For those who are regular gym goers, lead an active lifestyle or are generally health conscious, you may have heard the term ‘BCAAs’ and ‘EAAs’ thrown around. But what do they stand for and how important are they? If these are questions you feel you’re asking yourself, continue reading to find out more.
What are BCAAs / EAAs?
The term BCAA stands for Branched Chain Amino Acids, which are the building blocks of building muscle. They make up to 35% of your muscle mass and must be present for your body to build and develop muscle tissue. Of the 20 total amino acids in your bodies proteins, nine of them are essential to your diet as the body cannot naturally manufacture them. These are called Essential Amino Acids, or EAAs and must be ingested via food or supplements.
Why are BCAAS Important?
BCAAs play many crucial roles and are important for anyone looking to build muscle, lose weight, increase their health or recover after a workout. Some of their benefits include:
- Prominent levels of BCAAs in the blood help to maintain stores of glutamine, a major amino acid that promotes muscle growth.
- BCAAs serve as a significant fuel source when the body is under physical stress.
- They trigger protein synthesis and discourage the breakdown of muscle cells.
- In healthy people, BCAAs can improve insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake
- BCAAs play a key role in energy and muscle production during exercise, and are often consumed before and during workouts.
- BCAAs are great for muscle recovery and have been found to reduce muscle soreness from intense muscle damaging exercise
- When fatigued, BCAAs improve training motivation
- BCAAs increase fat burning and can support fat loss
- Support hormone balance during intense training
- BCAAs are even used in medicines to treat liver disease!
References: Ten Benefits of BCAAS by Poliquin Group.
How can I be sure I’m getting enough BCAAs?
BCAA Energy by Xtreme Energy Drink contains 18 BCAAs, including all the Essential Amino Acids that the body cannot produce by itself. Unlike other energy drinks, BCAA Energy is clean, contains no sugar or harmful sweeteners, has 7g BCAAs / EAAs per can, and contains added protein and vitamins. You can drink it any time of the day, be it before a workout or in the morning to get you up and ready for the day ahead!