There are exactly three macronutrients our body needs to survive: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. We must obtain the latter primarily through food. We need proteins for vital metabolic processes, which in healthy people occur virtually around the clock.
Depending on which amino acids are involved and their relationship to one another, the corresponding protein is formed. Of the many amino acids we know, only 20 are truly important for our metabolism. We can produce twelve of these ourselves if we have optimal physical conditions. These are the so-called essential amino acids.
When we consume proteins through our normal diet, we see how cleverly our body handles these important substances. During digestion, various enzymes break down the proteins into their components. This is the only way they can be absorbed by our intestines and enter the bloodstream. Once the amino acids are in our bloodstream, they are transported to organs, cells, and tissues.
Here they are reassembled into proteins exactly as we need them. Our body also uses them as smaller building blocks to create other important substances.
The diverse effects of amino acids in the healthy human body continue to fascinate researchers and scientists. For example, as individual building blocks, they form valuable enzymes produced in our digestive organs. Amino acids also play a key role in the synthesis of our DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, in which our genetic material is preserved and can be passed on.
When hormones are produced and neurotransmitter signals are transmitted, we rely on amino acids. Crucially – because how we look also determines our well-being – is their role in the formation of muscles, tendons, ligaments, hair, skin, and nails. They all ultimately consist of these thread-like structures, the proteins collagen, keratin, fibrinogen, myosin, and collagen.