Amino Acids 40 - Urine

Amino Acids in Urine—A Measure of Levels in Recent Dietary Intake

Additional Resources:

• Bloodspot Patient Brief
• Amino Acids Patient Brief
• Article on "The Importance of Sulfur Amino Acids"

Amino Acids 40 Urine Profile

The urine profile can aid in determining and monitoring metabolic pathways, information about hepatic and renal function, the status of medical conditions, and amino acid balance. Urine may be influenced by dietary intake. Evaluation of amino acid identifies the status of essential, branched chain, and other non-essential amino acids, as well as several functional categories, such as neuroendocrine, vascular and detoxification, and functional vitamin and mineral deficiencies are reported. This profile is an ideal option when venipuncture services are limited.

Why is amino acid testing important?

Amino acids, known as the "building blocks" of proteins, are found in every tissue of the body. They play a major role in nearly every chemical process that affects both physical and mental function including the formation of ligaments, tendons, bones, as well as antibodies and regulation of enzymes and blood transport proteins. Twenty different amino acids are used to synthesize proteins.

The human body can synthesize all of the amino acids necessary to build proteins except for ten called the "essential amino acids". These ten must be included in the diet or supplemented to be in adequate supplies. Failure to obtain enough of even one of these essential amino acids has serious health implications and can result in degradation of the body's proteins. Muscle and other protein structures may be dismantled to obtain the amino acid that is needed.

As a result, amino acids have more diverse functions than any other nutrient group, including:

Conditions associated with amino acid changes in urine: