UPC: 733739000118
# N0011

NOW Sports Amino Complete™ (120 Capsules) – Comprehensive 20 Amino Acid Matrix with Vitamin B-6

Item Number: N0011 | UPC: 733739000118 | Brand: NOW Foods | Form: 120 Capsules (30 Servings)

The Quick Bottom Line

NOW Amino Complete is a targeted nutritional supplement formulated to supply your body with the fundamental building blocks of muscle and tissue repair without requiring you to drink heavy, calorie-dense protein shakes. By combining rapid-absorbing free-form amino acids with sustained-release peptide-bound proteins and active Vitamin B-6, this formula ensures a continuous amino acid pool in your bloodstream for workouts, post-exercise recovery, and everyday cellular maintenance.

  • ✓ Full-Spectrum Array: Delivers 20 essential, conditionally essential, and non-essential amino acids in every 4-capsule serving.
  • ✓ Dual-Delivery Absorption: Combines pre-digested peptide-bound amino acids (from whey, soy, and casein) with fast-acting crystalline free-form aminos.
  • ✓ Metabolic Catalyst: Fortified with 13 mg of Vitamin B-6 (as Pyridoxine HCl) to activate critical amino acid transamination enzymes.
  • ✓ Convenient Capsule Delivery: Ideal for athletes, active adults, and individuals with delicate digestion who cannot tolerate large volumes of dairy powders.

Who Needs Amino Complete? The Problem It Solves

Every structural component of your body—from skeletal muscle fibers and collagen tendons to neurotransmitters and metabolic enzymes—is assembled from dietary amino acids. However, whole-food proteins require hours of enzymatic breakdown in the stomach and small intestine before their constituent amino acids reach your bloodstream.

For hard-training athletes, aging adults experiencing natural age-related muscle breakdown (sarcopenia), or individuals recovering from physical strain, this prolonged digestion window can delay muscular repair. NOW Amino Complete solves this challenge by delivering pre-fractionated, bioavailable amino acids directly to your digestive tract, bypassing lengthy mechanical breakdown.

For Fitness & Strength Training

Take 4 capsules surrounding your training window to supply branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) directly to working muscle beds, helping preserve nitrogen balance and curtail exercise-induced muscle protein breakdown.

For Sensitive Stomachs

Traditional whey or casein protein shakes frequently trigger bloating, gas, and digestive heaviness. Amino Complete delivers pure amino acid fractions in clean capsule form without unnecessary fats, sugars, or heavy liquid volume.

For Daily Nitrogen Balance

Individuals with reduced appetite, busy travel routines, or restrictive diets can bridge daily dietary protein shortfalls quickly and reliably between whole-food meals.

The Science: Why "Peptide-Bound" Plus "Free-Form" Is Superior

Many generic amino supplements provide only isolated free-form amino acids or basic whey protein dust. NOW Amino Complete uses a dual-mechanism absorption architecture:

1. The Peptide Advantage (PEPT1 Transporters)

Peptide-bound amino acids consist of small chains of two or three linked amino acids (dipeptides and tripeptides) derived from Whey Protein Isolate, Soy Protein Isolate, and Sodium Caseinate. In human digestive physiology, the intestinal peptide transporter 1 (PEPT1) transports short oligopeptides across the gut mucosal wall significantly faster and with greater capacity than individual amino acid transport proteins (Daniel, 2004). This provides sustained, highly efficient nitrogen delivery without saturating individual amino acid channels.

2. Free-Form Precision (L-Glutamine, L-Arginine, L-Ornithine)

Pure crystalline free-form amino acids do not require any enzymatic clipping. They absorb immediately into the systemic circulation. The inclusion of free-form L-Arginine and L-Ornithine directly supports the hepatic urea cycle for ammonia clearance and promotes nitric oxide production for enhanced blood flow, while added free-form L-Glutamine replenishes the primary fuel substrate used by intestinal enterocytes and immune cells during metabolic stress.

3. The Vitamin B-6 Metabolic Sparkplug

Consuming amino acids without adequate Vitamin B-6 is like pouring gasoline into an engine with no spark plugs. Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) acts as the obligatory precursor to pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), the fundamental coenzyme required by transaminases and decarboxylases. PLP is strictly required to shuttle amino groups, synthesize non-essential amino acids, and convert circulating aminos into new cellular protein structures (Parra et al., 2018). Amino Complete supplies 13 mg (765% Daily Value) to ensure unhindered enzymatic utilization.

Scientific Reference Citations:
• Daniel, H. (2004). Molecular and Integrative Physiology of Intestinal Peptide Transport. Annual Review of Physiology, 66, 361–384.
• Parra, M., Stahl, S., & Hellmann, H. (2018). Vitamin B6 and Its Role in Cell Metabolism and Physiology. Cells, 7(7), 84.
• Phillips, S. M. (2014). A Brief Review of Critical Processes in Exercise-Induced Muscular Hypertrophy. Sports Medicine, 44(Suppl 1), S71–S77.

Verified Supplement Facts & Complete Amino Acid Profile

We verify every label claim against manufacturer specifications. Below is the complete nutritional declaration and typical amino acid assay per 4-capsule serving:

Supplement Facts

Serving Size: 4 Veg Capsules

Servings Per Container: 30

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value
Calories 10
Protein 2 g 4%*
Vitamin B-6 (from Pyridoxine HCl) 13 mg 765%
Blend of Peptide-Bound Amino Acid Sources 2.8 g (2,800 mg)
(Whey Protein Isolate, Soy Protein Isolate, Sodium Caseinate) plus Free-Form Amino Acids (L-Glutamine, L-Arginine, L-Ornithine)
†

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
† Daily Value not established.

Typical Amino Acid Assay (Per 4 Capsules)

Values are natural averages and subject to natural agricultural variability across raw material lots.

Essential Amino Acids (EAAs)
L-Histidine37 mg
L-Isoleucine (BCAA)115 mg
L-Leucine (BCAA – mTOR trigger)205 mg
L-Lysine185 mg
L-Methionine35 mg
L-Phenylalanine72 mg
L-Threonine141 mg
L-Tryptophan37 mg
L-Valine (BCAA)141 mg
Non-Essential & Conditionally Essential
L-Alanine97 mg
L-Arginine (Free-form + Bound)276 mg
L-Aspartic Acid220 mg
L-Cysteine38 mg
L-Glutamic Acid410 mg
L-Glutamine (Free-form)204 mg
Glycine47 mg
L-Ornithine (Free-form)31 mg
L-Proline123 mg
L-Serine106 mg
L-Tyrosine66 mg

Other Ingredients: Hypromellose (cellulose capsule), Hydroxypropyl Cellulose, Stearic Acid (vegetable source), Silicon Dioxide.

Allergen Declaration: Contains milk (whey isolate, sodium caseinate) and soy (isolated soy protein).

Free From: Not manufactured with wheat, gluten, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nut, or sesame ingredients. Produced in a GMP-certified facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens.

Quality Assurance: NOW Brand Testing & Strict Contaminant Constraints

In an unregulated supplement landscape where low-cost contract manufacturers frequently skip testing, NOW Foods operates one of the most advanced, vertically integrated quality control operations in North America. Headquartered in Bloomingdale, Illinois, NOW maintains state-of-the-art analytical testing facilities accredited to the international ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard.

Conducting more than 19,000 analytical determinations every single month, NOW subjects incoming raw materials and finished lots to stringent multi-tiered screening protocols:

Heavy Metal Clearance (ICP-MS)

Utilizing Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), every batch is screened down to parts-per-billion (ppb) thresholds for elemental contaminants: Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), and Mercury (Hg). Standards are strictly calibrated to clear United States Pharmacopeia (USP <2232>) and California Proposition 65 safety ceilings.

Chromatographic Potency (HPLC & GC)

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Gas Chromatography (GC-MS) verify that each individual amino acid matches its exact enantiomer (L-form) and potency claim, guaranteeing zero industrial nitrogen spiking or synthetic adulteration.

Microbiological Pathogen Testing

Validated against USP <2021> and <2022> microbial limits, finished capsules undergo rigorous culture and rapid bioluminescent assays to verify total absence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, alongside strict yeast and mold tolerances.

NPA & UL cGMP Certification

NOW manufacturing facilities are audited independently and carry 'A-rated' Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) registration through the Natural Products Association (NPA) and UL Solutions (21 CFR Part 111 compliance).

When you order NOW Amino Complete from VitaNet®, you are receiving a laboratory-audited formulation that meets verifiable pharmaceutical-grade hygiene and purity standards.

Realistic Trade-Offs, Constraints & Contraindications

A fundamental principle of reliable health guidance is transparency regarding who should not take a product and where practical trade-offs exist:

Who Should Exercise Caution or Avoid Use

Capsules vs. Protein Shakes: The Honest Comparison

A single serving of Amino Complete yields 2 grams of bioavailable protein. If your goal is hitting a massive caloric surplus (such as 150+ grams of daily protein for intense bodybuilding), capsules cannot replace large whole-food meals or 25-gram whey shakes.

Instead, Amino Complete excels as a precision nitrogen supplement: an effortless way to keep amino acid levels elevated between meals, directly around training, or when digestive conditions make drinking shakes impractical.

How to Use NOW Amino Complete for Maximum Biological Uptake

Standard Daily Serving

Take 4 capsules daily with at least 8 to 10 ounces of water or your favorite beverage.

The Juice Absorption Tip

NOW recommends taking these capsules preferably with fruit juice. The natural simple carbohydrates in juice prompt a mild insulin release, which acts as a cellular gatekeeper to accelerate amino acid uptake into muscle tissues.

Athletic Protocol

Competitive lifters and endurance athletes may divide intake: 4 capsules 30 minutes before training to protect muscle tissue, and 4 capsules immediately post-workout with recovery carbohydrates.

Storage Reminder: Store in a cool, dry place after opening. Do not discard the enclosed food-grade silica freshness packet; leave it inside the bottle to protect capsules from ambient moisture.

Why Source Your Supplements from VitaNet®, LLC?

When ordering health supplements online, where you purchase matters as much as what you purchase. Marketplace platforms are filled with anonymous third-party resellers, improper warehouse heat storage, and expired lots[cite: 1].

VitaNet®, LLC is an independent, family-owned discount vitamin retailer serving customers online since 1995[cite: 1]. With over 31 years of direct industry experience and deep foundational knowledge of human biochemistry, we treat supplement retailing as a personal commitment to customer health[cite: 1]:

Unconditional 100% Money-Back Guarantee

We stand behind every single product in our catalog of over 16,000 items[cite: 1]. If you are unsatisfied for any reason, we offer an unconditional 100% money-back guarantee—we even cover return shipping, even on opened items[cite: 1].

Climate-Controlled Physical Storefront

Unlike automated fulfillment dropshippers, we operate our brick-and-mortar store at 887 Edison Street Northwest in Hartville, Ohio 44632[cite: 1]. Every bottle is stored in strict climate-controlled conditions to protect peptide and vitamin potency.

Real Human Customer Support

Have questions about your order or ingredient combinations? Speak directly with knowledgeable professionals via telephone at (330) 877-8786 during standard store hours[cite: 1].

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is NOW Amino Complete and what does it do?

NOW Amino Complete is a broad-spectrum dietary supplement that provides 20 distinct amino acids derived from a blend of peptide-bound protein sources (whey protein isolate, soy protein isolate, sodium caseinate) and crystalline free-form amino acids (L-glutamine, L-arginine, L-ornithine), enhanced with Vitamin B-6. It supplies your body with the biological raw materials needed for muscle recovery, tissue repair, and overall metabolic health without requiring high-calorie shakes.

What is the difference between peptide-bound and free-form amino acids?

Peptide-bound amino acids are small linked chains (di- and tri-peptides) that absorb through specialized intestinal PEPT1 transporters, offering sustained delivery. Free-form amino acids are single, unlinked molecules that require no enzymatic digestion and absorb immediately into the bloodstream. Combining both ensures rapid yet prolonged systemic amino acid availability.

Why is Vitamin B-6 included in the formula?

Vitamin B-6 serves as the primary biochemical cofactor for transamination and deamination reactions. It enables your body's enzymes to process, reassemble, and utilize dietary amino acids for muscle tissue remodeling and neurotransmitter synthesis.

How and when should I take NOW Amino Complete?

The recommended serving is 4 capsules daily, preferably consumed with fruit juice. Athletes often take 4 capsules 30 minutes before workouts or immediately post-training, while non-athletes can take 4 capsules between meals to maintain positive nitrogen balance.

How does NOW Foods ensure this product is free from contaminants?

NOW tests its ingredients in in-house ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratories using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury), High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for potency, and rigorous microbial panels to eliminate pathogens, exceeding FDA cGMP and California Proposition 65 safety limits.

Does NOW Amino Complete contain dairy or soy?

Yes. The peptide-bound protein matrix utilizes Whey Protein Isolate and Sodium Caseinate (milk derivatives) as well as Soy Protein Isolate. Individuals with diagnosed milk or soy allergies should avoid this formula.

Can I return this product if it doesn't agree with me?

Yes. VitaNet®, LLC offers an unconditional 100% money-back guarantee on all products, covering return shipping even on opened bottles[cite: 1].

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