Buy BCAA supplements to support vitality
You may have heard of it, but BCAA supplements are becoming more and more popular. Not only because they bring many health benefits, but also because they are very healthy for almost everyone. It is therefore not surprising that more and more stores are offering these supplements.
In this article we look at what BCAA supplements are, what they do for your health and where you can get these nutrients yourself.
The content of this article is based on scientific publications and was written in collaboration with medical specialists / nutritionists.
What are BCAA Supplements?
BCAA stands for “Branched Chain Amino Acid”. It is a group made up of three important amino acids: leucine, valine and isoleucine. It is always these three amino acids because they are the only amino acids that have side branches that allow a connection to form. BCAAs are considered essential because your body cannot make these acids on its own.
Of all the amino acids in your body, BCAAs make up about 35 to 40%. This is very much. Unlike many other amino acids, BCAAs are broken down in the muscles. This adds to the theory that BCAAs help build energy and muscle during exercise. Since amino acids are the building blocks of proteins in your body, they also contribute to building muscle.
Because your body cannot produce BCAAs on its own, it is essential that we get these building blocks from our diet or from supplements. BCAA supplements contain a large amount of BCAAs that are absorbed by our body.
What do BCAA supplements do?
Although we know that BCAAs are very important for our health and make up a large part of all amino acids in our body, it is also important to know what role they play now. Because BCAAs are located in our muscles, that's where most of the health benefits take place.
1. BCAA supplements help with fatigue during exercise
From research has shown that people who take BCAA supplements feel during exercise up to 15% less fatigue than those with placebo. BCAAs could help to combat exhaustion and fatigue during exercise because your muscles are less likely to be overloaded. However, the findings also showed that the results were stronger in untrained individuals than in experienced athletes.
2. They help against muscle soreness
In addition to helping to reduce fatigue during exercise, a BCAA supplement can also help reduce muscle soreness. BCAAs reduce the presence of the enzymes kinase and lactate. Both enzymes cause a feeling of acidification in the muscles, which you can suffer from both during and after exercise. Because BCAAs counteract this production, you are less likely to suffer from muscle pain .
3. They Can Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels
The two amino acids leucine and isoleucine are able to increase your body's insulin output, causing your muscles to absorb more sugar from your blood than normal. As a result, your overall bodily blood sugar level drops. This is very beneficial for people who suffer from or are at risk of type 2 diabetes. However, these findings have mainly been observed in animal studies and are not yet clear in human studies.
4. BCAA Supplements May Support Liver Disease
If you suffer from severe liver disease, one of the additional complications can be hepatic encephalopathy (HE). This causes disturbances in movement, muscles and brain. BCAA supplements are able to reduce these complications, so that you suffer less from the additional problems. However, it is important to mention that BCAAs themselves are not able to reduce liver disorders, only the associated ailments.
5. They can help increase your muscle mass
The amino acids in the BCAA supplements help to activate certain enzymes that stimulate muscle building. As a result, you have a greater chance of building more muscle during exercise. However, it is still unknown whether BCAAs have more effect than protein supplements.
What are BCAAs in?
In addition to taking BCAA supplements, there are also other sources from which you can get these amino acids. For example, BCAAs are common in meat, fish and poultry. They are also high in animal milk products and eggs. However, this does not mean that vegetarians and vegans are deficient in these substances. They are often added to processed products and are also naturally found in many nuts, seeds and grains.
A deficiency of BCAAs does not occur quickly, but can be recognized by reduced muscle strength, faster muscle pain and general fatigue. With a serious deficiency, you can suffer from mental symptoms such as confusion, depression and anxiety.
