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BCAA
Types Of Amino Acids
Essential:
Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Tryptophan
Valine
Non-Essential:
Alanine
Arginine
Aspartic acid
Cysteine
Cystine
Glutamic acid
Glutamine
Glycine
Hydroxyproline
Proline
Serine
Tyrosine
What is the difference between essential
and non essential Amino Acids?
Essential amino acids cannot be made by
the body. You must get them from complete protein foods or combinations of
incomplete vegetable foods. There are 9 essential amino acids: histidine,
isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, and valine.
Your body can make non-essential amino acids by itself from vitamins and other
amino acids.
The term "non-essential" can be misleading since all amino acids are essential
for proper metabolism and certain non-essential amino acids, such as glutamine,
become very essential. The 13 non-essential amino acids are alanine, arginine,
aspartic acid, cysteine, cystine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine,
hydroxyproline, proline, serine, & tyrosine.
The essential branched chain amino acids (BCAA's) are of special importance for
athletes because they are metabolized in the muscle, rather than in the liver.
Here's how this works: After digestion once protein is broken down into
individual amino acids these aminos can either be used to build new proteins or
be burned as fuel to produce energy
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What do BCAAs do?
What do BCAAs do?
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When you eat food containing
protein, it gets digested through the intestines and stomach. During this
process the protein is broken down into individual amino acids and short chains
of amino acids. These amino acids are small enough to be absorbed into the
bloodstream. Once the amino acids are absorbed into the bloodstream they have
far reaching effects across the entire body. Amino acids are involved in muscle
repair (lean muscle building), essential brain functions and even hair growth
just to name a few. During intense weight training or other form of intense
sporting activity the body is normally in a highly catabolic condition. At this
time glycogen stores are being rapidly depleted and the liver in turn must
synthesize glucose by a conversion of L-Alanine. Alanine makes up over half of
the amino acid content released from muscles during exercise.
The release of BCAA's is generally recognized as the signal to the body to stop
protein syntheses in the muscles, especially during times of stress. Providing
the
Branch Chain Amino Acids, especially during those times of stress may profoundly
affect this signal and allow protein synthesis to continue onward.
What is a metabolic pathway?
To understand just how important BCAAs are to muscle building and recovery you
need to know what a metabolic pathway is. Put simply, a metabolic pathway is a
chain of chemical reactions that takes place within a cell (in this case, a
muscle tissue cell). When adequate amounts of BCAAs are ingested they create
their own metabolic pathway which results in increased protein production. This
means more muscle tissue will be grown and muscles will be repaired faster.
What are BCAAs?
BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) are the essential aminos leucine, isoleucine,
and valine. The combination of these three amino acids makes up approximately
1/3 of skeletal muscle tissue in the human body. BCAAs play a very important
role in protein synthesis (the production of proteins in cells from amino acids
to build muscle).
BCAAs and muscle growth.
Generally, after a session of resistance training the body is in a catabolic
(the breaking down of muscle tissue) state, with a protein synthesis deficit.
This is because post exercise the MAPK signaling pathway (the body's own way to
signal muscle growth) is activated. While this is a pathway that will increase
protein synthesis, it is not as effective as when combined with the BCAA
signaling cascade.
The two pathways act independent of each other. Because of this, when adequate
amounts of BCAAs are ingested post workout (usually in the form of a
post-workout drink) the body is placed in a greater state of hypertrophy with a
positive amount of protein synthesis. This is extremely important for athletes
because it will decrease recovery time as it increases the rate at which lean
body mass is gained.
Difference between essential and non-essential amino acids.
Types Of Amino Acids
Essential:
Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Tryptophan
Valine Non-Essential:
Alanine
Arginine
Aspartic acid
Cysteine
Cystine
Glutamic acid
Glutamine
Glycine
Hydroxyproline
Proline
Serine
Tyrosine
Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body. You must get them from
complete protein foods or combinations of incomplete vegetable foods. See table
on the right for list of essential aminos. Your body can make non-essential
amino acids by itself from vitamins and other amino acids.
The term "non-essential" can be misleading since all amino acids are essential
for proper metabolism. There are some non-essential amino acids, such as
glutamine, that are very essential in the process of muscle tissue repair. The
13 non-essential amino acids are listed in the table on the right.
The essential BCAAs are of special importance for athletes because they are
metabolized in the muscle, rather than in the liver. With BCAA's 4-10 grams
before a work out and 4-10 grams after is optimal. Lesser amounts are effective
but if increased performance and recovery are needed a higher dosage is more
effective. Taking BCAA's immediately before or during a strenuous workout or
cardio session will increase performance. Taking them after with a post work out
meal or recovery drink will help speed the replacement of BCAA's in the muscles,
speeding muscle recovery and preventing overtraining. For optimum results in
supplement form, it is desirable to take your BCAA's separately from the other
amino acid groupings for the fact that they totally dominate the race for entry
into the bodies' systems.
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What are Amino Acids?
What do
BCAA's do?
What are the side effects and how much
should I take?
Studies have shown that supplemental
intake of the BCAAs in the range of 5-20 grams per day in tablet form has
maximum benefit and causes no adverse side effects. For best results the intake
should be staggered throughout the day.
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