Functional Amino Acids: A Breakthrough in Fighting Obesity

What is a functional amino acid? It is one that can regulate key metabolic pathways (series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell) to improve health, growth, development and reproduction of animals and humans. It can either be essential (one that cannot be synthesized by the body and therefore must be supplied in the diet) or non-essential (one that can be produced in the body), says Dr. Raja, AgriLife Research animal nutritionist and senior faculty fellow in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University.

Both humans and animals need these acids in their development and health improvement. Dr.Raja mentions a process called cell signaling through amino acids where their metabolic pathways may include protein synthesis, antioxidative reactions and oxidation of energy substrates. Both essential and non-essential types, however, says Dr. Raja, should be taken into consideration because of their importance in the preparation of a balanced diet that can stretch growth performance in ducks, chickens and fish. As for the nonessential type, it is one that humans should take into their system if they are to keep themselves clear of chronic diseases and retardation.

What is amazing in the previous research of Dr. Raja is his discovery of an amino acid called arginine which can bring about much benefit in the growing and developing pigs, sheep and rats embryos. And can help fight obesity. This, says Wu, should be the focus of expanded research so that new amino acids and how they contribute to health can be further looked into, considering that in the U.S., over 60 percent of adults are overweight or obese, and a large number of American children and those of other countries are, too. Worldwide, over 300 million adults are obese and more than 1 billion are overweight. The accompanying picture of obesity and cardiovascular diseases that go with it should spur scientists around the globe to fast track new research along this area for the treatment and prevention of said dysfunctions.

In the years ahead, researchers may look into the importance of how amino acids like arginine in human molecules and cells can reduce obesity by alleviating the human body of the so-called metabolic syndrome, which is a disorder increasing the risk of heart diseases and diabetes, and also on how elevated levels of leucine, an essential amino acid, may contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction, a deficit in the ability to produce cellular energy which causes autism, among others, and insulin resistance, including vascular resistance, among obese people.

Yet, although nutritional studies conducted on animals have proven to show benefits on human health also, Dr. Raja suggests that one should take caution to apply animal data to humans since dietary requirements differ from one species to another.

The AgriLife Research animal nutritionist likewise claims that diet supplements with arginine can help improve the quality of meat in pigs before they are slaughtered. But whether giving the same diet is necessary for prisoners in death row is the topic of a totally different argument.