Different forms of amino acids go through different levels of metabolism. In accounting for the metabolic speed and efficiency of the different amino acid forms, it is useful to consider their bio-availability Bio-availability refers to the speed and ability of nutrients to be absorbed and availed to the tissues after ingestion. More bio-available forms take shorter delays after ingestion before they are available to body tissues.

The free-form amino acids for instance, do not require any digestion. They are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream immediately after ingestion without any conversion or breakdown processes taking place. Consequently, the free form amino acids become more available to the muscles than any other amino acid form. Once they get absorbed into blood, the free form amino acids are readily available to the muscles and any other body tissues. One key advantage of ingesting adequate levels of the free form amino acids in the diet is that they help prevent catabolism processes in the body, since they can be used immediately they are ingested without any metabolic delay, if the body is in dire need of energy.

This ability of use-immediately- as-they-are, makes free form amino acids the most bio-available amino’s They are therefore relatively expensive in the market. A good example of free form amino acids is glutamine. A suitable dosage of glutamine should be between three and five grams taken three or four times a day. Glutamine is better eaten before or in between the normal meals. By the time the other foods start to be broken down, glutamine is already in the muscles.

These same characteristic of high bio-availability in free form amino acids is featured by their mixtures. Hydrolyzed pre-digestion for instance in whey and lactalbumin, helps speed up the entry of the amino acids entry into your digestive system. The only negative thing about hydrolyzed pre-digestion is that it contains some longer chains, which must be broken down before absorption can occur. They however help overcome gastrointestinal problems and high stress variables that might alter the metabolism ability of your body. Twenty to thirty grams of these amino’s, taken up to three times in a day.

Most of the other forms of amino acids are slow since they have to be digested and converted from primary amino’s They cannot be absorbed directly after ingestion. If we consider branched chain amino acids on the other hand, they help in formation of the chemical alanine from glucose. This is achieved mostly during exercise routines. Other amino’s formed for conversion processes of glucose are glutamine and alphaketo glutarate. As seen here, the formation of these amino’s goes through a conversion process that must occur before absorption. These amino’s that require metabolic breakdown before being available to muscles and other body tissues have a relatively low bio-availability They however aid in prevention of muscle catabolism since they can easily be converted to energy.

In di-Tripeptides, 2-3 molecule amino’s are digested quickly and absorbed although not as fast as the free form amino acids. The existing conditions in the metabolic system determine how much they increase the body’s nitrogen retention.

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