Question

Humans can synthesize how many of these amino acid building blocks?

1) None
2) Some
3) All
4) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

Humans can synthesize some of the amino acid building blocks, specifically 11 out of the 20 standard amino acids.

Step-by-step explanation:

Humans can synthesize only about half of the amino acids required for protein synthesis. The proteins in humans are composed of 20 standard amino acids, of which the human body is capable of synthesizing 11. These are referred to as non-essential amino acids. The remaining nine cannot be synthesized by the human body and must be obtained through the diet; hence, they are known as essential amino acids. Consequently, the answer to the student's question is that humans can synthesize some of the amino acid building blocks. It's also noteworthy that infants and children require a greater amount of essential amino acids than adults due to the higher demand for protein synthesis during growth.