Essential amino acid

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An essential amino acid or indispensable amino acid is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized de novo (from scratch) by the organism being considered, and therefore must be supplied in its diet. The amino acids regarded as essential for humans are phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, and histidine.[1] Additionally, cysteine (or sulphur-containing amino acids), tyrosine (or aromatic amino acids), and arginine are always required by infants and growing children.[2][3] Essential amino acids are "essential" not because they are more important for protein synthesis or general homeostasis than the others, but because the body does not synthesize them. If they are not taken up through diet, they will not be available for protein synthesis. In addition, the amino acids arginine, cysteine, glycine, glutamine, proline, serine and tyrosine are considered conditionally essential, meaning they are not normally required in the diet, but must be supplied exogenously to specific populations that do not synthesize them in adequate amounts.[4][5] An example would be with the disease phenylketonuria (PKU). Individuals living with PKU must keep their intake of phenylalanine extremely low to prevent mental retardation and other metabolic complications. However, they cannot synthesize tyrosine from phenylalanine, so tyrosine becomes essential in the diet of PKU patients.


Essentiality vs. conditional essentiality in humans[edit]

Essential Nonessential **
Histidine Alanine
Isoleucine Arginine*
Leucine Aspartic acid
Lysine Cysteine*
Methionine Glutamic acid
Phenylalanine Glutamine*
Threonine Glycine*
Tryptophan Proline*
Valine Serine*

(*) Essential only in certain cases.[4][5]

(**) Pyrrolysine, sometimes considered "the 22nd amino acid", is not listed here as it is not used by humans.[6]

Recommended daily amounts[edit]

Estimating the daily requirement for the indispensable amino acids has proven to be difficult; these numbers have undergone considerable revision over the last 20 years. The following table lists the WHO recommended daily amounts currently in use for essential amino acids in adult humans, together with their standard one-letter abbreviations.[3] Food sources are identified based on the USDA National Nutrient Database Release.

Amino acid(s) mg per kg body weight mg per 70 kg mg per 100 kg Main food sources
H Histidine 10 700 1000 eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, sesame, parmesan, peanuts[7]
I Isoleucine 20 1400 2000 eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, whitefish, parmesan, tofu, pork[8]
L Leucine 39 2730 3900 eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, sesame, whitefish, parmesan[9]
K Lysine 30 2100 3000 eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, whitefish, parmesan, smelts[10]
M Methionine

+ C Cysteine

10.4 + 4.1 (15 total) 1050 1500 eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, sesame, whitefish, smelts[11] + eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, sesame, peanuts, mustard seeds[12]
F Phenylalanine

+ Y Tyrosine

25 (total) 1750 2500 eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, sesame, whitefish, peanuts[13] + eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, sesame, parmesan[14]
T Threonine 15 1050 1500 eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, sesame, whitefish, smelts[15]
W Tryptophan 4 280 400 eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, sesame, winged beans, chia seeds[16]
V Valine 26 1820 2600 eggs, pulse (pea, lentil and faba bean) protein, soy protein, sesame, parmesan, beef[17]


Cellular use[edit]

At the level of the ribosome, the cells of eukaryotes require up to 21 different amino acids for protein synthesis. A shortfall of any one of these amino acids would thus be a limiting factor in protein synthesis. However, eukaryotes can synthesize some of these amino acids from other substrates. Consequently, only a subset of the amino acids used in protein synthesis are essential nutrients. Whether a particular amino acid is essential depends upon the species and the stage of development.

Scientists had known since the early 20th century that rats could not survive on a diet whose only protein source was zein, which comes from maize (corn), but recovered if they were fed casein from cow's milk. This led William Cumming Rose to the discovery of the essential amino acid threonine.[18] Through manipulation of rodent diets, Rose was able to show that ten amino acids are essential for rats: lysine, tryptophan, histidine, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, valine, and arginine, in addition to threonine. Rose's later work showed that eight amino acids are essential for adult human beings, with histidine also being essential for infants. Longer term studies established histidine as also essential for adult humans.[19]

Because of the obvious difference in the nutritional value of zein versus casein in rat nutrition, various attempts have been made to express the "quality" or "value" of various kinds of protein. Measures include the biological value, net protein utilization, protein efficiency ratio, protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score. These concepts are important in the livestock industry, because the relative lack of one or more of the essential amino acids in animal feeds would have a limiting effect on growth and thus on feed conversion ratio. Thus, various feedstuffs may be fed in combination to increase net protein utilization, or a supplement of an individual amino acid (methionine, lysine, threonine, or tryptophan) can be added to the feed.

Although proteins from plant sources tend to have a relatively low biological value, in comparison to protein from eggs or milk, they are nevertheless "complete" in that they contain at least trace amounts of all of the amino acids that are essential in human nutrition.[20] Eating various plant foods in combination can provide a protein of higher biological value.[21] Certain native combinations of foods, such as corn and beans, soybeans and rice, or red beans and rice, contain the essential amino acids necessary for humans in adequate amounts.[22]

Effects of deficiency[edit]




Using the one-letter designation shown above, mnemonic devices have been developed for use in memorizing the essential amino acids. Previous devices have utilized the first letter of the amino acids' names, and in general did not include arginine which is not always essential. Mnemonic devices in common use are PVT TIM HaLL[25] and TT HALL V(ery) IMP(ortant).[26]

Another method uses the first letter of each essential amino acid to begin each word in a phrase, such as: "Any Help In Learning These Little Molecules Proves Truly Valuable".[27] This method begins with the two amino acids that need some qualifications as to their requirements.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Young VR (1994). "Adult amino acid requirements: the case for a major revision in current recommendations". J. Nutr. 124 (8 Suppl): 1517S–1523S. PMID 8064412. 
  2. ^ Imura K, Okada A (1998). "Amino acid metabolism in pediatric patients". Nutrition 14 (1): 143–8. doi:10.1016/S0899-9007(97)00230-X. PMID 9437700. 
  4. ^ a b Fürst P, Stehle P (1 June 2004). "What are the essential elements needed for the determination of amino acid requirements in humans?". Journal of Nutrition 134 (6 Suppl): 1558S–1565S. PMID 15173430. 
  5. ^ a b Reeds PJ (1 July 2000). "Dispensable and indispensable amino acids for humans". J. Nutr. 130 (7): 1835S–40S. PMID 10867060. 
  6. ^ Richard Cammack. "Newsletter 2009, Biochemical Nomenclature Committee of IUPAC and NC-IUBMB". 
  7. ^ "Histidine sources". 
  8. ^ "Isoleucine sources". 
  9. ^ "Leucine sources". 
  10. ^ "Lysine sources". 
  11. ^ "Methionine sources". 
  12. ^ "Cystine sources". 
  13. ^ "Phenylalanine sources". 
  14. ^ "Tyrosine sources". 
  15. ^ "Threonine sources". 
  16. ^ "Tryptophan sources". 
  17. ^ "Valine sources". 
  18. ^ Rose WC, Haines WJ, Warner DT, Johnson JE. The amino acid requirements of man. II. The role of threonine and histidine. J Biol Chem. 1951;188(1):49-58
  19. ^ J D Kopple and M E Swendseid (May 1975). "Evidence that histidine is an essential amino acid in normal and chronically uremic man.". J Clin Invest. 55 (5): 881–891. doi:10.1172/JCI108016. PMC 301830. PMID 1123426. 
  20. ^ McDougall J. Plant foods have a complete amino acid composition. Circulation. 2002;105(25):e197
  21. ^ Woolf, P. J.; Fu, L. L.; Basu, A. (2011). "VProtein: Identifying Optimal Amino Acid Complements from Plant-Based Foods". In Haslam, Niall James. PLoS ONE 6 (4): e18836. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0018836. PMC 3081312. PMID 21526128.  edit
  22. ^ "Tillery points out that a number of popular ethnic foods involve such a combination, so that in a single dish, one might hope to get the ten essential amino acids. Mexican corn and beans, Japanese rice and soybeans, and Cajun red beans and rice are examples of such fortuitous combinations."
  23. ^ Rose, WC; Haines, WJ; Warner, DT (1951). "The amino acid requirements of man. III. The role of isoleucine; additional evidence concerning histidine" (PDF). J Biol Chem 193 (2): 605–612. PMID 14907749. Retrieved 15 Dec 2012 
  24. ^ Ahmed T, Rahman S, Cravioto A. Oedematous malnutrition. Indian J Med Res. 2009;130(5):651-654
  25. ^ Mnemonic 442 128
  26. ^ ;MATT VIL PLy Essential amino acids Essential amino acids, Mnemonic.
  27. ^ Williams, R.A.D.; Eliot, J.C. (1989). Basic and Applied Dental Biochemistry. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 149. ISBN 0-443-03144-4. 

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