BCAAs Could Teach Supplements That Suck How to Suck
Amino acids from protein that you eat are the “building blocks” of the new muscle. So to speak.
Of the 20 amino acids, only three contain a branched side chain: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. That’s why they’re called branched-chain amino acids or BCAAs (I know it’s boring so far but I’m about to inhale a bag of caffeine so it will get better, I promise):
So they possess chains. Chains sound cool. Also, leucine. That thingy is a key regulator of muscle protein synthesis aka a process of building muscle. Which is why people said, “take my money I want more muscle!” and started shoving BCAA in their faces like the apocalypse is imminent.
The result? BCAA has become one of the top-selling supplements on the market to improve muscle and strength gains (source):
Okay, tl;dr time: BCAA is utterly useless. It’s useless in the presence of adequate daily protein intake and I’m guilty of supplementing these for some time in my early gym days.
