Regarding Supplementary Amino Acids, How To Choose EAA And BCAA?

For a long time, amino acid supplements have been used as one of the main supplements to improve sports performance, or to increase muscle and reduce fat. In particular, branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) have a high penetration rate among fitness people, and essential amino acids (EAA) have gradually become popular in recent years. At the same time, they are deeply loved by friends and have a tendency to replace BCAA. At this time, the question comes, it is also an amino acid supplement, how should I choose according to my current state? Who is the better choice between EAA and BCAA? Today's topic is to talk about those things about amino acid supplements, so that you can be targeted when choosing related supplements in the future.

 

After reading this article, you will gain the following four aspects of information:

• Amino acids, EAA and BCAA

• mTOR, the mammalian target of rapamycin

• For muscle growth, EAAs are superior to BCAAs

• Daily EAAs recommendations

 

Amino Acids, EAA and BCAA

Our body doesn't know whether we are eating beef, eggs or whey protein powder, but our body knows that after these protein ingredients enter the body, they will eventually be degraded into a substance that is amino acid. Amino acids are an important part of protein, and participate in almost every chemical process in the human body, including the production of various enzymes in the human body, the regulation of hormones, the conduction of neurotransmitters, and metabolism. Our human body has a total of about 20 different types of amino acids, of which 9 are classified as essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the human body. Since it cannot be synthesized by itself, it needs to be supplemented by consuming protein-rich foods every day. The other 11 non-essential amino acids can be synthesized from essential amino acids, carbohydrates or fats.

On the other hand, for our muscles, muscles are composed of protein, and protein is composed of amino acids. But only when the 9 essential amino acids are stored in the human body and in the right ratio can muscle protein synthesis occur and muscles grow. Note that it is not possible to grow muscles by supplementing with protein or amino acids, but it is indeed one of the most critical points in the process of muscle growth. At the same time, it also tells us a point of knowledge. If one of the 9 essential amino acids is deficient, muscle protein synthesis will stop. And not only muscle protein synthesis needs these 9 kinds of amino acids, but our nervous system, immune system, blood sugar control, energy metabolism, mood and sleep are all inseparable from these 9 kinds of amino acids.

The 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) are isoleucine, leucine, valine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, histidine, and tryptophan. Among these 9 amino acids, three are called branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), and these three amino acids play the most important role in muscle protein synthesis. amino acid, leucine and valine.

mTOR, the mammalian target of rapamycin

mTOR, the mammalian target of rapamycin, what is this thing? This is a group of enzymes in the body that regulates the function of proteins, key molecules that allow cells to grow in response to various stimuli. Its main function is to regulate muscle fibers and control the synthesis of muscle proteins in muscle cells, while inhibiting the catabolism of muscle proteins. We rely on mTOR signaling to increase muscle or maintain a certain amount of muscle mass. In other words, in order to grow muscles, a certain way must be used to transmit signals to the muscles and turn on the switch of muscle growth. In the human body, this switch is mTOR, which acts as a switch between the internal and external environments of cells and determines When to turn on this switch, which triggers the onset of muscle protein anabolism.

So how to turn on the switch of mTOR? Generally speaking, there are three ways: one is that mTOR will be triggered when the muscles are subjected to mechanical tension and metabolic pressure, so when we train for muscle gain, we pay attention to gradual overload; the other is that the large release of insulin will also stimulate the opening of the mTOR switch , which is why it is recommended to take nutritional supplements in a timely manner after exercise, and it is an arrangement with fast carbohydrates as the main protein and supplemented by protein, because fast carbohydrates can quickly stimulate the release of human insulin; third, the intake of leucine also has The ability to activate mTOR is one of the 9 EAAs mentioned just now, and it is also one of the BCAAs. But the point to be made here is that leucine only increases the synthesis signal of muscle protein.

And the BCAA we see in the usual publicity has the effect of stimulating muscle growth and anabolism, and this knowledge point is also applied. But more synthetic signals do not mean more muscle protein synthesis. It is similar to saying that if we do not supplement our usual light training, will muscles grow? It doesn't.

 

For muscle growth, EAAs are better than BCAAs

To improve our muscle mass, in addition to turning on the switch of mTOR, we must also have more raw materials that are conducive to muscle growth. BCAAs only include three main amino acids, and there are no other amino acid raw materials to support the process of muscle growth. Therefore, in the process of muscle synthesis, our body must have other amino acid reserves to complete muscle anabolism. . But EAAs are essential amino acids, all the amino acids needed for muscle synthesis, EAAs have all. In this way, when the human body takes it together, it will have a more efficient absorption and synthesis efficiency. In a sense, the leucine in both BCAAs and EAAs can turn on the switch of protein synthesis, but in order to continue to operate, there must be more support from other amino acids, which can lead to the production of new protein structures. Complete muscle mass improvement. BCAAs, on the other hand, only provide 3 classes of amino acids in the 9 muscle growth puzzles.

As for EAAs, you can simply understand that achievement is the protein needed for muscle growth, but protein is not EAAs. At the same time, EAAs provide more benefits to the human body, such as muscle growth and recovery, creating a sense of satiety without being too hungry during fat loss, improving sleep quality, and improving the body's metabolic health. Conversely, excessive intake of BCAAs may cause other problems, such as excessive amounts of certain amino acids, which interfere with the decline in the utilization rate of other amino acids, which actually reduces the rate of muscle protein synthesis. At the same time, BCAAs and tryptophan use the same route to reach the brain, which means that excessive BCAAs will affect the brain's absorption of tryptophan, and tryptophan is an important substance that can affect our body's serotonin (An appropriate amount of serotonin will make people happy), and the decrease of tryptophan will lead to the decrease of serotonin. And when the body's serotonin levels are low, it can cause carbohydrate cravings, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. Other possible problems caused by too much BCAAs include metabolic disorders, insulin resistance, and excessive consumption of vitamins in the human body. These problems will indirectly affect your efficiency in increasing muscle and reducing fat.

Therefore, for muscle growth and maintenance, supplementing with EAAs is a better choice than supplementing with BCAAs. Similarly, supplementing with high-quality protein ingredients is better than simply supplementing with BCAAs, because high-quality protein contains more comprehensive amino acids. Conversely, if our body lacks BCAAs, the first thing we should think of is not to supplement BCAAs, but to check whether our daily protein intake is sufficient. As long as the protein is sufficient, supplementing with BCAA is of little significance. If you want to supplement, it is recommended to give priority to EAAs.

Daily EAAs Recommendations

Generally speaking, people with high exercise intensity or very active people should consume about 1.5~1.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. In other words, a person weighing 60kg needs about 90~110g of protein per day. It is probably equivalent to more than 400 grams of beef sauce. This may pose a dietary challenge for some friends. As the body weight increases, it is actually very difficult to consume more protein. Therefore, when such a situation occurs, it is recommended to take EAAs or whey protein powder for nutritional supplementation.

For people who are busy in daily life, they usually don’t eat enough protein, so EAAs or whey protein powder are recommended as protein supplements. Vegans, meanwhile, may also benefit more from EAAs because plant-based proteins contain fewer essential amino acids than animal-based proteins. As long as it is supplemented in an appropriate amount and is not used as the main source of protein in the body, the benefits of EAAs for health still outweigh the risks. At the same time, we should try our best to complete the nutritional intake with the basic diet, and supplements are always in the position of beneficial supplements, and cannot become the main force by overwhelming the guests.

Of course, if the amount of protein in the basic diet meets the standard, no supplements are needed at all. Food tonic is always the most perfect way of nutritional intake.

 

Write at the end

BCAAs and EAAs are functionally similar, but also very different. Compared with BCAA, EAA is a more comprehensive amino acid supplement, especially for people whose daily training and daily protein requirements are difficult to meet. If you want to know more about BCAA, EAA and Amino Acids, please send email to: haozebio2014@gmail.com.