natural-bcaas-research
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
A 2012 study examining the effects of resistance exercise and BCAAs, individually and in combination, found that “BCAA has an anabolic (muscle growth) effect on human skeletal muscle, an effect that appears to be similar in resting and exercising human muscle.” [1]
Published in the Journal of Nutrition, a 2006 placebo-blind study on 30 healthy volunteers showed that “BCAA supplementation prior to squat exercise decreased delayed-onset muscle soreness and muscle fatigue” [2]
A study on 4,429 men and women from the U.S., U.K., China, and Japan shows that BCAA keeps people lean. It concluded that “higher dietary BCAA intake is associated with lower prevalence of overweight status/obesity” and that “weight loss induced by high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet may be partially explained by BCAA intake.” [3]
Beta-Alanine
In 2011, 37 college athletes (football & wrestling) where used to examine the effectiveness of Beta-Alanine in tests of anaerobic powder output. The study found that “Beta-Alanine appears to have the ability to augment performance and stimulate lean mass accrual in a short amount of time” [4]
A double-blind study on cyclists discovered that Beta-Alanine promotes muscular endurance and reduces fatigue. During the final sprint of the time-trial study, “Beta-Alanine on average increased peak power output by 11.4%”. Researchers concluded that “oral Beta-Alanine supplementation can significantly enhance sprint performance at the end of an exhaustive endurance exercise bout.” [5]
A 30 day placebo-controlled study examining the effect of Beta-Alanine supplementation in collegiate football players on anaerobic performance measures found that “short-duration beta-alanine supplementation increases training volume and reduces subjective feelings of fatigue” [6]
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