Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are essential nutrients that play a vital role in muscle metabolism and overall health. While traditionally associated with animal-derived protein sources, vegan BCAA options are gaining popularity. This article explores the benefits of BCAAs, focusing on their suitability and advantages for individuals following a vegan diet.
What are BCAAs?
BCAAs are a group of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. The term "branched-chain" refers to their unique chemical structure. These amino acids are considered essential because the human body cannot synthesize them, so they must be obtained through dietary sources or supplementation.
The Role of BCAAs
BCAAs are crucial for several bodily functions, including:
- Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS): Leucine, in particular, acts as a signal that "switches on" MPS, the process of building muscle.
- Energy Production: Muscles can directly "burn" BCAAs for energy.
- Reducing Muscle Soreness: BCAA supplementation has been shown to reduce muscle soreness following intensive weight training.
- Preventing Muscle Breakdown: BCAAs can help prevent muscle wasting, especially during periods of malnutrition or fasting.
- Supporting Liver Health: BCAAs may offer health benefits for people with cirrhosis.
BCAA Benefits
Studies show that BCAAs may increase muscle growth, reduce soreness and fatigue, prevent muscle wasting, and support liver health.
Increased Muscle Growth
One of the most well-known uses of BCAAs is to increase muscle growth. The BCAA leucine activates a specific pathway in the body that stimulates muscle protein synthesis, which is the process of making muscle. However, while BCAAs can increase muscle protein synthesis, they can’t do so maximally without the other essential amino acids, such as those found in whey protein or other complete protein sources.
Read also: In-Depth Look at BCAAs and Female Weight Loss
Reduced Muscle Soreness
Some research suggests BCAAs can help decrease muscle soreness after a workout. Supplementing with BCAAs may decrease muscle soreness by reducing damage in exercised muscles.
Reduced Exercise Fatigue
BCAAs may also help reduce exercise-induced fatigue. BCAA supplementation can alter levels of certain chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, which may be useful in decreasing exercise-induced fatigue.
Prevention of Muscle Wasting
BCAAs can help prevent muscle wasting or breakdown. Taking BCAA supplements can prevent the breakdown of protein in certain populations with muscle wasting.
Liver Health
BCAAs may offer health benefits for people with cirrhosis, a chronic disease in which the liver does not function properly. BCAA supplements may improve the health outcomes of people with liver disease, while also possibly protecting against liver cancer.
BCAAs and Vegan Diets
Amino acids, including BCAAs, are found in protein foods but are found in higher amounts in animal-derived sources such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Vegans, who abstain from consuming animal products, may wonder how to obtain sufficient BCAAs.
Read also: Fuel Your Keto Diet with BCAAs
Vegan-Friendly BCAA Sources
While traditional BCAAs typically come from animal sources, BCAAs are a component of protein which can be found in both plant and animal products. You can find supplements that are safe for vegan dieters that synthesize BCAAs from plant-based sources using a fermentation process.
Excellent sources of BCAAs for vegans include:
- Corn
- Baked beans and lima beans
- Chickpeas
- Lentils
- Whole wheat
- Brown rice
- Almonds, Brazil nuts, and cashews
- Pumpkin seeds
- Soy beans, soy milk, tofu
- Legumes like beans and lentils
Vegan BCAA Supplements
For vegans seeking to boost their BCAA intake, supplements are available. When choosing a vegan BCAA supplement, it's important to mind the label. Just like any other food or supplement product, the label will tell you if the product is approved for a vegan diet or not. Other ways you can tell if a product is vegan approved is by looking for the V-Label for vegan products. This is an internationally recognized seal on food and supplement labels that indicates if a product is vegan or vegetarian. To be certain something is truly vegan-friendly however, you should always take a peek at the supplement facts which provide the ingredient breakdown.
Benefits of Vegan BCAAs
Whether you are looking for vegan BCAA products for ethical, health, or religious reasons, there can be many benefits to choosing plant-based products like BCAAs. However, vegan BCAAs often contain additional beneficial ingredients that can make them a better option than regular BCAAs in some cases.
Ethical Considerations
For vegans, choosing plant-based BCAA supplements aligns with their ethical commitment to avoid animal products.
Read also: Guide to BCAA for Fat Loss
Potential Additional Ingredients
Vegan BCAAs may contain additional beneficial ingredients, making them a superior option compared to traditional BCAAs.
How BCAAs Work
Eating a high-protein meal and BCAAs will increase your body’s rate of muscle protein synthesis. This is important as you need to be in a positive protein balance to gain muscle. In your body, there’s a continuous muscle protein turnover, with periods of increased muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and periods of muscle protein breakdown (MPB). If your total muscle protein synthesis exceeds muscle protein breakdown, you will be in a positive protein balance and will gain muscle mass. On the flip side, if MPB exceeds MPS, the overall result will be a loss of muscle. Using a BCAA supplement can help increase your body’s muscle protein synthesis rate. This will result in a positive protein balance and increase the likelihood of muscle gain.
BCAA Supplementation: When and How
Supplementing Low-Protein Meals
One of the most significant benefits of supplementing with BCAA powder is how it will ‘rescue’ a meal that’s low in protein. Having a backup source of BCAAs on hand can help ensure your low-protein meal will still raise muscle protein synthesis rates.
Addressing Low BCAA Protein Sources
Plant-based protein sources such as wheat, hemp, and soy have lower BCAA content than protein sources like dairy, eggs, meat, and fish. BCAA supplementation can provide a straightforward solution. It can also ensure your vegetarian or vegan meal has the most significant impact on muscle protein synthesis rates.
Curbing Appetite
If you’re struggling to eat enough protein for your health and fitness goals, then supplementing with BCAAs can help ensure that you’re maximizing MPS rates. For anyone training at altitude, BCAAs can help fight the effects of a reduced appetite by enhancing the impact of protein in your meals.
Timing
There’s evidence to suggest that there’s a saturation point and that MPS rates will return to baseline regardless of the number of amino acids consumed in one serving. So, a good tactic is to consume BCAAs at regular intervals throughout the day, alongside meals that are low in protein and BCAAs.
- Before and during a workout: BCAAs can be taken before a workout to spark muscle building while you’re still working out, and to prevent muscle fatigue.
- After a workout: You can also take BCAAs after a workout to improve your recovery post-workout.
Dosage
When taken at mealtimes, the dose of BCAAs will depend on the amount of BCAAs in the meal. However, as a general guide, 3-5g of BCAA is sufficient to initiate MPS rates. To maximize synthesis rates to build muscle, BCAAs should be combined with all the other essential amino acids.
Potential Side Effects and Risks
When taken up to 6 months, oral supplements of BCAAs have not often been linked with harmful side effects. However, side effects may include:
- Nausea
- Pain
- Headache
BCAAs may interfere with blood glucose levels during and after surgery. You may also be at increased risk if you have chronic alcoholism or branched-chain ketoaciduria. Also, avoid using BCAAs if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Interactions
Talk with your doctor first if you are taking:
- Diabetes medications
- Parkinson's medications
- Corticosteroids
- Thyroid hormone
- Proglycem (diazoxide)
Tell your doctor about any supplements you're taking, even if they're natural. That way, your doctor can check on any potential side effects or interactions with medications or foods. They can let you know if the supplement might increase your risk.
BCAA and Insulin Sensitivity
Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are among nutrients strongly linked with insulin sensitivity (IS) measures. Compared with omnivores, vegans had higher IS at baseline that declined after the intervention and returned to baseline values after the wash-out period. No such change was observed in omnivores. In omnivores the intervention led to an increased expression of lipogenic genes (DGAT2, FASN, PPARγ, SCD1) in AT.
Cautions
It’s important to consult a health care practitioner prior to taking BCAAs if you have a kidney condition. People with type 2 diabetes should also consult a health care practitioner prior to taking BCAAs as they may affect how the body responds to insulin and uses glucose.
Recent studies suggest that BCAA intake may be inversely correlated with obesity in some individuals. In one study involving wrestlers, BCAA supplementation was more effective for reducing body fat than simple calorie restriction. Other studies have looked at the potential to use plasma levels of BCAAs as a biomarker for the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity, with some suggestion that levels of leucine may be elevated in people with insulin resistance.