Why are BCAA’s Important?

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s).

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and muscle growth.  Whenever you eat protein, your body converts the protein into basic  amino acids so you may absorb and utilize them. The amino acids you get from protein sources are referred to as Essential Amino Acids (EAA).   L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, and L-Valine three of the most important Branched Chain Amino acids, or BCAAs.  They are called Branched-chain amino acids because of their unique  “branched” chemical structure.  BCAAs are among the nine essential amino acids for humans.

Branched-chain amino acids make up 35% of our muscle tissue and must be present in order for muscle growth to take place.  BCAAs are known to  enhance muscle growth and strength by directly stimulating muscle  protein synthesis.  Your body itself can not make Branched-chain amino acids; they must be provided by the diet, and that’s another reason why BCAA  supplementation is so important.

BCAAs serve very important purposes in the body.

The reason L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, and L-Valine are special aminos is because of how they are handled  in the body.  Most amino acids go directly to the liver after being  digested, where they can be broken down and used as energy if needed by the body.  On the other hand, BCAAs tend to bypass the liver and go  directly to the muscles where they are used as fuel. This is crucial for helping to strengthen, build and  repair muscle tissue that has been stressed by weight training.

Besides being used as a direct fuel source for muscle fibers, BCAAs also enhance energy by reducing the amount of amino acid tryptophan  that gets into the brain. Tryptophan produces a metabolite known as  serotonin.  During exercise, serotonin  notifies the brain that the body is fatigued and causes it to reduce  muscle strength and endurance.  BCAAs, namely valine, compete with  tryptophan for entry into the brain, lowering the amount of tryptophan that gets into the brain, and therefore lowers the amount of  fatigue you feel.  Supplement with BCAAs and finish your long intense workouts because you might not  fatigue as quickly.

Of all the benefits that BCAAs offer, the most interesting is their ability to enhance muscle growth and strength by directly stimulating muscle protein synthesis.  High levels of BCAAs in the blood help conserve stores of  glutamine, a nonessential, but major amino acid that assists in muscle  growth.  Branched-chain amino acids serve as a significant fuel source for skeletal  muscle during periods of metabolic stress. If you are exercising  intensely, you are experiencing metabolic stress. When the body is under stress, BCAAs act directly on muscle cells and promote protein  synthesis (muscle growth)–the goal of all bodybuilders. BCAAs  also help to prevent muscle breakdown by acting as a  readily available fuel source for hard-working muscles during intense  exercise.

BCAAs also work to enhance muscle growth and strength by altering levels of anabolic and catabolic hormones. One anabolic hormone BCAAs  boost is insulin. This is primarily caused by leucine, and it leads to  further enhancement of muscle protein synthesis.  BCAAs have also been  found to increase levels of growth hormone.

When to Take BCAAs

When it comes to BCAAs, timing is crucial (see chart below). To gain  more muscle mass, strength and energy, the most critical time for taking BCAAs is around your workouts. For best results, take one dose  30 minutes before your workouts along with your pre-workout  protein shake, and another dose 30 minutes after  workouts along with your post-workout protein shake.

Supplementing with  BCAAs before and after workouts keeps cortisol levels low, which  encourages greater muscle growth. A dose of BCAAs right before workouts  will provide your muscles with the energy they need to stave off fatigue throughout the workout.  Taking  BCAAs around your workout will also help to decrease the muscle  soreness which results from intense training.

Another critical window for taking BCAAs is as soon as you  wake up in the morning. This dose gets the aminos immediately to your  muscles to use as fuel and for repair, which will stop the continued  breakdown of your hard-earned muscle from your night-long fasting, and  help build it back up.

The fourth time of day you should take a dose of BCAAs is late in the  day with dinner or with your last meal. This helps to keep protein  synthesis and GH up, and cortisol down throughout the next day.

You may also want to consider taking additional doses of BCAAs between  meals to keep hunger down and metabolism up for optimal fat burning.

When and how you take your BCAAs has a  major impact on their muscle-building effects. This table gives you the  times of day that you should supplement with BCAAs, and the benefit for supplementing at each time period.
Time	Benefits
Morning	• Helps stop the breakdown of muscle from the night-long fast • Helps boost energy • Helps reduce hunger
Between meals	• Helps boost energy • Helps reduce hunger
Last meal of the day	• Helps reduce hunger • Helps reduce muscle breakdown during the night • Helps promote fat burning
Before workout	• Helps boost energy • Promotes muscle strength • Promotes fat burning
After workout	• Assists in muscle recovery • Helps promote muscle growth

Product Recommendations

Optimum Nutrition BCAA’s	NOW Foods BCAA’s	Optimum Nutrition Superior Amino 2222 Softgels

** The information provided on this site is for informational purposes  only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician  or other health care professional or any information contained on or in  any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on  this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for  prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult  with a health care professional before starting any diet, exercise or  supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.