histidine is an essential amino acid(EAAs which means your body cannot make it by itself so they must be obtained in the diet) that wears does a variety of roles inside our body. As a building block of protein and a precursor for lots of biochemical products, it is involved in skin protection against UV radiation and healing inflammation and oxidative stress.
Histidine health benefits for athletic performance
One of the main roles of histidine in the body is to regulate and help metabolize trace elements. By metabolize we mean break down and use for energy. Some of most important of These trace elements are:
- Copper
- Iron
- Zinc
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
L-histidine is especially imperial for formation of myelin sheaths(layers surrounding nerves that enables faster transmission of signals to the brain)which helps central nervous system and Mind-Muscle connection.
In a study involving 92 obese women with histidine deficiency, supplementing this amino acid over 12 weeks resulted in reduction of oxidative stress.
a study on over 400 women found a connection between low histidine levels and oxidative stress. obese women had worse antioxidant status, possibly due to their abnormal histidine and arginine metabolism
this antioxidant property is especially important for athletes and strength trainers who put lots of stress on themselves physically.
Also carnosine, The histidine derivative improved exercise performance and quality of life in a clinical trial on fifty people with congestive heart failure.
histidine functions in balancing normal level of hemoglobin, the protein responsible for gathering oxygen from alveolus inside lungs to tissues inside our body.
In a 2013 study, histidine supplements were shown to result in several benefits for obese females with metabolic syndrome, including:
- Lowering insulin resistance
- Lowering fat mass
- Suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress
Supplement and Food sources of histidine
Most high protein foods are a good source of histidine and most people usually do not need a supplement to get enough histidine, Common food sources high in histidine include:
Dairy products, eggs, beef, chicken, pork, and fish. Additional histidine-rich foods include soybeans, beans, wheat, maize, quinoa, and rice
Histidine as medicine
L-Histidine has a big role especially for infants and people with a kidney disorder called uremia.
people take histidine for metabolic syndrome, diarrhea caused by cholera infection, rheumatoid arthritis, allergic diseases, ulcers, and anemia caused by kidney failure or kidney dialysis.
Histidine is used by our body to make hormones and metabolites that affect kidney function, transmission of nerves, stomach secretions, and the immune system. Histidine also promotes the repair and growth of tissue, make blood cells and helping to protect nerve cells. It is also used to make histamine in the body.
Histidine helps form many different compounds and enzymes inside human body. Plus, histidine helps body create a compound called metallothionein inside the cells of brain, liver, and kidneys; metallothionein protects the brain cells and requires histidine to be formed. If your body is toxic with heavy metals (like cadmium and mercury ), it might deplete your stores of histidine.