Q.List out the essential amino acids.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body and must come from food; there are ten commonly listed — Arg, His, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Thr, Trp, Val.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Of the roughly twenty amino acids used to build human proteins, the body can synthesise some of them from other molecules — these are the non-essential amino acids. A second group cannot be synthesised at all (or not fast enough to meet the body's needs) and therefore must be supplied ready-made in the diet. These are the essential amino acids.
Why the distinction matters: a protein that supplies all the essential amino acids in the right proportion is a 'complete' or 'first-class' protein (e.g. egg, milk, meat). Plant proteins often lack one or more, so vegetarian diets combine foods (cereals + pulses) to cover the full set. A shortage of even one essential amino acid limits protein synthesis in the body.
The essential amino acids (a helpful memory phrase is 'PVT TIM HALL'):
- Phenylalanine
- Valine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Isoleucine …
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