Brief Overview: BCAA Supplementation & Your Diet

Branched Chain Amino Acids or as they are commonly known as BCAAs, are a group of amino acids that in studies have been shown to work in synergy to boost the synthesis of protein. As you might already know BCAAs are made up of 3 amino acids; Leucine, Iso-Leucine and Valine. But what you may not know is the way BCAAs can help increase muscle growth, reduce muscle catabolism and decrease the overall time taken to recover from an exercise. These 3 qualities make BCAAs an effective supplement when losing weight and gaining muscle. Scroll down as we provide an overview of BCAAs and why they are so important to your diet.

Increase Muscle Growth

Many studies have shown BCAAs effectiveness for increasing muscle growth. In particular, of the 3 amino acids, Leucine seems to exhibit the biggest positive effect on protein synthesis. However when combined with the other 2 amino acids (Iso-Leucine and Valine), they seem to amplify this effect more so than individually on their own. Within a muscle building diet, BCAAs can work well to sustain muscle growth throughout the day or help with performance throughout a workout session.

Reduce Muscle Catabolism

BCAAs supplements have been studied for their effect in reducing the amount of muscle catabolized when on a weight loss diet. While it may sound strange at first that our bodies catabolize muscle when we lose weight, it actually makes perfect sense. As we eat less, our bodies have fewer resources to work with. Unlike fat which can be stored and released on whim, BCAAs and amino acids in general, are not stored in the body. Instead the body must break down (or catabolize) sources of amino acids such as our muscles. By supplying a stream of BCAAs throughout the day through the consumption of BCAA supplements you can reduce the amount of catabolism that occurs. That results in more muscle being retained and a toner / stronger body after your diet.

Decreased Recovery Time

When Leucine, Iso-Leucine and Valine work in synergy, they boost protein synthesis. This boost enables your body to be more productive when it comes to synthesizing protein. As muscle is created from this synthesizing effect, the more synthetization the more muscle is produce and restored. Effectively, BCAAs can help your body build and recover quicker after a tough workout or session in the gym.