Amino acids are the building blocks of the body that make up proteins. Protein substances consist of twenty amino acids that form muscles, organs, glands, tendons, nails and hair. On the other hand, amino acids are classified into two groups: these groups are essential and non-essential amino acids. Amino acids obtained from food are called essential amino acids, and amino acids that our body produces from other sources are called non-essential amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are also oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen. The growth and repair of all cells depends on it. An amino acid is an organic molecule containing a basic amino group and a carboxyl group. Proteins are polymers of amino acids. Like lipids and polysaccharides, proteins are formed as a result of synthesis by dehydration. The nitrogen of the amino group of one amino acid is linked to the carbon group of another amino acid by a single covalent bond and water is released. Through dehydration synthesis, amino acids are able to link together to form polypeptides. For dehydration synthesis to occur, the carboxyl group of an amino acid must be adjacent to another group of amino acids. So, when they are adjacent, an enzyme can cause them to come together by catalyzing dehydration synthesis. ("Amino Acid")In addition, essential amino acids are those that cannot be synthesized in the body and must be taken to obtain protein from foods rich in them. Our body breaks down proteins to obtain essential amino acids and form new proteins. Essential amino acids can be found in eggs, dairy products, seafood and beans. Of the twenty amino acids present in our body, nine are essential to our diet. The nine essential amino acids that we can produce are lysine (one of the...... middle of paper ...... many body tissues), glutamine (which nourishes the brain and is particularly involved in use of glucose by the brain) and glutamate (our body uses it for protein synthesis, for example for energy transport). (“Amino acids.”) In conclusion, amino acids are organic compounds that combine to form proteins. Amino acids and proteins are the building blocks of life. Amino acids fall into two categories: essential and nonessential. Essential amino acids cannot be produced in the body. They must therefore come from food. Nonessential means that our bodies produce amino acids, even though we don't get them from the foods we eat. We believe we need amino acids to survive because they make up about 75% of the human body and are also essential to every part of human functioning. Finally, amino acids can be used as a source of energy by the body.