Branched Chain Amino Acids Can Increase Your Athletic Performance

Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) are a versatile group of amino acids, namely isoleucine, leucine and valine. Although each can function alone, they usually work even better as a group. In our normal diet, they make up around 50% of our total daily essential amino acids intake.

Muscles Grow with BCAAs

Your skeletal muscles use BCAAs as an energy source and BCAAs also help to preserve muscle mass. One study involving 16 persons who went mountain trekking for three weeks found that although all 16 lost weight, only those who used BCAAs experienced a gain in their muscle mass. The muscle growth effects of BCAAs are believed to stem from anti-catabolic properties of these amino acids. By supplementing with BCAAs, bodybuilders reduce the need for their body to catabolize (break down) the BCAAs that are already concentrated in muscles during exercise. This sparing effect keeps BCAAs in the muscles and halts the loss of pre-existing muscle BCAAs.

Studies on bodybuilders have confirmed that those who use supplemental BCAAs experience greater increases in muscle growth and muscle strength compared to bodybuilders who don't use BCAAs.

BCAAs for Athletic Prowess

When taken on a daily basis, BCAAs can improve athletic performance. Whether you're a runner, tennis player or wrestler, BCAAs can build muscle tone, burn excess fat, and provide bursts of energy for high intensity exercise like sprinting. Studies conducted on marathon runners have demonstrated that they run faster and with greater endurance if they use BCAAs. The prestigious journal, “The British Journal of Sports Medicine' found that in long-lasting interval sports like tennis, BCAAs are an important source of energy. Other studies have shown that even when BCAAs don't improve performance, they reduce the athlete's feelings of fatigue, making exercise seem much easier. In a Scandinavian study, seven trained cyclists exercised for 100 minutes, stopping every ten minutes to rate their mental fatigue. Some of the cyclists received BCAAs in a drink and others received a placebo drink. The BCAAs group rated their fatigue an average 15 percent lower than the group receiving placebo.

In a 1998 study, thirteen men and women cyclists were required to exercise until exhaustion in conditions of high heat. Some cyclists received BCAAs and some received placebo. Those receiving BCAAs were able to cycle for an average of 153 minutes before exhaustion set in compared with 137 minutes for the group receiving a placebo compound. This represents an 11 percent improvement in stamina for cyclists receiving BCAAs.

Weight Loss Too!

BCAAs can aid weight loss programs. When competitive wrestlers were given BCAAs and put on a weight loss diet, they lost 34 percent more stomach fat compared to wrestlers who didn't use BCAAs.

Other Uses of BCAAs

As well as helping athletes, BCAAs are invaluable for various other conditions including:

• Stress reduction.
• Protection from liver damage and liver cirrhosis.
• Treating sleep apnea.
• Recovering from surgery.
• Improving recovery from heart attacks

The Take-Home Message

1. Most athletes benefit from the use of 4 grams of BCAAs per day during periods of intense training and recovery. Bodybuilders who are engaged in very heavy training often use about 6 grams per day.
2. Another school of thought recommends up to 18 grams of BCAAs per day for athletes.
3. Please note that whey protein is the highest known source of BCAAs so taking a whey protein supplement will provide you with BCAAs in addition to the many other beneficial nutrients in whey protein.