BCAA's Supplement

The branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) leucine, isoleucine and valine are essential amino acids that cannot be produced by the body and must be ingested from the diet. They are the third most important source of energy after carbohydrates and fatty acids, now available to buy online in the Supersmart catalogue. They are essential for healthy muscle metabolism and represent 35% of muscle volume.

Why take BCAA's?

Moderate exercise increases the body's leucine needs by 240%. During prolonged exercise, the muscles convert a large proportion of BCAAs to alanine, which is used in hepatic neoglucogenesis. If BCAA concentration becomes too low, the muscle 'self-destructs' in order to provide the missing fuel.

BCAAs therefore play an important role in endurance training. One study showed that 90 days' supplementation with BCAAs and glutamine by a group of rugby players significantly improved post-exercise muscle recovery and also increased stamina.

1. When taken before exercise, BCAAs help preserve muscle tissue and provide energy.
2. Taken after exercise, together with glutamine, they speed up muscle tissue regeneration and significantly improve recovery.

What are the benefits associated with BCAA's?

• They have a stimulating effect on the immune system: when given to triathletes, they increased production of interleukin-2 and interferon following intense physical activity, thus protecting against the immune-weakening effects of such physical effort.
• They have an impact on glutamine metabolism: athletes who took BCAA supplements had plasma glutamine levels that were almost identical before and after a competition, while in those who did not supplement, levels dropped by 22.8%.
• BCAAs also seems to benefit sedentary individuals, by regulating the influx of tryptophan in the brain and so helping to prevent central fatigue.
• Some studies suggest that combining BCAA and citrulline could also reduce muscle fatigue.
• BCAA may also promote sports performance more generally. Hence the growing interest among sportspeople in these three essential amino acids, which have been compared to carnitine, a molecule synthesised from lysine and methionine.

Buy BCAAs today to benefit from its advantages in sports performance.

1. Howatson, G et al. Exercise-induced muscle damage is reduced in resistance-trained males by branched chain amino acids: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012 Jul 12;9:20.
2. Matsumoto, K et al. Branched-chain amino acid supplementation attenuates muscle soreness, muscle damage and inflammation during an intensive training program. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2009 Dec;49(4):424-31.
3. Shimomura, Y et al. Branched-chain amino acid supplementation before squat exercise and delayed-onset muscle soreness. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2010 Jun;20(3):236-44
4. Demeyer, D et al. The World Cancer Research Fund report 2007: A challenge for the meat processing industry. Meat Sci. 2008 Dec;80(4):953-9