5 Proven Benefits of BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids)
For those of you who don’t know, there are a total of 20 amino acids in our body that make up thousands of different proteins. 9 out of these 20 acids are essential amino acids, which refers to the fact that your body cannot make those itself. These amino acids are to be obtained from your diet.
On the other hand, out of these 9, there are three branched-chain amino acids that are also known as BCAAss. These three include; valine, isoleucine and leucine. As far as the consumption of these acids through your diet is concerned, you can eat protein-rich foods like eggs, meat, and other dairy products to increase BCAAs in your body.
The point that we are trying to make here is that the branched-chain amino acids are extremely important for the human body. It’s on you if you want to fulfill this requirement of your body through protein-rich meals or if you want to directly consume the BCAA powder.
It’s important and here are some main benefits of these acids that you need to know about;
1- Increase muscle growth
If you are someone who is trying to put on some weight or if you simply are working out to build muscles, then you need to consume BCAA in any case. You see, what happens is that the leucine makes a pathway in your body, which then stimulates the protein synthesis. This process then triggers muscle growth in your body.
2- Decreasing muscle soreness
If you do some real time tough weight training all day and if you have a harsh workout routine, then you need to be prepared for sore muscles. They hurt a lot, and you do need something to make things right. This is again where BCAA comes in handy. This soreness is a real problem that most people face, and it’s known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It can last anywhere between 12 hours to 72 hours. BCAA basically breaks down protein during exercise, and when this happens, the creatine kinase levels in your body also decrease. Creatine is like an indicator of muscle damage.
3- Reduction in exercise fatigue
Mainly, the role of BCAA is to reduce the stress, fatigue, and muscle soreness that you go through when you exercise a lot. For someone who does weight training, these amino acids are a must. It’s a whole process through which your fatigue is decreased. Your muscles use the branched-chain amino acids when you workout. This means that your blood levels of BCAA decrease. This decrease results in the increase of essential amino acid tryptophan inside your brain and then tryptophan then converts to serotonin, which helps you stay active and feel no fatigue.
4- Boost Of Energy
Just the one thing that you need to build muscles and workout without any hassle, BCAAs will also give you the boost of energy that your body needs when exercising. If you often feel low when exercising, all you have to do is to eat the meals that are high in BCAAs. Once you do that, you will see the results in your energy levels for yourself.
5- Benefits those who have a liver disease
If you or someone you love is suffering from cirrhosis ( a condition in which the liver doesn’t function properly ), then again, BCAA can come in handy to you here. It will keep your liver strong and prevent damage.
Conclusion
These are some of the main benefits of BCAAs. So now that you know what it can do to your body, you should start consuming it in powder form or by consuming BCAA rich foods.
