Caffeine- The bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid caffeine is found in tea, coffee, soft drinks, chocolates, pain relievers, and a variety of over the counter medications. It is a psychoactive stimulant drug that causes increased alertness by stimulating the central nervous system. For the same reason, many people feel more energetic after consuming it. It even elevates the mood but these effects do not last for long. The effects of caffeine usually last for about five to six hours, though caffeine sensitivity varies from person to person. It has been found that people who consume lot of caffeine on a daily basis soon develop less sensitivity and may need to increase their intake to enjoy the same effect. Being a diuretic, a person consuming caffeine may have to urinate more often.

L-Glutamine is an amino acid that occurs most abundantly in the body by being released from muscles under stress. Aside from increasing the immune system’s efficiency to fight diseases, it also takes care of the normal functioning of the brain and the digestive system through the removal of excess ammonia in the body. A number of factors, such as stress, infections, injuries and surgery affect the levels of glutamine in the system, showing that the healing process is under way. Glutamine supplements may be used by regular exercisers to help in the recovery of muscular fitness after a workout. Glutamine, however, is known to be linked with infections of the intestine and users are advised to seek advice from professionals before ingesting this amino acid.

L-Histidine is one of the amino acids present in proteins. In infants histidine is an essential amino acid and as the age advances it becomes a non-essential amino acid which can be synthesized by the body. L-Histidine is most commonly known as being a precursor to the allergy symptom producing hormone histamine. However histadine does have other roles to play in the body beyond causing allergies. L-Histadine is required by the body to regulate and utilise essential minerals like copper, zinc, iron, manganes etc. L-Histidine is also important in forming metal bearing enzymes like the antioxidant super oxide dismutase, iron storage proein ferritin, red blood cell haemoglobin etc. Depletion of L-Histidine can be recognised by low plasma concentrations of the amino acid, high blood serum levels.

L-Isoleucine is one of the nine essential amino acids that is not produced in the body. It can be obtained from animal sources like liver, fish, eggs, chicken, meat and vegetable sources like rye, cashew nuts, almonds, lentils, chickpeas and soy proteins. The metabolism of L-Isoleucine takes place in muscle tissue. It is needed for the formation of hemoglobin and stabilizes and regulates blood sugar and energy levels. It is also known to increase endurance levels and helps in the recovery of muscles after exercise. It strengthens the immune system’s ability to fight off infections and increases the level of growth hormones and insulin to maintain the body’s balance. A deficiency leads to a number of physical and mental disorders with symptoms similar to hypoglycemia.

L-Leucine, is an alpha amino acid which is extremely essential in the everyday functioning of the body. Leucine is also an essential amino acid, meaning that the human body cannot synthesize it and it has to be ingested. And is found in brown rice, nuts and whole wheat bread products. L-Leucine as an essential amino acid increases the synthesis of muscle protein and thus slows the degradation of muscle tissue. L-Leucine is also utilised in the liver, adipose tissue and muscle tissue. Simply put, L-Leucine supplies the body with energy when engaging in an athletic activity, it preserves the glucose stored in muscle tissue and it works to heal bone, skin and muscle tissue. It is also a ‘limiting nutrient’ thus it helps the body make use of the proteins ingested. Leucine deficiency can lead to depression, muscle weakness, low energy etc.

L-Lysine is an essential amino acid obtainable from daily food sources we consume. It has many medicinal properties which benefit us in our daily lives. While it is mainly used in the treatment of herpes, it also helps us become stronger by building our muscle tissues. It helps us to recover form injuries and surgeries besides absorbing calcium for building healthy bones. It also regulates the production of antibodies, enzymes and hormones which are required for healthy immunity level. L-lysine when consumed in high doses can lead to serious conditions. Although L-lysine is important for good health, we never really realize we are consuming it. Deficiency of L-lysine causes lethargy, amnesia, enzyme disorders, reproductive problems and hair loss. Generally, L-lysine is present in all vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. Fish and cereals have higher amount of L-lysine in them.

L-Methionine- Methionine is a nonpolar essential alpha amino acid containing sulfur; one of only two proteinogenic amino acids besides cysteine. Methionine is vital to several biosynthesis processes of phospholipids as an intermediate, the prominent list includes taurine, lecithin, carnitine, phosphatidylcholine and cysteine, just to name a few. This water soluble antioxidant assists in the lipid breakdown and works against free radicals. Just like many such amino acids, it can be obtained through ingestion of dietary proteins, such as meat, eggs, cheese, fish and poultry, but some levels are also available from spinach, sesame seeds and Brazil nuts. It has been found that an inadequate conversion of methionine may cause atherosclerosis. This glycogenic amino acid is also part of other biochemical reactions, like the creation of S-adenosylmethionine, which in turn is a part of the synthesis of epinephrine, melatonin and creatine, among others.

L-Phenylalanine- The human body needs L-Phenylalanine for survival as it is an essential amino acid. It is found in food items that are rich in protein such as eggs, meat, dairy products, beans and fish. Since the body cannot produce L-Phenylalanine from other chemicals, you need to increase the intake of protein for fulfilling the nutritional needs. L-Phenylalanine is one of the chemical forms of Phenylalanine, an amino acid. It helps in building up of several proteins produced by human body. L-Phenylalanine supplements act as an appetite suppressant as it initiates the release of cholecystokinin, an intestinal hormone. Once this hormone enters the stomach, it signals your brain that you are not hungry anymore. According to experts, you should not take more than 500-1000 mg of L-Phenylalanine per day.

L-Threonine- 2-amino-3-hydroxybutanoic acid, or L-Threonine, an enantiomer of Threonine, which is an essential amino acid, needs to be ingested by way of diet, predominantly through Threonine containing proteins. There are two ways how Threonine can be metabolized, namely conversion into pyruvate by utilizing Threonine dehydrogenase, whereby an intermediate can thiolyze with CoA, producing acetyl-CoA and glycine; and the second possibility, where Threonine is changed into alpha-ketobutyrate, utilizing serine dehydratase, towards becoming succinyl-CoA. Succinyl CoA is a CAC intermediate, which means that it is a part of the citric acid cycle. The citric acid cycle is a vital part of the metabolic pathway which is securing the conversion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats towards usable energy. Foods containing Threonine are meat, poultry and fish and related products, cottage cheese, sesame seeds and lentils.

L-Valine is an essential alpha amino acid and one of the three essential branched chain amino acids found in the human body. The other two essential BCAAs are leucine and isoleucine. The name is derived from the plant valerian. Valine is also classified as nonpolar and is known by sickle cell disease sufferers as the substitute amino acid for the glutamic acid, whereby the hydrophobic qualities of valine cause the hemoglobin to not fold correctly. Just like the other three BCAAs, the primary source of valine is through ingestion of proteins, where valine is a component; some such sources would be fish, peanuts, poultry, cottage cheese, lentils and sesame seeds. L-Valine is found in large quantities in muscles, whereby in the muscle metabolism it is essential for the restoration and tissue growth.

Phosphate (Phosphorus) is a chemical element that is found in the periodic table with the atomic number fifteen. As a high reactive element, it is not found in clean form as a free element in nature. It is one of the most important and essential elements in the human body, being found in phospholipids that form all the membranes of cells, the DNA, the RNA and also the ATP. Cellular energy is being transported by phosphate in form of adenosine triphosphate, calcium phosphate, which are salts, are responsible for the stiffness of bones. In the average human, the amount of phosphorus in weight would be about one kilogram, whereby most of it is in form of apatite and found in teeth and bones. The daily consumption of phosphorus through dietary means is estimated at about one to three grams.