Essential Amino Acids
Essential amino acids are amino acids that our bodies need to maintain good health and cannot be synthesized by our own body. Because of this reason we need to get these essential amino acids from food sources in our diet. There are eight amino acids that are considered to be essential for us. Most essential amino acids can be found in a variety of vegetables but sometimes we are lacking certain amino acids which can limit our progress. Supplementing with amino acids has been proven to increase muscle mass when paired with a gym routine and a suitable diet.
Why do we Need Them?
Some of the most beneficial and effective supplements in any sports nutrition regime are definitely branched chain amino acids, also known as (BCAA). Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, when we consume protein foods the protein gets digested and in the stomach the protein is broken up into individual amino acids that are small enough to be absorbed into the blood stream.
From building and repairing tissue, to maintaining chemicals that allow our brains to perform to their optimal capacity. It’s crucial that we get enough essential amino acids as these can’t be made by the body. BCAA‘s are of increased importance for anyone who undergoes strenuous exercise. Here’s the science behind it, BCAA‘s are metabolized in the muscle, not the liver, once protein has been broken down after digestion, the individual amino acids can be used to either build new proteins or be burnt as fuel for energy. If you’re training for muscle mass and size then amino acids can help increase the rate you add muscle, because of their tissue repairing attributes.
Although very few of us obtain sufficient amounts of the essential amino acids in our diets there are conditions that require our bodies to need even more than in normal conditions. One of these conditions is increased physical exercise.
Amino Acids in Food Sources
Main sources of amino acids in foods are primarily eggs, meat, rice, beans and milk, there are also amino acids in vegetables. Our body breaks down the animal and plant proteins into amino acids then rebuilds the protein in a form that can be utilized by our body. It’s also worth noting that our bodies can break down plant protein much easier than animal protein.
One disadvantage of cooking is it destroys most of the amino acids within our food.
Essential Amino Acid Supplements
To get the most out of your exercise and training it’s clear that we should be supplementing with amino acids to complete the protein profiles our bodies need to perform at optimum capacity and ultimately make it that much easier to reach our physical goals! Amino acids can also be found in smaller amounts in casein protein.
Comments