BCAAs & EAAs
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are three of the nine essential amino acids — leucine, isoleucine and valine — sold as a standalone supplement. Essential amino acid (EAA) products contain all nine amino acids the body cannot make itself.
What published research reports
A 2017 review by Wolfe in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition examined whether BCAAs alone stimulate muscle protein synthesis in humans. It reports that muscle protein synthesis requires all essential amino acids to be available, and concludes that the claim that BCAAs alone build muscle is unwarranted: in the human studies reviewed, BCAAs taken without the other essential amino acids did not increase — and in some conditions reduced — the rate of muscle protein synthesis, because the remaining amino acids must be drawn from the breakdown of other body proteins. The review states that intact high-quality protein, or complete EAA mixtures, provide the substrate that isolated BCAA products lack. The ISSN protein position stand likewise reports that complete protein sources delivering roughly 700–3,000 mg of leucine per dose alongside a balanced array of EAAs support muscle protein synthesis.
References
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