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BCAA's -- Do They Improve Your Strength? Related Links Test Enanthate -Bad for Your Health? Build Up Your Arms-Ideal Rotation Workout Diets and Workouts Bench Press Average for Your Height BodyBuilding-How Much Protein Do You Need? Whey Versus Creatine-Which Is Better? Zinc Increases Your Testosterone Level Fatty Diet Linked to Prostate Cancer Foods That Strenghthen Erectile Performance Blood Pressure-What It Means Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure Low Folate Harms Sperm Penis Shaving Bumps-Home Remedies Yoga That Improves Erectile Performance Better Tasting Sperm Get Lean Diet for Men How Extreme Exercise Can Harm Your Heart February 23, 2010, last updated February 6, 2013 By Rory McClenaghnan, Contributing Columnist Do Branch Chain Amino Acids make you a better athlete? All athletes are looking for that edge. Amateur or professional, long distance runner or body builder, we all want something to make us 'swifter, higher, stronger'. But there are so many things to consider, will these miracle cures actually work and what are the side effects? One group of substances believed to improve athletic prowess are branch chain amino acids (BCAAs), in this article we will look at what they are, what they do and whether BCAA supplements really can make you stronger and go on for longer. What are BCAAs? The body contains eight amino acids and three of these are branch chain amino acids – Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. To give you an idea of how important these nutrients are, they make up of over 30% of skeletal muscle in the human body. They are essential elements of protein and get their name from their branch-like structure. What do BCAAs do? When you eat protein the body digests it and converts it into amino acids, which can be absorbed by the blood stream. When BCAAs get there they do all kinds of useful things, like increasing testosterone and growth hormone. Muscles are full of these nutrients. After a workout your body needs fuel and it uses BCAAs from your muscles to help recover. To obtain these BCCAs, your body depletes the reserves of these proteins in your muscles. As a result, a somewhat contradictory process occurs --- you actually lose a bit of muscle mass following a workout as your muscles recover. Some people believe taking BCAA supplements will give the body the nutrients it needs after exercise without having to eat away at your muscle. Advocates for BCAA supplements say that as a result they increase strength, endurance and recovery time. Let's take a closer look at each BCAA. Leucine Protects muscle tissue and helps produce growth hormone, the most easily digestible BCAA. Isoleucine Regulates blood sugar levels, balancing your energy out throughout the day. Also helps with muscle recovery and endurance. Valine Aids muscle metabolism and tissue repair, both of which contribute to muscle recovery. Do BCAA supplements work? It is certainly true that endurance and strength training use up a large amount of BCAAs. So, it is no surprise that athletes have tried taking BCAA supplements to improve strength, endurance and recovery time, but does it make a difference? The weight of evidence seems to suggest "no". A study by the Départment de Physiologie Systémique in France tested the effects of BCAA on ski mountaineers at high altitude and found no improvement in performance with the supplement. Studies into endurance in long- distance runners conducted by Oxford University, University College of Physical Education and Sports, and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, also support these findings. That is not to say that BCAAs are not crucial in muscle repair and therefore do improve strength and endurance. The point is topping up your levels with supplements has no greater effect than the amount you would normally get from your diet. As MH Williams of the Department of Exercise Science, Physical Education, and Recreation, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA concludes: “No data support the finding that oral supplementation with amino acids, in contrast to dietary protein, as the source of amino acids is more effective.” Many athletes however, do believe that taking the supplements is effective. The good news if you want to try them out is that there are no reported side effects. Any excess BCAAs in your body is just converted to other amino acid forms. So how can I get more BCAAs in my diet? Meat and soy are great sources for all three BCAAs. For leucine, eat more nuts and brown rice. Chicken, eggs and fish have high concentrations of isoleucine and adding more dairy products to your diet will top-up your valine levels. Egg whites have one of the highest concentrations of leucine, a whopping 4233 mg. [Update: To date, there have been no human studies of the three branched chain amino acids which have shown any levels of toxicity. However, some animal studies have found that taking excess leucine when the animal is on a low-protein diet can depress growth. No one knows whether this result would also appear in humans taking excess leucine. In contrast to leucine, isoleuncine and valine when taken in excess seem to have little to no effect on growth, a 2004 study by Dr. Peter Garlick from the University of Illinois found. ] Related: Test Enanthate-Bad for Your Health? / Build Up Your Arms- Ideal Rotation Routine / Whey Versus Creatine-Which One Is Better for Strength?/Celebrity Workouts /Foods That Strengthen Erectile Performance/ Fatty Foods Linked to Male Baldness/ Prostate Cancer Linked to Fatty Diet / Soy Foods Reduce Sperm Count |
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| Egg whites are high in leucine, a branched chain amino acid needed for muscle growth. |