Branched Chain Amino Acid Myths

Branched-Chain Amino Acids

Are you believing that taking branched-chain amino acids can add proteins you can recover faster, add strength, or repair muscles or organs?

Truth be told, they don’t.

What are they anyway, and what do they do? The branched-chain amino acids are a name given to 3 of the eight essential amino acids needed to make protein. They are named leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They are called branched-chain because their structure has a “branch” off the main trunk of the molecule. Scientists have shown that, after workouts, the body can break them down easily to make glucose out of them, and so use them for energy, if one doesn’t provide the glucose needed during or after the workout.

The body actually can break down muscle to get these branched chain amino acids, If it needs to, to get energy. By supplying them, after or during a workout, the body may break down less of its own muscle to get glucose, but only if enough is not coming in.

They are not used for protein synthesis.

Here are some facts to consider:

To build protein one needs all 8 essential amino acids.

Taking 3 branched chain amino acids or 5 or 7 amino acids will not build protein. No way. No how. You need all eight.

When the muscle needs glucose, give it glucose. It only uses amino acids as a secondary back up when the glucose is not there.

Taking whole protein as a recovery aid does work, but is not optimum because it takes hours to digest and the amino acids after digestion do not arrive at the muscle in time so it can begin repair operations immediately.

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