BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids – branched chain amino acids) are three amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. These amino acids are not synthesized by the body and must come from food.
BCAAs in the form of supplements have gained popularity due to numerous claims about their ability to prevent muscle catabolism during exercise and to reduce fatigue during using Quality Oral and Injectable Steroids.
The situation with the BCAA, as is often the case with sports nutrition, is very mixed. If you are interested in the questions “Why do we need BCAA supplements,” then you will come across 3 different opinions.
The first is recognition of its effectiveness and urgent recommendations to include them in the diet; the second is a restrained position: recognition of usefulness in some cases, but with reservations; the third is the denial of the need for admission.
As an example, I will give 3 quotes from different sources and we will analyze where the legs grow from the information and who gives such recommendations and why.
First quote: BCAA supplements needed
Source – sites selling sports nutrition (I won’t bother with the names – every first store writes about everything that is written below).
- Revolutionary effectiveness is confirmed by numerous reviews on sports forums, BCAA is one of the obligatory additives on the shelf not only of an athlete, bodybuilder, but also people who lead an active lifestyle.
- The lack of essential amino acids leads to stunting, weight loss, metabolic disorders, so the use of BCAA amino acid complex during exercise is simply necessary. Numerous studies have proven that BCAA is an effective tool for achieving muscle growth and rapid recovery. In the West, this food supplement has been successfully used for many years, including by schoolchildren after physical education.
- Familiar food, as you know, is not able to provide a trained body with all the necessary substances. If your plans are to achieve significant success in sports and increase your own physical capabilities, we recommend that you use BCAA.
Second citation: There is some evidence of effectiveness.
The degree of enthusiasm fell substantially. Diplomatic reservations are made from the words “maybe,” “maybe,” and “theoretically.”
Source – the popular book “Power Eating” (Susan Kleiner).
- Some studies suggest that supplemented BCAAs can increase athletic performance, particularly endurance. One study found that marathon runners who consumed a sports drink with BCAAs increased results by 4 percent. However, not all studies support this positive effect.
- Theoretically, BCAA supplements during hard training can reduce fatigue and prevent muscle degradation.
Third citation: BCAA supplements are not necessary.
The closer to the scientific community, the higher the degree of skepticism. Here the opinion is directly opposite to the first.
Source – Sport Nutrition Textbook (A.Jeukendrup M. Gleeson).
- Despite the lack of evidence of the effectiveness of BCAA supplements, athletes continue to use them. Nevertheless, there is a full replacement for BCAA supplements in the form of natural products, and it’s also cheaper. For example, a typical BCAA supplement in tablets contains 100 mg. valine, 50 mg. isoleucine and 100 mg. leucine. Chicken breast (100g.) Contains approximately 470 mg. valine, 375 mg. isoleucine and 656 mg. leucine, which is the equivalent of 7 tablets of BCAA. A quarter cup of peanuts (60 g) contains more BCAAs and is equivalent to 11 tablets.
- A 1978 study (Goldberg and Chang) suggested that BCAAs are involved as fuel during exercise. However, more recent studies (Wagenmakers at al. 1989-1991) showed that the body lacks the enzymes involved in converting a significant amount of BCAAs to energy. Detailed studies have shown that the oxidation of BCAAs increases only 2-3 times during training, while the oxidation of carbohydrates and fats increases 10-20 times.
In addition, carbohydrate supplementation during exercise can prevent BCAA oxidation. Therefore, BCAAs do not play a significant role in the energy supply of training and, therefore, the additional intake of such additives is not mandatory.
- There is no solid scientific evidence for commercial slogans claiming that BCAA oral administration has an anti-catabolic effect during or after exercise or that BCAA supplementation accelerates the regeneration of damaged muscles (Wagenmakers, 1999b).
I think you have already seen interesting patterns: we read the most enthusiastic reviews in those sources that are directly related to the sale of these BCAAs: here are magazines, whose entire existence depends on sports nutrition advertising and sites directly involved in the sale. But the less the source of information is associated with the benefits of BCAA sales, the more restrained the opinion about the beneficial properties of the supplement.
The situation is similar to the one when, on the way from China, sneakers for $ 2 start to cost $ 100 in retail. So here – as you move away from research and get closer to sales, BCAA supplements begin to acquire indispensable properties.
Whose opinion on the issue of the need for BCAA supplements to trust is a clear question for me. And for you?
