Beta Alanine
Beta-alanine enhances performance by increasing exercise capacity and decreasing muscle fatigue. It also has antioxidant, immune-enhancing and anti-aging properties. You can get beta-alanine from foods that contain carnosine or through supplements.
L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine is one of the most important nutrients for a healthy digestive tract because of its ability to maintain the integrity of the intestinal wall. This amino acid (in fact it’s the most abundant amino acid in the body) heals all tissue in the body, especially those irritated tissues in the digestive tract.
It is also known as the calming amino acid since it’s very effective at reducing anxiety, as well as sugar and alcohol cravings. At Nutritional Weight & Wellness we always look for real food sources first. For this important amino acid, we’re lucky that all animal protein foods are great sources of glutamine.
The long list includes beef, bison, chicken, fish, free-range eggs, grass-fed dairy, lamb, pork and turkey. However, if you or someone in your family isn’t eating sufficient amounts of animal protein and/or has the above symptoms we recommend taking a glutamine supplement.
Citrulline Malate
Citrulline is an amino acid that was first found in watermelon. It is considered nonessential, meaning that your body can naturally produce some on its own. However, you can increase your levels by eating foods containing citrulline or by taking dietary supplements, rather than relying on your body's production alone.
These higher levels may produce beneficial effects on health and exercise performance, as discussed later in this article. Citrulline has important roles in the body, but unlike some amino acids, it is not used to build proteins.
However, it plays a necessary part in the urea cycle, which rids your body of harmful compounds. Specifically, the urea cycle removes ammonia from the body. The final product of this cycle is urea, which your body gets rid of in urine. Citrulline can also help widen your blood vessels and may play a role in muscle building.
Taurine
Taurine is found abundantly in healthy bodies.6 However, certain diets, particularly vegetarian or vegan diets, lack adequate amounts of taurine.
Disease states—including liver, kidney, or heart failure, diabetes, and cancer—can all cause a deficiency in taurine, and aging bodies often cannot internally produce an optimal amount of taurine, making supplementation vital.
That’s why those interested in longevity should consider this vital and super low-cost nutrient. In this article, you’ll learn how boosting taurine levels can contribute to better cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurologic health.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are minerals that conduct electricity when dissolved in water.
They’re distributed through the fluid in your body and use their electrical energy to facilitate important bodily functions.
Electrolytes are essential for:
- Controlling your fluid balance.
- Regulating your blood pressure.
- Helping your muscles contract — including your heart.
- Maintaining the correct acidity of your blood (pH).
Multivitamins
The body needs these nutrients for reproduction, maintenance, growth and regulation of bodily processes. Multivitamins may contain many of these vitamins and minerals, but in varying forms and amounts. They can also contain other ingredients like herbs, amino acids and fatty acids.
L-Leucine
Leucine is an amino acid that is used by the body mainly for building muscle and providing energy. It’s widely used to improve strength during exercise and muscle recovery times, which makes it a popular supplement among athletes and gym members.
Similarly to many other amino acids, leucine is found in many foods that are high in protein. Examples include meats (such as fish, chicken, and turkey), dairy products (such as yogurt and cheese), and soybeans. Other foods like eggs, nuts, seeds, and fruit also contain leucine, but to a lesser extent.
Exercise leads to branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) breakdown, especially in the muscles . BCAAs help protein synthesis and prevent protein degradation, which in turn helps prevent muscle fatigue and soreness.
L-Isoleucine
This amino acid is especially important to serious athletes and body builders because its primary function in the body is to boost energy and help the body recover from strenuous physical activity.
Isoleucine is an essential acid, which means that it cannot be manufactured in the body and must be obtained through dietary sources. Good sources of isoleucine include high-protein foods, such as nuts, seeds, meat, eggs, fish, lentils, peas, and soy protein. People that exercise a lot or that have a low-protein diet should consider supplementation.
L-Valine
L-valine is one of the 20 amino acids used to synthesize proteins in the human body, which are chemically known as proteinogenic amino acids. It is named for the valerian plant, from which valine was first derived. The DNA codons for L-valine are GUA, GUC, GUG and GUU. L-valine is non-polar and is one of three proteinogenic amino acids that have a branched chain, along with isoleucine and leucine.
The most common uses of L-valine in health supplements relates to its role in muscle synthesis and maintenance. Additional uses of L-valine include stress management, growth in children and support of the immune system.
Vitamin B6
Our bodies use B vitamins to convert the food we eat into the energy we need to function. Together the complex of eight B vitamins are important for metabolism, brain and liver function, growth, and building blood cells, as well as for maintaining healthy hair, skin, and vision.
More specifically, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) — one of the eight — plays key roles in keeping the brain and nervous system functioning properly, says Sonya Angelone, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Vitamin B6 is involved in production of hemoglobin, the protein in blood that carries oxygen throughout the body.”
