Exploring Amino Acids and Fasting: Why They Don't Break Your Fast
In this this article we'll touch on the fundamental concept of amino acids, their potential impact on fasting, and whether they break a fast.
Fasting has gained considerable attention for its potential health benefits, sparking discussions about the role of supplements during fasting without breaking its effects.
Amino Acids 101.
Lets keep this simple... Amino acids serve as the building blocks for proteins, primarily composed of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Proteins are like superheroes within our bodies, performing vital tasks such as building muscles, repairing damages, aiding in digestion, and maintaining overall body functions.
Even though there are lots of different amino acids, only 20 of them are used to make all the proteins in our bodies.
We can put them into three groups:
- Essential amino acids: These are 9 amino acids that our bodies can't make by themselves. We have to get them from the food we eat.
- Non-essential amino acids: These are the other 11 amino acids that our bodies can usually make from the 9 essential ones.
- Conditionally essential amino acids: These amino acids are usually not super important, but sometimes our bodies really need them, like when we're growing up, when someone is going to have a baby, or when we're sick.
"Complete" Proteins vs. Isolated Amino Acids.
Foods that have all 9 essential amino acids are known as "complete" proteins. However, if a food or supplement lacks any of these 9 essential amino acids, it's labeled as an "incomplete" protein.
A "complete" protein contains about 16.7 kJ of energy per gram of protein, and this could actually break your fast. However, isolated amino acids don't make "complete" proteins, they do NOT interrupt your fasting.
No Protein Creation, No Fasting Break.
When our bodies don't create new proteins, they remain in a fasting state. This means the body can continue its important work while still getting the benefits of isolated amino acids.
Isolated amino acids can't create "complete" proteins on their own. As mentioned earlier, you need all 9 essential amino acids to make a protein. That's why using isolated amino acids to target specific fasting benefits without breaking your fast can be very helpful.
Using Isolated Amino Acids Strategically.
Each amino acid has a specific role. For example, L-Carnitine helps transport fatty acids to the mitochondria, giving your fat-burning a boost during fasting. It also supports energy production, improves metabolic efficiency, and taps into stubborn fat stores.
In simple terms, when we talk about using isolated amino acids during fasting, remember that they don't turn into complete proteins. This keeps your fasting state going, and your body continues to do its fasting magic.
Struggling with your Fasting Routine?
If you're finding your intermittent fasting routine a bit tricky and hard to stay on track, Fasting Support could be a great choice. Fasting Support takes the edge off, keeping you focused, energised, and hydrated during fasting. You can use it with different fasting schedules like 5/2, 16/8, 18/6, or OMAD (one meal a day).