Essential (vital) amino acids are necessary building blocks of proteins and must be obtained from the diet because the human body does not have adequate self-synthesis.
Essential amino acids include:
- Histidine*
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Valine
Amino acids not only have great importance as building blocks of proteins, but also serve as starting products of a variety of compounds that perform important metabolic functions in the body. For example, the vital L-carnitine, which among other things takes a significant task in fat metabolism, is formed from the two essential amino acids lysine and methionine.If the body lacks an amino acid or an endogenous agent formed from it, such as a hormone, is no longer produced sufficiently, so important bodily functions are no longer guaranteed optimally.* Histidine is certainly essential for the infant. For the adult, histidine may be classified as semi-essential (conditionally essential).
