Amino acids are the building blocks of protein–one of the three macronutrients. Many of us learn that in biology growing up. To paint a more in-depth picture, amino acids are actually involved in many critical body processes, from building muscle to synthesizing important neurotransmitters like GABA and dopamine.
When you digest any food with protein in it, you are breaking it down into these important amino acid compounds. But we don’t always get the right combination of foods, which leads to deficiencies.
The amino acids have been specifically studied for all of the important roles they play in the body. For example, the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) are important for muscle synthesis. Amino acid glutamine plays an important role in maintaining gut lining health while also promoting a relaxed mental state.
There are 20 standard amino acids derived through the diet that all serve their own important roles in the body. Eleven of these amino acids are considered “non-essential,” meaning they are synthesized within the body. The other nine, however, are considered “essential” and must be acquired through the diet.
One of the more obvious reasons for amino acid deficiency is the simple lack of proper nutrition. If your diet lacks the right foods with all essential amino acids, then you will not have them in your physiological arsenal.
One such diet that I often see amino acid deficiencies is a vegetarian or vegan diet. Because most foods in these diets do not complete proteins (not containing all essential amino acids), they require a little more planning to ensure adequate amounts of amino acids are absorbed into the body.
Also, a diet that relies on the chronic consumption of sugary and starchy foods and damaged fats (such as the standard American diet) can inhibit the ability of the pancreas to release proteolytic enzymes. Proteolytic enzymes are responsible for separating proteins into their individual amino acids.
The lining of the gut is only one layer of thick cells. This makes it very delicate but it’s necessary for the function of regulating and absorbing nutrients of the foods we eat into the bloodstream. The spaces between these cells are tightly regulated to only allow certain things to pass while keeping the rest out.
When we damage these cells by consuming GMOs, foods with pesticides, chlorinated water, processed foods, taking antibiotics, or even from low-grade food sensitivities, the spaces between these cells are loosened. This is a problem because larger food molecules get through into the bloodstream and the body mistakes them for foreign pathogens. This ultimately manifests in the body as sudden food allergies, autoimmunity, systemic inflammation, and malnourishment because, like with any foreign pathogen, the body builds an automatic immune response that it uses any time something similar comes along. Say, for example, you eat a piece of chicken that contains connective tissue found in the joints in between bones. When that connective tissue enters the bloodstream via a leaky gut, the body builds an immune response. After a while, it notices that the connective tissue in your joints looks a lot like that chicken connective tissue it’s been fighting. Your body attacks your own joints and you’ve got what we call rheumatoid arthritis.
Also, with a damaged gut comes poor digestion. At this point, even someone eating a clean healthy diet may not be extracting all of the important nutrients from their food.
A huge misinterpreted symptom in the body many people deal with is heartburn. The traditional approach to correcting heartburn is to take something that neutralizes your elevated stomach acid levels. But what we know now is that heartburn is actually a sign of low stomach acid. Stomach acid is what signals the esophageal sphincter (connecting the esophagus to the stomach) to close and prevent heartburn. So, the best way to mitigate heartburn is actually to support stomach acid.
Adequate stomach acid production is also critical for proper protein breakdown and amino acid absorption. Along with proteolytic enzymes from the pancreas, stomach acid must be present for proper digestion. Unfortunately, amino acids are also involved in enzyme synthesis so low stomach acid will typically also deplete digestive enzymes.
If you have acid reflux then this should be a huge indication that you need to start supporting your stomach acid production. If you do not have acid reflux but want to test your stomach acid levels, an easy at-home test can help with this. Try the baking soda test outlined below and take necessary action steps depending on the outcome.
Ensure you’re getting all your amino acids
- Eat a proper diet – This means get about 30-40% clean proteins such as grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, and wild-caught fish. Factory farmed meat is full of grains, pesticides, and antibiotics, which leads to…
- Leaky gut – If you’ve got a leaky gut (which you probably do), then fix it. One of the best ways to do that is a bone broth fast. Also, clean up your diet. Organic fruits and vegetables, non-factory farmed meats.
- Balance your stomach acid – No, it doesn’t mean you should mainline Tums. Some great ways to balance your stomach acid is to consume a shot or two of apple cider vinegar a day, take a digestive enzyme regularly, eat smaller meals and chew your food more thoroughly, take an HCL with Pepsin supplement and have your adrenal glands checked for adrenal fatigue (and obviously manage that if that’s the case).
- Get rid of refined sugars.
