Do you feel like you were just getting an understanding of essential amino acids, and then heard someone mention that some amino acids can be “conditionally essential”?
How can an amino acid only be essential some of the time?
Essential amino acids are the ones your body needs help to produce from food you eat.
Conditionally essential amino acids are usually produced naturally by your body, but sometimes if your body is struggling you may not produce enough of these acids.
That’s when you’ll want to make sure your diet includes enough variety and protein for you.
For many, the quest for how to become a nutritionist in Canada starts with a single point of curiosity about human health – and if it was amino acids that brought you here, welcome.
Here at the Edison Institute of Nutrition, our world renowned diploma in holistic nutrition course can teach you everything you’ve always wanted to know about amino acids – and much more.
Last week, we took a look at understanding essential amino acids – this week, we’ll explore conditionally essential amino acids.
How is it possible that amino acids are only sometimes essential?
Keep reading to find out.
What Are Amino Acids?
Amino acids play a critical part in your body’s functions.
These acids help your body build proteins while assisting with various processes; these include maintaining your blood sugar and creating neurotransmitters.
Regulating your immune system and hormones, and building muscles, are also the responsibility of amino acids.
Amino acids are organic compounds made of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen.
While your body produces some amino acids, others are created when you consume certain foods.
What Are Conditionally Essential Amino Acids?
Your body uses 20 different amino acids to work properly.
Nine of those are considered essential amino acids, but there are also several amino acids that are “conditionally essential.”
Essential amino acids are the ones your body needs help producing, and nonessential amino acids are produced by your body naturally.
If your body is functioning normally, it will produce these conditionally essential acids – but in some cases, it may have difficulty doing so.
If you’re dealing with an illness, stress, or injury, your body may not be able to keep up with the creation of these amino acids.
During pregnancy, certain amino acids may not be prevalent enough to support you and your baby, making them conditionally essential.
If your body is no longer creating enough of these amino acids, you may need to supplement them because they have become essential.
Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
Arginine
The production of nitric acid, a vasodilator that improves blood pressure and blood flow, is increased by the amino acid arginine.
Because of this arginine is vital for your heart health, helping to increase blood flow and used to treat circulatory diseases.
Arginine can also help prevent ammonia from forming in your liver, and may even be useful for people with diabetes because of its role assisting glucose metabolism.
Premature infants can’t produce arginine on their own, and those with cancer and other diseases may have a difficult time producing it as well.
In The Edison Institute’s Certified Holistic Cancer Practitioner course, you’ll learn about the benefit of arginine for those with cancer, and much more beyond that.
Cysteine
Cysteine is an amino acid that contains sulfur and helps proteins maintain their structure.
This conditionally essential amino acid has a lot of keratin, which keeps your skin, nails, and hair healthy.
Collagen formation and neurotransmitter production both also fall under the domain of cysteine.
Infants, seniors, and people with metabolic conditions may require supplementing.
Glutamine
Glutamine is an amino acid that is a jack of all trades, playing a role in many different functions.
Your body’s energy production, digestive health, immune function, and glucose regulation are all among the responsibilities of glutamine.
Critical illness can lead to muscle wasting, and glutamine is an essential component that prevents this issue.
At the same time, the muscle wasting elements of certain illnesses may overwhelm your body’s glutamine reserves, which is where you might need to supplement or get more in your diet.
Glycine
Of the amino acids present in collagen, glycine makes up almost a third.
It is the second most common amino acid in body proteins and also functions as a neurotransmitter.
Glycine can be converted to glucose in your liver, replenishing your brain’s energy stores.
Like with other conditionally essential amino acids, stress, illness, or injury may make it more difficult for your body to produce glycine.
Ornithine
Ornithine is needed for your body’s urea cycle, which helps to eliminate excess nitrate from the body.
Wound recovery and stress management are often boosted by ornithine.
Important compounds in your body like glutamic acid and proline all depend on ornithine.
Chronic disease, severe injury, and pregnancy can all result in issues with ornithine production.
Proline
Tissue repair and cellular regeneration both fall under the purview of the amino acid proline.
Proline, like glycine, is a component in collagen and thus helps support your arteries’ elasticity.
Serious injuries like burns, or severe stress to your body like endurance exercise, can cause proline to be a conditionally essential amino acid.
Serine
Serine is an amino acid that plays a large role in your metabolism.
Cell membranes, fatty acid metabolism, and molecule production are all assisted by serine.
Serine is also important for the function of your brain and central nervous system, and there is even some evidence that a lack of serine is linked to conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
So if you’re dealing with either of those, you may benefit from serine supplements.
Tyrosine
Melanin production, thyroid hormone production, and blood pressure regulation all have tyrosine to thank.
Neurotransmitters such as dopamine and epinephrine all need this conditionally essential amino acid.
Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that tyrosine is made from, so it’s possible if you don’t get enough phenylalanine in your diet that you could be deficient in tyrosine as well.
How To Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Conditionally Essential Amino Acids
The best way to make sure you’re getting the conditionally essential amino acids you need is eating a varied diet.
Certain foods will boost your body’s production of amino acids when your body is under stress.
Fish and poultry will help with nearly all of the conditionally essential amino acids talked about above.
Seeds like pumpkin and sunflower seeds help with the production of arginine, cysteine, and tyrosine.
Serine and tyrosine can both be boosted if you eat almonds, while nearly all of the conditionally essential amino acids can be made from soybeans.
Make sure your diet is varied and protein rich and you’ll be on your way to a balanced and content body.
Contact The Edison Institute Of Nutrition Today
If you’d like to know more about the nutrition behind your body’s conditionally essential amino acids, we can help.
Whether you’re learning for your own health or to help instruct others, look no further.
