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      Arginine is truly deficient only in general nutritional deficiency. It is widely available and its major function is conversion to nitric oxide, the essential nutrient every cell needs to function optimally. It is thus important in blood flow, erectile function, and in immune health. It works synergistically with citrulline in large dosages, 5 to 7 grams, to help lower blood pressure. After age 40, that pathway is rapidly diminished, and arginine is primarily used to maintain muscle mass.

      Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):

      • Hypertension, up to age 40

      • Muscle mass

      • Male sexual function

      Cysteine

      Cysteine is usually synthesized in the human body from methionine. However, deficiencies in B12, B6, or folate prevent this normal function and lead to increases in homocysteine, with increasing risks of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease. In infants, the elderly, and in those with intestinal absorption problems, cysteine may become deficient. Cysteine is sometimes used by athletes to support muscle building, but its major benefit is increased energy; 300 mg in the morning and at noon can be a great boost to those needing extra energy.

      N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is perhaps the most important cysteine function, as it is critical to treat a number of disorders, including acetaminophen toxicity and to enhance overall feelings of energy. Note that acetaminophen is often toxic to the liver and kidneys.

      Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):

      • Acetaminophen toxicity

      • Alcoholic liver disease

      • Allergic reactions to the anti-epilepsy drug Dilantin

      • Alzheimer’s

      • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

      • Angina pectoris

      • Bile duct blockage

      • High cholesterol

      • Homocysteine excess

      • Kidney failure

      Glutamine

      Glutamine is normally produced in the intestines by healthy bacteria. However, it is also needed by the most important intestinal bacteria: probiotics. Dosages of one teaspoon or more three times daily may be helpful.

      Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):

      • ADHD

      • Anxiety

      • Crohn’s disease

      • Depression

      • Diarrhea

      • Immune enhancement, especially in those on chemotherapy

      • Nerve pain

      • Stomach ulcers

      • Ulcerative colitis

      Tyrosine

      As mentioned under phenylalanine, tyrosine is usually manufactured from that essential amino acid, so the health benefits are primarily in patients with phenylketonuria.

      Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):

      • ADHD

      • Alcohol withdrawal

      • Alertness

      • Appetite suppressant

      • Chronic fatigue

      • Cocaine and drug withdrawal

      • Heart disease

      • Loss of libido

      • Narcolepsy

      • Pain

      • Parkinson’s disease

      • Premenstrual syndrome

      • Schizophrenia

      • Vitiligo

      Glycine

      Glycine deficiency is another of those general malnutrition problems, as it is available in all high-protein foods.

      Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):

      • Alcoholism

      • Benign prostatic hypertrophy

      • Cancer prevention

      • Kidney protection after kidney transplant

      • Schizophrenia

      • Skin ulcers (direct skin application)

      • Stroke

      Ornithine

      Ornithine deficiency is another general malnutrition problem. Ornithine and arginine assist in releasing the growth hormone, especially in those over 50 years of age.

      Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):

      • Athletic performance

      • Muscle building

      • Glutamine poisoning

      • Hepatic encephalopathy

      • Wound healing

      Proline

      Proline is made in the body from glutamine, and is primarily used in making cartilage.

      Serine

      Normally serine is produced in the body, mainly from glycine. As with all these conditionally essential amino acids, it is deficient primarily where there is a general protein deficiency. The conversion to serine takes place in the kidney, but with protein deficiency, the liver also assists in attempting to produce adequate serine.

      Interestingly, apparently the brain converts L-serine to D-serine, which is present in the brain in large quantities. D-serine contributes to the formation of S-adenosylmethionine, the methyl donor, essential for everything from cell proliferation to gene expression, and thus part of the ever-widening study of epigenetics.

      Non-Essential Amino Acids

      Non-essential amino acids are alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid. Deficiencies of these amino acids occur only in cases of severe malnutrition.

      Minerals

      Calcium

      Calcium is essential for maintaining the pH of the blood and for bone strength. Deficiencies lead to bone deformities in children and to osteoporosis in adults. Severe deficiencies in the blood lead to seizures and coma. Significant excesses in calcium lead to kidney stones, calcification of soft tissues, and heart arrhythmias.

      Carbon

      Carbon is one of the essentials of organic matter, and a building block of carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids.

      Chlorine

      Chlorine is present in the body as chloride, where blood chloride levels are part of basic electrolytes. It helps keep the amount of fluid inside and outside cells balanced, maintains blood volume, blood pressure, and pH of the blood—ideally 7.4. The amount of chloride in your body comes largely from sodium chloride (salt), and excess is excreted in the urine. Unfortunately, many processed and packaged foods have a significant excess of salt, which can lead to hypertension.

      Hydrogen

      Hydrogen makes up organic compounds, and is required only in its natural occurrence in fats, amino acids, and carbohydrates.

      Magnesium

      Second only to calcium in quantity needed, magnesium deficiency is rampant. Indeed, about 80 percent of people are deficient in magnesium, largely because of

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