What are amino acid supplements - what are they made from and why would one take them? or not take them?

thanks

the best source of amino acids i know of is hemp seed
it also contains copious amounts of B12 B6 omega-3
omega-6 protein fiber and everything people seem to
complain about on this forum.
also you don't need to cook it like soy.
any supplement you find will likely not be raw.
so eat hemp seed and forget about deficiencies.

Thank you -

but I repeat my question

its mostly bodybuilders and athletes who supplement with amino acids and other protein products.

good raw sources would be hemp, goji is a complete protein also, alfalfa and other sprouts.

if you do supplement remember to take 30 minutes before food as it will compete for absorbtion.

> What are amino acid supplements

There are something like 8 essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Lysine is one. I used a lysine pill supplement for many years to help a candida symptom.

>what are they made from and why would one take them? or not take them?

They are made from foods containing protein. One might take them to compensate for the lack of specific essential amino acids in the diet. For instance, wheat is a little low in lysine, so those using wheat as a staple might benefit as I did. I don't rely on wheat any more and was able to drop the supplement without a return of symptoms.

So - when I am 100% raw I wonder if I am low in amino acids because I cannot tolerate sprouts or seeds except in really miniscule amounts very infrequently and I still feel the unpleasant effects even then.

I wonder though if I need to supplement as I don't think I class as an athlete all though I frequently run half marathons and train to about 30 miles a week at the moment - increasing this year for a marathon.

It could be that you are intolerant of seeds because you are very sensitive. All seeds have some amount of toxin in them to discourage being eaten. When I eat seeds (and some nuts) I experience a bitterness that limits how much I want to eat them.

Gabriel Cousins wrote a book called Depression Free for Life, in this book he discusses the amino acid supplements. I found it to be an excellent book with great descriptions of the various supplements and how they help the body. Even if you are not depressed, it is a good read. He addresses other supplements as well. I discovered SAMe from this book. When I take it, all of my aches go away. I am a runner and do weights and had spent the better part of last year at physio for a couple of injuries. The physio didn't know what more she could do for my lower back, but that is about the time I started the SAMe. The pain went away - completely and I haven't had to go back to physio. Apparently, it is a good supplement for the joints. After playing around with it a bit (upping/lowering the dosage), I discovered that as soon as I lower the dosage or go off of it, the aches come back! It is that effective for me. Anyhow, that's just my experience with that one, but there are others I take, too and they have also helped me. Ideally, if we could get everything through our diet, that would be best, but the body is an amazing thing and who knows what we might be missing. Listen to your body, do the necessary research and see what happens.

leannesusan - thanks that is very interesting. I have been suffering from inflamation of the joints which flared up so badly last year with massive swellings etc that I had to take 6 months off - yikes. The doctors offered truly awful drugs, the like of which they use to treat malaria and cancer. I obviously didn't take them. The doctors called it reactive arthritis and couldn't tell me why I had got it or when/if it would go.

I am a lot better as you can see from my running schedule but I still do have sore knees and sometimes top of spine - hmm I wonder. I have never heard of SAMe - I will google.

I am also interested in the book you mentioned so thanks again

Every cell in the body is comprised of proteins. Amino acids are the chemical substances that make up protein. Our bodies use 22 amino acids to make the 50,000 different proteins we must have to be healthy. Of the 22 amino acids there are 8 that are essential for human nutrition. An essential amino acid is one that cannot be synthesised from other available resources, and therefore must be supplied as part of the diet. (from: [www.glisonline.com]) - There is some good information from that website. It lists the 8 essential aa's and explains that all of them can be obtained from non-meat sources. As I mentioned in my previous post, I do take some in supplement form, but that is what I needed. Everyone is different and factors such as emotional and physical stress might cause one to need more. Lots of information out there on aa's. Just try to find non-biased sources (ie. not someone in a sport's store trying to sell you a supplement)

Yes - thanks. I will look for non biased information.

Thanks for the head's up on SAMe, I'll look that up. I have some recurring pain in the knees, ankles and wrists from years of gruelling work in the service industry (industry, as though we are robots. Waitrons and food servitroids, ay). I hate to think that I will be bound to taking a supplement for life but maybe it will alleviate the pain enough for me to do some helpful physio, after that we'll see.

Powerlifer, I eat hemp seeds but usually include them in smoothies and sprinkled in salad. I'll start taking them on their own instead. Thanks for that info.

I learned the other day that the SAMe should be enteric coated and individually foil packed. I like double strength Doctor's Best from iherb - found it to be the best quality and price. One note: in the beginning it can cause digestive upset. That is mainly how I began experimenting with the dosage and realized how much better I felt on it, made me determined to keep at it until the side effect went away - it didn't take too long before I could take 2/day. I kept reading that this side effect was temporary and would eventually go away and it did, but I had to start with a lower dose then build up to what worked for me. You can find many articles about it online, especially how they discovered it was great for osteoarthritis and joint health, but was originally used to treat depression in Europe. I hope it helps others as much as it has helped me.

Coco - I agree about not wanting to be bound to a supplement for life. I have to say I am also deeply suspicious about any pill that was developed for one thing and is then used for all kinds of different things.

I have 2 supplements on the shelf at the moment and am thinking hang on - this isn't right - I could end up with a shelf full. I really want my diet to provide but......

The thing with little seeds is that I worry they will pass through me undigested. I mean it is pretty difficult to know if you have chewed a hemp or sesame seed isn't it. And my digestion isn't what it could be - things do tend to skip on through!!

However, thanks to the helpful advice given on this thread I will go away and do some research

Hemp seeds generally have the shell removed (it is obnoxiously crunchy, I find inedibly so) so they are easily digested. If you want to eat flax and receive it's benefits you can grind it in a spice mill/coffee grinder before sprinkling it on your food. Both must be kept in the fridge as they oxidize quickly and fresh ground as you use it is best. Chia supposedly becomes very digestable after soaking but if in doubt you can add it to a smoothie, I have done this and didn't notice any whole seeds as I drank it. The soak water (more like gel) is supposed to be great for you as well.

brags liquid amino acid spray. mmm tastey


i am in a nutrition class which advises not to take an amino acid supplement.

flipperjan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Coco - I agree about not wanting to be bound to a
> supplement for life...

RE: amino acids (& other supps).

You are right. But even good foods are not necessarily well digested, either. It seems to me that Step 1 would be normalization of the liver and digestive system. What do you think? However, to normalize your organs, for middle aged and older folks, you have to have nutrients, so it is a catch - 22 situation. I read in an older nutrition book that in some cases, you have to temporarily use a crutch - Hydrochloric Acid. And for other people, taking supplements for a period of time along with your good diet & HCl is also mandatory.

It is all a debate over just where to start. I am sorry to note that modern naturopathic doctors are really just MDs in disguise. You go there with your symptoms and more often than not they prescribe a shitload of supplements or, even worse, highly specific nutriceuticals such as amino acids, which is flipperjan's original post here. They don't necessarily tell you that you will "need" to take these all your life (because your body isn't synthesizing or digesting normally).

In my experience with my child, the older naturopaths (trained prior to the 1960s) didn't go this way. They were more into herbs and cleansings. More holistic. Same with classical or traditional Chinese doctors.

your stomach acid declines with age and what comes with that is age related deficiences which usually get brush over such as silica(osteoperosis) and so on.

some here are very against using supplements/herbs of any kind which is more than fair but they have there time and place and no diet raw or not wont change that. If your stomach acid is low your not going to be breaking down protein adequatley.

digestive bitters are a good start they stimulate the release of stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes, bile secreation and stimulate the liver. Hopefully then your diet is adequate enough in the nutrients it needs in the formation of stomach acid such as zinc, b vitamins and so on.

Yes, good suggestions about the digestive bitters.

Horsea Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, good suggestions about the digestive bitters.


they really do cleanse the liver strongly so remember to up your water if you take them. I prefer grape, chinese or any formula not containing the stimulant laxative herbs found in the swedish. End of day any bitter herb works similar.