Amino acid

Provided by: Healthwise
50% of users found this article helpful.

Amino acids are the chemicals that make up proteins. The human body needs 20 different amino acids to function properly.

Some amino acids are made by the body, while others, called essential amino acids, can be obtained only from foods.

Author:Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Medical Review:Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Marc S. Micozzi, MD, PhD - Policy Institute for Integrative Medicine
Last Updated: 06/27/2007

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