BCAA 4:1:1 powder

Branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine), or BCAAs, are essential amino acids that play an important role in the body: they are involved in protein metabolism, neuronal function, blood glucose regulation and insulin regulation, and muscle recovery; they relieve exercise-induced central fatigue and stimulate muscle protein synthesis (1-3).

Various studies have also shown an improvement in immune function thanks to BCAA supplementation (4), including during prolonged physical activity such as cycling (5).

How do BCAAs help with muscle recovery and fatigue?

One study tested the effectiveness of BCAA consumption before and after physical exercise to reduce muscle damage and accelerate the recovery process. This improvement is believed to be due to increased protein synthesis, since these amino acids have greater availability (2).

With regards to their action on fatigue, BCAAs compete with tryptophan for uptake by the brain. Tryptophan is an amino acid that stimulates the secretion of serotonin, a neurotransmittor involved in the onset of fatigue. It has been suggested that, because during physical exercise BCAA levels in the blood begin to decrease (facilitating the entry of tryptophan into the brain), BCAA supplementation could avoid the decrease of BCAA levels, and thus delay the onset of fatigue (6). In addition, one study has suggested that the combination of BCAA with arginine and citrulline may alleviate central fatigue induced by physical exercise, by increasing nitric oxide concentration and decreasing the ratio of plasma free tryptophan to BCAAs (3).