These three amigos ain’t magical.
Branch Chained Amino Acids (BCAAs) refer to three of the nine essential amino acids, these being Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. Over the years the consumption of BCAAs around the exercise window has gained immense popularity, with claims that supplementation can improve exercise performance, endurance, recovery, reduce appetite, build muscle, and even enhance mental focus. However… scientific evidence to back-up these claims is severely lacking, and the overall consensus is that BCAA supplementation is unnecessary.
- BCAAs only provide three of the nine essential amino acids. You need to consume all nine in adequate quantities to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS)
- Skeletal muscle is in a constant state of turnover. If you consume BCAAs in a fasted state this can acutely induce a greater degree of muscle protein BREAKDOWN, rather than synthesis. This is because the remaining essential amino acids need to be derived from bodily stores (such as skeletal muscle mass) if they aren’t obtained from digested food
- Most high-protein foods (namely animal products) already contain an abundance of BCAAs, and these three amino acids usually contribute ~15-25% to a food’s total protein content
- Some evidence suggests that BCAAs compete for the same transporter. Thus, when consumed in a high-dose supplemental form, this could impair their individual rate of absorbtion, hence making them redundant
- BCAAs compete with the uptake of the amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine, and consuming large doses of BCAAs could interfere with serotonin and melatonin, thus impairing mood, appetite, and quality of sleep
- Studies show that an equivalent dose of leucine alone can acutely stimulate MPS compared to matched leucine in a BCAA supplement. This begs of the question of whether Isoleucine and Valine serve a purpose in a BCAA supplement?
- BCAAs are not calorie-free, there are better options for flavouring your water
If you want to consume a protein supplement around your training window, we recommend WPC/WPI, a plant-based protein with brown rice + pea, or an EAA (essential amino acid) supplement.