Amino Acid Profile, Qn (Urine)
Urine
Performed by: LabCorp
Amino acids are organic compounds that play an important role in properly digesting food, creating usable energy, maintaining health and functioning normally. This panel can help discover deficiencies in amino acids by testing for amino acids.
Urine represents a convenient biofluid for metabolomic studies due to its noninvasive collection and richness in metabolites. Here, amino acids are valuable biomarkers for their ability to reflect imbalances of different biochemical pathways.
Amino acid analysis aids in the identification of dietary protein adequacy and amino acid balance, gastrointestinal dysfunctions, forms of protein intolerance, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, renal and hepatic dysfunction, psychiatric abnormalities, susceptibility to inflammatory response and oxidative stress, reduced detoxification capacity and many other inherent and acquired disorders in AA metabolism. Plasma is traditionally used to assess the status of essential AA while urine analysis provides more information regarding AA wasting and aberrant metabolism associated with co-factor insufficiencies.
Useful for:
- ADD/ADHD
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Depression and Anxiety
- Digestive Disorders
- Epilepsy
- Fatigue
- Hypertension
- Infertility
- Insomnia
- Kidney Function
- Nutritional Deficiencies
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
Many individuals have "hidden" impairments in amino acid metabolism that are problematic and often go undiagnosed. These impairments may or may not be expressed as specific symptoms. They may silently increase susceptibility to a degenerative disease or they may be associated with, but not causative for, a disease. Because of the wealth of information provided, it is suggested that a complete amino acid analysis be performed whenever thorough nutritional testing and a metabolic workup is called for.
Amino acid analysis provides fundamental information about nutrient adequacy, including the quality and quantity of dietary protein, digestive disorders, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies - particularly folic acid, B12, B6 metabolism, zinc and magnesium. In addition, amino acid analysis provides important diagnostic information about hepatic and renal function, availability of precursors of neurotransmitters, detoxification capacity, susceptibility to occlusive arterial disease (homocystine), and many inherent disorders in amino acid metabolism.
Plasma vs. Urine Analysis:
Plasma is traditionally used to assess the status of essential AA while urine analysis provides more information regarding AA wasting and aberrant metabolism associated with co-factor insufficiencies. Plasma amino acid nutritional testing measures what is being transported at the time of sampling. The specimen should be collected after an overnight fast to reduce the influence of dietary protein. Abnormalities are deduced by comparison of measured levels with an established reference range.
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Biomarkers included in this panel:
Alanine is a nonessential amino acid. It is the second most abundant amino acid in circulation, after glutamine. It is found in many foods including eggs, meat, lentils, and fish. Alanine is involved in sugar metabolism for energy and is important in
Learn moreAllo-isoleucine is nearly undetectable in individuals not affected by maple-syrup urine disease (MSUD). Accordingly, its presence is diagnostic for MSUD, and its absence is sufficient to rule-out MSUD.
Learn moreAlpha-aminoadipic acid (a-Aminoadipic acid) is an intermediary metabolite of lysine (primarily) and of tryptophan.
Learn moreAlpha amniobutyric acid (AABA), also known as Alpha-amino-N-butyric acid (A-ANB), is an intermediate formed during the catabolism of methionine and threonine. Increases in AABA occur secondary to elevations of either methionine or threonine. AABA bec
Learn moreArginine is found in all protein foods and is very abundant in seeds and nuts. It is considered a semi-essential amino acid during early development, infection/inflammation, or renal and/or intestinal impairment. It has many functions in the body inc
Learn moreArgininosuccinate (aka Arginosuccinic acid) is a basic amino acid. Some cells synthesize it from citrulline, aspartic acid and use it as a precursor for arginine in the urea cycle or Citrulline-NO cycle. The enzyme that catalyzes the reaction is argi
Learn moreAsparagine is a non-essential protein amino acid that is present in many fruits and vegetables including asparagus, from which it gets its name. Other dietary sources include meat, potatoes, eggs, nuts, and dairy. It can also be formed from aspartic
Learn moreAspartic acid is a nonessential amino acid that plays roles in many important metabolic processes, such as energy production (citric acid cycle), hormone metabolism, CNS activation, and the urea cycle. It is found in many protein sources such as oyst
Learn moreβ-alanine is a breakdown product of carnosine and anserine, which are dipeptides from meat consumption. Although β-alanine’s properties are limited, its relationship to carnosine makes it important. Both have antioxidant properties. A
Learn moreBeta-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIB) is an amino acid end product of the pyrimidine metabolism. It is excreted in small quantities into the urine in almost all human beings. Thymine, released when RNA and DNA are degraded, enters a catabolic pathway that
Learn moreCitrulline is an intermediate, nonprotein-forming amino acid in the urea cycle serving as a precursor to arginine. It derives its name from the watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris), where it was first isolated and identified. It is easily absorbed by t
Learn moreCystathionine is an intermediate dipeptide within the process of transsulfuration. Transsulfuration is the main route for irreversible homocysteine disposal, glutathione production, and energy. The initial step involves the enzyme cystathionine &b
Learn moreCystine is formed from the oxidation of cysteine, or from the degradation of glutathione oxidation products. It is two cysteines linked together with a disulfide bond.
Learn moreGamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter found in the CNS and, as such, is important for balancing excitatory action of other neurotransmitters.
Learn moreGlutamate is a vital neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, involved in almost all significant excitatory brain functions. It is the primary and most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter, and it's estimated that over half of all neural s
Learn moreGlutamine is a nonessential amino acid and is the most abundant amino acid in the body. It is formed from glutamate using the enzyme glutamine synthetase. Approximately 80% of glutamine is found in the skeletal muscle, and this concentration is 30
Learn moreGlycine is a nonessential amino acid that is synthesized from choline, serine, hydroxyproline, and threonine. It has many important physiologic functions. It is one of three amino acids that make up glutathione. Glycine’s dietary sources inc
Learn moreHistidine is a semi-essential amino acid which is formed in the breakdown of carnosine. Red meat is a common source of carnosine, and therefore histadine. Other food sources include poultry, fish, nuts, seeds, and grains. Histidine and hista
Learn moreThe amino acid homocitrulline is a metabolite of ornithine in human metabolism. The amino acid can be detected in larger amounts in the urine of individuals with urea cycle disorders. Both amino acids can be detected in urine. Amino acid anal
Learn moreHomocystine
Homocystine is the oxidized form of homocysteine. A substance is oxidized when it undergoes the process of oxidation. I.e the addition of oxygen or any electronegative elements or the removal of hydrogen or any electropositive element. Homocy
Learn moreHydroxylysine is an amino acid related to collagen. What is collagen? Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. It is the major component of connective tissues that make up several body parts, including tendons, ligamen
Learn more- Hydroxyproline is the key factor in stabilizing collagens. - Hydroxyproline is abundant in meat and low in plant-based foods. Meat intake increases levels of proline and hydroxyproline. - Increased hydroxyproline has been found in collagen ca
Learn moreBranched Chain Amino Acids (Isoleucine, Leucine, Valine) are the three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are essential amino acids and must be obtained from the diet (mainly meat, grains, and dairy). No
Learn moreBranched Chain Amino Acids (Isoleucine, Leucine, Valine) are the three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are essential amino acids and must be obtained from the diet (mainly meat, grains, and dairy).
Learn moreLysine is a nutritionally essential amino acid abundant in meat, fish, fowl, and legumes and is needed for formation of body proteins and enzymes. Lysine can be methylated using S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to synthesize carnitine, which is needed f
Learn moreMethionine is an essential amino acid that plays an important role in the methylation cycle. Methionine is obtained from dietary intake or through homocysteine remethylation. Methionine’s dietary sources include eggs, fish, meats, Brazil nuts,
Learn moreOrnithine is an intermediate nonprotein-forming amino acid of the urea cycle. Arginine is converted to ornithine via the arginase enzyme, with urea as a byproduct. Ornithine combined with carbamoyl phosphate is then converted into citrulline via t
Learn morePhenylalanine is an essential amino acid found in most foods which contain protein such as meat, fish, lentils, vegetables, and dairy. Phenylalanine is the precursor to another amino acid, tyrosine. Because tyrosine is needed to form several
Learn moreProline is a nonessential amino acid. It contains a secondary α-imino group and is sometimes called an α-imino acid. Proline, and its metabolite hydroxyproline, constitute a third of the total amino acids found in collagen. Lysine, pro
Learn moreSarcosine is an amino acid made within the methylation cycle when S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is conjugated with glycine. It can also be made by catabolism of dimethylglycine (DMG). There are many dietary sources of sarcosine including eggs, legume
Learn moreSerine is a nonessential amino acid used in protein biosynthesis and can be derived from four possible sources: dietary intake, degradation of protein and phospholipids, biosynthesis from glycolysis intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate, or from glycine.
Learn moreTaurine differs from other amino acids because a sulfur group replaces the carboxyl group of what would be the nonessential amino acid, β-alanine. It takes part in biochemical reactions and is not fully incorporated into proteins. In most tissue
Learn moreThreonine is an essential amino acid, i.e., it is vital for your health, but it cannot be synthesized by your body and therefore has to be obtained from a diet.
Learn moreTryptophan is involved in serotonin production via vitamin B6-dependent pathways resulting in the intermediate 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). 5-HTP is often used as a supplement for serotonin formation instead of tryptophan, which can be quickly metabo
Learn moreTyrosine is a conditionally essential amino acid which can come directly from the digestion of dietary protein. Common food sources include dairy, beans, whole grains, meat, and nuts. If intake is insufficient, tyrosine can be formed from the e
Learn moreBranched Chain Amino Acids (Isoleucine, Leucine, Valine) Isoleucine, leucine and valine are the three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are essential amino acids and must be obtained from the diet (mainly meat, gra
Learn more