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eazy · #2 (**permalink**) 03-20-2013, 08:49 AM

HE BENEFITS OF BCAA's - by Charles Poliquin

"I started using branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in high amounts in 1994 after meeting with one of brightest minds in exercise physiology and medicine, Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, who wrote Amino Acids and Proteins for the Athlete: The Anabolic Edge. His contention was that if money was an issue, taking supplements during workouts was most important. I still believe that this holds true after playing with them for 17 years.

I like to keep an eye out for new research on BCAAs since they provide so many training and health benefits, of which not all the physiological mechanisms are yet understood. An abundance of new evidence shows BCAAs can support liver health, prevent diabetes, and are essential for longevity and aging well. Plus, emerging data provides more support that you should take BCAAs to stay lean, get strong, recover faster, and have greater work capacity. Let’s review BCAA basics and take a look at what the new research tells us…or if you don’t have the time, just read MY TAKEAWAYS from each study.

The Basics of BCAAs

The BCAAs include leucine, isoleucine, and valine, and they support everything from anabolic muscle building to high-intensity endurance training to improving mental function and mood. They are among the nine essential amino acids that the body is unable to make, meaning they must be ingested through food or supplements. BCAAs are found in high-protein foods such as meat and whey protein.

As their name suggests, BCAAs have a branched side chain that simplifies the job of converting each amino acid into energy during intense exertion. The more BCAAs that are present in the muscles, the more they will be used for energy, slowing the breakdown of muscles cells and preventing catabolism. At the most basic level, BCAAs trigger protein synthesis, increase energy expenditure and have been shown to improve glucose tolerance (glucose intolerance is a precursor to diabetes). What’s exciting about this is that BCAAs work even when you aren’t working out, meaning that if you have to take time off, BCAAs will help minimize fat gain and muscle loss from inactivity. Equally, on days when you don’t exercise, BCAAs are just as important as during and post-workout.

1) BCAAs Enhance Muscle Protein Synthesis
A study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that BCAA supplementation can contribute to an anabolic environment in the body. Leucine-enriched BCAAs (a BCAA mixture that is 40 percent leucine) was shown to elevate and prolong protein synthesis after resistance training. There was evidence of a dose-dependent response to BCAAs, meaning that more is better, which is why I suggest taking them before, during, and after training.

BCAA supplementation results in maximal protein synthesis because it increases the intracellular availability of amino acids and activates something called the mTORC1 signaling pathway that is essential for muscle building. Take note that aging is associated with an impaired ability to activate mTORC1 signaling and protein synthesis. Are you getting this? In older individuals, this pathway is not activated to the same extent as in younger trainees after training unless leucine-enriched EAAs are ingested!

Another great benefit of BCAAs is that if you have to take time off from training due to injury, a need for a break, or lack of time, they will minimize muscle loss and fat gain. A study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that giving BCAAs to rats who had their hind-limbs immobilized for six days helped preserve protein synthesis that regulates cell growth. The BCAAs didn’t completely prevent protein degradation and muscle atrophy in the rats’ hind limbs, but they helped preserve the muscle to a greater extent than a placebo. The BCAA-fed rats also had lower body fat levels following immobilization.

MY TAKEAWAY: Leucine-Enriched BCAAs Support Muscle Growth And Fat Loss