What Is BCAA in Food and Protein Powder?
Effects and Benefits Explained
Medically reviewed by Elizabeth Barnes, RDN
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are three of the nine essential amino acids needed for survival. They include leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
Since your body does not produce BCAAs, you must get them through foods or supplements. Most people consume enough BCAAs if they eat a balanced diet.
Claims that BCAAs can improve muscle mass and exercise performance have made them popular among athletes and those seeking ways to enhance fitness. While BCAA supplements are safe for most people, they should be taken cautiously.
This article explains how BCAAs affect your body, how to increase them, and how they can help. It also includes side effects, warnings, and pros and cons of adding to normal BCAA levels.
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BCAA Effects on the Body
Amino acids are the "building blocks" of proteins, which are necessary for the growth of healthy muscles, skin, hair, blood, bones, and more. Amino acids also impact metabolism.
Branched-chain amino acids are so named because of their chemical structure. Unlike other amino acids, which are broken down in your liver, BCCAs are broken down in muscle tissue.
BCAAs stimulate protein synthesis, and as a result, stimulate an anabolic response (the process by which your muscles repair and grow in response to the stress of exercise).
Branched-chain amino acids also convert to glucose during exercise more easily than other types of amino acids. Your body uses glucose for energy.
These responses may help improve exercise performance, build muscle mass, and improve exercise recovery.
Essential vs. Nonessential Amino Acids
Essential amino acids include the nine amino acids that your body is unable to produce but you need for normal function. You must get them from foods or supplements.
Essential amino acids include histidine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and the three BCAAs—isoleucine, leucine, and valine.
Nonessential amino acids are the 11 amino acids that your body can produce even if you don't consume them. These amino acids are not required by your body for proper function, but they do contribute to your overall health.
Nonessential amino acids include alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine.
BCAA Foods
You can increase BCAA intake by consuming a protein-rich diet. BCAA foods include the following:
Beef
Poultry
Salmon, tuna, and other fish
Eggs
Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt
Nuts and seeds
Peanut butter
Quinoa
Soy products like tofu and tempeh
Legumes, including beans, lentils, and peas
Learn More: Amino Acids in Meat, Milk May Raise Heart Disease Risk
Powder and Supplements
BCAA powder and oral supplements are available as over-the-counter products. Formulations vary by manufacturer and specific product. A typical formulation is leucine, isoleucine, and valine in a 2-to-1-to-1 ratio. There is no set value for the intake of BCAAs.
BCAA supplements are usually consumed by athletes and others who participate in regular, moderate physical activities at various practice levels. They are typically safe for most healthy individuals to take daily. For optimal benefits, taking BCAAs before or after your workout is advised.
Learn More: What Is Dry Scooping?
6 Benefits of Consuming More BCAA
Six benefits of BCAAs are:
Reducing Muscle Soreness
Research indicates that BCAAs can reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), the muscle soreness that occurs between 12 and 24 hours after exercise. Supplementing with BCAAs before exercise may reduce postexercise muscle soreness and accelerate recovery time.
In a systematic review, researchers reported that muscle damage was limited with daily BCAA supplementation of greater than 200 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) for longer than 10 days and starting at least seven days before performing the damaging exercise.
Stimulating Muscle Growth
Researchers reported evidence that BCAAs stimulated 22% greater muscle protein synthesis (the process involved in making muscle) than placebo (an ineffective substance given to people in a control group) when used after resistance exercise. The findings were based on the results of participants who consumed a drink of BCAAs after their resistance workouts.
Improving Exercise Endurance
Taking BCAA supplements may improve exercise endurance and reduce exercise fatigue.
In one study, participants who took BCAA supplements before exercise had lower serotonin blood levels than those who took a placebo. Serotonin contributes to central fatigue. Central fatigue is the mental fatigue that occurs during extended aerobic workouts. Those who took BCAAs also had improved energy metabolism.
Maintaining Muscle Mass
BCAAs may help people maintain muscle mass, which can become depleted as body protein is lost in certain illnesses like cancer. Research indicates that a high-protein diet that includes additional BCAAs, especially leucine, can help maintain muscle mass in these conditions.
Countering the Effects of Advanced Liver Cirrhosis
BCAA supplements have value as a nutritional intervention for preventing complications in liver disease. They have been shown to improve quality of life and prognosis in people with liver cirrhosis, an advanced stage of liver disease.
Separate studies have also shown that BCAA supplementation can improve signs and symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy (the loss of brain function that occurs with advanced liver disease), weakness and fatigue, and sleep disturbances.
Regulating Blood Sugar Levels
Research suggests that BCAAs may have multiple roles in insulin resistance (the inability of cells to take up blood sugar) by regulating blood sugar levels and encouraging cells to accept more sugar from your blood.
Side Effects of Consuming Too Much BCAA
Many people consume high amounts of amino acids as dietary supplements without side effects. However, side effects of consuming too much BCAA can vary based on your age, health conditions, diet, and medications.
While there are inconsistencies regarding the presence of side effects from too much BCAA, the most common reactions include the following:
These effects seem temporary when they occur and are often limited to the early administration period.
Other possible side effects of BCAA supplementation may include the following:
Possible cancer risk: BCAAs may provide essential nutrients for cancer growth and a source of energy for tumors, suggesting a link between BCAA metabolism and cancer that requires further research.
Barrier to weight loss: Research suggests that lowering the consumption of BCAAs may improve metabolic health, even when overall calories are not reduced.
Liver damage: Research suggests that BCAA supplements may cause liver damage when consumed in combination with a high-fat diet.
Heart disease: There is evidence that high levels of BCAAs may be a marker for cardiovascular disease, though further research is needed.
Learn More: How Much Protein Everyone Needs per Day
Special Precautions: Who Should Avoid BCAAs?
Due to a lack of research, little is known about the potential adverse effects and interaction of BCAAs with other chemicals. If you have a chronic condition and/or take daily medication, check with your healthcare provider before taking BCAA supplements.
There are no known interactions between BCAAs and other supplements, foods, or compounds. No studies have found definitive interactions between BCAAs and specific medications, though that is not to infer that those interactions do not exist.
Research is inadequate regarding the safety of using BCAA and other amino acid supplements for the following groups:
Children
Older adults
Pregnant or lactating women
People with liver disease
People with diabetes
People with other chronic conditions
People with maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), a rare congenital disorder, should not take BCAAs. This disease interferes with the proper breakdown of BCAAs. Consuming too many BCAAs could lead to an accumulation of toxic BCAA products linked to nerve and brain symptoms.
While more research is needed, people who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) or a high risk of the disease should avoid BCAAs. Higher levels of BCAAs have been observed in people with ALS, though a pooled analysis of five cohort studies did not find any link between BCAAs and ALS risk.
In one study, supplementation of 60 grams (g) of BCAA altered the blood levels of tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine, which could cause depression in susceptible people. People with a history of depression should consult their healthcare provider before using BCAA supplements.
Pros and Cons of BCAA Supplements
Whether BCAA supplements are right for you depends on your goals and overall condition. Your healthcare provider can help you decide whether you can benefit from BCAA supplements.
Consider the following pros and cons of adding BCAA supplements to your routine.
Pros of taking BCAA supplements:
While research is inconclusive, BCAA supplements may benefit athletes and others interested in improving physical performance, growing muscle mass, and reducing exercise-related muscle damage.
If your goal is to increase BCAA blood plasma levels to achieve exercise-related goals, BCAA supplements allow you to do so in controlled amounts vs. getting it from whole foods.
BCAA supplements may be appropriate for people who fast but wish to consume enough protein to build muscle.
Cons of taking BCAA supplements:
Eating a balanced, high-protein diet usually provides adequate levels of BCAA without needing supplements. Whole food sources of BCAA may provide superior results to supplements because whole foods also contain other essential amino acids and nutrients that work together naturally in your body.
While there is evidence that consuming "isolated" BCAAs can reduce muscle soreness, it is important to note that BCAAs are often combined in formulations containing products like protein whey or carbohydrates. These factors can impact the effect of BCAA supplements.
Depending on your medical condition, health risks, and other factors, consuming BCAA supplements may increase your risk of certain health problems.
Summary
BCAAs include leucine, isoleucine, and valine. While your body needs these three amino acids for normal function, it cannot produce them. You have to consume them through food or supplements.
Some research suggests that BCAAs may promote muscle growth, prevent muscle loss, and decrease muscle soreness after working out. There is also evidence that they can improve the signs and symptoms of people with advanced liver disease.
While high levels of BCAAs are safe for most people, they may increase your risk of having certain health problems. Consult your healthcare provider before adding BCAA supplements to your diet.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
