BCAA Supplements are one of the most commonly consumed supplements after Whey Protein. Surprisingly, these are the most overrated ones too. If you are taking BCAA Supplements to gain lean muscle mass or to avoid muscle loss during the workout, it is useless.
Some people don’t even know what BCAA is. They are influenced by the marketing hype of BCAA supplement companies. This article will help you to understand the science behind this. So let’s get started…
What are BCAAs?
There are a total of 20 amino acids (9 essential and 11 non-essential). Out of these 9 essential amino acids, BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) contains three of them –
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
- Valine
Leucine plays a major role as it directly stimulates Muscle Protein Synthesis.
Why BCAA Supplements are popular?
BCAA supplements are so popular because the normal thinking goes like this “if I keep sipping BCAA drink during the workout then it will help me in gaining more lean muscle mass and preventing the risk of losing muscle in case of a fasted state workout”.
Some of the proposed benefits of BCAA Supplements are:
- Prevents muscle loss
- Helps in gaining more lean muscle mass
- Reduced fatigue
It seems very convincing and ‘cool’ that by sipping that colored drink during the workout, you’ll get better muscle-building results.
Companies claim that several studies proved these proposed benefits of taking BCAA supplements. But the truth is these studies are totally biased. They compare BCAAs users with non-protein placebos. None of the studies compare BCAAs with a protein-optimized diet.
Another reason you believe in BCAA supplements is because of your favorite athlete. Well, they are promoting BCAAs because they are getting paid for that by the supplement companies.
Studies that prove the proposed benefits of BCAA supplements are flawed and all biased. They compare BCAA users with non-protein placebos. So buying BCAA supplements is just a waste of money.
What science says about BCAA supplements
International Society of Sports Nutrition found that when BCAAs were taken in isolation, it actually:
- Decreases protein synthesis
- Increases protein breakdown
- Interferes with the absorption of amino acids
The reason behind this is that BCAA supplements contain only three essential amino acids. But there are a total of 9 essential amino acids and you get only 3 in a surplus amount. Due to this, an imbalance is created in your body and it starts deriving the remaining 6 essential amino acids from your muscles by muscle protein breakdown.
Khaled Trabelsi et al. (2013) analyzed Muslim bodybuilders during Ramadan. There were two groups:
The first group was training in a fasted state in the afternoon and the other was training in the evening after breaking the fast.
They found that:
- There is no difference in body composition between the two groups.
- There is no muscle loss in group training in a fasted state.
So, if you are taking a BCAA supplement because of fasting or during the workout in a fasted state to avoid muscle loss, then don’t worry you’ll not lose muscle. If your strength suffers in the fasted state then take a small meal before a workout.
What should you do instead?
A high protein diet is all you need. A high protein diet contains a high amount of BCAAs. Most of the protein-rich foods contain a good percentage of BCAAs already. Especially animal protein like meat, poultry, fish, etc.
Now if you are a vegan or you are unable to eat enough protein-rich foods, whey protein supplements would be a good replacement. A good quality whey protein powder contains all the BCAA you need.
One serving (approx 30 grams) of whey protein contains about 5 grams of BCAA.
Instead of wasting money on BCAA supplements, take a high protein diet and supplement it with whey protein powder as it contains all the BCAA you need.
Conclusion
- No matter what your goal is, there is no reason to waste money on BCAA supplements.
- Taking a high protein diet is sufficient to meet your BCAAs requirements.
- If you are struggling in completing your protein goals, then supplement your diet with a good quality whey protein.
Thanks for reading this far. I hope this evidence-based article was helpful for you in enhancing your gym IQ.
If you have any questions or if any other topic you want information on, then just leave a comment, I would love to answer you.
Very Informative
Very nice