• What are Amino Acids?

  • Amino acids are the fundamental molecules that serve as the building blocks for proteins.

• Number of Amino Acids:

  • There are 20 different amino acids.

• How Amino Acids Form Proteins:

  • A protein consists of one or more chains of amino acids (called polypeptides).
  • The sequence of amino acids in a protein is encoded in a gene.

• Essential Amino Acids:

  • Cannot be made by the body and must be obtained from food.

  • The 9 essential amino acids are: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine.

• Non-Essential Amino Acids:

  • Can be produced by the body, even if not obtained from food. Include: Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Aspartic acid, Cysteine, Glutamic acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine.

** Cysteine Restriction & Weight Loss** - "Nutrition science isn't just about adding years to life, but life to years."*

• Study: Removing cysteine from mice diets caused 30% body weight loss in 1 week.
• Mechanism: Disruption of sulfur metabolism → Impaired energy production & detoxification.
• Significance: Reveals cysteine's critical role in metabolic regulation (beyond basic nutrition).

Cysteine: Essential Facts