Why you should add BCAA powder in your diet

Twenty different amino acids make up the thousands of complex proteins need in the human body.Nine of the twenty amino acids can't be created by our bodies and must be obtained by what we consume. Three of the essential amino acids are found in foods rich in protein such as dairy products, meat, and eggs. The amino acids are leucine, valine, and isoleucine. The amino acids are defined as Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA). They are also a popular supplement usually sold in powder form.

Here are four benefits of including BCAA powder in your diet

1. It Decreases Soreness of Muscles

Scientific studies have proposed that BCAAs can help reduce muscle soreness after working out.
Muscle soreness also called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is common especially after a workout which usually occurs within 12 hours after a workout. The pain can last up to 72 hours after exercise . Researchers suggest that DOMS is caused by the tiring of muscles after a workout.
Many studies have shown that BCAAs decrease muscle damage, which might help reduce the intensity and length of the pain.

2. Increase Growth of Muscles

One of the most common applications of BCAAs is to increase muscle mass.

The BCAA leucine stimulates a specific pathway in the body that fires muscle protein synthesis, which is the muscle making process. Studies have shown that people who consumed at least 5.6 grams of BCAAs after a workout had an at least 22% larger gain in muscle protein synthesis compared to those who did not take the BCAAs.

3. Decrease Exercise Exhaustion

Just as BCAAs may help reduce muscle pain from physical activities, they may also help decrease fatigue caused by exercise .

Everyone from time to time feels tired and exhausted from exercise . How fast you get tired depends on various factors such as the intensity of training, your fitness level, environmental elements, and duration of the activity. Since your muscles consume BCAAs during exercise, the blood level of the BCAAs reduces. This causes the increase in the level of tryptophan in the brain. The tryptophan is then converted to serotonin which is thought to increase fatigue during a workout. Studies have shown that BCAAs improves concentration during workouts which then improves performance in drills.

4. Prevent Muscle Loss

BCAAs can help stop muscle wasting or collapse. Muscle proteins are regularly broken down and reassembled (synthesized). The equilibrium between muscle protein breakdown and assembly determines the mass of protein in the muscles. Muscle waste happens when the breakdown of proteins surpasses the synthesis of muscle proteins. Muscle wasting is a symptom of malnutrition and occurs during fasting, aging and when you have chronic infections. BCAAs contain about 35% of essential amino acids found in muscle proteins. They also provide about 40% of the total amount of essential amino acids needed by the body. It's therefore critical that you have imperative amounts of BCAAs and other amino acids during times of muscle waste to slow or even halt its progress. BCAAs powder supplements may improve health outcomes and quality of life in elderly or those who have cancer.