What are Branched-Chain Amino Acids?

 

Branched Chain Amino Acids, or BCAAs, are one of the most popular fitness supplements sold worldwide. But what are they?

First things first; amino acids are the building blocks of protein. They’re what your body uses once it’s digested the protein you eat. BCAA’s are a group of three essential amino acids with a branched molecular structure, and a special set of functions.

The three essential BCAAs are: leucine, isoleucine, and valine, and they all play some interesting roles in the body.

Here’s a look at how BCAAs can improve your overall fitness, strength, and conditioning, along with a few notes on risks and side effects.

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BCAA Benefits

• Supplementing with BCAAs might increase strength — A 2009 study¹ found that a BCAA supplement taken along with a weight training program caused, among other things, increased strength gains compared to a whey supplement or sports drink.
• BCAAs can reduce DOMS – that’s Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - also known as “I can’t put my pants on after leg day”. It’s one of the meanest side effects of intense strength training. As it turns out, various studies² show that taking BCAAs can reduce this next-day pain.
• BCAAs might increase endurance — A 2016 study³ found that an amino acid supplement, including BCAAs, significantly improved the performance of endurance runners.
• BCAAs can make you feel less mentally exhausted — Various research⁴ has found that supplementing with BCAAs can reduce how mentally drained and exhausted you feel during a tough endurance event.
• BCAAs may prevent muscle breakdown during exercise — Some muscle damage during exercise is a good thing since it causes the muscle to repair stronger than before. It’s possible that too much muscle can be damaged or lost, though, especially during intense training. Research⁵ shows that using a BCAA supplement might reduce muscle damage.
• BCAAs can increase lean muscle mass — Along with boosting strength, studies⁶ have found that BCAAs can lead to increases in lean muscle mass.
• BCAAs can encourage fat loss — Yep, research⁷ suggests BCAAs can help you get shredded, too.

 

BCAA Risks & Drawbacks

BCAAs can do a lot of good but, unfortunately, there are also risks and drawbacks. Here’s a short list:

• Taking too much of a BCAA supplement can actually reduce your endurance — Too much of a good thing? A 2012 study⁸ found that while a modest BCAA dose improved endurance, just a bit too much actually reduced it. If in doubt, stick to lower doses.
• BCAAs might reduce reaction times — a 2011 study⁹ on football players found that a BCAA supplement reduced their reaction times by around 10%.
• BCAAs might increase the risk of developing motor neurone disease — Motor neurone disease — also known as ALS — is a neurodegenerative disorder which leads to total paralysis, and appears to strike almost at random. Some research¹⁰ has suggested that BCAA supplementation can increase the risk of developing motor neurone disease.

 

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¹ https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-6-S1-P1

² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20601741

³ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27803630

⁴ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18704484

⁵ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16424141

⁶ https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-6-S1-P1

⁷ https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-6-S1-P1

⁸ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23201847

⁹ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22050133

¹⁰ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014488610004292?via%3Dihub