Amino Acids Flashcards
- What is most abundant amino acid?
- Glutamine
- Name 3 functions of Glutamine?
Intestinal permeability and tight junctions – IBD, Autoimmune
Immunity- lymphocyte and macrophage proliferation- recurrent infections
Hypoglycemia- substrate for gluconeogenesis
Neurotransmitter- Glutamine converted to glutamate which is converted to GABA
- How does Glutamine help intestinal cells integrity?
- Can be used by tumours as an energy source for growth
- Why is Glutamine not recommended as a supplement in cancer patients?
- Glutamine is rapidly dividing cells e.g. enterocytes fuel and regulates intestinal permeability
- List 5 things that support intestinal tight junctions and regulate permeability
- Increase glutamine rich foods e.g. cabbage broth, increase zinc rich foods, increase quercetin e.g. apples and red onions, increase bone broth (collagen, glucosamine, chondritin)
- What additional nutrients/a.as are required for conversion of Glutamate to GABA?
- Taurine, B6 and Zinc
- What amino acids and vitamins are required to make Cysteine?
- Methionine, Serine, B6, 9, 12
- What is best form for supplementing cysteine?
- N-Acetyl Cysteine
- Food sources of cysteine
- Sesame seeds, eggs, legumes
- Functions and therapeutic uses of cysteine
- Liver detox- sulfation pathway, building block of glutathionine, antiox properties
T.u: Heavy metal detox, liver support, healthy aging
Respiratory health- expectorant properties- breaking up mucous- breaking disulphide bonds in mucoproteins
Reproductive health- increase sperm concentration
Insulin resistance- increases insulin sensitivity
- Why would you use carnitine for weight loss?
- Carnitine facilitates transport of LCFAs across cell membrane so that they can be oxidised to create ATP
- What is function of methionine?
- Methionine is the major methyl donor in the body for methyl reactions e.g. homocysteine and sulfation pathway in liver detoxification
- Food sources of Glycine?
- Sesame seeds, kale, spinach, eggs
- Why is glycine conditionally essential?
- Needed in times of metabolic stress e.g increased haem synthesis, collagen formation and glycine conjugation
- What cofactors are required for the production of Glycine
- Serine and B6
- What are functions and Therapeutic uses of glycine?
- Collagen- collagen is 1/3 glycine – required for structural integrity
GIT permeability, GIT repair, IBD, Tendon and ligament repair
Liver detox- required for conjugation in phase 2. Glycine component of glutathionine and bile acids
Neurotransmitter- Inhibitory
Reversible converted to serine- acetyl choline
- What is Therapeutic Dose of Taurine and Therapeutic Use?
- 500mg/ day
• Muscle health- imp for contraction
Heart health- cardiac muscle, anti inflamm, lowers BP. Approved for congestive heart failure in Japan
• Antiox- protects mitochondria from ROS
• Bile acid conjugation-end products of taurine conjugation are v soluble
• Neurological- agonist of GABA receptors
Neuroprotective
• Insulin- reduces insulin resistance
- What cofactors are required to create Taurine?
- Cysteine and B6
- Contraindications with taurine?
- Lithium- impact on bipolar disorder
- When might taurine production be insuffient?
- In times of metabolic stress
- Source of Theanine?
- Green tea
- Function of Theanine?
- Increases GABA- inhibitory/Calming
Increases serotonin and dopamine
Calming and mood enhancihng without drowsiness
- What a.a. is required to make serotonin/melatonin?
- Tryptophan
- Sources of Tryptophan
- Turkey, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains
- Why is Tryptophan important in energy production?
- Required to make Vitamin B3 which is needed to form 2 coezymes- NAD and NADP involved in ATP production
- What a.a. is a good buffer?
- Histadine
- Detail 3 reasons for protein related oedema
- Kidney disease, insufficient protein synthesis due to liver function, insufficient intake
- Give an example of a 2 polypeptide hormone
- Insulin
- Give 2 examples of a 1 polypeptide hormone
- Glucagon, PTH
15 pt Q : Functions of Protein
- Growth and repair
- Hormone Signalling
- Enzymes
- Immune
- Transport
- Fluid Balance
- Buffers
- Glycoprotein
Why should you carefully consider supplementing with isolated or few amino acids?
Compete for absorption- long term use may lead to insufficiencies
Amino acid production requires cofactors e.g. B Vitamins- address diet first
What amino acids are by products of the urea cycle?
CAO- Citruline, Arginine, Ornithine
Where does Urea cycle happen?
Liver
What symptoms are associated with hyperammonia?
Headaches, fatigue, confusion, irritability
What impact does cortisol have on protein?
Catabolic- breaks protein down in skeletal muscle
15 pt Q. Protein metabolism
- Deamination
- Urea cycle
incl. hyperammonaeia - Transamination
- Protein Turnover and Amino Acid Pool
- Cortisol/Starvation
What a.a. deficiency may occur on a diet high in beans?
Methionine
15pt Q. Protein Quality and Digestibility
- Digestibility
- Gut Health
- Anti-Nutrients
- How to improve digestibility
- Quality
- Complete VS Incomplete
- Animal VS Protein
- Amino Acid Combining
- Impact of too much protein
- Cancer, Kidney disease, Skeletal, CVD