Muscle growth BCAA or EAA or neither? Or both?

 

What is BCAA? What is EAA?

BCAA stands for Branced-Chain Amino Acid, while Essential Amino Acid is abbreviated EAA. In total, there are 20 different amino acids, and they are used in protein synthesis, i.e. as building blocks for proteins. In whole proteins, amino acids are attached to each other by peptide bonds. They form long chains containing hundreds, even thousands, of amino acids. Dietary proteins are broken down into amino acids in the intestines, from where the body then uses them as building blocks for new proteins, e.g. in muscles. Protein synthesis refers to this stage of protein building in the body. In amino acid preparations, amino acids occur either in free l-form or as short peptides.

Essential amino acids the body needs to get from food. These for humans include arginine, phenylalanine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. Of these, BCAAs contain leucine, isoleucine and valine, while EAA products contain all nine amino acids. Non-essential amino acids include alanine, asparagine, asparagus acid, cysteine, glutamine, glutamic acid/glutamate, glycine, proline, serine and tyrosine. These can be formed by the body itself, so it is not necessary to get them separately from food.

BCAA

The benefits studied for both BCAA and EAA products differed depending on the study design. Several studies examined the efficacy of the products in the treatment of sarcopenia and in elderly people. Sarcopenia, therefore, is a condition characterized by loss of muscle strength, mass and performance and is often associated with aging. On the other hand, the properties of the products were studied in connection with athletes and nutritional deficiencies due to various reasons. The results of the study are not without controversy, and the results may be influenced by hobbies, gender, age, lifestyle, underlying diseases and factors related to food absorption, just to name a few. In the following, however, I will describe the results of the study in the light of these facts.

BCAA, along with vitamin D, appears to be a useful component in the treatment of sarcopenia, according to Cochet et al. (2023). Also, in a study in patients with cirrhosis, BCAA supplementation appeared to be an effective and safe treatment for improving muscle mass and strength, as well as preventing the progression of sarcopenia (Xiang 2023). BCAA supplements may be effective in repairing exercise-induced muscle damage if the extent of muscle damage was low or moderate. Especially when taken before training, it has been found to be most effective (Fouré & Bendahan, 2017).

BCAA supplements can also mitigate muscle damage and relieve muscle pain after weight training (Khemtong 2021). BCAA may therefore be beneficial in muscle recovery after exercise (Shimonura 2006). Even for people who don't get enough protein from their diet, BCAA could help maintain muscle mass in the body (Li et al. 2024).

EEA

EAA supplementation, on the other hand, appears to maintain post-exercise muscle protein synthesis, especially during energy deficit, especially when added to whey protein (Gwin 2024). Brunani et al. et al. (2023) state that amino acid-based supplements can effectively mitigate the loss of muscle mass typically observed during weight loss.

Like BCAAs, EEA preparations have been found to be associated with sarcopenia retardation. EAA appears to improve muscle mass and protein synthesis in older individuals, possibly compensating for the effects of sarcopenia (Dillon 2009). Supplementation with EAA between meals appeared to increase lean body mass, muscle strength, and physical function compared to baseline in elderly subjects (Børsheim 2008). EAA-based supplements offer seniors the opportunity to meet protein recommendations in nutrition (Ispoglou 2020). Also Negro et al. According to et al. (2024), supplementation with EAA and glutamine showed significant effects on maintaining muscle size and strength, especially in the elderly or those with pre-existing degenerative diseases (Negro 2024). The muscles of older people have a weakened and delayed ability to add satellite cells after weight training. This can be partially improved with post-workout EAA supplementation (Reidy 2017).

 EAA supplementation has been shown to have an effect on greater protein synthesis during recovery (Pasiakos 2019). EEA supplementation leads to a rapid increase in blood EAA levels, which in turn stimulates synthesis. As a supplement, it even increases muscle synthesis more than an equivalent amount of so-called muscle synthesis from the diet. intact protein. Without exercise, the EAA supplement seems to be able to improve functionality (Ferrando 2023). Also Church et al. To improve protein synthesis in muscles and the whole body, EAA et al. (2020) recommend sources of EAA that produce a large and rapid increase in concentration. (Church 2020).

On the other hand, Ferraz et al. et al. (2011) found no major differences in supplement-related body growth when studying rat body composition as well as training with BCAAs. Wolfe et al. (2017), on the other hand, indicates in its review that BCAA supplementation appears to reduce both muscle protein synthesis and protein breakdown. This, in turn, means a decrease in protein turnover in the muscle. Other studies have also found a decrease rather than an increase in muscle protein synthesis after ingestion of BCAAs. BCAA supplements alone do not appear to increase muscle anabolism (Wolfe alone 2017), nor does combining it with weight training appear to increase muscle mass or strength (Bagheri 2021).

Finally

In healthy, varied diets, BCAA or EAA supplementation is hardly necessary. A varied diet provides the necessary amount of essential amino acids. On the other hand, a person who trains hard is unlikely to suffer any harm from taking a dietary supplement, although studies show that it does not currently seem particularly beneficial. The elderly or those with nutritional energy deficits, such as weight loss, are likely to benefit the most. Those seeking muscle mass or strength gain can decide at their own discretion whether to consider the supplement to bring benefits to their goals or whether to base optimization on diet. Based on the research, my own conclusion would be that if you are looking for recovery benefits, you should choose EAA because it also contains BCAAs. The dosage and time of ingestion have a significant impact on recovery, but I will return to these in a separate publication.