What are amino acids?
Amino acids are the “basic building blocks” of proteins. Proteins play an important role in the human body: they perform many important tasks and give structure to body tissues. A healthy, slim adult consists of about 14 to 18 percent proteins.
The body’s proteins are made up of 20 different amino acids. When proteins are made, the amino acids are linked together as if on a chain. Two amino acids joined together are called dipeptide, and three amino acids are called tripeptide. Small proteins consist of a chain of about 50 amino acids. Large proteins are composed of hundreds or thousands of amino acids and may consist of two or more folded amino acid chains.
Because proteins are the main components of most cellular structures, we must consume sufficient proteins in our diet. This is especially important during pregnancy, during growth, and when tissue is damaged as a result of injury or disease.
