What/How/Why BCAA?
 

So all I know about BCAA is that it stands for Branched Chain Amino Acids.

Why don't I just Google it? I'd rather have a person I'm more familiar with give me the rundown. Also, I think in the future it'll be beneficial for the ignorant like me.
Ignorant used in the sense of "lacking of knowledge."

If anyone else has questions on it feel free to post up as well.
Thanks in advance for the help MAB'ers,
FMS

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When you eat a protein food, it gets digested in the stomach and intestine into individual amino acids and short chains of amino acids that are small enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream. These amino acids have far reaching effects in the body from building tissues, to producing chemicals that enable our brains to function optimally.

Although it hasn't been documented that I know of BCAA's in higher amounts on the right diet are very beneficial in weight loss. This is just my 2cents.

Amino Acids are the building blocks of muscle protein. Getting adequate amounts of Amino Acids is difficult for those who exercise. Exercise burns Amino Acids rapidly. Failure to replenish the body with proper Amino Acids can cause people who work out vigorously to make little or no progress.

Amino Acids are best used as Free Form and Branched Chain. These Amino Acids do not require digestion and go straight into the blood stream for immediate use by muscle cells. BCAA also provides 70% of the body's Nitrogen requirement.

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 during illness or trauma. 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.

Thanks a bunch guys. Rep'd.

That sheds a lot of light. Reminds me of my BIOL days.

Great support system over here

If you don't or can't eat much of a variety of protein sources, BCAA supplementation can help fill in the cracks and flesh out your amino acid profile.

I tend to take BCAAs with protein shakes, and when I am cutting.

An amino acid profile is like a fingerprint. Each protein food is different in what they offer as far as aminos/BCAAs. A bodybuilder who is forced to live on a strict diet will not have a very beefy and broad spanning amino profile, and may benefit from supplementation.

You cant be ignorant with a lack of knowledge. You can only be ingnorant if you know of the knowledge and ignore its implications.

Asking questions is how we learn

Carl.

I agree with this--I really don't see the need for BCAA supplementation as long as you are getting adequate protein.

I believe BCAA supplementation essential for non-conventional dieting approaches, even when not a cutting diet. For example, intermittent fast/Warrior diet... without some form of BCAA supplementation some lose muscle. Not all, some.

I also think women have a harder time eating enough protein, and might benefit from BCAAs when trying to gain muscle. At least until they find their groove.