Amino acids facts

Every person in the world has heard of amino acids. However, not all people know what their purpose is or what are amino acids used for in the body. First of all, people need to learn as much as they can about the proteins. The main reason why that is so, is because these macromolecules are made of smaller monomers, known as amino acids. A chemist will say that amino acids are organic compounds that contain amino group and carboxyl group. Some of the basic elements that can be found in amino acids are nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

What are amino acids?

The first thing that people should know about amino acids is that they are monomers from which proteins are formed. Peptide bonds are the things that amino acids are lined by. In much simpler terms, amino acids are the blocks that make up proteins. People should know that there are 20 types of amino acids are they are all important for the body. Half of those numbers are essential amino acids. The foods that people consume are important because from these foods the amino acids are derived from. This is why it is important that a person makes sure that he or she consumes all the right foods.

What are amino acids made of?

When it comes to amino acids and what they are made of, people need to know that they are made of four parts. These parts are hydrogen, carboxyl group, amino group and a side chain. All of the 20 types of amino acids contain the former three parts. It is only the side chain that differs. Some side chains are hydrophobic, while others are hydrophilic. Hydrophobic ones are water repelling, while the hydrophilic ones are water attracting.

What are amino acids used for in the body?

The most important role of amino acids in the body is formation of proteins. Proteins are essential for lots of body functions and therefore amino acids are essential as well. Not a lot of people know but even the expression of cells also depend on proteins as well. The metabolism also depends on amino acids as well. Every monomer in the amino acids plays a role important for metabolism. For instance, tryptophan is an essential amino acid for various functions like sleep, managing anxiety, enhancing the immune system and reducing risk of arterial spasm. Knowing all this, people see that almost every process is either directly or indirectly connected with amino acids.