BCAA Amino Acids – How They Work and When to Take Them

BCAA amino acids are used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease), brain diseases due to liver disease (chronic hepatic encephalopathy, latent hepatic encephalopathy), a movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia, a genetic disorder called McArdle syndrome, a condition called spinocerebral degeneration and low appetite in elderly patients with kidney failure and cancer patients. BCAA amino acids are also used to help reduce the decrease in bedridden muscle.

Some people use BCAA amino acids to prevent fatigue and improve concentration. Athletes use BCAA amino acids to improve performance and reduce protein and muscle breakdown during intense exercise. BCAA amino acids are given intravenously to treat sudden swelling of the brain due to liver disease (acute hepatic encephalopathy) and also when the body has been subjected to extreme stress, for example after severe injury or generalized infection.

How BCAA Amino Acids Work:  BCAA amino acids stimulate the building of muscle protein and eventually reduce muscle fatigue and excessive tension. BCAA amino acids appear to prevent faulty transmission of messages in the brain cells of people with advanced liver disease, mania, tardive dyskinesia, and anorexia.

How BCAA Amino Acids Can Help:  BCAA amino acids help reduce exercise-induced muscle damage, improve muscle recovery and regulate protein synthesis. They can also reduce fatigue. This means being able to train at a higher intensity for a longer period of time.

Although amino acids are the building blocks of protein, the body cannot produce them, so they must be consumed as part of your daily diet. Almost 25% of whey protein is made up of BCAAs . Researchers believe that BCAA amino acids – leucine especially – are responsible for regulating protein synthesis.

When to Use BCAA Amino Acids: BCAA  amino acids  are most beneficial when included in post-exercise nutritional recovery, which should begin 30 minutes after you finish your workout. Protein consumed during this time is critical, and one of the best sources of BCAA amino acids is whey protein. Exploring tissue conditions after exercise provides your muscles with the fuel they need to rebuild and repair.

How Much BCAA Amino Acids Do You Need:  To ensure adequate levels of BCAA amino acids , consume at least 15 grams of whey protein as part of your recovery after exercise. The amount of leucine needed to stimulate protein synthesis and increase muscle recovery is at least 3,000 mg (3 grams) after training.

Important Information:  Leucine is able to stimulate protein synthesis in the same way that insulin influences, particularly in skeletal muscle. BCAA amino acids may also play an important role in delaying central fatigue.

Intake of BCAA amino acids increases the amount in the bloodstream, helping to balance the increase in free tryptophan associated with exercise. BCAA amino acids decrease the amount of tryptophan transported to the brain, ultimately delaying fatigue.

Many studies have demonstrated the benefits of consuming BCAAs for various types of exercise, including strength training, resistance training, and physical activity in general.

BCAA. Supplements:  Despite the many benefits of supplementing with BCAA amino acids , there are many skeptics who suggest that BCAA supplements are too expensive and for more BCAA amino acids , you would have to consume more whey protein. The BCAA’s in serum are peptides linked to other amino acids and, to be effective, they must be released by digestion and then absorbed into the bloodstream. Even though whey protein is digested relatively quickly, it takes several hours for all the amino acids to be released and absorbed into the bloodstream.

Amino acids in supplement form, however, do not require digestion and are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. They put the amino acid level in the blood at a higher and faster point linked peptides than amino acids. Even a few grams ingested as BCAA amino acids will raise plasma BCAA levels to a degree of whey protein much higher than 30%, thus affecting protein synthesis and protein breakdown to a much greater extent.

The reason why BCAA amino acid supplements have such a potent effect on BCAA blood levels is that, unlike other amino acids, non-BCAA amino acids are significantly metabolized by the small intestine or the liver. So an oral supplement is rather than a BCAA infusion because it hits the bloodstream quickly.

New studies have shown that groups of dieters and supplemented with BCAAs (such as leucine) increase muscle protein retention and maximize fat loss much more effectively than groups of people who do not take supplements. The two main benefits brought by BCAA amino acids are conserved more muscle mass and a higher percentage of body fat loss.