What are amino acids, and why are they important?
Amino acids are very important in your body as they are the main building blocks of proteins. As you may already know, protein makes up your muscles, organs, glands, ligaments, some body fluids, and hair and is central to bone growth. They also compose a large portion of our antibodies which form the immune system. Protein sources from the food that you eat are broken down into amino acids, which are actually used to build the proteins needed.
Amino Acid Supplements
These days, essential amino acid deficiencies are common. This is partly due to the “thin is beautiful” mindset that causes people (mostly women) to take in lesser amounts of protein. Vegetarians are most especially prone to amino acid deficiencies. There are also other factors, such as impaired amino acid absorption, infection, drug use, stress, and inadequate supply of vitamins and minerals, that lead to deficiency.
Amino acid metabolism is vital in your body such that an insufficient amount of any one of them can lead to illness. Considering this and the likeliness of deficiencies in today’s usual lifestyle, amino supplements should be rendered important as well.
Side Effects of Amino Acid Supplements
The side effects of taking too many amino acids depend largely on the kind of amino acid that is being taken. Most are practically harmless and offer many benefits, while others (such as tyrosine) have been reported to cause restlessness, anxiety, and rapid heart beat at higher doses in rare cases.
Side Effects of Taking Branched Chain Amino Acids
Three of the most important amino acids in the body are leucine, isoleucine, and valine, collectively known as branched-chained amino acids (BCAAs). They are most important in maintaining muscle tissues, preserving muscle glycogen stores, and preventing muscle breakdown during strenuous exercise. Many people have taken BCAA supplements to enhance physical training effects and improve performance during exercise.
There have not been any reported side effects with BCAA supplement intake: excess BCAAs are usually converted to other amino acid forms, used up as energy, or stored up as fat. However, if you have liver or kidney disease, you should not take in high doses of amino acids without asking your doctor.
Expert Recommendation
A high amino acid diet can give you the healthy and disease-resistant life that you need. For your amino acid supplementation needs, we highly recommend Xtend Life’s Total Balance which offers much more than what regular amino acid supplements do – it contains all the necessary amino acids at very safe doses, along with vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, and other supporting nutrients. It is by far the only one that we have seen to be unmatched in the market today.