Do I need to take BCAAs ?
What are BCAAs
Branch-chain amino acids, also known as BCAAs, are a group of three of the essential amino acids; leucine, isoleucine and valine. Essential amino acids are amino acids that cannot be produced by the body and need to be consumed in our diet. Some athletes take BCAAs with the hope to improve muscle recovery after resistance training. There has been various studies evaluating the effectiveness of BCAA supplementation with muscle recovery, insulin resistance, athletic performance, muscle fatigue and delayed onset muscle soreness.
The most common reason for BCAA supplementation is reducing delayed onset muscle soreness and improving athletic performance such as resistance training and cardiovascular performance. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the aching and soreness of muscles following exercise. This typically occurs 24-48 hours after resistance training and is likely due to buildup of lactic acid, muscle damage or inflammation. It can happen to those who are just beginning exercise as well as experienced athletes. It typically occurs when being new exercises or an increase in difficulty added to ones exercise regimen(Cheung, et al. 2003).
BCAAs and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Let’s first discuss BCAAs and how they may effect DOMS. In 2017, one study found that BCAA supplementation significantly reduced creatine kinase before and after 24 hours from exercise in the experimental group compared with the placebo group (Rahimi, et al. 2017). Creatine kinase is an enzyme in the human body. In this study, elevated levels of creatine kinase are associated with muscle injury. The decreased levels of creatine kinase indicate quicker muscle recovery. No significant results were found in muscle soreness or lactate dehydrogenase between groups (Rahimi, et al. 2017). Similarly, when athletes were injected with BCAA supplements or a placebo, there was no significant difference in basal levels of lactate and ammonium levels between groups (Vahid, et al. 2018). Differences in ammonium levels could have signified differences in muscle fatiguing during exercise and basal lactate levels would have related to delayed onset muscle soreness however neither of these differences were significant (Vahid, et al. 2018). However, a 2018 meta-analysis uncovered a significant decrease in delayed onset muscle soreness for those who supplemented with BCAAs compared to those who were provided with a placebo. The analysis only included studies that were peer reviewed, utilized randomized control studies, and assessed for muscle soreness and which included 8 studies (Fedewa, et al. 2019).
BCAA and Athletic Performance
We should also consider if BCAAs can improve our athletic performance. BCAAs have been shown to assist in maintaining muscle while decreasing body fat, and maintaining or improving muscular strength (Dudgeon, et al. 2016). Groups were provided with a BCAA supplement or a carbohydrate supplement. The BCAA group increased muscle mass, decrease body fat, and increased their 1 rep max for squats and bench press. The carbohydrate group lost body fat but were not able to maintain muscle mass, they increased their 1 rep max for squats and were able to increase their muscular endurance (AKA more repetitions) which the BCAA group did not see. In older adults, BCAA supplementation paired with exercise helped to increase muscular strength, muscle mass, and walking speed in sarcopenic women (Kim, et al. 2012). Finally, it may improve cardiovascular performance and timed races. A randomized double blind cross over study compared BCAA supplementation with a placebo to analyze improvements in cycling time and rate of perceive exertion (RPE). The acute BCAA supplementation group has significantly faster cycling times and decreased RPE (Manaf, et al. 2021).
Side Effects of BCAAS
While there may be some benefits to supplementing with BCAAs there are also some side effects that should be taken into consideration when you are making the decision to supplement. BCAAs are transported to the brain on the same transported as neural aminos acids. Taking BCAAs can create and excess of amino acids and cause a decrease in neutral uptake of phenylalanine, tyrosine, histidine and tryptophan. You may be wondering why this matters. Well, these are all pre-curses for dopamine, norepinephrine, histamine and serotonin. Dopamine and serotonin are chemicals in our body that improve our mood and sense of pleasure. So if BCAAs are supplemented, especially in someone who may already be experiencing mental illness, dopamine and serotonin may produce at even lower rates and exacerbate symptoms (Holecek 2022). Additionally, animal studies have found that BCAA supplementation with high fat diets and was associated with insulin resistance (Newgard, et al. 2009).
Overview and Recommendation
The evidence appears to be quite conflicting thus far. Some studies are able to find significant benefits in decreasing muscle soreness, while others compare blood biomarkers that indicate that supplementation does not show significant differences. There are also side effects that you may want to consider as well. Some individuals may be more likely than others to see benefits from a BCAA supplement than others. Leucine is found in high amounts in grains, legumes, dairy, meat and eggs. If one’s diet is not varied and does not contain these elements then they are likely to have lower levels in leucine. Therefore if they were to supplement with BCAAs they are likely to see more benefit (Steward 2023). When vegans and non-vegans supplemented with protein powders with varied amino acid profiles, both groups had increased levels of blood plasma EAA and BCAA but vegans increased significantly more .
If your diet is low in foods containing leucine or you consume a vegan diet you may benefit significantly from the addition of a BCAA supplement. If you do not fit into either of these categories, you may see no benefit from a BCAA supplement. At this point in time it is too early to say if BCAAs are a necessary supplement for all athletes, and more research is needed on its effect on basal lactate and ammonium. You are likely to benefit more by ensuring your diet is adequate in caloric intake and protein based on your height, weight and exercise regimen.
References
Cheung, K., P. Hume, and L. Maxwell
2003 Delayed onset muscle soreness : treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Med 33(2):145-64.
Dudgeon, W. D., E. P. Kelley, and T. P. Scheett
2016 In a single-blind, matched group design: branched-chain amino acid supplementation and resistance training maintains lean body mass during a caloric restricted diet. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 13:1.
Fedewa, M. V., et al.
2019 Effect of branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation on Muscle Soreness following Exercise: A Meta-Analysis. Int J Vitam Nutr Res 89(5-6):348-356.
Holecek, M.
2022 Side effects of amino acid supplements. Physiol Res 71(1):29-45.
Kim, H. K., et al.
2012 Effects of exercise and amino acid supplementation on body composition and physical function in community-dwelling elderly Japanese sarcopenic women: a randomized controlled trial. J Am Geriatr Soc 60(1):16-23.
Manaf, F. A., et al.
2021 Branched-chain amino acid supplementation improves cycling performance in untrained cyclists. J Sci Med Sport 24(4):412-417.
Newgard, C. B., et al.
2009 A branched-chain amino acid-related metabolic signature that differentiates obese and lean humans and contributes to insulin resistance. Cell Metab 9(4):311-26.
Rahimi, M. H., et al.
2017 Branched-chain amino acid supplementation and exercise-induced muscle damage in exercise recovery: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Nutrition 42:30-36.
Steward, Maria
2023 Spotlight on Supplements: Branch Chain Amino Acids: This supplement may play an important role in building muscle. Environmental Nutrition 46(1):1-2.
Vahid, I., et al.
2018 The effects of branch-chain amino acids on fatigue in the athletes. Interv Med Appl Sci 10(4):233-235.