Nitrogen (3%) is found in many organic molecules, including the amino acids that make up proteins, and the nucleic acids that make up DNA. Calcium (1.5%) is the most common mineral in the human body — nearly all of it found in bones and teeth.Apr 16, 2009 read more
Your body needs the nitrogen in amino acids from protein foods to make other amino acids it uses to synthesize human proteins, according to Virtual Chembook at Elmhurst College. Not only do your various tissues contain protein, your metabolic processes depend upon enzymes, all of which consist of various kinds of proteins. read more
While nitrogen is an important component of amino acids, most organisms on Earth, including humans, are unable to use free nitrogen. Instead, HowStuffWorks explains that the nitrogen must become “fixed,” meaning that it must first bond with another element. read more