How does Glutamic Acid affect the human body?

Question

Directly or Indirectly?

Answer 1

Glutamic acid is required for

It is an important excitatory neurotransmitter, and glutamic acid is also important in the metabolism of sugars and fats.

It helps with the transportation of potassium across the blood-brain barrier, although itself does not pass this barrier that easily. It also shows promise in the future treatment of neurological conditions, ulcers, hypoglycemic come, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, Parkinson's, and mental retardation.

Glutamic acid can be used as fuel in the brain, and can attach itself to nitrogen atoms in the process of forming glutamine, and this action also detoxifies the body of ammonia. This action is the only way in which the brain can be detoxified from ammonia.

The fluid produced by the prostate gland also contains amounts of glutamic acid, and may play a role in the normal function of the prostate.

Answer 2

Animals and plants alike produce their own glutamic acid. Thus, human does not depend on eating food to get glutamic acid. It affect human directly and indirectly. In a positive direct situation, glutamic acid works as neurotransmitter to send nerve signals in central nervous system. Indirectly, it can be made from amino acids in the protein we eat. In a negative way, it can degenerate nervous system as neurotoxin and cause neuroendocrine kind of disorders. Industrial made glutemic acid put in processed food is free acid and likely not be processed in our body. It destroys brain cells.

Answer 3

GLUTAMIC ACID FUNCTION

(Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamate#Function )

I. One of the 20 proteinogenic amino acids. Structural component of proteins and polypeptide. It is not among the human essential amino acids. Its codons are GAA and GAG.

II. In metabolism

(a) Serves as metabolic fuel.
(b) Glutamate also plays an important role in the body's disposal of excess or waste nitrogen by allowing nitrogen from the amine groups of amino acids to be removed, via glutamate as an intermediate, and finally excreted from the body in the form of urea.

III. As a neurotransmitter

(a) Glutamate is the most abundant swift excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian nervous system.
(b) It is believed that glutamic acid is involved in cognitive functions like learning and memory in the brain.
(c) Glutamic acid has been implicated in epileptic seizures.

IV. GABA precursor

Glutamic acid also serves as the precursor for the synthesis of the inhibitory GABA in GABA-ergic neurons.

V. Disease

(a) Sickle cell disease (see frustra... post this page)
(b) As MSG, (see OKIM post this page)
(c) IIIc above
(d) Stiff-man syndrome is a neurologic disorder caused by anti-GAD antibodies, leading to a decrease in GABA synthesis and impaired motor function (stiffness and spasm) as well as mmunological destruction in the pancreas and diabetes mellitus.

Answer 4

In a cell, the DNA codes for mRNA which is translated into Amino acids which are the building blocks for proteins. A mutation in DNA would result in a change in the mRNA, which subsequently may result in a change in the amino acid composition of the protein. Changes in the amino acid composition of protein may result in reduced or completely abolished activity of the protein & as the proteins are the ultimate regulators of the metabolic activities in a cell, the cell activity may be affected mildly to severely depending upon the role of the concerned protein. To remind you of the consequences of this event, a single mutation in DNA coding for one of the proteins in a cell may lead to conditions as serious as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease,Haemophilia etc.

Answer 5

A 1995 FDA-commissioned report acknowledged that "An unknown percentage of the population may react to MSG and develop MSG symptom complex, a condition characterized by one or more of the following symptoms:
burning sensation in the back of the neck, forearms and chest
numbness in the back of the neck, radiating to the arms and back
tingling, warmth and weakness in the face, temples, upper back, neck and arms
facial pressure or tightness
chest pain
headache
nausea
rapid heartbeat
bronchospasm (difficulty breathing)
drowsiness
weakness
Sweating

Answer 6

sickle cell disease is due to a replacement of glutamic acid by a valine in the sixth position on the Beta globin chain...