Amino Acids are the simplest forms of proteins. These are important to the body because they make up about 70 to 80% of the human body and are involved in almost every biological process that the human system undergoes. Amino acids are the one of the significant parts of the cells and are utilized as intermediates and even regulators of cellular processes. There are 20 amino acids that the body uses. However, only 10 of these are produced naturally by the body while others must be provided through the diet. These dietary amino acids must be supplied because even one amino acid deficiency can greatly affect many biological processes.

Amino acids are immediately utilized by the body and are not stored for future insufficiencies unlike fats and carbohydrates. Therefore, it is important to have dietary sources of amino acids every single day. The naturally produced amino acids are alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine and tyrosine. On the other hand, those that must be supplied through food intake, or also called essential amino acids, are arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. In this selection, we will be focusing on tyrosine.

Tyrosine is a special kind of amino acid because its amount is dependent on the supply of an essential amino acid which is phenylalanine. Therefore, if dietary supply of phenylalanine is inadequate, tyrosine will also be deficient. This amino acid is produced from phenylalanine in the liver. However, tyrosine may become an essential amino acid when there is genetic impairment called phenylketonuria in which phenylalanine is not converted to tyrosine but eliminated in the urine. This is due to the insufficiency of the enzyme called phenylalanine hydroxylase.

Tyrosine works as a direct precursor to the thyroid hormones called thyroxine and triiodothyronine. Aside from tyrosine, a high amount of iodide is also required for the production of thyroxine and triiodothyronine. A shortage of tyrosine and iodide may result into a drop in the levels of thyroxine and triiodothyronine in the bloodstream. As a coping mechanism, the hypothalamus produces more thyroid – stimulating hormone or TSH. TSH will cause the thyroid gland to increase the production of thyroglobulin, a gel – like glycoprotein inside the follicles of the thyroid gland.

However, without the corrected deficiency of tyrosine or iodide levels, the thyroid gland will not be able to manufacture thyroxine and triiodothyronine. In effect, the gland continues to produce thyroglobulin which results to the enlargement of the gland. This abnormal growth of the gland is known as goiter. Therefore, maintaining normal levels of thyroxine and triiodothyronine in the blood is crucial. These are also the hormones responsible for increasing the metabolic rate of cells thus leading to a normal body thermoregulation.

As mentioned above, tyrosine can be acquired from the diet and from phenylalanine. Therefore, to supply the body with adequate amount of tyrosine, phenylalanine must be well – supplemented as well. Great sources of phenylalanine include avocados, bananas, almonds, seeds, beans and dairy products. For people with phenylketonuria, tyrosine supplementation is also possible. This is available in powder or capsule forms.

Author Bio: Boost your thyroid Health with tyrosine at Vitanet ®, LLC Vitamin Store. Http://vitanetonline.com/

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: Tyrosine, thyroid Health, Amino Acid Tyrosine