What's up dudes and what's up ladies? Bryan here and, in this nutritional journey we're going to
enter the wonderful world of amino acids, we're going to look at exactly what they are, what they do,
and foods that are rich in amino acids. So, time to roll. We're going to start by looking at the
molecular structure of a typical amino acid, don't worry I'm going to make this easy to understand. So,
the basic structure of amino acids is that they consist of a carboxyl group, a lone hydrogen atom,
an amino group, and a sidechain. The sidechain is often referred to as the R group. The formation of
the sidechain is what makes amino acids different from one another, as you can see in this diagram,
these four are all connected to a carbon atom, which is referred to as the alpha carbon. Now, not
every amino acid follows this exact structure, but most do. On the screen I have three different amino
acids, lysine, tryptophan, and leucine. You can see that each has a carboxyl group an alpha carbon, an
amino group, and an R group that is different from one another. There are a total of 23 amino acids
that are protein a genic. Protein a genic amino acids are precursors to proteins, which means that
they are compounds that participate in a chemical reaction to produce another compound, of these 23
amino acids, 20 of them are called standard amino acids, and the other three are non standard amino
acids. These are listed on the screen. In this video we're going to focus on the standard amino acids,
as they are what make up proteins. These amino acids can be classified many different ways, we're
going to classify them in a basic nutritional way, essential, and non-essential. Essential amino acids
cannot be made by the body, so, they must come from foods we eat. Non-essential amino acids are
amino acids that our bodies can produce, even if we don't get them from the food we eat. There are nine
essential, and eleven non-essential amino acids. I've listed them on the screen. So, how do amino
acids form proteins? Well, proteins are built from the 20 standard amino acids, the first thing that
happens is that two amino acids come together to form what's called a peptide bond. A peptide bond
is when the carboxyl group of one amino acid bonds with the amino group of another amino acid, as you
can see here. If you notice, two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom have been removed from the
peptide binding process, so, the peptide binding results in the release of a water molecule H2O.
But, we're not finished, more amino acids can link in and form what's called a polypeptide
chain. Some proteins are single polypeptide chains and other proteins have polypeptide
chains linked together. Keep in mind that not all protein contains all twenty of the standard amino
acids. Proteins are often labeled as complete or incomplete protein. A complete protein is a
protein source that contains a sufficient quantity of all nine of the essential amino acids that we
discussed earlier. An incomplete protein does not contain a sufficient quantity of all nine of the
essential amino acids. Complete protein foods include animal foods, such as red meat, poultry,
pork, and fish, eggs, and dairy products, such as cow's milk, yogurt, and cheese. Plant foods such
as soy products, black beans, kidney beans, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, pistachios, just to name a few. You
can also combine incomplete protein foods to create a complete protein meal, or to get the
essential amino acids throughout the day. Amino acids also make up most enzymes. These enzymes
are proteins, so, they are made by linking amino acids together in a specific and unique order.
This chain of amino acids then forms a unique shape that allows the enzyme created to serve
a single specific purpose. Enzymes function as catalysts, which means that they speed up the rate
at which metabolic processes and reactions occur. Amino acids can also be metabolized
for energy. Some hormones like epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, are amino acid derived, some
neurotransmitters like serotonin, are derived from amino acids. The amino acid arginine is
a precursor of nitric oxide, which helps regulate blood pressure, improve sleep quality, and increases
endurance and strength. Glutathione, which is a powerful antioxidant is also formed from
amino acids. Bottom line time, as you can see amino acids have many important roles in the body. Your
focus should be on eating a balanced diet that includes foods that have an adequate amount of
the essential amino acids, a great approach eat a variety of foods every single day. All right, if you
have any questions or comments you can leave them below, if you liked the video hit the thumbs up,
if you didn't like the video hit the thumbs down, man, it's all good. Till next time, I'm out, see ya.