Today in our country quite a lot of people are involved in sports. And this is very good. If an athlete wants to gain muscle mass in a short time and increase his stamina, the ideal solution for him would be to use the BCAA complex. The benefits and harms of these drugs are what athletes are usually interested in. The BCAA complex contains important amino acids that actively influence muscle gain. In addition, they allow you to achieve good results in sports and get rid of excess fat. In this review, we will examine why these complexes are necessary and what their use provides.
Features
Let's dwell on this aspect in more detail. One of the types of modern sports nutrition is BCAA amino acids. The benefits and harms of such products are individual for each athlete. The following features of this type of food can be distinguished:
- Amino acids of a special structure, which are part of this complex, improve the process of their transition into energy. Since they are an indispensable substance that the body is not able to produce on its own, this BCAA property simplifies their assimilation during severe physical exertion.
- Amino acids trigger protein synthesis. This protects the muscles from damage during excessive exertion. An increase or decrease in muscle mass is associated with the presence of amino acids necessary for its construction. Thus, taking BCAA during exercise increases muscle growth.
- BCAA complexes are necessary for athletes who, in their training, focus on weight-bearing exercises. The body needs funds to maintain muscle mass.
To the above benefits of BCAA, you can also add the fact that the use of this food supplement in combination with taurine gives an interesting effect.
Composition
So what do you need to know about this? Before talking about the effect of the complex on the body, you should consider what substances are part of BCAA. The benefits and harms of these products primarily depend on their components. Here are the three main amino acids that make up the complexes:
- leucine;
- valine;
- isoleucine.
This combination provides the following benefits:
- Increased water content in muscle fibers - allows you to reduce the damage done to muscles during training.
- Amino acids make muscle fibers more sensitive to calcium. This component inhibits the production of by-products, which can lead to rapid fatigue, and also contributes to a more effective recovery of the body after training.
Among the three amino acids present in the BCAA composition, leucine is most effective. It helps to maintain normal muscle fibers, ensures their growth, and is also responsible for the production of collagen. Isoleucine is necessary for the breakdown of cholesterol and the absorption of carbohydrates. Valine is needed to replenish energy reserves. In addition, he takes part in the synthesis of glycogen.
Separately, each of the components of BCAA has a positive effect on the human body, however, the maximum effect can be achieved by the integrated intake of all three constituent elements.
Beneficial features
The main question that concerns those who are just starting to take BCAA is the benefits and harms for men. First, we consider the positive characteristics of such complexes:
- Quick recovery of the body with prolonged physical exertion.
- Reducing muscle fatigue and maintaining them at the right level of performance.
- The ability to build muscle.
Harmful properties
This aspect is worth exploring in the first place. Are BCAA amino acids deficient? Harm for the body, subject to the rules of admission in medical conditions, has not been identified. However, there are a number of contraindications in which the use of BCAA complexes is not recommended. One of them is an allergy to milk protein. In sports nutrition, this component is contained in high concentration, so it is better not to use it.
The main purpose of sports supplements is to eliminate the imbalance in nutrition. For non-professional athletes, their use is optional.
Efficiency
So what do you need to know about this? How to check if BCAA amino acids work? The benefits of these complexes have been proven by numerous clinical studies. In one of the most famous experiments, subjects were divided into three groups. The first included athletes who limited their intake of protein. In the second group were athletes for whom protein food was a priority in the diet. The third included athletes who severely limited themselves in food, but who used the BCAA complex. After a certain period of time, it was found that the participants in the third group experienced the smallest mass loss. So the benefits of BCAA are not unfounded and are confirmed by clinical studies.
Muscle recovery
A number of studies were carried out, in which trained and non-sports people took part. As a result, doctors were able to identify that this dietary supplement reduces muscle pain after training. The use of 100 mg / kg of weight reduces the period of muscle soreness by 48 hours. This helps ordinary people recover faster after a tense workout.
Popular supplements
When choosing a suitable BCAA complex, the recommendations of experienced athletes and experts should be taken into account. The following is a ranking of sports nutrition in order of effectiveness:
- Sci Vation Xtend: one serving (14 g) of the powder contains 3.5 g of the amino acid Leucine, Glutamine, Citrulline, Pyrodoxin.
- SAN Intra Fuel: Great for pre-workout supplements as it improves endurance. One of the most concentrated formulations. 11 g of the drug accounts for 7 g of BCAA.
- BPI Sports Best: a distinctive feature of this complex is the optimal combination of taste characteristics of the product and cost. The weight of one serving is 10 g.
- Muscle Pharm: The dose of amino acids is 5 g per serving. The complex is available in the form of capsules.
Admission Rules
Let's dwell on this aspect in more detail. How to take BCAA? The harm to the body will be minimal if you use the complexes according to a special scheme. The fact is that a set of muscle mass when taking BCAA occurs in the following cases:
- Long endurance exercises.
- Sports on an empty stomach.
- Before and after training, there is no time interval for eating.
- Adhering to a vegetarian diet: BCAA intake is necessary for this category of athletes because it includes leucine, which stimulates the production of protein.
Complexes for weight gain should be used regardless of the time of training. You can take amino acids in the classroom. In this case, the complex should be diluted with water. So amino acids can gradually enter the body and nourish it with energy. To close the protein-carbohydrate window, it is recommended to use the complex immediately after waking up in the morning. At one dose, 5 g is enough. It is not advisable to take the increased volume, since the intestine can absorb no more than 5 g of the substance in one go.
How to take BCAA for weight loss?
The fair sex is often interested in how BCAAs can be used for weight loss. The benefit with the correct reception of the complex in this case is guaranteed. The first step is to check whether the diet is built correctly. It should provide a calorie deficit. For weight loss, the number of calories burned must exceed the number consumed. It is also important to include loads with maximum weight in training. The number of repetitions must be at least 10 times. This approach will achieve better results than regularly repeated exercises. It is also important to consume the right amount of protein. Its content in one meal should not exceed 35 g.
Half an hour before training, the complex is taken in a volume of not more than 8 g. On days when there are no trainings, the use of sports nutrition can be reduced to 5 g.
Contraindications
This aspect should be given special significance. Can BCAAs be worse? The harm from this complex of sports nutrition is caused if the athlete suffers from kidney diseases. It is also not recommended to use such products for pregnant and lactating women. Not studied how BCAA affects the fetus and lactation. In other cases, subject to the rules of administration and the correct dosage of negative effects should not be observed.
Overdose
So what do you need to know about this? What happens if you take too much BCAA? The harm in this case can be quite significant. Side effects of an overdose of the drug include:
- Violations of the kidneys. This body is responsible for the excretion of the body's vital products, including processed proteins. In the case of chronic diseases of the excretory system of the body or when a dose of BCAA is exceeded more than 50 grams per day, kidney function may be impaired.
- Trouble sleeping. Glutamine has a stimulating effect on the nervous system. When using higher concentrations of BCAA complexes, the effect can be quite impressive. That is why experts do not recommend experimenting with dosages. Please note that such harm from taking BCAA is usually observed only in the case of a significant excess of dosage - 5 times or more.
Subject to the basic norms and recommendations of specialists, negative consequences from taking amino acid complexes are not observed. The benefits of BCAA for men are to increase and maintain muscle mass. The intake of important components helps to increase the result while maintaining the same physical load on the body.
Side effects
This issue should be considered in the first place. Now you know roughly what the BCAA complex is. The benefits and harms for men of this sports supplement depend on the regimen. It is important to understand that excessive use of complexes in no way affects the improvement of results. Judging from the feedback of experienced athletes, in order to avoid side effects, it is important to observe the measure. Let us consider in more detail what consequences the use of BCAA at an increased dosage can lead to.
Bodybuilders are well aware that amino acids are involved in most metabolic reactions. As a result, under certain conditions, BCAAs can be harmful to the body. In particular, unpleasant diseases such as cancer and diabetes can develop. The main reason for the harm from consuming BCAAs is that they are a potent stimulant of the mTOR enzyme. This substance is responsible for sensitivity to nutrients and the release of certain hormones that regulate cell division and survival. As a result, with an increase in the activity of this enzyme, cells begin to grow and divide. And this applies not only to muscle tissue. Elevated levels of mTOR can lead to cancer. Therefore, it is extremely important not to overdo the dosage of sports nutrition.
BCAAs also have an effect on blood sugar. An increased concentration of BCAA is associated with increased insulin resistance and may subsequently lead to the development of diabetes. For this reason, doctors do not recommend taking BCAAs in the form of sports supplements, and they also advise avoiding large amounts of protein in the diet.
Conclusion
In this review, we looked at what BCAAs are. The benefits and harms of such sports supplements depend on whether they are used correctly. Subject to the recommended dosage, no adverse effects should occur. But in any case, before you start taking something, think a few times!