Aspartic Acid
See L-Aspartate.
L-Aspartate
Also known as aspartic acid. L-aspartate is a non-essential amino acid used in the formation of proteins, as well as several other important biochemical reactions, such as the urea cycle and malate-aspartate shuttle. No specific need for aspartate supplements per se has been identified, although it may be used as a chelating agent for the delivery of certain supplemental minerals (such as zinc or magnesium).
L-Asparagine
A non-essential amino acid. Asparagine is the focus of a food processing problem, as it’s a precursor to acrylamide – a potentially carcinogenic compound found in high-heat processed foods such as french fries and potato chips. Although important to protein synthesis and structure, no role for supplemental asparagine has been identified.
L-Alanine
A non-essential amino acid. L-alanine should not be confused with beta-alanine, a related, but distinct compound. Alanine is a component of protein and is critical for the glucose-alanine cycle (used by the body to produce glucose from amino acids), but no specific need for supplemental alanine has been identified.
1-Phenyl-2-Amino-Athan
Also known as beta-phenethylamine or 2-phenethylamine. PEA is a biogenic amine synthesized from the amino acid phenylalanine. Although it’s found in a number of foods, chocolate is the best-known source of dietary PEA. PEA was once thought to be the reason people are “chocoholics (due to its mood-elevating properties); but it’s too rapidly metabolized to be very effective.
Phenethylamine is the “parent” molecule for a number of biologically active “substituted phenethylamines,” including several neurotransmitters (dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine), ephedrine, amphetamine/methamphetamine and mescaline.
[German] See: Phenethylamine (PEA).
