Health and Fitness (Q&A)

Answer: Amino Acids are building blocks of protein. Amino acids are critical to life, and have a variety of roles in metabolism. There are 24 different amino acids that combine to form various proteins. Of the twenty-two standard amino acids, eight are called essential amino acids because the human body cannot synthesize them from other compounds at the level needed for normal growth, so they must be obtained from food. Amino acids come from protein rich sources such as meat, fish, dairy products, and vegetables such as legumes, peas, and grains. Bodybuilders benefit from supplementing amino acids because they aid in repair, growth, and development of muscle tissue. The body, through assimilation of amino acids, produces over 50,000 proteins and over 15,000 enzymes.

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