Amino Acids: Secret to Enhanced Stamina and Vitality
We get weaker with age. It's unavoidable but a natural part of life. Sarcopenia is a common consequence of getting older and comes from losing muscle mass between your 30s and 40s.
This gradual muscle loss causes two major issues: reduced stamina and diminished motor skills. Other complications include:
- Poor balance
- Increased risk of falling
- Difficulty walking up stairs
Amino acids can help with these issues; however, it becomes harder to produce them as we age. Fortunately, we can help with that.
Below, you'll learn how to find the best amino acids supplement to help revitalize your energy. We'll discuss essential amino acids benefits and list the best supplements for stamina and muscle.
What Are Amino Acids?
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which are long chains of amino acids. The amino acid sequence determines the shape and job of the protein. You can look here for a complete list of amino acids.
The human body needs 20 types of amino acids to function, including arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, and glutamic acid. Nine of these 20 are essential, meaning the body can't synthesize them.
You can get these from either food or energy-boosting supplements. Here's a list of the nine essential amino acids:
- Phenylalanine
- Valine
- Tryptophan
- Threonine
- Isoleucine
- Methionine
- Histidine
- Leucine
- Lysine
Some of the 11 non-essential amino acids are conditional, which means your body may not be able to produce them when you're ill or stressed. Cysteine, tyrosine, glycine, and arginine are a few conditional amino acids.
What Do Amino Acids Do?
Amino acids have many functions within the body. Our main focus is how they provide energy and build muscle, but amino acids also:
- Grow and repair bodily tissue
- Boosts the immune system
- Helps to sustain the digestive system
- Helps maintain healthy skin, nails, and hair
- Promote gut health
What's the Best Amino Acids Supplement?
We won't discuss specific brands but how certain amino acids can re-energize you and help bring back musculature. For example, valine supplies the body with energy during stressful times.
Your body needs energy to build muscle. Valine gives you energy and keeps it from breaking down during low-energy periods. The amino acid increases muscle recovery and endurance, allowing for greater physical activity.
Methionine
The second of our essential amino acids for seniors helps detoxify heavy metals. Methionine protects the body from free radicals (molecules that damage cells and DNA).
Methionine's most important function (in this context) is its effect on metabolism, which aids energy creation. Your metabolism is the chemical process that converts food into energy.
A healthy metabolism provides enough stamina for necessary bodily functions like movement, breathing, and thinking. Methionine, in particular, aids fat breakdown and regulates the metabolic process.
Methionine helps the body make creatine. Creatine builds muscle and produces energy bursts for movement and muscular strength.
Lysine
Lysine, or Llysine, is an essential amino acid that aids carnitine production and enables fatty acid conversion into energy. The human body cannot create lysine, but carnitine comes from the liver and kidneys.
Your body stores the nutrient throughout the body in:
- The skeletal system
- The heart
- The brain
- Within sperm
The human body can make enough carnitine if you have a healthy lysine intake. Other benefits of L-lysine include better calcium absorption, lowering cholesterol, and collagen production.
L-Carnitine
L-carnitine is another amino acid that converts fat into energy. This protein building block transports fatty acids into cell mitochondria, which turns the fat into adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
ATP is the fuel that contracts muscles so we can do everyday activities. Your body can turn fat into fuel without L-carnitine. However, it uses other energy sources like muscle protein and glycine.
The constant burning of muscle eventually leads to diminished muscle strength. Weakened muscles make it harder to perform activities of daily living and increase the risk of accidents.
How to Choose Supplements: Ensuring Safety
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't check supplements for safety, effectiveness, or quality. You have no guarantee the supplements contain what they say or don't have extraneous materials.
The FDA does require supplement suppliers to adhere to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP), but compliance isn't always enforced. It's up to you to vet your supplements.
You should check whether the suppliers do third-party testing. It isn't a legal requirement but shows a commitment to making quality products. A tested product will be tested for two out of four of these:
- The supplement contains what's on the label
- In the exact listed amounts
- The product comes in standardized batches
- It's free of harmful contaminants, drugs or otherwise
- There are no undeclared ingredients
Should You Take Energy Boosting Supplements?
It's harder for older adults to make and use amino acids. Their muscles respond less efficiently to anabolic stimuli, reducing muscle mass and metabolism, and contributing to fatigue.
However, you may not need vitality-enhancing products to compensate for amino acids' reduced creation and effectiveness. Nor does "less effective" mean "no effectiveness."
Seniors can get all the amino acids they need from a healthy, balanced diet containing plenty of proteins. You can get essential amino acids from:
- Meat
- Poultry
- Fish
- Eggs
- Dairy products
Beans, lentils, and whole grains are another source of amino acids for seniors. Digestion may be a potential problem with an increased protein diet; seniors often have issues with protein digestion.
Reduced enzyme production makes protein digestion more difficult for older adults. Always ask a medical professional before changing your diet or taking supplements.
Stay Informed and Stay Healthy
Keeping yourself healthy can be difficult. Your body can't do what it used to when you were younger, but staying informed can help.
Understanding amino acids can aid your stamina, vitality, and muscle strength. Your new knowledge will help you find the best amino acids supplement.
At LakeHouse Chippewa Falls, we will ensure you get the health aid you need via our personalized care plans. Medication management makes it easier for those with memory issues to take their supplements and prescription drugs.
Our community in Chippewa Falls, WI, offers supportive services with ADLs, live entertainment, card and board games, and church services. We'll deliver the care and comfort you deserve. Contact us today to schedule your tour.