Essential Amino Acids

Cereal grains and products

Altogether there are 20 amino acids required by the human body of which eight are essential amino acids. Combination of amino acids makes up the protein ? the building blocks of the body.

The eight essential amino acids: phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, leucine and lysine. Two additional amino acids - histidine and arginine are required by infants and growing children.

Essential amino acids are so called because they are not synthesized by our body and are hence required in our diet.

The other 10 amino acids are called non-essential, because the body is able to synthesize them, however in certain congenital condition they may not be manufactured. These are alanine, asparagines, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine and tyrosine.