Amino acids are the smallest building blocks of a protein. Proteins are "essential building blocks of life". But amino acids also fulfill independent functional tasks.

A distinction is made between essential and non-essential amino acids:

• Essential amino acids: must be supplied through food - an undersupply cannot be compensated
• Non-essential amino acids: can be formed in the organism by consuming essential amino acids

Essential

• isoleucine (VK)
• leucine (VK)
• lysine
• Methionine (SH)
• Phenylalanine (AAS)
• threonine
• Tryptophan (AAS)
• Valine (VK)

Semi-Essential

• arginine
• Histidine (AAS)
• cystine/cysteine ​​(SH)
• Tyrosine

Non-Essential

• Alanine
• aspartic acid/
  asparagine
• Glutamine
• asparagine
• glutamic acid
• Glutamine
• Glycine (glycine)
• serine
• proline
• Ornithine
• taurine
• Hydroxyproline
• citrulline
• 3-methylhistidine
• L-Theanine
• Glutamine
• Glycine (glycine)
• serine
• proline
• Ornithine
• taurine
• Hydroxyproline
• citrulline
• 3-methylhistidine
• L-Theanine
• and much more

Amino acids have three central tasks in our body:

• Structural tasks (anabolic function), i.e. the construction of proteins ("proteinogenicity")
• Energy production (catabolic function)
• Providing Sulfur

Proteins can be classified into the following 7 main functional groups:

The intake of (digestible) proteins takes place through food. By means of eenzymatic hydrolysis, the amino acids are released from the natural food proteins, which represent a mixture of amino acids.

The released amino acids are then available for the anabolic (constructive, conversion in the organism into endogenous protein) and catabolic metabolism (energy, nitrogen).