Supplements

The term BCAA is an acronym for branched chain amino acids. It has become more important and is now identified as a significant supplement by the sports nutrition community. BCAA’s are: leucine, isoleucine and valine.

Amino acids are known for being the building blocks of protein. If there is protein eaten, it is digested in single amino acids and small chains of amino acids get absorbed in the bloodstream. The body will take the amino acids and use them to develop and mend tissues.

Amino acids can be categorized into essential and non-essential. Essential amino acids are not made by humans and non-essential amino acids are. The nine essential amino acids need to be received from our diet. These amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.

A non-essential amino acid is equally important to the essential kind. They are made in our bodies from other amino acids and vitamins. These acids are: alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, cystine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine and tyrosine.

BCAA’s are metabolized in muscles, not the liver, and this is great for athletes. When this happens, they can be used to create proteins or fuel to make energy. When a person uses BCAA’s, it helps to improve the strength of muscles and the size of them.

If you take them before you work out, it will improve your performance and help prevent fatigue. They also help to burn fat and not burn muscle.