What you need to know on BCAAs

If you read my previous post on protein, you now know that amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) are the amino acids with an extra side carbon chain, that
simplifies their conversion into energy during intense exertion. There are 3 BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine and valine. Their major advantage over
other amino acids is that they are not degraed in the liver, but go straight into the blood stream. This makes them a great source of energy during workout. Here are my top reasons to add BCAAs into your regime:

• Save your muscles during workout - our bodies are in catabolic state during intense anaerobic training. That means that the muscles are broken down to supply amino acids that are used for energy source. Consuming BCAAs during workout minimizes the damage and gets your body into anabolic (muscle building) state faster after workout.
• Increase strength - taking leucine during workout translates into having greater strength gains.
• Improve body composition - BCAAs help regulate blood sugar levels. Also because they help to train harder and longer during the workout, thus burning more fat in your body.
• Reduce muscle soreness.
• Increase protein synthesis - BCAAs are shown to stimulate protein synthesis in the body, which is good news for those who want to increase muscle mass.
• Improve mental function - generally, high protein diet improves cognitive function and reaction time. It is believed that most of the benefit comes from leucine.
• Improves mood - it is believed that BCAAs improve synthesis of serotonin in our brains, thus improving mood. Either way it was shown they help reduce depressive symptoms in elderly population.

Sources:

The best sources for BCAAs are:

• Red meat - highest BCAA content in whole foods.
• Dairy - primarily fermented products like kefir, natural yogurt, cottage cheese etc.
• Other meats - all meat proteins are complete (that means they have a full amino acid content)
• Protein drinks - whey protein is the best, other sources are casein (milk protein), wheat protein.

How much?

Get at least 5g of BCAA for every hour of training during workout. For those who are doing heavy resistance training, take up to 12g. You may also take 3-5g post-workout for best results.

Good Luck!

Val