To BCAA (Branched-Chain Amino Acids) or not?

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by | May 1, 2020 | Supplements | 0 comments

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) are a group of 3 essential Amino Acids – leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

What are amino acids?

Amino acids are building blocks that combine to form proteins. Our bodies use these proteins for many functions –

  1. Build and repair tissues – helping with growth and maintenance of muscle, bone, cartilage, skin and blood;
  2. Makes enzymes, hormones and chemicals;
  3. Transport and store nutrients;
  4. Maintain pH and fluid balance
  5. Immune function

But BCAA supplements are commonly taken as they are thought to promote muscle building, and improve exercise performance.

There are 20 Amino Acid’s which make up human protein which are required for the health and function of our bodies. Nine of these are classified as essential, meaning they cannot be produced by the body making them extremely important for protein production. These includes histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. 

So this makes BCAA essential right? Seeing as they’re classed as essential so we can produce body protein?

Protein Production

Muscle protein production is dependent on all of the essential and non-essential amino acids, they must be present in adequate amounts for muscle protein production. Therefore without abundant availability of all essential amino acids, and ultimately non essential amino acids, muscle protein production will be limited by the availability of amino acids.

So yes, you could say BCAA supplements can help with muscle protein production and growth – providing the body with 3 of the essential amino acids. But we’re only consuming 3 of the essential amino acids within the BCAA supplement .. where are we getting the non-essential and other essential amino acids from which are required for muscle production? 

Ultimately our bodies can make the non-essential, so we can forget about them.

But as I said the essential amino acids cannot be made our body, so we must have to get them from somewhere – so other essential amino acids, come from protein breakdown (which is constantly occurring, as body protein is constantly being broken and produced to renew or replace body protein) which means that yes BCAA supplements can help to ”switch on” muscle protein synthesis – but there effect on muscle production and growth is limited. As there is only 3 essential proteins there .. and our body has to get the remaining essential amino acids from breaking down muscle protein. Therefore this makes it impossible for us to ultimately produce new muscle protein. As the essential amino acids released from breakdown, are either reincorporated into the muscle protein in production, or oxidized (making them unavailable).

Studies have actually shown that introduction of BCAA (straight into the veins, and into the blood) does not increase the rate of muscle protein production, but actually reduces the rate of muscle protein production.

CONCLUSION – TO BCAA OR NOT?

In my opinion, supplementation of BCAA is not needed for people with a sufficient protein intake as many protein sources, such as meat and eggs provide the BCAA’s and all the other essential amino acids too.

If your diet is low in protein, for example if you’re vegan – then a BCAA supplement would be a good idea. Otherwise, stick with food protein sources & whey protein.

 

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