BCAAs are essential amino acids, meaning they are not made in the body, yet they constitute more than one third of the protein found in human muscle tissue! Rich dietary sources of BCAAs include dairy, egg, meat, poultry and fish. Supplemental BCAAs are also widely available and often used within the context of sports nutrition. BCAAs are unique because, unlike most other amino acids, they are primarily metabolized within the muscle itself, as opposed to being broken down by the liver. That has two important implications for performance:
Rapidly Absorbed: BCAAs enter the bloodstream rapidly, bypass breakdown in the liver, and are readily taken up by active tissues (mainly muscle), and
More Fuel: BCAAs provide an additional fuel source for working muscle, as BCAA breakdown for energy increases during prolonged exercise (Shimomura et al., 2006). BCAAs also play an important role in overall protein turnover, which is to say they help regulate whether the body is in a recovery (tissue building) or catabolic (tissue breakdown) state.
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