美国国立卫生研究院(National Institutes of Health)的服务机构MedlinePlus说，氨基酸是一种有机化合物，人体可以利用它实现消化、蛋白质生成和组织修复等多种功能。你的身体能够产生非必需氨基酸，而你的身体需要从饮食来源获得必需氨基酸。条件氨基酸通常只在你生病或有压力时才需要。根据1992年发表在《国际肾脏增刊》上的一篇文章，氨基酸还有助于降低血压。
血压
血压测量的是心脏向动脉壁泵血时动脉壁受到的压力。MedlinePlus指出，像血容量、动脉的大小和灵活性等因素决定了你的血压。但是，血压也受到你的身体活动、温度、饮食、情绪状态和整体健康水平的影响。正常的血压通常是120/80毫米汞柱。
低血压
根据2005年发表在《调节肽》上的一项研究，当你的血压低的时候，氨基酸可能会影响你的血压。The study aimed to investigate the involvement of taurine and glutamate, a salt of the amino acid glutamic acid, in the depressor response caused by angiotensin. Rat test subjects were anesthetized and angiotensin was injected into their caudal ventrolateral medulla. The results of the study revealed that angiotensin modulated the release of glutamate and taurine at the caudal ventrolateral medulla and the release of both glutamate and taurine affected the blood pressure response to angiotensin. This suggests that amino acids play a role in helping your body manage low blood pressure.
高血压
根据《国际肾脏增刊》1992年的一项研究，氨基酸似乎有助于减轻自发性高血压大鼠的高血压。The study used rats that did not suffer from hypertension so that their response to induced hypertension could be measured. The results showed that amino acid neurotransmitters helped reduce the resting blood pressure in the spontaneously hypertensive rats. This suggests the possible use of amino acids in regulating blood pressure. However, more research is necessary to determine the effects on humans.
食物来源
MayoClinic.com网站称，肉类、大豆、坚果和种子中都含有人体必需的氨基酸。每周吃四到五份这些食物有助于确保你的身体获得足够数量的必需氨基酸。这些食物还含有纤维和营养物质，如镁、钾和蛋白质。