Amino Acids, the Building Blocks of Life Maybe you’re familiar with branched chain amino acids because you work out at the gym. So you may know that they help you to build muscle. Most people don’t know that amino acids are really the molecular building blocks of proteins and your entire body. The 20 standard amino acids can be combined to create hundreds of different proteins utilized by the body for your hair, nerves, as well as muscles. Some amino acids also act as neurotransmitters that carry chemical messages to and from the brain. You just can’t live without proteins or amino acids!