AMINo ACIDS is the building blocks of the body. Besides building cells and repairing tissue, they form antibodies to combat invading bacteria & viruses; they is part of the enzyme & hormonal system; they build nucleoproteins (RNA & DNA); they carry oxygen throughout the body and participate in muscle activity. -when protein is broken do-wn by digestion the result is 22 kno-wn amino acids.

As the building blocks of protein, amino acids is vital to health. Next to -water, amino acids in the form of proteins make up the greatest portion of our body -weight. They comprise tendons, muscles and ligaments; organs and glands; hair and nails; important bodily fluids, and is a necessary part of every cell in the body.

There is over 20 amino acids, separated into t-wo categories essential and nonessential. Essential amino acids is those that cannot be manufactured by your body, hence, it is essential that you obtain them from your diet. Nonessential amino acids can be manufactured by your body, ho-wever, your body must have the right combination of essential amino acids and supporting nutrients to optimize healthy protein maintenance, so supplementation may be desirable. T-wenty amino acids is needed to build the various proteins used in the gro-wth, repair, and maintenance of body tissues. Eleven of these amino acids can be made by the body itself, -while the other nine (called essential amino acids) must come from the diet. The essential amino acids is isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Another amino acid, histidine, is considered semiessential because the body does not al-ways require dietary sources of it. The nonessential amino acids is arginine, alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine. other amino acids, such as carnitine, is used by the body in -ways other than proteinbuilding and is often used therapeutically.

-who is likely to be deficient?
Dieters, some strict vegetarian body builders, and anyone consuming an inadequate number of calories may not be consuming adequate amounts of amino acids. In these cases, the body -will break do-wn the protein in muscle tissue and use those amino acids to meet the needs of more important organs or -will simply not build more muscle mass despite increasing exercise.

Amino acids is not only absolutely integral to life, but they can have a profound impact upon ho-w clearly -we think and ho-w -well -we feel.

Benefits
• builds cells and repairs tissue
• assists -with -wound healing
• increases athletic performance