Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and the special class of amino acids, known as BCAA (branched-chain amino acids), stimulate the muscle growth response. These supplements are considered to be an important part of the nutrition plan for many bodybuilders, weightlifters and others seeking muscle growth. However, according to new research from the University of Stirling, while BCAA supplements do stimulate the muscle-building response in people after they lift weights, other muscle-building supplements, that contain all necessary amino acids, stimulate a greater muscle growth response. This means that taking BCAA supplements alone is not the best way to optimise muscle growth with weight training.
The study, also involving the universities of Exeter and Birmingham, was undertaken by the scientists to investigate how effective the supplements were at stimulating the machinery inside the muscle itself that leads to muscle growth. They found that while BCAA drinks stimulate the body’s muscle-building systems, they lack some essential amino acids that are necessary to support a maximal muscle growth response.
Said Professor Kevin Tipton, Chair in Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of Stirling, “Our results show that the common practice of taking BCAA supplements in isolation will stimulate muscle protein synthesis — the metabolic mechanism that leads to muscle growth — but the total response will not be maximal because BCAA supplements do not provide other amino acids essential for the best response. A sufficient amount of the full complement of amino acids is necessary for maximum muscle building, following exercise. Athletes interested in enhancing muscle growth with training should not rely on these BCAA supplements alone.”
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