BCAA

Geschatte leestijd: 6 minuten Proteins consist of amino acids, known as Amino Acids in English. The amino acids that make up these proteins are actually the building blocks of protein. The body needs proteins and thus amino acids for certain processes. The body can produce certain amino acids itself, which we call non-essential amino acids.

What are BCAAs

The amino acids that the body cannot produce itself are the essential amino acids. You need to obtain these from your daily diet or by using dietary supplements. In total, there are 20 amino acids that can form 1 protein together. Because each source of protein has its own amino acid profile, this may not always be optimal. For the serious athlete, the distribution of amino acids is very important, and the needs may be slightly different. The function of some amino acids differs from others. The amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine are important, among other things, for preventing muscle breakdown. These 3 amino acids are therefore called Branched Chained Amino Acids.

Branched Chained Amino Acids

The English term for amino acids is amino acids. The branched-chain amino acids, we call in English: Branched Chained Amino Acids, also abbreviated as BCAA. These BCAAs are leucine, isoleucine, and valine and together form 1/3 of the essential amino acids. When you engage in heavy strength training, your body initially uses the glycogen stores for its energy needs. If these are no longer sufficient, the body switches to other energy sources and can use amino acids for its energy needs. BCAAs are essential and cannot be produced by the body itself. This means that you need to ingest them through your diet or supplements. The functioning of BCAAs is very important for serious athletes and people who want to build muscle mass. After all, the BCAAs are directly absorbed by the muscles, unlike the other amino acids which are first stored in the liver. In addition, it can help prevent muscle breakdown when taken before training. Your body breaks down muscles during training, and this can be prevented by taking these supplements. After training, BCAAs can contribute to improving protein synthesis, which can be beneficial for muscle building. BCAAs can often be found in dietary supplements such as protein shakes. Let’s take a look at the profiles of the three individual amino acids.

Leucine

The amino acid leucine is primarily involved in protein synthesis and also contributes to muscle recovery after training. However, for these functions, it depends on the other two amino acids, isoleucine and valine. According to the University of Maastricht, administering leucine after strength training results in a 16% increase in muscle building, if administered before and after training. It is mainly the combination of the 3 branched-chain amino acids that can be of great value to athletes with muscle building as their goal.

Isoleucine

Like leucine, isoleucine helps in the creation and building of new muscle tissue, but it also has the property of being rapidly absorbed, making it suitable for the production of energy for the muscles by the body. It helps prevent muscle breakdown in the muscles. Furthermore, it is important for the production of hemoglobin.

Valine

Valine is a BCAA, a branched-chain amino acid that is not processed in the liver. This makes it easier to be absorbed into the muscles. It plays a major role in the recovery and building of muscle tissue after an intensive workout. In addition, valine affects the absorption of, among others, tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine. These are precursors of neurotransmitters in the brain. Also read the article: Effect BCAA with sufficient protein intake

Buying BCAA

BCAAs play a special role compared to other amino acids. Especially with regard to muscle growth, they stand out. BCAAs are not broken down, used, or converted in the liver like other amino acids. However, this does not mean that they end up completely in the muscles as is sometimes claimed. Ultimately, about 44% is used as building blocks for the muscles. Also read the article: BCAA use unnecessary

Why use BCAA

The reasons for using BCAA become much clearer based on the above functions. When you engage in intensive strength training, your body undergoes a phase of periodic stress, and more breakdown of muscle tissue can occur. To counteract this before, during, and after a workout, you can administer amino acids, in the form of BCAAs, to your body, which can prevent muscle breakdown but also help your body to build new muscle tissue during and after the workout. This process takes place through protein metabolism in the body. This is often in balance, which means that the same amount of protein is built up and broken down. If protein synthesis is greater than protein breakdown, muscle growth is achieved. This is known as the anabolic phase. But it can also be the other way around. So then more protein is broken down than is produced. This is called the catabolic phase. Preventing protein breakdown and the catabolic phase can be achieved by using BCAA supplements. In addition to the above reasons for using BCAA, there may be a secondary reason for administering the branched-chain amino acids, namely, they also act as an energy supplier. The BCAAs can serve as fuel for muscle cells, and the remainder that remains comes in the form of alanine because the liver can convert it back into glucose, allowing it to serve as energy for the muscles again. In that respect, BCAAs can be of enormous value when your body is depleted of its glycogen stores and still needs energy.

Catabolism

The body enters a catabolic phase when stress is exerted on the body. This can be physical stress, such as intensive strength training, but the body can also enter a catabolic phase due to mental stress. Both situations, both physical and mental, lead to the body releasing the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol breaks down proteins and uses them as energy. Because of the catabolic effect of cortisol, the intake of BCAAs is important. The three amino acids, Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine, counteract protein breakdown due to cortisol. The BCAAs are the first to be used when the body enters a catabolic phase. If you perform a heavy workout, about 5 to 10 percent of the energy comes from the breakdown of branched-chain amino acid chains. This prevents muscle breakdown if you use these supplements.

How to use BCAA

BCAA administration takes place around the training session. Often, the amino acids are administered before training to prevent muscle breakdown during the workout. The difference with other amino acids is that BCAAs are less rapidly broken down by the stomach and liver, allowing them to arrive in a more complete and full form at the muscle cells. Note, they do not arrive in their entirely complete form. Approximately 40 to 50 percent of the branched-chain amino acid profile is intact when it reaches the muscles. If you orally administer BCAA around your training, it can have immediate significant effects on the values in the blood and muscles that last a long time. It is recommended to use 7 to 8 grams of BCAAs daily before your training and the same amount after your training. Protein synthesis becomes truly optimal with an administration of 3 to 4 grams of leucine every 4 to 6 hours. If you were to obtain the 3 to 4 grams of leucine from your diet, it would amount to about 40 to 50 grams of protein. In addition, the amino acids also help in creating new muscle tissue for after your training. In that respect, BCAAs can have a better effect on recovery after training than carbohydrate administration after training. This was shown in a study conducted with 12 young and untrained female participants, where some of the participants took BCAAs every morning and the other group took a placebo in the form of dextrin. Both groups then performed 7 sets of 20 squats with 3 minutes rest between sets. The results in terms of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) were remarkable. The group that received BCAAs administered had significantly less DOMS (= muscle pain) than the group that received the placebo. From these research results, it can be assumed that BCAAs can make a very valuable contribution when it comes to muscle recovery and partly preventing muscle pain.

Do BCAAs really work?

The effects of BCAA are supported by several studies. For example, Karlsson’s study showed that BCAA supplements can help increase the anabolic effects of strength training. The anabolic effect is present to a greater extent than when no BCAA was administered, but the effects were also more complete.

Whey shake or BCAA

To answer this question, it is important to consider what you find important. After all, there may be personal reasons why you prefer BCAA supplements over a protein shake. These could be: Timing: You want to time the whey at a different time than the BCAAs. You choose to take the whey in the morning and in the evening because it may have a different burden on your digestion, and you time the BCAA around your workouts. Composition: You want to take the BCAA because of the profile of the amino acids, which you cannot find in a regular whey shake.

Conclusion

BCAA consists of the essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. The benefits and drawbacks of branched-chain amino acids, BCAA, can have both a personal and scientific basis. There are various studies showing that BCAA can make a positive contribution to preventing muscle breakdown, promoting muscle growth, reducing muscle pain (DOMS), and also providing energy during a workout. Whether you take a whey shake or your own BCAA mix depends on your own personal preference and of course, your own daily protein intake.