Amino acids for health

Tyrosine.

Although a non-essential amino acid, tyrosine is a high-class neuro-mediator, and is important due to the role it plays in stimulating and influencing brain activity. In fact, for phenylalanine to be effective in raising mood, reducing appetite, etc., it must first turn into tyrosine. If this conversion doesn’t occur due to lack of some enzymes or due to great need in phenylalanine somewhere else, not enough norepinephrine is formed in the brain and results in depression.

Clinical research studies showed that tyrosine supplements help control depression and anxiety in patients not subjected to medication treatment, and they also enable the patients taking amphetamines (as mood-enhancer or to lose weight) to reduce the dose to a minimum quantity through the course of several weeks.

Tyrosine has helped cocaine addicts overcome their dependence, preventing depression, weakness and the excessive irritability typical of cocaine withdrawal. The method of treatment involves dissolving tyrosine in orange juice to be administered orally with vitamin C, tyrosine hydroxylase (ferment which enables organism to use tyrosine), vitamins B1, В2 and niacin.

Glycine.

Sometimes it is considered to be the simplest amino acid, though it has been proven that Glycine is able to provide many favorable improvements. It was discovered that it helps for the hypo function of hypophysis and, as Glycine provides the body with creatine (vitally important for muscle activity), it appeared to be effective for the progressive muscular dystrophy. At present many physicians oriented with using nutritional supplements use Glycine for treating hypoglycemia. (Glycine stimulates secretion of glucagon, which mobilizes glycogen, which is then secreted into the blood as glucose). Besides this, it is effective for the neutralization of high acidity of gastric juices (and is a constituent of many medicines used for treating gastric juice acidity).

It is also used for certain types of acidemia (low рН* - high blood acidity), especially the one which is caused by leucine imbalance, which leads to the appearance of body and mouth odors (which used to be treated only by limiting leucine in daily nutrition).

Cystine and cysteine.

Cystine is a stable form of sulfur containing the amino acid of cysteine (an important nutrition element to overcome aging). An organism easily converts the first into the second and vice versa when necessary; both forms can be regarded in metabolism as one amino acid. In the course of Cystine exchange, sulfur acid is formed, which interacts with other compounds and facilitates detoxification of the body.

As it has been shown, sulfur-containing amino acids, especially Cystine and cysteine, proved to be an effective protection against toxic manifestations of copper. The excess of copper in human body is the sign of Wilson disease.

Cystine/cysteine can also help to bind and thus protect the body from other toxic radicals, which are formed as a result of smoking and drinking alcohol. Smokers and heavy drinkers were counseled to take daily cysteine supplements (L-cysteine) with vitamin С (with the vitamin С dose being three times greater than that of cysteine).

The supplements are not necessarily to be taken on an empty stomach. Recent research showed that cysteine can significantly protect from influence of X-rays and radiation.

Aspartic acid.

Aspartic acid helps to expel foul ammonia from the body. When ammonia gets into the blood circulation system, it acts as a highly toxic essence. Expelling ammonia aspartic acid helps to protect the central nervous system.

The latest researches show that it can be an important factor in increasing resistance to fatigue. When the salts of aspartic acid where given to athletes, their strength and tolerance were increased considerably.

L-aspartic acid (the natural form of aspartic acid) is produced as a supplement in pills of 250 and 500 mg. The average dose is 500 mg 1 - 3 times a day with water or juice (without proteins).

Glutamine and glutamine acid.

Glutamine acid serves mainly as fuel for the brain. It has the ability to collect the excess of ammonia which can inhibit higher brain function and change it into buffer glutamine.

As glutamine creates significant increase in the level of glutamine acid, its deficiency in daily food can cause shortage of glutamine acid in the brain.

Along with the ability to increase intellect (even the IQ of mentally retarded children), it has been shown that glutamine can be helpful in treatment of alcoholism. It was found that it reduces the time of ulcer healing and is helpful in cases of tiredness, depression and impotence.

Recently it has been successfully used in treatment of schizophrenia and senile deviations. L-glutamine (natural form of glutamine) is produced in capsules of 500 mg.

The recommended dose is 1 - 4 g (1,000 – 4,000 mg) daily, divided between few intakes. (In case of tiredness, depression and impotence it is recommended to take 500 – 1,000 mg daily in the course of the first several weeks, 1,200 – 1,500 mg daily for the next several weeks and finally in a month to reach 2,000 mg).