05/18/2022
What are essential amino acids (EAAs) and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)? And should you be supplementing your diet with them?
The protein we eat as food – from meat, dairy (including whey), legumes, etc. – are digested and broken down into 20 different amino acids. Amino acids are often referred to as the building blocks of life because it’s amino acids that make up our DNA, build muscles, and provide structure and therefore, function, to our tissues and organs.
Although amino acids provide the physical structure of our bodies, they also provide energy, support digestion, and are involved in numerous enzymatic reactions, hormonal signals, and neurotransmitter messaging.
Of the 20 amino acids our bodies use, 9 of them are considered EAAs (meaning we can only get these from food or supplemental sources), and the remaining 11 are non-essential (meaning our bodies can produce these).
Of the 9 EAAs, 3 are referred to as BCAAs because of their chemical structure. Individuals choose to consume these 3 BCAAs because of their unique structure, which allows them to skip the normal digestion processes and become quickly available in the muscle to be used as energy or to be saved in the amino acid pool for later metabolism.
In times of illness, injury, growth, or stress – including those caused by sport, competition, and physical activity – our need for 6 of the 11 non-essential amino acids exceeds the amount we can produce.
So the answer to whether or not you should be supplementing amino acids depends on how much high-quality protein you consume and when, and how much exercise, stress, or injury/illness you experience.
If you have any questions or are trying to determine which supplements are best for you and your goals, please reach out!
