L-Alanine- As one of the twenty alpha amino acids that are proteinogenic, which means that these amino acids are building blocks of proteins, L-Alanine is the second most abundant amino acid, with leucine being the first. This nonpolar amino acid can be produced by the body by means of reductive amination of pyruvate and some branched chain amino acids, like isoleucine, leucine and valine. Liver and tissues depend on alanine, which plays a prominent role in the glucose alanine cycle. Alanine is also involved in the removal of nitrogen from tissues to the liver, but alanine also assists in the blood sugar tapping of the body for energy requirements. Despite being a non-essential amino acid, alanine is found in meat, dairy products, fish, poultry, eggs, some beans, nuts and seeds, brown rice bran, corn and whole grains, among other sources.

L-Arginine helps in forming proteins and is responsible for releasing the bodies growth hormones. In addition it makes nitric oxide. This is a vessel relaxant, which helps to improve blood circulation.

L-Aspartic Acid is deemed non essential in humans, since that it can be transaminated from oxaloacetate. Natural sources of L-Aspartic Acid are sugar cane and sugar beets, among others, like beef, poultry, eggs, potatoes, dairy, etc. Asparagine, which is deemed a synonym for L-Aspartic Acid, is required by the nervous system, but it also plays a vital part in the synthesis of ammonia. As an important participant in the citric acid circle in human metabolism, L-Aspartic Acid is vital for the proper function of many other amino acids and biochemical components, such as lysine, methionine, asparagine, arginine and isoleucine. L-Aspartic Acid seems to be able to increase stamina, thereby increasing the endurance in athletic competitions and workout regimes; furthermore it seems to increase the body’s resistance to fatigue.

L-Cysteine- If two cysteine molecules are bound together by a disulfide structural unit, the amino acid dimer L-Cystine is formed. It is deemed a vital component of proteins, where formations of the disulfide bonds are made between and within protein molecules. It seems that thereby L-Cystine is determining to a significant amount the three dimensional structure of a prominent number of proteins. For instance, it has been determined that human hair contains about five percent of cystine. In case that the non-essential alpha amino acid cysteine is required by the body, the disulfide link is apparently readily reduced. While cysteine can be derived from protein rich sources such as meat, poultry and dairy products, L-Cystine, although present in these, is most abundantly found in undenatured whey proteins.

L-Glutamic Acid- In the proteinogenic group of twenty amino acids, the group that is deemed the building blocks of proteins, L-Glutamic Acid is one of the more commonly known ones. The reason for this fame are the carboxylate anions and salts of the glutamic acid, the glutamates. Glutamic acid is present in many fermented or aged food sources, such as cheese and soy sauce, but also in yeast extracts. The sodium salt of glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate, is a very popular and widely used food additive. Glutamate is an extremely important molecule in cellular metabolism. Glutamate is also one of the most commonly occurring excitatory neurotransmitters. Glutamate has been also identified as a precursor to GABA inhibitor. Glutamic acid is deemed responsible for one of the five basic tastes, the human taste sense commonly called umami.

L-Glycine- Glycine is an organic compound and one of the 20 amino acids deemed as building blocks for proteins. This proteinogenic amino acid is not only the smallest but also the only amino acid of the group that is not chiral, which means there is no enantiomer of glycine. With the prominent exception of collagen, which thirty five percent are glycine, most proteins contain only small amounts of it. As a solid, glycine is sweet tasting, crystalline and has no color. Despite being non-essential, because it can be biosynthesized from the amino acid serine, glycine has several important physiological functions, besides being a precursor to proteins. It is a biosynthetic intermediate of purines and the D-Aminolevulinic acid and it is an inhibitory neurotransmitter found in the central nervous system.

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- The second of three branched chain amino acids it is important in blood sugar regulation and producing hemoglobin. After exercise, it is responsible for muscle recovery and important in the metabolism to produce energy.

L-Leucine with the food additive E number code E641 is classified as a flavor enhancer. Leucine is actually an essential alpha-amino acid and a vital part of so called “buffer” proteins, such as ferritin and astacin. You can find leucine in foods such as whole wheat bread products, nuts and brown rice. As a supplement, researchers have found that leucine slows the degradation of muscles and muscle tissues through an inflated synthesis of muscle proteins. In the human body, leucine can be found in the liver, but most prominently in the muscle and adipose tissues, where it is utilized in production of sterols. In body building circles L-Leucine as a dietary supplement is very popular for all these properties, but also for the preservation of muscle glycogen, nitrogen balance maintenance and more.

L-Lysine- Lysine is an essential alpha amino acid that needs to be ingested and cannot be synthesized by the human body. Sources of L-Lysine include meat, particularly red meat, lamb, poultry and pork, but also cheeses, like parmesan, some fish like cod and sardines and eggs. Several plants are rich in L-Lysine, soybean, lentil, spinach and buckwheat, but also buffalo gourd, watercress, locust bean and many other bean variants, including the common bean. L-Lysine is deemed vital for the overall production of protein, as a structural building block. It seems that L-Lysine also plays a prominent part in the absorption of calcium. Further properties include playing a role in the production of enzymes, hormones and antibodies, but also in the recovery from sports injuries and surgeries.

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 gained notoriety with the aspartame controversy where extensive internet bombardment against the artificial sweetener prompted a thorough cleaning by The Coca Cola Company and other interest groups. Now it seems that aspartame has more benefits to health than aspirin. L-Phenylalanine is an essential alpha amino acid that is deemed analgesic and antidepressant. It is hydrophobic and nonpolar, one of only twenty common amino acids that are used to produce protein as coded by the DNA. L-Phenylalanine can also convert into L-Tyrosine, which can then become L-DOPA, going forth to become norepinephrine, dopamine or epinephrine. Phenylalanine is very often found in foods, protein rich foods like meat, milk and milk products, poultry and fish, but also as already mentioned in the artificial sweetener aspartame.

L-Proline is a proteinogenic alpha amino acid, one of only twenty amino acids that are DNA encoded for the forming of protein. It is not deemed essential because humans are able to synthesize it from the amino acid L-Glutamate. This unique member of the twenty protein building block amino acids is the only one of the group that is distinct as belonging to the secondary alpha amino group. L-Proline plays a role in the synthesis of collagen. Collagen is undeniably the most common protein in mammals, being found in skin, tendons, joints, ligaments, vasculature and bones. It is deemed good for the health of joints, when taken as a supplement. Low protein diets, vegetarian and vegan diets as well as malnutrition lead to diminished L-Proline levels.

L-Serine- Serine is an organic compound and a proteinogenic amino acid that is considered a building block for the creation of proteins. This member of the hydroxyl group and a polar amino acid is not essential and therefore it is not necessary to ingest it by means of diet. L-Serine can be synthesized from metabolites such as glycine. L-Serine plays a role in the biosynthesis of pyrimidines and purines, furthermore it is a precursor to many metabolites like sphingolipids and to amino acids like cysteine and glycine. It is also involved in catalytic functions of several enzymes. L-Serine can be transformed into D-Serine by the serine racemase, which functions as a neuronal signal and NMDA receptor activator in the brain, a vital glutamate receptor responsible for memory functions and synaptic plasticity.

L-Threonine is an essential alpha amino acid, classified as polar. There are three proteinogenic amino acids that have an alcohol group, besides threonine there are tyrosine and serine. Like many other amino acids that are not synthesized in humans, threonine needs to be ingested through protein food sources that contain it, namely meat, poultry, cottage cheese, fish, sesame seeds and others. When ingested, threonine goes either through the threonine dehydrogenase and becomes pyruvate or, as in humans, it can be converted by the enzyme serine dehydratase to alpha ketobutyrate and continue towards succinyl-CoA. Threonine is also supposed to assist the protein balance by maintaining normal growth, but in addition to that, it seems to support the immune system, the central nervous system, the liver and the cardiovascular system.

L-Tryptophan- Tryptophan is an essential amino acid as well as within the group of only twenty standard amino acids that are required by the human diet. It is one of the building blocks required for protein biosynthesis. It is also viewed as a precursor to serotonin and thereby also melatonin, niacin and also auxin. Interestingly enough, lactose intolerance and fructose malabsorption have the side effect that tryptophan is only improperly absorbed in the intestines which leads to diminished levels of it in the system. Dietary sources of tryptophan are plentiful, it can be found in red meat, poultry, fish, milk, milk products, peanuts, mangoes, dates, chocolate and oats, among others. As a dietary supplement tryptophan has found applications as a safe sleeping aid and also as a calming agent.

L-Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid, which is used by the cells in order to synthesize the proteins and appears to help stabilize ones mood during periods of high stress levels.

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.

Whey Protein Isolate- Out of the three most common forms of whey protein (concentrate, isolate and blend), whey protein isolate is the most costly form. However, you acquire what you pay for; whey protein isolate is factually zero fat, zero lactose, and zero carbs. It is a top quality protein and provides the most protein content per serving with the minimum amount of calories. It is also full of amino acids. Whey protein isolate is ideal for both fat loss and muscle building.