EAAS vs BCAAS. Over the past year, they gained considerable interest in promoting athletic nutrition. It began off as theoretical benefits when introducing BCAA doses during training quickly became a real-world reality. But research has shown BCAA use has fewer benefits than consuming dietary supplements. A number of health enthusiasts have also cited shortcomings in their BCAA supplement protocols. EAAS are also shown to be better than BCAAs. Today, we’re going to uncover the truth.
Which is best for you? EAA vs. BCAA
In short- both EAAs and BCAAs are good for you, however they’re used for different purposes. Overall, I believe EAAs are better for muscle building benefits than BCAAs.
Do keep in mind that they both have their unique benefits. What I personally take away from this is that you need both, but if you were to choose one, go with EAAs.
Which is better for your gains?
People are switching from BCAA supplements to EAA supplements because the benefits of BCAAs are being questioned. Esgro says that the amino acid profile with more amino acids is likely better for the muscles.
Esgro says that BCAAs are not better for exercise because they don’t make the body make more protein. “When you look at both [EAAs and BCAAs], the response from EAAs to protein synthesis is better, and it lasts longer.”
Even though there isn’t a lot of research in this area, there are a few studies that back up what he says. In 2016, a randomized, controlled study found that EAAs were better than both BCAAs and leucine alone at boosting muscle protein synthesis (even though the researchers concluded the effect is still largely attributable to BCAAs). A 2018 study published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology found that taking EAA supplements before a workout delayed the time when muscles got tired and made resistance training sessions better. (R)
Still, EAAs are likely to be most helpful for people who don’t often get the amount of protein that is recommended for each day.
What are EAAs and BCAAs?
EAAS are essential amino acids, and BCAAS are branched chain amino acids. These are compounds found inside protein, critical for building muscle.
BCAAs stimulate muscle protein synthesis
Muscles are always making protein and breaking it down. When muscles make protein, it’s called muscle protein synthesis (MPS), and when they break down protein, it’s called muscle protein breakdown (MPB). At steady state, when a muscle is not growing or shrinking, the rates of MPB and MPS are about the same. Because of this, anything that can shift the balance between MPB and MPS away from MPB and toward MPS should help muscles grow.
When muscle tissue is broken down, BCAAs are some of the first amino acids to be released. Because of this, the original idea behind taking BCAA while working out was that higher levels of BCAA in the blood might have “tricked” the body into thinking that it didn’t need to break down any more protein in muscle tissue, saving protein in muscle tissue. There is also a lot of evidence to back up this idea. BCAA has been shown to make muscles less sore in a lot of different ways.
The effects of L-Leucine on anabolic signaling are the second reason to use BCAA. This amino acid in particular has a strong effect on the machinery inside cells that controls the process of making proteins. In other words, L-Leucine is great at pushing the button that starts the process of making proteins. This has been shown in pretty much every experiment that has been done, using both lab rats and people as test subjects.
Muscles are always making protein and breaking it down. When muscles make protein, it’s called muscle protein synthesis (MPS), and when they break down protein, it’s called muscle protein breakdown (MPB). At steady state, when a muscle is not growing or shrinking, the rates of MPB and MPS are about the same. Because of this, anything that can shift the balance between MPB and MPS away from MPB and toward MPS should help muscles grow. This is one critical feature in the BCAAs vs EAAs debate.
BCAAs versus EAAs: Muscle Breakdown
When muscle tissue is broken down, BCAAs are some of the first amino acids to be released. Because of this, the original idea behind taking BCAA while working out was that higher levels of BCAA in the blood might have “tricked” the body into thinking that it didn’t need to break down any more protein in muscle tissue, saving protein in muscle tissue. There is also a lot of evidence to back up this idea. BCAA has been shown to make muscles less sore in a lot of different ways.
The effects of L-Leucine on anabolic signaling are the second reason to use BCAA. This amino acid in particular has a strong effect on the machinery inside cells that controls the process of making proteins. In other words, L-Leucine is great at pushing the button that starts the process of making proteins. This has been shown in pretty much every experiment that has been done, using both lab rats and people as test subjects.
BCAAs vs. EAAs: Taste
You can’t actually taste amino acids… it depends on the company you get it from and the favor they put it in. I got my first BCAAS from XTEND and it was a blueberry flavor. I also got EAAS from them, and those were watermelon.
Both tasted pretty decent, and sometimes I’d blend them up in ice to make a slushie after a hard gym session.
EAAs, BCAAs and Your Muscles
It seems that EAAs found in food are paired with other nutrients like immunoglobulins, casein, and glucose, which work to raise insulin levels (insulin is an anabolic hormone that stops muscle breakdown and helps muscles grow), boost energy production, and support training goals even more. There’s more to food than just amino acids on their own.
“It seems that combining glucose with a source of amino acids will improve protein synthesis”
Esgro
Best BCAAs and EAAs.
BCAAS vs EAAs. The best BCAAs and EAAs are from XTEND. I am writing a review on both in the future, so stay tuned for that. You can get them here on amazon:
Summary:
Overall, EAAS trump BCAAS when it comes to functionality and working out. They both have critical nutrients that you need, so you should stack them together if you take them. Use these both for recovery, as they come with electrolytes.
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