BCAAs 101

BCAAs get a lot of attention. You’ll find them in the water bottle of gym goers everywhere. But what are they, what do they do and when should they be used? And do they really help support performance? Let’s take a closer look.

What are BCAAs?

The thousands of proteins in the human body are made from 20 amino acids, some of which the body can make itself (non-essential) and some of which must be consumed in the diet (essential). Of the essential amino acids three are known as Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs): these are – leucine, isoleucine and valine. They are essential because the body cannot make these out of other amino acids thus, they must be consumed in the diet. They have the name branch chain as a result of their structure.

BCAAs are naturally found in foods that are high in protein, with the highest concentrations found in animal sources and some plant-based options. They can also be supplemented in powder like PhD’s Intra BCAA and they can also come in capsule or liquid form. These kind of BCAAs that are consumed in “free form” require minimal digestion, are rapidly absorbed into the blood stream and can quickly be taken up by muscles during exercise.

What do BCAAs do?

The cycle of training, feeding and resting results in muscle protein turnover, whereby the muscles are constantly being broken down and rebuilt. This process is how our muscles develop, adapt and grow in response to training. Muscle breakdown (catabolism) is often as a result of training or fasting, where muscle rebuild (anabolism) is in response to training or feeding.

In addition to being key building blocks for new proteins, BCAAs and in particular leucine is thought to be a key amino acid in the muscle rebuilding process. Leucine is the main amino acid that is used to produce energy during exercise as well as being the key amino acid that stimulates muscle protein synthesis in the post-exercise recovery period.

When should I use BCAAs?

The aim of resistance or strength training is to make the muscle stronger by altering their structure, and often involves muscle growth (i.e. muscle hypertrophy). Resistance exercise can blunt muscle protein synthesis whilst increasing muscle protein breakdown, resulting in a negative muscle protein balance.

Given what we now know, that BCAAs are especially important in stimulating muscle protein synthesis (i.e. the process underpinning muscle hypertrophy), it may be useful to consume BCAAs before, during and/or after strength training sessions. In this way, muscle protein breakdown may be reduced, and muscle protein synthesis can be stimulated in the post-exercise recovery period.

Additionally, for those who follow plant-based diets or are actively avoiding animal protein sources may also struggle to get sufficient amounts of BCAAs through their diet. Although soy protein contains a full essential amino acid profile, the BCAA levels are lower than in sources such as whey. As such, vegetarian or vegan athletes may therefore benefit from consuming BCAAs before, during and/or after exercise.

Key Points:

• BCAAs are absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream, so they are quickly delivered to our muscles if taken pre or during exercise.

• Supplementing with BCAAs before, during and/or after a work-out may help reduce muscle breakdown, muscle soreness and increase protein synthesis.

• Maintaining muscle leucine concentrations, by consuming BCAAs during exercise, could prime the body for optimal recovery post-exercise, especially when taken with additional protein.

• BCAAs may be particularly useful for vegetarian and vegan athletes to help hit leucine threshold for muscle protein synthesis.

Written by PhD Nutrition