Glutamine, carnitine, tryptophan, phenylalanine all sound like scientific and potent chemicals. But, these are simply amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins.
Amino acids are popping up in weight loss supplements everywhere now. Are these concentrated amino acids helpful with weight loss or is it just a marketing hoax?
Popular Amino Acids
- Carnitine: This is technically not an amino acid. However, it is made from two amino acids. The theory with carnitine is that since it is needed for fat metabolism to occur, if we have extra, fat metabolism will occur at a faster rate. This is not necessarily true. If you have extra, you are not going to burn more fat. However, if you are deficient supplementation will likely be effective.
- Glutamine: This is one of the most abundant and nonessential amino acids in the body. Again, if glutamine is so plentiful, why would supplementation improve the body’s processes? The only possible case for supplementation would be in extreme body building athletes and trauma or burn patients. Glutamine is crucial in the muscle building and repair process and not so much for weight management.
- Tryptophan: This is said to help reduce cravings, especially for carbohydrates. This is interesting because tryptophan is needed to make serotonin. So, by supplementing, will we have increased serotonin levels and be happy people without a care in the world for those desirable carbohydrates? More research is needed, but I don’t believe this is the case because the tryptophan to serotonin conversion is not very efficient.
- Phenylalanine and Tyrosine: These amino acids help to increase catecholamine production like norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine. Since these are stress hormones, they could possibly help to decrease appetite.
- Leucine: This amino acid is a building block of proteins and is a very popular supplement for its ability to possibly maintain and build muscle mass. There are some small studies that have also shown leucine as an appetite suppressant and body fat reducer.
Conclusion
Is more really better? That is the real question here. The average healthy person should have plenty of amino acids for proper metabolism and catecholamine production. No major studies have been done that show any of these amino acids to be beneficial for weight loss through supplementation. The only significant studies have shown glutamine to be beneficial for burn and trauma patients when decided on by their doctor. We get all the amino acids we need from animal and plant proteins in a balanced diet.
Do you supplement with amino acids, and if so, for what reasons?
Image Source: Flickr
Some amino acid supplementation can help spare muscle loss when on a caloric deficit. However, its importance is a very far and distant second to getting sufficient protein and an overall healthy eating plan.
I take beta-alanine because there have been some promising studies on its effectiveness on athletic performance as well as gains in the weight room.
Thank you for raising this important topic for discussion.
In my opinion, reaching your weight loss goals through amino acid supplementation should be considered carefully. Since the production of any individual people’s hormones, chemicals, and effects of amino acid supplementation vary greatly, it is important to first find out current levels of amino acids within your body. With this information, a specialist in amino acid supplementation will be able to recommend a precise program for you. They will take into consideration all things such as diet, nutrition, and other supplements or medications you may be taking. They will prescribe a schedule that might include taking certain amino acids in between meals (or whenever amino levels in your body would benefit from it). In any case amino acid supplementation can be used as a support to balanced diet but not replace it.
Amino acids are what make up proteins. A combination of amino acids= chicken breast! lol So if you eat anything with protein (lentils, steak, quinoa, milk etc) you are getting amino acids. Mind you every source of protein is made up of a different combination and amounts of amino acids. Heck proteins run everything in our body! DNA man! I have not heard of amino acid supplementation for weight loss. Only for preserving existing muscle. I know body builders and figure competitors will take amino acids while doing extreme dieting because it provides the body with the “materials” so they don’t catabolize their hard earned muscle.
Considering that you can get all amino acids from foods that you eat, I don’t supplement my diet with additional amino acids. I would think that most people who buy them think: If some is good, more is better. Which isn’t true–if you take in more amino acids than you need, you urinate them out. So if you’re buying all sorts of amino acid supplements, you have some pretty expensive urine.
While I take flax seed oil suppliments and a multi, I try to steer clear of too many ‘pills’. The best way to get your vitamins and everything else is from FOOD!