Amino Acids in San Jose?

Amino acids are a group of 20 organic compounds that share specific formation traits. They are known as the ‘building blocks’ of proteins in both plants and animals. Because they play such a foundational role, they are involved in many chemical reactions throughout your body to help maintain your body’s normal functions.

What do Amino Acids Do?

Amino acids are grouped into three categories – Essential, Nonessential, and Conditional. The group to which a specific amino acid belongs depends on where your body obtains it.

When To Get an Amino Acid IV Therapy?

A standard diet should supply your body with enough amino acids, but sometimes that isn’t enough. Consequently, your body cannot replenish the materials needed to build itself or repair damaged tissue, two processes required to keep you healthy. Amino acid IV treatment can help resolve this issue.

IV’s, in general, are the most efficient way to transport nutrients to the body due to their high bioavailability. Oral supplements lose much of what they provide through digestion, so by the time the nutrients enter the bloodstream, they are much less abundant than when first consumed. 

What is in Amino Acid IV Therapy

Amino Acid IV Therapy contains various amino acids that are important for bodily optimization.

Essential Amino Acids

Your body cannot produce essential amino acids. These must be obtained by an external source, usually through food or IV supplementation. Most people can get enough essential amino acids through their diets. The essential amino acids are:

Lysine

Lysine plays a vital role in building muscle, maintaining bone strength, aiding recovery from injury or surgery, and regulating hormones, antibodies, and enzymes. It may also have antiviral effects.

Histidine

Histidine facilitates growth, the creation of blood cells, and tissue repair. It also helps maintain the special protective covering over nerve cells, which is called the myelin sheath.

The body metabolizes histidine into histamine, which is crucial for immunity, reproductive health, and digestion. Deficiency can cause anemia, and low blood levels appear to be more common among people with arthritis and kidney disease.

Threonine

Threonine is necessary for healthy skin and teeth, as it is a component in tooth enamel, collagen, and elastin. It helps aid fat metabolism and may be beneficial for people with indigestion, anxiety, and mild depression.

Methionine

Methionine and the nonessential amino acid cysteine play a role in the health and flexibility of skin and hair. Methionine also helps keep nails strong. It aids the proper absorption of selenium and zinc and the removal of heavy metals, such as lead and mercury.

Valine

Valine is essential for mental focus, muscle coordination, and emotional calm. People may use valine supplements for muscle growth, tissue repair, and energy.

Deficiency may cause insomnia and reduced mental function.

Isoleucine

Isoleucine helps with wound healing, immunity, blood sugar regulation, and hormone production. It is primarily present in muscle tissue and regulates energy levels.

Older adults may be more prone to isoleucine deficiency than younger people. This deficiency may cause muscle wasting and shaking.

Leucine

Leucine helps regulate blood sugar levels and aids the growth and repair of muscle and bone. It is also necessary for wound healing and the production of growth hormone.

Leucine deficiency can lead to skin rashes, hair loss, and fatigue.

Phenylalanine

Some diet sodas contain sweeteners with phenylalanine.

Phenylalanine helps the body use other amino acids as well as proteins and enzymes. The body converts phenylalanine to tyrosine, which is necessary for specific brain functions. Phenylalanine deficiency, though rare, can lead to poor weight gain in infants. It may also cause eczema, fatigue, and memory problems in adults. Phenylalanine is often in the artificial sweetener aspartame, which manufacturers use to make diet sodas. Large doses of aspartame can increase the levels of phenylalanine in the brain and may cause anxiety and jitteriness and affect sleep.

People with a rare genetic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) are unable to metabolize phenylalanine. As a result, they should avoid consuming foods that contain high levels of this amino acid.

Tryptophan

Tryptophan is necessary for proper growth in infants and is a precursor of serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates appetite, sleep, mood, and pain. Melatonin also regulates sleep.

Tryptophan is a sedative, and it is an ingredient in some sleep aids. One study indicates that tryptophan supplementation can improve mental energy and emotional processing in healthy women.

Tryptophan deficiency can cause a condition called pellagra, which can lead to dementia, skin rashes, and digestive issues.

Nonessential Amino Acids

Under normal conditions these amino acids are non-essential and can be produced by the body. However, the body may not be able to synthesize these amino acids during special conditions like certain disease or stress. This is when it becomes essential for you to add these amino acids into your bloodstream by an IV.

Alanine

This nonessential amino is the smallest amino acid in humans and is readily synthesized in the body. When muscle protein breaks down, as it’s apt to do during intense exercise, it releases toxic substances. Alanine helps clear these toxins so that the liver can metabolize and eliminate them.

Alanine also helps keep blood glucose levels under control and may help regulate cholesterol levels. An important source of energy for muscles and for the central nervous system, alanine is second only to glutamine in the amount circulating in the blood.

Arginine

Best known for its role as a precursor for nitric oxide, arginine can help lower blood pressure and boost erectile dysfunction in men. In addition to relaxing blood vessels, arginine can help accelerate wound healing, detoxify the kidneys, maintain hormone balance, and keep the immune system strong.

Asparagine

One of the most important amino acids for neuron (brain cell) development, asparagine maintains balance in the central nervous system.

Asparagine is a component of many proteins, including glycoproteins. Glycoproteins are specialized structures that not only provide structural support to cells, but also help build connective tissues and expedite digestion by generating secretions and mucous in the gastrointestinal tract.

Aspartic Acid

This excitatory neurotransmitter plays an important role in the synthesis of other amino acids and in metabolic reactions involved in energy production and the production of urea. Aspartic acid is a part of the chemical structure of the active part of many enzymes. Enzymes are specialized proteins that play a role in enabling chemical reactions to occur in the body.

Cysteine

This sulfur-containing nonessential amino is abundant in beta-keratin, the main protein in nails, skin, and hair, and helps stimulate collagen production. Collagen protein is a major component of the skin and connective tissue and helps to maintain elasticity and texture.

Cysteine is also required in the production of taurine, a sulfur-containing antioxidant that influences cardiovascular and skeletal muscle function.

One of the most important roles of cysteine is that it is a component of the antioxidant glutathione, which is used throughout the body to neutralize free radicals and diminish oxidative stress. Glutathione is particularly important in detoxification processes in the liver.

Glutamic Acid

Otherwise known as glutamate, glutamic acid is the most common excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. It serves as an energy source for brain cells and plays a critical role in brain metabolism. In the brain, glutamate can regulate ammonia levels by taking up nitrogen in its conversion to glutamine, another amino acid that functions as a neurotransmitter. Glutamate serves the same function in the periphery, taking up ammonia and then carrying it via the blood back to the liver for ultimate conversion to urea, which is then excreted.

Glutamic acid is also important in the synthesis of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter that has the opposite effect of glutamic acid and helps to decrease activity within the central nervous system.

Glutamine

Like cysteine, glutamine is a precursor for the antioxidant glutathione, which fights off free radical damage that causes premature aging and disease. Glutamine is the most plentiful amino acid in the blood, and helps promote proper digestion, brain function, and immune health. It is the principal carrier of nitrogen in the body and is an important energy source for many cells. Like arginine, dietary glutamine may become a conditional essential amino acid during certain stressful states.

Glycine

A principal component of collagen production glycine helps promote wound healing. It also supplies glucose for the body to use as energy and plays vital roles in proper cell growth and function, as well as digestive health. Glycine helps break down ingested fats by regulating the secretion of bile acids from the gallbladder into the small intestine.

Glycine also acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps process motor and sensory information that permits movement, vision, and hearing.

Proline

Almost one-third of the amino acids in collagen are proline, making this nonessential amino acid incredibly essential to tissue repair and skin regeneration. Your body revs up its production of proline whenever there is damage to soft tissue, an injury, or subsequent wound healing.

Proline also helps prevent arteriosclerosis and regulate blood pressure by encouraging the walls of the arteries to release fat buildup into the blood, thereby reducing the risk of blockage. By decreasing the pressure built up by these blockages, proline helps lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.

Serine

A precursor for the amino acid tryptophan, which, in turn, produces the mood hormone serotonin, serine is imperative to both physical and mental functioning, particularly cognitive processing and central nervous system equilibrium. If your body cannot produce enough serotonin, you may be prone to anxiety, depression, confusion, and insomnia.

Serine is also crucial to muscle formation, immune health, and fat metabolism.

Tyrosine

Tyrosine is a key player in protein synthesis, as well as the production of thyroid hormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. These neurotransmitters play a vital role in the nervous system and in the management of stress and depression.

Tyrosine is used as a safe therapy for a variety of clinical conditions including hypertension, depression, and chronic pain.

Conditional Amino Acids

Some nonessential amino acids are classified as conditional. This means they’re only considered essential when you’re ill or stressed. Conditional amino acids include arginine, cysteine, glutamine, tyrosine, glycine, ornithine, proline and serine

• Arginine 
• Cysteine
• Glutamine 
• Tyrosine
• Glycine 
• Ornithine 
• Proline 
• Serine

Why Are Amino Acids Important?

The role of amino acids for the maintenance of the structure and function of your body cannot be overstated. When you eat protein, it’s broken down into amino acids, which are then used to help your body with various processes such as building muscle and regulating immune function.

They are practically involved in almost every system throughout your body. Let us see a few examples:

• Development and repair of tissues – muscles, bones, cartilage, skin, hair, nail.
• Regulate enzymes that help to digest the food you eat so that the essential nutrients can be absorbed by your body.
• Stimulating hormones that control a wide range of biological activities inside your body.
• Producing Neurotransmitters- important coordinators of the nervous system.
• Enhances immune response- the defense mechanism of your body that fights infection.
• Precursors to several important biomolecules such as creatinine.
• Tryptophan can help improve your sleep patterns. Certain essential amino acids can prevent muscle loss and help recovery after serious illnesses.

Signs That You Have Amino Acid Deficiency

One of the things your body could be telling you is that you’re lacking enough amino acids. These organic compounds are the building blocks of protein, and they play a role in all the body’s cellular processes. Here are the signs you have an amino acid deficiency.

Trouble Focusing

Tyrosine is an essential amino acid found in protein-rich foods like dairy products, meat, and eggs. Tyrosine helps boost your body’s production of neurotransmitters like dopamine and epinephrine that help you focus, and insufficient tyrosine may cause you to have trouble concentrating.

Fatigue

We all have days where we feel like we’re dragging. But if you find yourself constantly struggling with exhaustion, you may not be getting the amino acids you need to fuel your body.

Memory Loss

In addition to its role in energy production, acetyl-L-carnitine has been shown to improve cognition and memory.

Slow Illness Recovery

Insufficient amino acid intake can compromise your body’s ability to recover from infection by slowing the process.

Muscle Loss

In the absence of sufficient energy produced by amino acids, your body may break down muscle tissue in order to fuel itself during intense exercise. If you can’t run as fast or lift as much weight as you used to, be aware that inadequate protein intake can lead to muscle weakness.

Craving Unhealthy Foods

Do you have an insatiable sweet tooth? Are you crazy for carbs? Your brain might not be getting the amino acids it needs to help you feel satisfied. Neurotransmitters that help control your appetite are made from amino acids.

Depressed Mood

Research shows that some amino acids are precursors to neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine that are associated with depression.

Oversleeping

Can’t seem to drag yourself out of bed? If you feel like all you want to do is sleep, you could be lacking amino acids needed to energize you.