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Samantha Farina
Nutrition for Fitness: Tues 7:45-10:15, Fall 2014
Professor Gibala
Diet Supplement Fact Sheet
A very popular supplement used by a lot of athletes and fitness enthusiasts these days are
Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA). These amino acids differ slightly from the rest of the
amino acids, because of their shape. Their molecular structure branches out, hence the name
Branch Chain. The BCAA’s consist of 3 particular ones; Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. Just
like with all other amino acids, each individual amino has a particular job to do in the body. The
BCAA’s are typically used for enhanced recovery, prolonged endurance, and increased fat-loss
or burning. Those usages are very desired, so BCAA’s come in a variety of products. The
product I’m focusing on is Cellucor’s Alpha Amino.
Alpha Amino has 5 grams of BCAA’s, as well as 2.5 grams of an amino acid blend that
excludes BCAA’s, and a 2.5 gram hydration formula in which includes coconut water, Taurine,
electrolytes, and Chia seed extract. BCAA’s are in theory, beneficial to take to prolong
endurance because of the role they play in the brain. When your body fatigues, your Central
Nervous System releases serotonin, which is what exercises want to avoid. The only way
serotonin is released though is with the help of the amino acid, Tryptophan. However, BCAA’s
and Tryptophan require the same carrier, so in theory, the ratio between these amino acids will
result in either the BCAA’s being transported more, or the Tryptophan (Martinet). We do not
want Tryptophan in motion, so by increasing our BCAA’s we can decrease fatigue within the
Central Nervous System, thus prolonging endurance.
A lot of studies have been done on one specific BCAA, Leucine. Leucine is one of the
amino acids that’s predominantly responsible for muscle protein synthesis. In most BCAA
supplements, Leucine will be the heaviest dose, perhaps in a typical ratio of 2:1:1. In a doubleblind, randomized trial study, leucine, BCAA’s, and whey protein were all given to participants
before exercise to assess which specific supplements or specific amounts of the supplements
were beneficial (1). The study concluded that a low-protein, but high-leucine supplement is
beneficial to enhance protein synthesis.
A study was conducted using 36 untrained males to assess the benefits of BCAA’s with
the addition of Taurine (2). Taurine has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, which
intrigued the scientists to assess if there would be any benefits of that alone, as well as when
combined with BCAA’s. There were 4 groups; one group with a combination of BCAA’s and
Taurine, one with just Taurine, one with just BCAA’s, and the other with just placebos. The
results confirmed that Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) was decreased in the group that
was given the combination, 3.2 grams of BCAA’s and 2 grams of Taurine, 3 times a day.
The results of numerous studies, as well as the theoretical beliefs of the human
physiology lead to the confirmation and assumption that BCAA’s will benefit athletes. If
someone were to start supplementing with a BCAA product, it would be wise to make sure that
Leucine is in a high-dose, as well as a mixture of other amino acids with it, like Taurine. These
studies point to the product Alpha Amino being a very good supplement, because of it’s
breakdown of specific amino acids.
References
Martinet, Victoria. "Branch Chain Amino Acids: The Next Breakthrough in Sports
Nutrition?" Grapevine Online. N.p., 18 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
(1) Churchward-Venne, TA, L. Breen, DM Di Donato, AJ Hector, CJ Mitchell, DR
Moore, and T. Stellingwerff. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology
Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 27 Nov. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
(2) Ra, SG, T. Miyazaki, K. Ishikura, H. Nagayama, S. Komine, Y. Nakata, and S.
Maeda. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.