The "
building blocks" of
muscles,
nerves, and
organ meat. Since the
science of
nutrition seems to still be
in its infancy, different
experts identify between
20 and
29 amino acids.
Muscleheads, er I mean
weightlifters, often consume amino acid
supplements. My
experience leads me to
consider them
as fun and effective as vitamins.
Of the 20-odd amino acids, there are 8 (or 9, due to the expert factor) that the body cannot synthesize for itself. They are the "essential" amino acids:
The rest of the amino acids can be synthesized by the body from the essential amino acids; they include:
Sometimes amino acids are referred to with an L- in front of the name, as in L-tryptophan. bonnet explains why, below.