Best BCAA For Women - 10X Healthy Life

What is the best BCAA for women? In order to really answer this question, we need to know some context. Let’s begin by getting familiar with BCAA.

If you do exercise regularly, you probably already know about BCAA. BCAA, or branched-chain amino acids, are taken to help you recover faster from intense exercise, to help burn more fat, and some even say they take it to improve their performance.

Is all this myth or reality? And if it does work, then what are the best BCAA for women? We will discuss all these topics in this article.

A large portion of the body’s total amino acid pool is made up of BCAAs. BCAAs, in turn, are composed of three types of amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. (1)

In total, they represent around 35 to 40% of all essential amino acids present in your body and about 14 to 18% of those found in your muscles. (2) And why are they so important? Lauren Simmons, R.D., C.S.C.S., of Core Dynamics, explains that when your body’s glycogen stores run low, your body relies on BCAAs for fuel.

BCAAs have something that makes them different from other amino acids: they are broken down in the muscle, instead of being processed in the liver. It is because of this that they play an important role in energy production during exercise, where muscles need the extra boost.

BCAAs have other important functions in our bodies. For example, our bodies use BCAAs as building blocks for protein and muscle. The block-chain amino acids may also be involved in regulating blood sugar levels because they preserve liver and muscle sugar stores. This stimulates cells into taking sugar from your bloodstream. Of the three amino acids that compose BCAA, isoleucine and valine seem more effective at producing energy and regulating blood sugar levels. (2)

When it comes to exercise, though, leucine is believed to be the most effective at impacting your body’s capacity to build protein muscles. This is incredibly important for athletes. BCAAs are also thought to be beneficial in reducing the fatigue a person feels while doing exercise because they reduce the production of serotonin in the brain. (2)

However, our bodies can’t naturally produce BCAAs on its own. This means that we get all our BCAAs from our diet. Branched-chain amino acids are naturally found in many foods, but they can also be taken via supplements.

There are many good reasons to consume BCAA. Isabel Smith, R.D. a Registered Dietitian, Fitness and Lifestyle Expert, and Founder of Isabel Smith Nutrition and Lifestyle (3) explains that “BCAAs can help promote muscle growth” and also “repair and reduce muscle soreness after exercise”. This is especially effective if the BCAAs are consumed around the time of your workout. They can also make you feel less tired after exercising. However, Simmons warns not to fall into this trap: even though BCAAs make you feel less tired, they won’t improve athletic performance.

Smith explains another benefit of BCAA: it could help you feel more satisfied and get less hungry. Smith says that some research has found that leucine specifically could help you feel more full. This happens because it improves the sensitivity to leptin, a hunger hormone. Other studies also indicate that BCAA could help balance sugar levels and promote fat burning. Smith explains that this helps maintain or lose weight because imbalanced blood sugar levels can lead to weight gain.

So, in which foods can you find BCAAs? You can find these amino acids in protein-rich foods like chicken breast, lean beef, flank steak, eggs, canned tuna, wild salmon, haddock, cod, whitefish, trout, turkey breast, and Greek yogurt.

What about BCAA supplements? There are a lot of options if you want to take a branched-chain amino acid supplement. They usually come in pills, tablets or in powder (to mix in with drinks). Liquid supplements usually take effect faster, Simmons says, because they don’t have to be digested like whole foods. This is an especially good option if you want to take a BCAA boost before exercising but dislike doing a workout with your stomach full.

There are many varieties of BCAA supplements for both men and women. Some boast about having a lower-calorie count, while others boast about being vegetarian-friendly (they are usually made with whey protein or soy protein isolate). The choice will depend on the user and her priorities. However, it is important to talk to your doctor or dietician before taking BCAA supplements. Smith says “I don’t think women should start chugging BCAA supplements unless they’re doing it in a targeted way”. (1)

Let’s answer an important question. Do women need BCAA? In the last decades, the way women approach fitness has been changing. (4) Before, developing muscle and lifting weights was a stereotypically male activity. Nowadays, women are more and more interested in increasing their strength, developing their muscles and toning their bodies. Their goal is not only to lose fat but also to build toned muscle.

Since BCAAs are building blocks of protein, it can help develop muscles and reduce fatigue.

You see, during protein synthesis, old muscle tissues will be “on repair”. At the same time, new muscle tissue will be built progressively. In order to develop more muscle and maintain the muscle you already have, protein synthesis has to exceed the rate of protein breakdown. (4)

This adds to the fact that, when exercising and dieting, you will reduce your intake of carbohydrates or burn them faster. So, when your body needs energy, over time, it can start turning to muscle protein as a source of energy. This increases protein breakdown levels in your body. If these protein breakdown levels are larger than your protein synthesis, you can lose muscle mass. BCAA could help prevent that. (4)

This is, in large part, what has made BCAAs become more and more appealing to women who exercise.

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