Branch Chain Aminos

This last weekend, I took part in the Montana Spartan Sprint obstacle race. These types of shorter on average 5-plus mile obstacle races are usually tough, but manageable. This year many seasoned athletes stated that the 2016 Big Fork Montana event was one of the most physically demanding sprints they have encountered. Having been right there with them carrying 40-pound sand bags a quarter mile up an extreme vertical trail or the 70-pound bucket of rock roughly two football fields up and down hill, I would agree.

At roughly mile 4 in high 70-degree weather, the organizers had a fueling station setup with water mixed with BCAA or branch chain amino acids and glutamine. Needing a quick refresh of a wet liquid, I grabbed a cup and wondered how BCAA’s were going to help recharge me? I was trying to remember if there was any conclusive research that showed protein/BCAA would improve performance in terms of exercise that was under four hours? A cup and half down and within a very short time, I had a little extra kick so I could literally roll 1,100 feet under barbed wire. Talk about eating dust, but anyway, I was pretty surprised with the boost I got from the BCAA mixer.

Now reaching back into my years of writing about health and fitness, I found some research I did on protein and BCAA. I thought it would be interesting to take a fresh look at BCAA along with Glutamine and how it effects our body during exercise, training and races.

Of the 21 amino acids in protein, some of them are called “Branched Chain Amino Acids” or BCAA. There are three BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine and valine. Of these, research has shown leucine appears to have the most physiological benefit. The benefit of BCAAs is they do not metabolize in the stomach. These specific amino acids metabolize directly in the muscle, which means that they are anabolic for building your muscle. They are also anti-catabolic, meaning they inhibit muscle breakdown.

The other key amino acid is Glutamine, which you may know is the most abundant amino acid in our body. glutamine helps us retain nitrogen, shortens recovery, enhances our immune function and mental acuity. Research seems to prove that stress caused by intense exercise can cause the body to fall behind in production of glutamine, which in turn can reduce performance and affect the athlete’s mental state.

So now post-race and better informed, it is starting to make sense why the BCAA and the Glutamine mixer seemed to have a positive impact on my energy levels and focus. During prolonged exercise, BCAA’s are streamlined to our muscles rather than processed through the liver thus skipping the ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate energy production. Since our muscles are heavily reliant on BCAA’s, they can quickly be depleted during exhaustive endurance exercise, so supplementing would indeed be a huge benefit to recharge your BCAA levels to your muscles.

Now I know fitness professionals and elite athletes already knew this fact about BCAA’s, but many of you may have thought protein and amino acids’ best delivery of benefits were achieved as a pre-workout or post-workout. I think BCAA supplementation during intense exercise is worth exploring for most athletes. The health risks are low and there are few if any side effects when taking a BCAA supplement. If you have medical conditions such as diabetes or other chronic conditions, you should always check with your health care provider first.

If supplementation is not something you are interested in, you can get plenty of BCAA from foods with a complete set of the amino acids which include beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, soy and quinoa. Whey protein is taken from milk as a byproduct of cheese. As for soy or pea protein, they are part of the legume family and a great alternative for vegan or vegetarian athletes.

Protein powders that are made up of whey have the highest amounts of BCAAs over plant based protein powders. However, soy based protein has more glutamine. With every 100 grams of protein, whey has 20.1 grams of BCAAs and 4.9 grams of glutamine. With soy, you get 18.1 grams of BCAAs and 10.5 grams of glutamine for example.

I for one plan to test-drive BCAA powder a bit more during extended exercise and longer competitive events this summer in my water bottle mixer. I was very surprised and thankful for the added boost during the Spartan. I am sure you will also find it helpful if you chose to give it a try.

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Judd Jones is a director for The Hagadone Corporation in Coeur d’Alene.