What is the Amino Acid Pool?
The Amino Acid Pool is made up of 20 different amino acids which are critical building blocks for proteins. These 20 amino acids are essential for life and are used in different ways throughout the body, helping to create a variety of proteins, enzymes, and hormones.
Amino Acids Important for the Body
Amino acids are the bond that connect proteins together. Without amino acids, proteins would not be formed. Additionally, amino acids are important building blocks for hormones, antibodies, neurotransmitters, and enzymes.
Types of Amino acids
The pool is comprised of 20 different amino acids, which can be divided into two categories: essential (or indispensable) and non-essential (or dispensable). Essential amino acids are those not produced by the body, and have to be obtained from dietary sources. Non-essential amino acids can be made by the body using other amino acids already present.
Essential Amino Acids
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Valine
Non-Essential Amino Acids
- Alanine
- Arginine
- Asparagine
- Aspartic acid
- Cysteine
- Glutamine
- Glutamic acid
- Glycine
- Proline
- Serine
- Tyrosine
- Histidine
The combination of these 20 essential and non-essential amino acids forms the essential nutrient pool known as the amino acid pool. It is critical for the body to maintain a healthy balance of these amino acids, as they have a huge impact on the body’s ability to produce proteins, hormones, enzymes, and other important components.