BCAA is now a huge part of an athletes’ daily supplementation. It helped athletes develop the body they need to perform on their sport. It also helps them cope with the intense physical activities they need to endure daily.
For starters, what are BCAAs? Branched chain amino acids are three essential amino acids namely leucine, isoleucine and valine. These are known for their anabolic and anti-catabolic functions.
Despite its popularity, it is still not that popular among average Joes. Unfortunately, most people don’t see its importance to their regimen. Unlike Whey, BCAAs are under appreciated in the health industry.
Some people argue that whey already contains the essential amino acids that they need. For them, buying BCAA supplements is unnecessary. In reality, this is not the case. Even your average individual could benefit from the BCAA supplementation.
How do branched chain amino acids give you that edge in terms of physique and health? Is it a good deal even for an average person? Here are some of the things that these particular amino acids can do.
For general health and fitness
How much is a person willing to invest for his health? It is surprising just how much people are willing to spend these days. These days, health is becoming top priority for many individuals. You don’t have to be a professional athlete to see the best version of yourself. If you’ll ask an average person, they may come up with different personal fitness goals.
Regardless if your goal is to lose some weight, or to build muscles, branched chain amino acids can always come in handy. It can be useful even if you simply want to be healthy.
How exactly do BCAAs help a person stay healthy? BCAAs have become an effective measure in helping the body cope or even prevent infections. stores. Glutamine functions as fuel for the immune system.
In a study conducted among Olympic distance triathlon athletes, they have maintained their levels of glutamine stores after taking BCAAs supplementation. On the other hand, the placebo group reduced their glutamine level by an average of 23%. It has also been recorded that the group supplemented by branched chain amino acids decreased their risk of infection by 34%.
Other than protecting the levels of glutamine, BCAAs also play a crucial role in developing cytokines and immunoglobulins. These cells help the body infection.
Prevent fatigue
It is a common scenario, especially for those working on blue collar jobs to feel tired in the middle of the day. This is especially true when work becomes demanding. You lose focus and lose your motivation. However, this can be purely mental. It may have something to do with your neurotransmitters.
How can BCAAs help combat fatigue? Branched chain amino acids block tryptophan from entering the brain to turn into serotonin. Serotonin has been associated to the feeling of fatigue. Athletes who took BCAAs have the tendency to perform better because of this. This allows you to function and perform at work longer.
Boost your metabolism
Your body has a natural ability to burn calories. Unfortunately your body’s basal metabolic rate declines as you get old, or when you decide to have a sedentary lifestyle. This scenario could easily reduce the amount of calories your body burns. And consequently, it creates problems with your weight.
How can branched chain amino acid help? You may have tried to control the amount of calorie intake that you consume, or perhaps, you may have also tried different workouts. But if you think that nothing works, you may want to try BCAAs.
BCAAs are effective in building muscles. According to research, it also increases the levels of testosterone in the body. With additional muscle mass, this could help burn more calories. A pound of muscle burns 50 calories on its resting state. If you gained an additional 5 pounds of muscle, that’s extra 250 calories consumed daily. It helps burn body fats even at rest.
A good combination for different supplements
There are average Joes who make use of different supplements. Whey, being the most popular, can easily be paired with branched chain amino acid supplements. It can be used in different phases of your workout.
As a pre-workout, it can boost your performance during your sets. It can also block fatigue during your sessions, and provide immediate amino acids to the body’s muscle groups that are at rest. As a post workout supplement, this can help your skeletal muscles recover fast.
Whey has its own share of branched chain amino acids. However, these are peptide bound BCAAs. Peptide bound branched chain amino acids are processed in the liver. On the other hand, BCAA supplement directly be absorbed by the skeletal muscles, decreasing the chances of muscle catabolism.
Helps in your diet
If you maintain a food diary, you’d realize that food intake isn’t enough to suffice your body’s amino acid requirements. It is imperative to use supplements to maximize your health and reach your fitness goal.
What if you are on a diet? It becomes even more of a problem when you control the amount of calories that you take.It is a common practice by a number of people to concentrate on their caloric intake in order to maintain their figure and look good. This practice can have its drawback.
It is a common scenario that you lose your muscle mass and even put yourself at risk of developing health problems when you are under caloric deprivation.
Should you rely on whey when trying to lose weight? Whey is a dairy product that can bring additional calories along with its BCAAs. On the other hand, branched chain amino acid supplements don’t have the additional calories that can turn into body fats. It helps maintain muscle mass even if you are controlling the amount of calories that you take.
BCAA supplement can also do wonders in controlling your cravings. Instead of eating sweets and adding unnecessary calories to the body, you can use branched chain amino acid supplements instead. Some supplements in form of protein bars or you can prepare your very own BCAA gummies.
BCAA is an important part of any person’s diet. BCAAs work even if you don’t perform intense activities. You do not have to be a professional athlete to appreciate the supplement. You can appreciate the supplement even if you have the simplest personal health goals. Its benefits range from fat loss to forming muscles – By Life Mastery Nutrition
Article by Hillary De Beer from Go Active and Bikinibizniz
