You can not have a diet which is loaded with chicken, cheese and peanuts all times to fulfill your nutritient requirement. This is where the BCAA supplement come in. Cheaper on your wallet, easy to Carry, consume and digest, there is a reason why athletes and other nutritionists around the globe recommend BCAA supplements.
What is a BCAA Supplement?
Branched chain amino acid (BCAA) is a vital and important nutrient in the body. They are primary form of protein, found in our food. Our muscles burn these amino acids and get energy.
leucine, isoleucine, and valine, are the most specific amino acids in our body. etc. The term ' branched chain ' simply signifies their chemical structure.
BCAA supplements comes in the form of tablets and powder as well. In many cases, Nutritionist may also recommend BCAAs intravenously.
Foods Rich in Amino Acids
You can get amino acids from these foods also :
· Whey, milk, and soy proteins
· Corn
· Beef, chicken, fish, and eggs
· Baked beans
· Chickpeas
· Lentils
· Whole wheat
· Brown rice
· Almonds
· Brazil nuts and cashews
· Pumpkin seeds
Should you take BCAA Supplements?
A study done and published by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition has concluded that participants were able to maintain lean body mass while using branched chain amino acid supplements.
Well, BCAA supplement can be mixed with water or any fluid of your choice, which can flood muscles with BCAAs very quickly. Whereas capsules are easy to Carry and can be consumed before and after training also.
BCAA supplement is safe, and daily consumption is believed to increase the effectiveness on your body. Side effects of BCAA supplement is very uncommon, and usually related to excess use only. These potential overuse results in feeling fatigue, loss of body coordination, feeling nausea, headaches, and also increased insulin resistance, etc.
The amount of amino acids that you consume, depends on your dietary intake, physique size, factors of health, exercise regimen, and fitness goals, etc. Most people who take BCAA supplement take anywhere from 4 to 20 gm throughout the day, in the form of powders, or capsules. BCAA supplement can be taken at any time —before, during, or after exercise, as well as throughout the day.
Benefits Of BCAA Supplements
1. Increases Muscle Growth
One of the most common use of BCAA supplement is increasing the body muscle growth. Leucine activates a certain pathway which starts creation of muscle protein, which is called protein synthesis.
As per a study, people see 22% increase in muscle Creation who consume around 5.6 grams of BCAA supplement after their workout.
This increase in muscle protein synthesis is approximately fifty percent less than what has observed in other studies where people intake a whey protein shake containing a similar amount of BCAA.
2. Decrease Muscle Soreness
Some researches have concluded that BCAA supplement can help decrease muscle soreness after a workout. It is not uncommon to feel sore a day or two after doing workouts, especially if you are new in exercise routine.
This soreness is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which develops after 12 to 24 hours and can remain up to 72 hours. Therefore, consuming BCAA supplement before exercise, may maximise the recovery time.
3. Exercise Fatigue Reduction
Just as BCAAs that helps to decrease muscle soreness from exercise, they may also help to reduce fatigue after workout.
Everybody experiences exhaustion and fatigue after their exercise at some point. How quickly you feel tired depends on many factors, such as exercise duration and intensity, environmental conditions, your nutrition level and fitness level, etc.
Two other studies have concluded that, BCAA supplemented participants see improved mental focus during exercise, which is thought to come from the fatigue reducing effect.
4. Prevents Muscle Wasting
BCAA supplement helps in the prevention of muscle wasting or breakdown. Muscle proteins are constantly broken down and rebuilt again and again. The balance of muscle protein breakdown and synthesis determines the amount of protein in the muscle.
Several studies support the usage of BCAA supplements for inhibiting breakdown of muscle protein. This also improves the health and quality of living in many people.
5. Benefit People With Liver Disease
BCAA supplement can improve health of people suffering from cirrhosis, a chronic disease in which the liver is not able to function properly.
As per an estimate, almost 50% of the people with cirrhosis have chances to develop hepatic encephalopathy, loss of brain function that occurs when the liver is unable to remove toxins from our blood.
Also, BCAA supplement is used in medical treatments of many bodily disorders such as neural conditions due to liver disease, McArdle's disease, and anorexia, etc. BCAA supplement is also used in helping slow muscle wasting in people who are put on bed, and also to treat poor appetite in patients of cancer and kidney failure.
When to Take BCAA Supplements
It is best to take your BCAA supplement, whether in tablet or powdered form, just before your workout, or up to 15 minutes prior to workouts. But amino acids can be taken up to three times a day which depends on the serving size.
If you are following an intermittent fasting and also training on an empty stomach first thing, find out if morning workouts beat evening sessions here, you should leave a little extra time, up to 30 minutes before your training.
For maximum muscle growth, it is recommended to consume 5-8 grams of leucine throughout your workout with over 1 litre of water. Leucine fastens muscle protein synthesis after training, it can be very effective in people to consume leucine 1.5 hours after breakfast or lunch, particularly where the goal is to gain muscles. If you are concentrating on fat loss, you can take it half an hour before your meal.
Read Article: Health Maintenance With Amino Acid Supplements
Possible Side effects of BCAA Supplement
Generally, BCAA Supplement is the only supplement which are harmless. Most experts suggest that daily intake increases the effectiveness of this supplement. However, excess use can have potential negative side effects with anything. When BCAA Supplement is consumed in large amounts, side effects can cause fatigue, nausea, loss of coordination, headaches, and increased insulin resistance. Anyone having surgery should avoid them for a period of time before and after surgery because they affect blood sugar level.
BCAA Supplement is also restricted for people with certain conditions. Previously, it was throught to treat Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), but it is now proven to be problematic for people with this disease. People with a illness condition called Maple Syrup Urine Disease, kidney, liver and heart disease, and frequent drinkers should avoid taking BCAA supplement.
If you've comd this far, you now must know than most people have a grasp on how can you consume BCAA supplement by turning your training and nutrition strategy. Benefits of BCAA includes Fat loss, energy and increased muscle gain, but a well-rounded diet can cover most of your muscle building needs.
