- Oct 25, 2012
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I see a lot of guys saying they have run this and that and not responding to the gear they are using? When most of the time there diet and or training is not in check.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Of the 20 amino acids that comprise the structure of proteins, 10 are produced in the body. The other 10 amino acids are essential, meaning they must come from the diet. Aspartic acid and glutamic acid are examples of amino acids produced by the body. Steroids are a class of lipids, fatty organic substances that generally do not dissolve in water. Cholesterol, widely distributed in cells throughout the body, is the most well-known example of a steroid.
Nature of Amino Acids
The structure of each amino acid consists of three parts: a carboxyl or acid group, an amino group next to the carboxyl group and a side chain or "R" group. It is the side chain that distinguishes one amino acid from another and gives each amino acid its particular character. Scientists group the amino acids into seven different chemical families -- aliphatic, acidic, aromatic, basic, cyclic, sulfur-containing and hydroxyl. The chemical properties of the side chain are the basis for this family grouping. For example, amino acids in the acidic family, including aspartic acid and glutamic acid, contain a carboxylic acid in the side chain. This side chain allows aspartic acid and glutamic acid to dissolve in water.
Nature of the Steroids
The steroids contain a core system of four fused rings containing carbon atoms, a structural feature which sets them apart from the amino acids. Most of the steroids have additional carbon atoms attached to the core system, and the high percentage of carbon in the structure is what gives the steroids their lipid-like or fatty character. Like all lipids, the steroids do not dissolve in water. Examples include cholesterol, the sex hormone progesterone and the anti-inflammatory compound cortisone.
Amino Acids in the Body
The body synthesizes proteins from the amino acids that are supplied in the diet. Scientists have determined that the synthesis of a given protein is directed by a gene that specifies which amino acids are required and the order in which the amino acids must appear. Proteins act as catalysts to facilitate all of the reactions that go on in the cells and organs of the body. Scientists call these protein catalysts enzymes, according to MedlinePlus.
Steroids in the Body
Cholesterol, produced mainly in the liver and intestines, is the most abundant and most widely recognized of all of the steroids in the body. The body uses cholesterol as the starting point for its synthesis of the steroid hormones. This synthesis takes place in the cortex or outer portion of the adrenal glands, small structures located on top of each kidney. The steroid hormones include cortisol which regulates carbohydrate metabolism, aldosterone which controls blood levels of sodium and potassium, and androstenedione which is later converted to testosterone for the development of secondary male sex characteristics.
Amino Acids and Steroids Contrasted
Amino acids need to be strung together in a specific way to make a protein that has biological activity. For example, the amino acids might be assembled in such a way as to make a protein hormone. In many cases, single amino acids do not have biological activity in the human body. Steroids, on the other hand, have biological activity as single structures illustrated by the steroid hormones. The protein hormones derived from amino acids exert their effect much more quickly than the steroid hormones. Second, the polar structure of amino acids, meaning they have positive and negative charges, allows many of them to dissolve in water. Steroids have a fatty, non-polar structure and they do not dissolve in water.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Of the 20 amino acids that comprise the structure of proteins, 10 are produced in the body. The other 10 amino acids are essential, meaning they must come from the diet. Aspartic acid and glutamic acid are examples of amino acids produced by the body. Steroids are a class of lipids, fatty organic substances that generally do not dissolve in water. Cholesterol, widely distributed in cells throughout the body, is the most well-known example of a steroid.
Nature of Amino Acids
The structure of each amino acid consists of three parts: a carboxyl or acid group, an amino group next to the carboxyl group and a side chain or "R" group. It is the side chain that distinguishes one amino acid from another and gives each amino acid its particular character. Scientists group the amino acids into seven different chemical families -- aliphatic, acidic, aromatic, basic, cyclic, sulfur-containing and hydroxyl. The chemical properties of the side chain are the basis for this family grouping. For example, amino acids in the acidic family, including aspartic acid and glutamic acid, contain a carboxylic acid in the side chain. This side chain allows aspartic acid and glutamic acid to dissolve in water.
Nature of the Steroids
The steroids contain a core system of four fused rings containing carbon atoms, a structural feature which sets them apart from the amino acids. Most of the steroids have additional carbon atoms attached to the core system, and the high percentage of carbon in the structure is what gives the steroids their lipid-like or fatty character. Like all lipids, the steroids do not dissolve in water. Examples include cholesterol, the sex hormone progesterone and the anti-inflammatory compound cortisone.
Amino Acids in the Body
The body synthesizes proteins from the amino acids that are supplied in the diet. Scientists have determined that the synthesis of a given protein is directed by a gene that specifies which amino acids are required and the order in which the amino acids must appear. Proteins act as catalysts to facilitate all of the reactions that go on in the cells and organs of the body. Scientists call these protein catalysts enzymes, according to MedlinePlus.
Steroids in the Body
Cholesterol, produced mainly in the liver and intestines, is the most abundant and most widely recognized of all of the steroids in the body. The body uses cholesterol as the starting point for its synthesis of the steroid hormones. This synthesis takes place in the cortex or outer portion of the adrenal glands, small structures located on top of each kidney. The steroid hormones include cortisol which regulates carbohydrate metabolism, aldosterone which controls blood levels of sodium and potassium, and androstenedione which is later converted to testosterone for the development of secondary male sex characteristics.
Amino Acids and Steroids Contrasted
Amino acids need to be strung together in a specific way to make a protein that has biological activity. For example, the amino acids might be assembled in such a way as to make a protein hormone. In many cases, single amino acids do not have biological activity in the human body. Steroids, on the other hand, have biological activity as single structures illustrated by the steroid hormones. The protein hormones derived from amino acids exert their effect much more quickly than the steroid hormones. Second, the polar structure of amino acids, meaning they have positive and negative charges, allows many of them to dissolve in water. Steroids have a fatty, non-polar structure and they do not dissolve in water.
