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What Are BCAAs? Benefits & How They Work | Nutritionist Explains | Myprotein
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Jan 30, 2025
Expert dietitian explains what BCAAs are and the benefits of taking the supplement. In this video, Elle Kelly a registered sports dietitian looks at whether you really need a BCAA supplement. Alongside whey protein and creatine, BCAAs are one of the most popular supplements, and why wouldn’t they be? Increased muscle growth, improved performance and a reduction in muscle soreness are just some of the promises that BCAAs carry. Watch this video to find out whether BCAA supplements are a good fit for your training goals. Still got questions? Let us know in the comments below! ⬇️ Follow Elle on IG: ellekellynutrition 📱 *** Chapters 00:00 - What are BCAAs? 01:25 - Benefits 02:45 - Help with DOMs 04:37 - Supplement for vegetarians/vegans 05:49 - Any more BCAA questions? *********************************
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0:00
alongside whey protein and creatine
0:02
BCAAs are one of the most popular
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supplements and why wouldn't they be
0:06
increased muscle growth improve
0:08
performance and a reduction in muscle
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soreness are just some of the promises
0:11
that BCAAs carry however as with most
0:13
supplements it's hard to say whether
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they are necessary or not without
0:17
understanding the context of the entire
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diet
0:24
my name is Elle and I'm a registered
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Sports dietitian and today we're going
0:28
to look at whether you really need a
0:29
BCAA supplement so let's Dive In firstly
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what actually are BCAAs
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branched chain amino acids known as
0:38
BCAAs are a group of amino acids amino
0:41
acids are the building blocks of protein
0:43
and different proteins contain different
0:45
combinations of amino acids there are 20
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amino acids that make up muscle protein
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but nine of these are considered
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essential essential amino acids are the
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amino acids that we cannot make within
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our body and so they must be obtained
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from food leucine isoleucine and valine
1:00
are the three BCAAs and their unique
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structure is what gives this group the
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name branched chain these are essential
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amino acids so they must be obtained
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through food or a supplement BCAAs are
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found in most protein-based foods such
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as chicken other meats and milk and
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dairy products and therefore why because
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they're widely found in food a
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supplement is not thought to be
1:20
necessary for most people however there
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are benefits associated with BCAAs but
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this is when BCAAs are supplemented
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meaning that a higher quantity of BCAAs
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than simply what can be achieved in the
1:31
diet may be required so what are the
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benefits of BCAA supplements leucine
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isoleucine and valine are considered the
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most anabolic of the nine essential
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amino acids which in layman's terms
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means that they promote muscle building
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BCAAs account for over one-third of the
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protein in the body's muscles however
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leucine is specifically important for
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promoting muscle growth repair and three
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to four grams of leucine is required to
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stimulate muscle protein synthesis and
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recent evidence has questioned whether
2:00
leucine alone may be more anabolic than
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the combination of these three BCAAs for
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promoting muscle protein synthesis when
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it comes to muscle building the rate of
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muscle protein synthesis needs to be
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higher than the rate of muscle protein
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breakdown
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a BCAA supplement may help to increase
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the overall intake of amino acids which
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can in turn promote muscle growth one
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study found a 22 percent greater
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increase in muscle protein synthesis
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with BCAA supplementation in comparison
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to a placebo what is interesting is that
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the amount of muscle growth observed in
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this study was approximately 50 less
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than what was observed in another study
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where whey protein was supplemented
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instead of the BCAAs because BCAAs can
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promote muscle growth and repair it is
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taught that they can reduce delayed
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onset muscle soreness or Dums a recent
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meta-analysis of studied identified that
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7 out of 10 studies demonstrated a
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reduction in Dom's in trained
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individuals however their efficacy
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depends on a variety of factors such as
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the dosages and circumstances that
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ranged among these studies I know this
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study looked at the effect of BCA
3:00
supplementation in untrained females on
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muscle soreness in comparison to the
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control group who consumed dextrose a
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type of carbohydrate before exercise the
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BCAA group had greater reduction in
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dumps what is important to note here is
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that there were differences in calorie
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and overall protein intake across these
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studies the evidence could suggest that
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a BCAA supplement may be useful for
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muscle repair and maintenance in the
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absence of sufficient carbohydrates but
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in the present of sufficient
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carbohydrates and protein intake their
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benefits may not be as great which is
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consistent with other evidence the
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results seen in studies where BCAAs do
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reduce muscle soreness may be
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attributable to the fact that the
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consumption of protein prior to a
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workout can increase the amount of amino
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acids in the amino acid pool within the
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muscles which can help to reduce the
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amount of muscle protein breakdown
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throughout a session BCAA
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supplementation may also provide amino
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acids faster because they are more
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readily absorbable than a whole food
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protein source that has to be digested
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which could promote faster recovery and
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therefore decrease the likelihood of
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Doms so we can see that BCAAs can have
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their place in your supplement stack but
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it is undeniable that they are more
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beneficial in certain circumstances than
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others in a calorie deficit there is a
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greater risk of muscle loss as weight
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loss is very rarely purely fat loss a
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recent study demonstrated that BCAA
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supplementation in individuals who
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resist and trained and who were in a
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calorie deficit help to preserve lean
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muscle mass and performance whilst
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losing fat Mass similar results were
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seen in another study which investigated
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the impact of BC day supplementation in
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wrestlers in a calorie deficit BCAAs may
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be able to compensate for low protein
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meals or be especially useful for those
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who are vegetarian or vegan as we know
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BCAAs are three of the essential amino
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acids that our bodies require the
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protein that we get from animal-based
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sources like meat fish eggs and dairy
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are considered complete sources of
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protein meaning that they contain all
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nine essential amino acids that our body
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needs whereas plant-based sources of
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proteins such as beans and lentils are
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typically missing and essential amino
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acid or have lower levels of amino acids
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with soybean the only plant-based
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protein source that contains all nine
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essential amino acids when it comes to
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muscle repair and growth we know that
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these BCAAs are of specific importance
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rather than simply protein alone so a
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BCAA supplement may help vegetarians and
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vegans to obtain these in their diet as
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we can see the question of whether you
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need a BCAA supplement will depend on a
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few variables for those in a calorie
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deficit BCAAs may help to maintain
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muscle strength as well as muscle mass
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and for those who don't eat a lot of
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animal products a BCAA supplement can
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help to ensure that you are obtaining
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enough of the amino acids needed for
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muscle growth my protein have a range of
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BCAA supplement with different flavors
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dosages and plenty suitable for
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vegetarians and vegans so you're sure to
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find one that suits your goals if you
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have any questions please leave them in
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the comments below and let me know do
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you use a BCAA supplement and what is
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your experience with it don't forget to
5:59
like this video And subscribe to the my
6:01
protein YouTube channel for more great
6:03
evidence-based nutrition information
6:06
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