elissa - Glossary - Page 15 of 57

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...

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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.

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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...

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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...

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2-Phenethylamine

See: Phenethylamine (PEA).

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Beta-Phenethylamine

See: Phenethylamine (PEA). 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...

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