the protein in food into basic units, called amino acids. The amino acids then can be reused to make the proteins your body needs to maintain muscles, bones, blood, and body organs.
Excess Carbohydrates is first converted to glycogen for short-term storage. Once glycogen stores are filled, and we continue to have excess glucose from foods consumed, the body automatically decreases the amounts of lipids and proteins being used for fuel and uses more glucose. If there is much excess glucose, some will be excreted by the kidney. Protein intake beyond body protein needs leads to deamination and conversion to fuel intermediates. The body will decrease a bit the amounts of lipids being used for fuel when there are surplus amino acids, but when total calories of carbohydrate are sufficient for body needs, amino acids are oxidized to acetyl and then converted for fatty acids and stored as reserves.

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