Amino acids – The building blocks of protein.

Twenty amino acids are needed to build the various proteins used in the growth, repair, and maintenance of body tissues. Eleven of these amino acids can be made by the body itself, while the other nine (called essential amino acids) must come from the diet. The classification of an amino acid as essential or nonessential does not reflect its importance, because all 20 amino acids are necessary for health. Instead, this classification system simply reflects whether or not the body is capable of manufacturing a particular amino acid.

• Amino Acid Cysteine The Wrinkle Cure on page 140, Dr. Perricone recommends 600-1,200 mg of amino acid cysteine a day with Vitamin C.
• The essential amino acids are alpha lipoic acid, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
• The nonessential amino acids are arginine, alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine.