BCAAs, commonly taken for muscle growth, may decrease muscle growth!

[ReSTART]

Branched-chain amino acids and muscle protein synthesis in humans: myth or reality? - Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition

The branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) are leucine, valine and isoleucine. A multi-million dollar industry of nutritional supplements has grown around the concept that dietary supplements of BCAAs alone produce an anabolic response in humans driven by a stimulation of muscle protein synthesis...

jissn.biomedcentral.com

The efficiency of reincorporation of EAAs from protein breakdown back into muscle protein can only be increased to a limited extent. For this fundamental reason, a dietary supplement of BCAAs alone cannot support an increased rate of muscle protein synthesis. The availability of the other EAAs will rapidly become rate limiting for accelerated protein synthesis. Consistent with this perspective, the few studies in human subjects have reported decreases, rather than increases, in muscle protein synthesis after intake of BCAAs. We conclude that dietary BCAA supplements alone do not promote muscle anabolism.

 

[haidut]

Branched-chain amino acids and muscle protein synthesis in humans: myth or reality? - Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition

The branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) are leucine, valine and isoleucine. A multi-million dollar industry of nutritional supplements has grown around the concept that dietary supplements of BCAAs alone produce an anabolic response in humans driven by a stimulation of muscle protein synthesis...

jissn.biomedcentral.com

Of course, the study conveniently neglects to mention the numerous human studies where BCAA were actually found to have anabolic effects on muscle.

Branched-chain amino acids activate key enzymes in protein synthesis after physical exercise - PubMed

BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine), particularly leucine, have anabolic effects on protein metabolism by increasing the rate of protein synthesis and decreasing the rate of protein degradation in resting human muscle. Also, during recovery from endurance exercise, BCAAs were found to have...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

If one takes too much BCAA without the additional essential amino acids then sure, the bottleneck will be those other EAA that are not consumed in amounts needed to match the BCAA. However, for most people the limiting factor in protein synthesis (aside from endocrine factors such as cortisol, estrogen, androgens, etc) seems to be BCAA, and especially leucine. The leucine metabolite HMB has been shown to have anabolic effect in human studies even when administered by itself, which also corroborates the important role of BCAA in muscle synthesis. The anabolic effects of BCAA are usually amplified when consumed with glycine, or other substances that lower inflammation. Instead of consuming isolated BCAA (which does have its uses such as trying to lower brain serotonin when combined with tyrosine/phenylalanine), one should eat protein with a good amount of BCAA in it (casein is great) and supplement with gelatin. This is actually what Ray had told people over email too when they asked him about BCAA, but he did say that isolated amino acid supplementation may be useful if the person has bad GI inflammation that prevents proper digestion of complex proteins.

Glycine Is Directly Anabolic AND Anticatabolic For The Muscle

I posted a few interesting studies about glycine in the past. Among the interesting properties are lowering cortisol, increasing DHT synthesis, improving insulin sensitivity, and serving as a biomarker of stress. Glycine Powerfully Lowers Cortisol Glycine Strongly Upregulates 5-alpha Reductase...

raypeatforum.com

Glycine is anticatabolic

The study was done in a cancer model, but it should apply to any situation characterised by a catabolic muscle state - i.e. overtraining, starvaton, shock, estrogen-dominance, etc. In addition, in this study glycine also inhibited tumor growth while citirulline (which is a metabolite of...

raypeatforum.com

 

[Michael Mohn]

You need over 2g of BCAA and over 20g of protein to start muscle protein synthesis. Lysine is the rate limiting amino and you need glucose to keep the process running.

 

[ReSTART]

You need over 2g of BCAA and over 20g of protein to start muscle protein synthesis. Lysine is the rate limiting amino and you need glucose to keep the process running.

Too much lysine can deplete arginine though right?

 

[TheBeard]

Of course, the study conveniently neglects to mention the numerous human studies where BCAA were actually found to have anabolic effects on muscle.

Branched-chain amino acids activate key enzymes in protein synthesis after physical exercise - PubMed

BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine), particularly leucine, have anabolic effects on protein metabolism by increasing the rate of protein synthesis and decreasing the rate of protein degradation in resting human muscle. Also, during recovery from endurance exercise, BCAAs were found to have...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

If one takes too much BCAA without the additional essential amino acids then sure, the bottleneck will be those other EAA that are not consumed in amounts needed to match the BCAA. However, for most people the limiting factor in protein synthesis (aside from endocrine factors such as cortisol, estrogen, androgens, etc) seems to be BCAA, and especially leucine. The leucine metabolite HMB has been shown to have anabolic effect in human studies even when administered by itself, which also corroborates the important role of BCAA in muscle synthesis. The anabolic effects of BCAA are usually amplified when consumed with glycine, or other substances that lower inflammation. Instead of consuming isolated BCAA (which does have its uses such as trying to lower brain serotonin when combined with tyrosine/phenylalanine), one should eat protein with a good amount of BCAA in it (casein is great) and supplement with gelatin. This is actually what Ray had told people over email too when they asked him about BCAA, but he did say that isolated amino acid supplementation may be useful if the person has bad GI inflammation that prevents proper digestion of complex proteins.

Glycine Is Directly Anabolic AND Anticatabolic For The Muscle

I posted a few interesting studies about glycine in the past. Among the interesting properties are lowering cortisol, increasing DHT synthesis, improving insulin sensitivity, and serving as a biomarker of stress. Glycine Powerfully Lowers Cortisol Glycine Strongly Upregulates 5-alpha Reductase...

raypeatforum.com

Glycine is anticatabolic

The study was done in a cancer model, but it should apply to any situation characterised by a catabolic muscle state - i.e. overtraining, starvaton, shock, estrogen-dominance, etc. In addition, in this study glycine also inhibited tumor growth while citirulline (which is a metabolite of...

raypeatforum.com

So would it be advisable to take organic whey with no additives if one can't enough protein during the day?

Whey always seem to give me liver pain and make me fatigue, even at only 30g/day.

 

[Michael Mohn]

Too much lysine can deplete arginine though right?

I don't know if this would be a bad thing as lowering arginine improves a lot of conditions. But taking lycine with arginine can improve anxiety. It's probably good to maintain a balance of both. Arginine is high in collagen and lycine is high in muscle meat& fish, dairy and eggs. Always add some gelatine to other proteins. Who said it before...? Oh it's Peat!