BCAA supplements are increasingly gaining popularity amongst athletes and people involved in resistance training. These supplements are typically consumed before, during, or after exercise.
Scientific studies have shown that consuming BCAAs reduces muscle damage and increases muscle protein synthesis.
Here, we have an in-depth discussion of BCCAs supplements and answer all the questions you may have.
What are BCAAs Supplements?
The human body has twenty amino acids making up various proteins useful in building muscles. Nine of these essential amino acids must come from what you eat. You’re probably wondering what BCCAs supplements are?
To keep things simple, Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCCAs) are one of the main essential amino acids obtained from protein-rich foods like dairy products, eggs, and meat. Unfortunately, diet alone may not provide your body with the required percentage, and that’s where BCCAs supplements come in.
There are three main types of BCCAs proteins: valine, leucine, and isoleucine. These three amino acids are essential because they cannot be synthesized by the body alone and must be provided by food and mainly by supplementation.
BCCAs supplements are available in powder form, capsules, or tablets.
What are The Benefits of BCCAs supplements?
BCAAs intervene on many fronts, making them very useful for athletes. Here are the benefits of taking BCAA supplements:
1. Muscle growth
First, BCCAs have been shown to help in the growth of muscles. In particular, leucine triggers an important pathway in your body that stimulates the muscle-building process. Studies reveal that consuming BCAAs after a strenuous workout can increase muscle protein production.
However, for optimal growth and to retain muscle with bcaa products it’s important to take them alongside other essential amino acid supplements like whey protein.
2. Weight Loss
BCAAs can help you trim fat. If attempting to lose weight, BCAAs may help your body increase fat burning and get rid of unwanted fat more effectively. As BCAA are metabolized within the body muscles, fat stores are converted to energy and as a result, there’s increased fat burning and weight loss.
The key thing to remember is that main ingredients used in best fat burners are designed to boost metabolism in the body and stimulate fat stores breakdown to energy. When used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise, they help burn fat faster while saving muscle tone and creating long, lean muscles that keep you strong and healthy.
3. Speeds up recovery after a workout
Generally, you may experience muscle soreness after a workout, which mostly happens when starting a new exercise or after a resistance exercise. The soreness can last for many days and delay your quick recovery. Subsequently, it can affect your performance since you’ll need to take some time off the pitch.
The advantage of taking BCAAs is that it reduces damage to your muscles and the time taken for them to heal. Research reveals that individuals who take BCAA supplements before a workout have reduced muscle soreness and fatigue.
4. Increase energy supply
During a workout, energy intake during training is vital because it helps to sustain effort over the long term and improve performance.
BCAAs can reduce muscle fatigue, and their consumption before a workout will give your body a rapid energy source.
5. Reduces fatigue after exercises
Besides reducing muscle soreness, BCAAs also aid in reducing exercise-related fatigue.
There’s no argument about it! Anyone can experience exhaustion or fatigue from exercise. But, how quickly you get tired or recover depends on multiple factors, including;
- The workout intensity
- Duration of the exercise
- Environmental factors
- Nutrition level
- Your fitness levels
Luckily, if you take BCAAs during a workout, your muscles will use the supplements and reduce your blood levels. You’ll experience fatigue-reducing effects when this happens and focus more during your training.
6. Stops muscle wasting
As our bodies age, the muscle mass greatly reduces in what is popularly known as muscle wasting. This means that muscle protein breakdown is higher than synthesis or production.
Muscle wasting is often associated with chronic conditions such as cancer or diabetes. BCCAs can help prevent muscle wasting by halting the process or slowing its progression. Studies reveal that BCAAs improve the management of chronic diseases such as cancer and your overall quality of life.
7. Can help manage liver disease
As you probably know, the liver’s main role in the body is to get rid of toxins from the blood. Liver cirrhosis can lead to liver cancer, and taking BCCSs supplements can protect against the progression of the disease.
While medication helps treat liver disease, BCAAs can also improve the symptoms of the illness.
What Foods Contain BCAAs?
As noted earlier on, BCAAs are common in protein-rich food. In addition, they are found in whole protein supplements.
Some of the foods that contain BCAAs include;
- Beef
- Yogurt
- Eggs
- Fish
- Soy protein
- Whey protein
- Chicken
- Milk
Do BCAAs Have Side Effects?
BCAAs are naturally found in our diets, such as meat, eggs, fish, and any other source of protein. Notably, our muscles are made up of 30 BCAAs.
There is no evidence linking BCAAs to any harmful side effects on the body. Nonetheless, they’re not magic supplements, and it’s vital to always adhere to a balanced diet. Also, learn about the dosages and not to over consume.
However, overconsumption may cause intolerances such as skin reactions and gastrointestinal disorders like vomiting or diarrhea. Contact your doctor for medical advice if you experience any effects after consuming BCAAs.
Conclusion
BCAAs play an important role for athletes since they can be used both to build new proteins in the muscles and as a source of energy during training, thus preserving your glycogen stores.
They are also useful for strength exercises like bodybuilding and endurance sports with long-lasting efforts. Regardless of your training needs, using BCAA capsules can be extremely beneficial.
