What is amino acid?

Amino acids are molecules that join together to form proteins, which are essential for life. They are the building blocks of our body, helping with tasks like breaking down food, repairing tissues, and performing various body functions.

There are three types of amino acid.

1. Essential amino acids:
   These amino acids must come from food because our bodies cannot make them. There are 9 essential amino acids:

   • histidine
   • isoleucine
   • leucine
   • lysine
   • methionine
   • phenylalanine
   • threonine
   • tryptophan
   • valine

2. Nonessential amino acids:
   Our bodies can produce these amino acids, even if we do not get them from food. Examples include alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine.

3. Conditionally essential amino acids:
   These are usually not essential amino acids, except in times of illness or stress. Examples include arginine, cysteine, glutamine, tyrosine, glycine, proline, and serine.