Branched Chain Amino Acids: Isoleucine, Leucine, and Valine
These three unique amino acids have branches instead of straight chains of carbon and hydrogen. They are essential for building muscle as well as preventing breakdown of muscle, so they are popular with bodybuilders and heavy exercise enthusiasts. More importantly, they are crucial in protein synthesis, lipid metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism. Interestingly, biotin is essential for the metabolism of both leucine and isoleucine. The branched chain amino acids have been used medically to help prevent breakdown of muscle in bed-ridden patients, such as in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, tardive dyskinesia, spinocerebellar degeneration, in patients with kidney failure, and in cancer patients, mostly to help prevent muscle wasting. They may also help fatigue and mental concentration, and have even been given intravenously to help reduce brain swelling as a result of severe liver disease. Good food sources are eggs, seaweed, turkey, chicken, lamb, cheese, and fish.
Lysine
One of the best known amino acids, helpful in treating and preventing herpes simplex or fever blisters, where it is taken with zinc. Interestingly, it also increases the absorption of calcium, so one should not take calcium supplements while taking lysine. Grains are notoriously low in lysine, and thus the usual high-grain diet may well lead to deficiencies. Lysine is essential in the formation of collagen and cartilage, so a deficiency may be involved in osteoarthritic and other joint and spinal disc disorders. Deficiency may also be a significant factor in anxiety, as lysine is an anti-anxiety agent, mainly because it is a serotonin antagonist. Serotonin excess is prominent in severe anxiety, especially when diarrhea is a component of the stress reaction. Deficiency of lysine leads to a significant increase in production of serotonin in the amygdala, a major emotional control centre. Dosages of 1,000 mg daily help reduce the frequency of fever blisters in those who are prone to this problem, and during flare-ups up to 3,000 mg may be taken.
Methionine
Methionine is one of the sulphur-containing amino acids and is essential, but without adequate folate, B12, and vitamin C, it creates one of the great health hazards—increased homocysteine, which increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, cancer, hypertension, and stroke. In general, methionine is abundant in all the high-protein foods—meats, eggs, and legumes.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• Detoxifying acetaminophen
• Liver detoxification in general
• Wound healing
Phenylalanine
One of the major building blocks of muscle, L-phenylalanine is also essential for adrenal function. Major sources are the proteins—cheese, eggs, fish, milk, meat. Phenylalanine is significantly transformed to tyrosine, one of the most important foundations for making the thyroid hormone, L-Dopa, norepinephrine, and epinephrine.
Phenylketonuria is a genetic defect in which individuals lack the ability to convert phenylalanine to tyrosine and, in this situation, they need tyrosine to assist them, but they are restricted to life-long avoidance of high-phenylalanine foods. In healthy individuals, tyrosine is not an essential amino acid as it is easily made from phenylalanine.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• ADHD
• Alcohol withdrawal
• Alertness
• Appetite suppressant
• Chronic fatigue
• Cocaine and drug withdrawal
• Heart disease
• Loss of libido
• Narcolepsy
• Pain
• Parkinson’s disease
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Schizophrenia
• Vitiligo
In the early 1980s, there was significant interest in D-phenylalanine, which was said to raise beta endorphins because it inhibited enkephalinase, the enzyme that breaks down naturally produced beta endorphins. Thus, there was great interest in using it for depression and for pain. In the long run it seems no better than L-phenylalanine. However, large doses of L-phenylalanine can interfere with dopamine-enhancing drugs in Parkinsonism and can increase blood pressure, as well as interfere with some antidepressant drugs.
Taurine
As indicated earlier, taurine is not considered “essential” by everyone, but its deficiency is extremely widespread. Taurine cannot be found in vegetables; it occurs only in animal protein. Taurine works to stabilize membrane potential in cells, as does magnesium, and it is often clearly deficient in those suffering epilepsy, migraine, hypertension, and depression. It is another of the sulphur-containing amino acids. Dosages of up to 6,000 mg daily are safe and well tolerated, although may make some individuals slightly sleepy.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• Anxiety
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Depression
• Epilepsy
• Fibromyalgia
• Hypertension
• Migraine
Threonine
Threonine is essential in the production of collagen, elastin, and muscle tissue. It helps build strong bones and tooth enamel, and assists in wound healing. Overall it is important in supporting the cardiovascular system, brain, and immune system. In general, deficiency is found in those with inadequate nutrition and in those with a leaky gut. It aids in the synthesis of glycine and serine that are essential for collagen production. Best sources are complete proteins such as meats and eggs.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• Familial spastic paraparesis
• Post-stroke spasticity
• Possibly multiple sclerosis
• Possibly leaky gut
Tryptophan
Tryptophan is the building block for one of the most critical mood stabilizers: serotonin. However, it is essential to have vitamins B3, B6, and lithium in order to convert tryptophan. In healthy people who wake up easily, tryptophan surges to its highest level within an hour and stays high until late afternoon, when it slowly decreases, reaching its lowest level between 9 and 11 p.m. Melatonin rises abruptly as you get sleepy in the evening and stays high until about 4 a.m. when it begins to fall. It reaches its lowest level when you wake bright eyed and bushy tailed ready for the day. In individuals who do not wake and sleep in the usual rhythm, significant dysfunctions of serotonin/melatonin can lead to a multitude of problems. Although the intermediate stage of conversion to serotonins, 5-hydroxy tryptamine, has been widely promoted, personally I find tryptophan highly superior to 5-HT for optimizing serotonin production.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• Anxiety
• Carbohydrate craving and overeating
• Depression
• Impatience
• Impulsiveness
• Inability to concentrate
• Insomnia
• Poor dream recall
• Weight gain
Conditionally