BCCA – Muscle Growth

Currently, BCAA (the acronym of branched chain amino acids) is now one of the most sought-after supplementary nutrients for people engaged in body-building and fitness programs. As had been proven by numerous studies on the use of supplements, these amino acids are vital to gaining skeletal muscles.

Likewise, this amino acid group had been found to be just as helpful in maintaining the body mass on calorie-deficit diets. For body-building enthusiasts who want their physiques lean and trim, this aspect is a bonus.

Essential factors

This group of essential amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) is 35% of the total muscle protein content of the body. Experts group them as essential although they have to be sourced from outside the body in order to be able to use them.

Like all nutrients, they can come from natural food around. However, they are now manufactured by big nutrition companies in the most stringent and scientific methods. Mostly, they are part of the large group of other amino acids that make proteins for the body.

These amino acids, however, aid in the preservation of glycogen stores in the3 body which is the main fuel for the muscles. Likewise, they also help minimize protein breakdown during intensive gym sessions.

Power

During workouts, these branched chain amino acids literally provide fuel for the skeletal muscles. As supplement, they help the body hold on to its glycogen store. During the workout process, the glycogen has a supply of energy resource to tap into.

With the synergy, the body avoids breaking down muscle proteins for energy use. It is beneficial two-fold—it helps sustain the muscles and protects them. For the body-builder, the increased energy is translated into more repetitions in the routines.

Recovery

After an intense workout, these amino acids help in enhancing the recovery of the muscle proteins. This is especially true when carbs are also present in the4 consumption. (The leucine is the main performer among the three.)

Overall, the nutrient plays a regulating genetic signaling pathway involved in the muscle protein synthesis. (In the chain, the mixes are usually higher in leucine than the other two.)

During gym routines, the acids aids in getting more intense workout. In the routines, serotonin levels can rise and makes one fatigued and unable to push through. The branched chain amino acids reduce the serotonin, thus one can work harder and longer.

Benefits

In some ways, the branched chain amino acids stimulate the muscle protein synthesis. This is the metabolic process where the body produces new muscle protein.

With increased consumption, the body piles up on more benefits. For one, it decreases the protein breakdown pathway. They also help decrease the expression of several complexes involved in the breakdown of proteins.

With the combination in the increase of the synthesis and the decrease in breakdown, there is now muscle gain that results in the process (or at least maintaining the same level.) When the synthesis rate is equal to the breakdown, there is no gain or loss in muscles. With BCAA, there is higher synthesis than the breakdown resulting in muscle growth.

Studies on BCAA

Most studies showed that when athletes were given BCAA before training, post-workout test levels remained elevated for several hours, whereas the control groups noticed a significant drop in test once training stopped. This pro-longed elevation in test levels may help to maximise muscle growth after your workout. BCAA is recognised as a safe and effective supplement to help naturally increase H levels leading to greater muscle gains. Amino acids are the building blocks that make up protein. Your body puts them together like Legos to create muscle. While your body can make some from scratch (called non-essential amino acids), you have to obtain others (essential amino acids), from food or supplements. These essential amino acids especially a certain kind called branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are the limiting factor in your body’s ability to build muscle. Here’s more on what the BCAA are, why you need them, and how to get them into your diet.

Dosage for Post Workout

·         Research studies have used 5 – 14 g doses of BCAAs

·         BCAA supplements typically offer 5 – 10 gram servings in the form of powder

·         As other essential amino acids, BCAAs are also present in dietary protein and protein supplements

One of BCAAs main roles is to stimulate amino acid uptake by cells, and protein synthesis. This role is so well established that they are given to bedridden patients to slow down muscle wasting. Bodybuilders and athletes, of course, use BCAAs to help maximise muscle gain from training. Recent studies have shown that leucine interacts and activates the mTOR pathway in cells. mTOR stands for ‘mammalian target of rapamycin’ and is a pathway, that acts as a cellular nutrient sensor among other roles. High levels of leucine are interpreted as high overall nutrient levels, and as a sign that the environment is good for increased protein synthesis and growth. Leucine activates the mTOR pathway, which in turn activates other proteins like the initiation factors, which have to be activated to start protein synthesis on the ribosomes.

The vast majority of amino acids can only be metabolised in the liver. BCAA amino acids, on the other hand, can be metabolised directly for energy in muscle cells. Loading up muscles with BCAA before exercise, was shown in scientific studies, to improve performance and endurance. This is presumably because, they increase the amount of fuel immediately available to cells, which can be turned into ATP, which in turn provides energy for muscle contractions. It is a well known fact that BCAAs are severely depleted during exercise. Presumably this happens because they are used up as fuel.

Branched chain amino acids can also lesson the mental perception of fatigue. We all know that how you feel in your mind is at least as important as your physical state. BCAAs achieve this because they compete with transport across the blood.

Protein synthesis is a muscle building process that generates new proteins in the body.  The more protein your body stores during protein synthesis, the larger your muscle will grow. A well known BCAA benefit is their ability to help stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Combining BCAAs with resistance training results in maximal protein synthesis because they both help to trigger the mTOR signalling pathway that is essential for building muscle.

Facts about BCAA

Ingesting BCAA between meals is supposed to accelerate gains in muscle mass by overcoming something called the refractory response, which describes the phenomenon whereby muscle protein synthesis drops despite amino acid levels in the blood remaining high. BCAA have three specific amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine that have a unique branched chemical structure. This unique structure makes them important for your muscles. The idea is that you space your meals 4-6 hours apart to allow amino acid levels in the blood to drop, rather than maintaining them at continuously high levels by eating more frequently. Leaving longer between meals is supposed to help take effects on muscle to the anabolic effect of amino acids. Muscle soreness occurs two days after the workout. But the level of soreness was significantly lower when subjects took BCAAs. There was also less muscle damage and a faster recovery of muscle function in the BCAA group.

BCAAs, or branched chain amino acids, are a kind of amino acid which is included among the nine essential amino acids for humans. BCAAs have three proteinogenic amino acids which are called leucine, valine and isoleucine. BCAAs have been used to help in the recovery of burn victims and in treating some cases of hepatic encephalopathy. A few recent studies suggested that the reduction in the levels of BCAAs in the blood can be associated with the improvement of blood sugar regulation but the mechanisms remain unknown.

Before taking BCAAs tablets as dietary supplements, there are some things that you must remember to ensure that your body will be properly nourished. The following are some nutrients that must be factored in when using BCAAs supplement.

Biotin

An important member of the vitamin B family that plays a major role in the manufacture of glycogen and protein synthesis.

Vitamin B12

A vital water-soluble nutrient that is needed in protein metabolism and amino acids synthesis

Zinc and Vitamin B6

Zinc is used to regulate insulin and its natural co-factor is vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is necessary in amino acid metabolism. The transport of amino acids in the cells depends on the sufficient supply of this specific vitamin.

Chromium

This increases the effectiveness of insulin. It enhances the rate of protein synthesis in the body and also promotes intracellular uptake of the amino acids from the blood to the cells.

A supplement is not the only source of BCAA. In fact, you might be surprised to learn how many BCAAs you get from the food you eat. If your protein intake is relatively high, and that protein comes from a range of high-quality sources like meat and milks, chances are you’re already getting plenty of BCAAs from your diet. Consuming BCAAs may help reduce physical and mental fatigue. Studies in human participants report up to 20 percent less fatigue in those given BCAAs during exercise, compared to those who were given a placebo.

There’s plenty of research out there to show that BCAA supplements have a number of benefits as far as muscle growth is concerned. It’s true that taking BCAA before and after training can reduce markers of muscle damage and soreness, as well as accelerating the recovery of muscle function.

BCAA Contents

The metabolism of BCAA is involved in some specific biochemical muscle processes and many studies have been carried out to understand whether sports performance can be enhanced by a BCAA supplementation. While most amino acids are broken down in your liver, BCAAs are broken down primarily in your muscle. As such, they're believed to help improve exercise performance as well as reduce the breakdown of muscle. However, many of these researches have failed to confirm this hypothesis. Thus, in recent years investigators have changed their research target and focused on the effects of BCAA on the muscle protein matrix and the immune system. BCAA intake has shown promises to enhance muscle growth in those with low dietary protein intake and stave off fatigue during prolonged exercise in untrained or light-trained people. However, many protein sources are naturally rich in BCAA content; supplementation may be unnecessary for those consuming adequate quantities of protein.

BCAA which contains leucine, isoleucine, and valine are the basic building blocks of your muscle protein. Leucine has been shown to stimulate muscle synthesis. Hard training sessions result in monstrous damage to your muscles, thus destroying the proteins that make up your muscle fibers. When compared to ingestion during exercise, it has been suggested that ingestion of BCAA following a workout exhibited greater effects. BCAA’s have been proposed to benefit performance in several ways including as a stimulant for muscle protein synthesis. BCAA may also prevent muscle protein breakdown and reduce markers of exercise induced muscle damage.

BCAA may perform signal functions, specifically activation of the mTOR signaling pathway, resulting in positive influences on a wide variety of metabolic and synthetic functions, including increased protein translation, improved insulin resistance, increased insulin-independent glucose transport, and reduced oxidative stress following severe injury and infection. Another research found that BCAA prevents muscle protein breakdown by sparing essential amino acids in muscle tissue. BCAA supplementation likely improves recovery time by diminishing the amount of damage caused during exercise. This is especially useful for athletes who are in the middle of high volume training cycles.

BCAAs are found in a number of healthy protein-rich foods, including organic grass-fed beef, wild Alaskan salmon, pastured egg yolks, raw grass-fed cheese, quinoa, pumpkin seeds and nuts. One of the best sources, however, is whey protein concentrate, which has one of the highest concentrations of leucine. To ensure you're getting a high-quality product, be sure your whey protein concentrate supplement comes from organically raised, grass-fed raw cows' milk to ensure the whey is free of GMOs, pesticides and hormones and is cold processed, as heat destroys whey's fragile molecular structure.

BCAA supplement is considered a dietary supplement and perfectly legal to buy. The only concern would be if your sporting organization considers them a banned substance to use. BCAA’s are a worthwhile supplement if you are a competitive athlete and/or your training goals are focused on performance. If your goals are more centered on health and body composition, BCAA supplementation probably isn’t necessary in most cases.