Question

How many of the 20 amino acids are essential amino acids for an adult human?
A. 6
B. 9
C. 12
D. 10

Answer 1

Amino acids are organic compounds that contain amine and carboxyl functional groups. They are the building blocks of protein. They make 70-75% of the human body and are essential for the bodily functions.

Complete answer:
Amino acids are organic compounds. They are the building blocks of protein and make 70-75% of the human body. Amino acids help the human body to break down food, repair body tissues, growth, and many other functions.
Amino acids are of three types:
Essential amino acids- cannot be made into our body.
Non-essential amino acids- our body can synthesize these
Conditional amino acids- they are required during the time of illness.
Here we are going to discuss essential amino acids required by the adult human body. Adult human body cannot produce all of the 20 amino acids required for protein synthesis and therefore some are acquired through the food one consumes. Essential amino acids are also called indispensable amino acids. They are considered to be crucial for the human body.
Adult human body requires 9 essential amino acids, which are:

Histidine
Valine
Phenylalanine
Leucine
Lysine
Isoleucine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Methionine

Hence, the correct answer to this question is option ‘B’- 9.

Note: Each essential amino acid plays a different role in our bodily functions and hence all are important. When these essential amino acids are not consumed for a prolonged time our body develops a condition called amino acid deficiency. It results in decreased immunity, digestive problems, depression, slowed growth and in some cases infertility.