BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acid’s) and other amino acids have proven to be controversial in recent years as their use in the fitness industry has expanded, and now you’ll find a lot of people around the gym supplementing with them. But why?
Well, A large portion of our muscles, tissue and cells are made up of Amino Acids, and branched chain amino acids are considered the 3 most important, as they prevent muscle break-down. These are Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine.
The benefits of these BCAAs certainly vary between different people (Depending on their goals, nutrition and exercises regime). Personally I believe that although not necessarily essential to progression, BCAAs are a great tool which can provide you with a competitive edge. This is because they prevent muscle-loss during exercise.
As you workout, your body is ‘catabolic’ (Your muscle gets broken down) so the sooner we can start the recovery process the better, so that we can start to heal and grow. This will allow us, a few days later, to perform the exercise again after recovery. If you train regularly, BCAAs can help to speed the whole process up! They are often taken intra-workout, and this is because muscles are starved of nutrition during exercise, and your body is depleted of energy.
Try taking a BCAA supplement and see how you improve between sessions, they come in easy-to-drink liquid form, tablets or delicious powder drinks (My personal favourite as they’re serious thirst-quenchers when training!)
So, we know that BCAAs are Branched Chain Amino Acids, but have you heard of EAAs, which are Essential Amino Acids? If you're a seasoned gym-veteran, you most likely will have already heard of both, but what is the difference between the two?!
To confuse you further, all BCAAs are EAAs, but not all EAAs are BCAAs...
Let me explain. BCAAs are named as such, as their physical construction is branched, simple. As mentioned earlier, the three BCAAs are: Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine! But do you know about the remaining essential Amino Acids: Methionine, Threonine, Lysine, Tryptophan and Phenylalanine? Together, these Amino Acids are the complete set of Essential AAs, whereas only the first three are the Branched Chain AAs.
So why are people buying BCAAs, when BCAA products are lacking 5 other essential amino acids? Well these three are the most important, and so they were marketed and promoted in the fitness industry. Leucine is the first BCAA, and is king of the Essential Aminos, and demands the highest share of the ratio. (You may have seen this on the packaging as 2:1:1 for example.) While these BCAAs are certainly important, and taking them will be beneficial, it is far more beneficial to take all of the Essential Aminos!
Why you need to be taking EAAs... All Amino acids play integral roles as the building blocks of proteins in the body, and as key agent in your metabolism. Essential amino acids are named as such, because, yes you guessed it, they're essential! The human body cannot make EAAS, and therefore they must be sourced from your diet. Humans can produce 10 of the 20 total amino acids, but 0 of the essential aminos! The vast majority of us will not be able to successfully get the EAAs we need from our diet, and without them, the body's proteins will be subject to degradation, and excess protein you consume can be stored in the body as fat! We don't want that!
To all you gym novices, who may be trembling at the idea of drinking "acids". Calm down. EAAs have been studied in great depth, and multiple scientific researchers have told us that they prevent muscular deterioration, protect mitochondria, (an organelle for the respiration and energy production,) and boost your metabolism!
If you're looking for some fantastic Amino Supplements, lets start with BCAAs...
Arguably the best BCAA comes from Scivation in the way of Xtend BCAAs. Their flavours are fantastic and their ratios are spot on!
Secondly, there is Steel-Fit. Steel-Fit make an Essential Amino called Steel Fuel, and it is fantastic! It's a little harder to get hold of, but if you find it, you'll love it!
As for Essential Amino Acids, there is one true hero which stands out from the rest... Huma Pro by Alri. Huma Pro is the leading EAA product on the market, and rightly so. After extensive research, Alri have produced a full Amino-blend using all 8 Essential Amino acids, for optimum human protein-synthesis.
Toby Hone
BSc (hons) Sport and Exercise Science
