BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACIDS

What Are BCAAs?

BCAAs consist of three essential amino acids:

• Leucine
• Isoleucine
• Valine

These amino acids are grouped together because they are the only three amino acid to have a chain that branches off to one side.

Their molecular structure looks like this:

Branched-chain amino acids are essential nutrients that the body obtains from proteins found in food, especially meat, dairy products, and legumes. They include leucine, isoleucine, and valine. “Branched-chain” refers to the chemical structure of these amino acids. People use branched-chain amino acids for medicine. Branched-chain amino acids are commonly taken by mouth or given intravenously by healthcare providers for brain conditions due to liver disease (acute, chronic, and latent hepatic encephalopathy). Branched-chain amino acids are used for many other conditions and may be taken by athletes to improve athletic performance, prevent fatigue, improve concentration, and reduce muscle breakdown during intense exercise.

How does it work?

Branched-chain amino acids stimulate the building of protein in muscle and possibly reduce muscle breakdown. Branched-chain amino acids seem to prevent faulty message transmission in the brain cells of people with advanced liver disease, mania, tardive dyskinesia, and anorexia.

Possibly Effective for

• Anorexia. Certain illnesses cause some people to have poor appetite. Taking branched-chain amino acids by mouth seems to improve appetite and overall nutrition in people with kidney failure, cancer, or liver disease.
• Poor brain function related to liver disease. Taking branched-chain amino acids by mouth seems to improve liver function in people with poor brain function caused by liver disease. Branched-chain amino acids may also improve mental function or reverse comas in people with this condition, but conflicting results exist. Branched-chain amino acids don’t appear to reduce the chance of death in people with this condition.
• Mania. Consuming a drink containing branched-chain amino acids seems to reduce symptoms of mania.
• Movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia. Taking branched-chain amino acids by mouth seems to reduce symptoms of the muscle disorder called tardive dyskinesia.

Dosage Instructions

If you’d like to start supplementing with branched-chain amino acids, how much you should take will depend on your individual needs and goals.
A World Health Organization report from 1985 states that the average adult should consume a minimum of 15 mg of BCAAs per pound (34 mg/kg) of body weight each day.
However, according to more recent research, the daily requirements may actually be as high as 65 mg/lb (144 mg/kg) of body weight per day.
Based on these newer studies, healthy adults should aim to consume:

• Women: A minimum of 9 grams of BCAAs per day
• Men: A minimum of 12 grams of BCAAs per day

People who include sufficient protein-rich foods in their diets most likely do not need to take supplements.
However, daily requirements may be slightly higher for athletes and people doing heavy resistance training. In these cases, supplements may be beneficial.
Most of the studies observing the benefits in trained individuals used supplement doses ranging from 10–20 grams of BCAAs per day.
The best time to take BCAA supplements is before and/or after your workout. Many people who are trying to gain muscle also take them in the morning and before bed.
However, whether the exact timing makes a big difference for this has not been studied properly.