Category Spotlight: Amino Acids for Ingredients Online
Amino acids are among the most widely sold supplements in the world. According to Grand Review Research, in 2020 the global market for dietary supplements was worth USD 140.30 billion. It is forecasted to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6% from 2021 to 2028. In that period, of all the dietary supplements in the global market, amino acids are predicted to reach the highest CAGR of 13.3%.
A report at Marketwatch states that the global market for amino acids API, whose value stood at 1257.82 million USD in 2020, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.63% from 2020 to 2027. With regards to volume, as the IMARC Group notes, the global amino acids market reached 10.3 million tons in 2021, and will reach “13.8 million tons by 2027, exhibiting at a CAGR of 4.7% during 2022-2027.”
The trend is clear. The market will only continue to grow. The world is becoming increasingly health conscious, making nutrition and fitness a concern for ordinary consumers. This growing demand for amino acid ingredients in supplements is undoubtedly owed to their multiple health benefits. That is why it’s crucial to understand amino acids and their applications.
What Are Amino Acids?
Amino acids are vital organic compounds composed of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They are the raw ingredients for proteins which play a critical role in numerous bodily functions and processes. Amino acids are considered the building blocks of life, and humans could not live without them.
From producing antibodies to fight disease, helping to digest food, repairing human tissue, and building cells, to the synthesis of mood-regulating chemicals like neurotransmitters and hormones—the importance of amino acids cannot be overstated. They are involved in every aspect of physical and mental health. While amino acids comprise the tens of thousands of proteins bodies are made of, there are only 20 of them. They are categorized into three groups: non-essential, conditional, and essential.
Non-essential and Conditional Amino Acids
The first two categories, non-essential and conditional, refer to amino acids the human body can adequately synthesize on its own.
There are 11 non-essential amino acids: alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine. The body has no problem manufacturing them except when suffering from physical distress, illness, and aging.
Non-essential amino acids become conditional when they are no longer produced by the body at adequate levels. This is often seen with amino acids such as arginine, cysteine, glutamine, tyrosine, glycine, ornithine, proline, and serine.
A common solution is to compensate for the reduced production of non-essential amino acids by taking supplements. Taking cysteine supplements, for example, is intended to provide anti-inflammatory benefits, aid with proper digestion, improve lung health and immune function, assist with glucose regulation, and induce calm and well-being. Arginine supplements may benefit kidney health, rid the body of toxins, relax blood vessels, and encourage blood flow.
Yet, as stated, under normal circumstances, the body already produces a sufficient amount of the 11 amino acids mentioned, which is why they’re called non-essential.
There are nine essential amino acids that bodies do not produce independently. They are acquired from the nutrients consumed from diets.
The 9 Essential Amino Acids
Since the body can’t create these 9 essential amino acids on its own, they are obtained through food and supplements. Ensuring a proper intake of all 9 amino acids may benefit every aspect of health and well-being.
Histidine helps metabolize histamines, the compound crucial for immune function, reproduction, and digestion. It helps with growth and healing damaged tissues, as well as making blood cells and protecting nerve walls. Histidine supplements may promote the health of our joints, heart, and skin.
Isoleucine plays an important role in growth, muscle and fatty acid metabolism, immune function, and in regulating blood sugar and energy. Supplements with isoleucine may be used as a feed additive for animals or to support intestinal and liver health in humans.
Leucine is involved in protein synthesis and muscle repair. It also promotes hormone production, wound healing, bone repair, and blood sugar regulation. Supplements with leucine are thought to boost muscle strength, induce muscle growth, improve workout recovery, and also facilitate blood oxidization. A lack of leucine might cause decreased appetite, fatigue, skin rashes, and hair loss.
Like most amino acids, lysine also plays a role in muscle growth. It fosters the formation of carnitine, which most cells in your body contain. It’s also involved in the process of burning fat for energy. Lysine supplements may help with the reduction of cold sores and anxiety, bone protection, and the formation of both collagen and new blood cells.
Considered an antioxidant, methionine is vital for tissue growth and repair, as well as mineral absorption. It may help promote healthy skin, hair, and nails. Methionine supplements are intended to assist with the processing of fat, the creation of creatine, the formation of cartilage, and DNA methylation.
L-phenylalanine may serve as a treatment for skin disorders and depression. The body uses phenylalanine to produce tyrosine, an amino acid involved with brain functions. It’s a precursor to epinephrine, more commonly known as adrenaline, the hormone essential to our fight or flight response. It increases our heart rate and blood flow, raises sugar levels in the blood, and enhances our strength. Dopamine, the neurotransmitter known for its important role in mood regulation, memory, and learning, is also metabolized by phenylalanine. Hence its use as a potential mood enhancement formula in supplements.
Our bodies use threonine to produce proteins like collagen and elastin, found in our skin. It is thought to help boost immune function and reduce muscle control disorders. As a supplement, threonine may support the liver with the digestion of fats and fatty acids.
Aside from nitrogen maintenance, tryptophan is used to produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for regulating our mood and appetite. Melatonin is another molecule made by tryptophan, and it helps regulate our sleep cycle. An additional important attribute of tryptophan is that it assists the liver with the production of niacin, also known as vitamin B3, required for energy metabolism and DNA production. Tryptophan supplements potentially contribute to elevating one’s mood and can serve as an aid for relaxation as well as sleep.
Aside from muscle growth and regeneration, valine contributes to energy production, concentration, and maintaining a calm mood. Tissue repair is another of its multiple benefits. A lack of valine may induce insomnia or limited mental focus.
Branched-chain Amino Acids
Of the 9 essential amino acids described, three of them are called “branched-chain amino acids” (BCAA), because of their chemical structure: a chain of molecules branching off to one side. They comprise the largest portion of all essential amino acids in the body, up to around 40%. They are especially present in muscles.
As opposed to the liver, it’s in the muscles where they are primarily broken down. The three BCAAs are isoleucine, leucine, and valine. The most common use of BCAA supplements is for boosting athletic performance as well as encouraging muscle strength, growth, and recovery.
That is why BCAA supplements are especially popular among athletes and bodybuilders looking to increase endurance and enhance their strength. In addition, they also may contribute to the production of healthy blood sugar levels and help with weight regulation.
Food with All 9 Essential Amino Acids
Protein sources containing all 9 amino acids are found in foods derived from animals, such as meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. There are plant-based foods that may meet the body’s required intake. They include soy, quinoa, buckwheat, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and spirulina.
If throughout the day a variety of incomplete proteins is consumed, such as beans, nuts, seeds, and different vegetables, the essential amino acid needs may be met without resorting to animal products.
Conclusion
The benefits of amino acids are endless. Bodies are capable of producing most of the required amino acids without having to consume food, but there are at least 9 needed from the outside. It’s a cycle: humans consume proteins from food, which then are broken down into amino acids, only to build them back up into the proteins that are needed to perform most vital physiological functions. Supplements are a popular way to ensure bodies are acquiring the required quantity of amino acids.
As the world becomes increasingly focused on staying healthy, the global market for bulk amino acids sold as raw ingredients may expand indefinitely.
Source amino acids as supplements from around the world at ingredientsonline.com. Our global online marketplace is dedicated to ensuring that supply chain teams can source high-quality ingredients for their finished health products and supplements.
