Why Are Amino Acids Called the
"Building Blocks of Life?"
All protein, 100%, is made up of amino acids... and proteins regulate nearly every biochemical reaction in the body.
Amino acids account for 75% of dry body weight (total weight minus water weight).
100% of neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine, serotonin, GABA, acetylcholine, aspartate, glutamate, are made of amino acids.
100% of hormones are made up of amino acids. Sex hormones are made up of amino acids plus fat or lipids.
100% of neuropeptides, the substances the brain releases with every thought, are amino acids.
100% of peptides are made up of amino acids.
95% of muscle is made up of amino acids.
95% of the heart is made up of amino acids.
There are approximately 1,000 different kinds of "information molecules" according to Candace Pert, Ph.D., the discoverer of the opiate receptor as well as the most promising treatment on the horizon for AIDS, namely Peptide-T. Peptide, a string of 6 amino acids.
RNA and DNA require amino acids. In other words, amino acids are necessary for our genes to function properly.
While vitamins and minerals are important, they only make up 1.5% of dry body weight. You need the right vitamins and minerals, but if your amino acids are out of balance, you will not be healthy.
Glucose and oxygen are the primary fuels for the Amino Acid Miracle that we are.
Given these numbers, do you think that amino acids might have something to do with health, illness . . . and recovery?
Let's take a look at what happens to every person who is hospitalized, in order
to provide a unique perspective. We are primarily water. It is perfectly logical
that people have an i.v. put in their arm as one of the first steps of getting
hospitalized. Various solutions of glucose (sugar) and saline (salt) are added
to the i.v. solution, but basically we ARE water and we RECEIVE water as a
primary treatment. In fact, the amount of salt in our bodies is the same as the
amount in the oceans.
The logical NEXT step is amino acid supplementation. Amino acids are the second
most common substance in us, and it follows that their supplementation should be
almost as important as is that i.v. in our arms. As you've already read, amino
acids participate in almost every chemical reaction in our body. Even RNA and
DNA require amino acids.
It is difficult to prove why amino acid supplementation should become as routine
as fluid replacement. Here is a case report that will help illustrate their
importance in recovery:
Kristy M. is a 40 year old high-powered attorney, with a private practice and a
job with the state. She is also a published author. She asked to be evaluated
due to severe exhaustion that had been dogging her for the past six months. She
has been physically active, jogging five miles a day. Somehow, she had time and
energy to do it all. But she was terrified that life as she knew it was over.
Blood testing revealed that 40% of her amino acids were deficient. She was put
on a nutritional program to correct her deficiencies. She returned to our office
two weeks after starting on her program, for her first follow-up visit. Kristy
was thrilled to announce that she felt great and that she was jogging two miles
a day. In fact, her recovery started 48 hours after starting on the nutritional
program provided by The Gersten Institute.
When evaluated two weeks later, her energy was even better, and she has
continued to regain her health. This is indeed a fast response. Not many people
begin a major turnaround within two days of beginning an amino acid program, but
we see them.
When you see a "Kristy" and have the proof in your office and in your
patient's life, you begin to understand why amino acid supplementation should be
the next thing you receive . . . after water.
Categorizing the Building Blocks of Life
The 20 Amino Acids: What They Are and How They Keep You Alive and Vibrant
Anatomy of an Amino Acid
Site Index
Site Index
|
