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Amino acids are key elements that make up proteins, which are the basic building blocks of all living organisms. They can be divided into three groups, depending on the function they perform in human nutrition:
- Exogenous (necessary for the body),
- Relatively exogenous (conditionally necessary for the organism),
- Endogenous (not necessary for the body).
Essential amino acids
Essential amino acids ( EAA ) are eight amino acids that the human and other mammalian organisms cannot produce on their own and must be supplied with food , because the pool of body proteins that can be their source is quickly depleted. These include: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. Almost all animal proteins are a good source of exogenous amino acids (the exceptions are gelatin and fibrin, which are poor in tryptophan), providing them in the right proportions for the synthesis of body proteins. In turn, among plant foods, dry legume seeds are a fairly good source of essential amino acids, although poor in sulfur amino acids, methionine and cysteine. Moreover, it is believed that the composition of exogenous amino acids in foods that are a valuable source of protein is a factor determining the ability to stimulate the anabolic processes of muscle tissue, therefore all essential amino acids should be present in each meal in sufficient quantities to optimize the postprandial process of muscle protein synthesis (MPS).
Branched chain amino acids
Branched -chain amino acids ( BCAA ) are commonly used by many professional athletes and by physically active people who want to build muscle mass. They include leucine, isoleucine and valine, which are exogenous amino acids, meaning that the body cannot produce them naturally and must be supplied with food. In addition, branched-chain amino acids are characterized by a branched side chain and different biological properties from other amino acids, and the place of their catabolism is not the liver, but skeletal muscles. Leucine, isoleucine and valine constitute almost 50% of the essential amino acids in food and 35% of the total content of exogenous amino acids in muscle proteins . It is also worth noting that one of the branched-chain amino acids - leucine, stimulates the process of muscle protein synthesis to the greatest extent of all amino acids, which is important in the context of increasing muscle mass. The anabolic effect of a given product (e.g. protein supplement) or natural food depends largely on its content of leucine, other exogenous amino acids, as well as on the rate of its digestion in the digestive tract.
Literature:
- Churchward-Venne TA, Breen L., Di Donato DM, et al.: Leucine supplementation of a low-protein mixed macronutrient beverage enhances myofibrillar protein synthesis in young men: a double-blind, randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Feb;99(2):276-86. doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.068775.
- Pennings B., Boirie Y., Senden JM, et al.: Whey protein stimulates postprandial muscle protein accretion more effectively than do casein and casein hydrolysate in older men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 May;93(5):997-1005. doi:10.3945/ajcn.110.008102.
- Fouré A., Bendahan D.: Is Branched-Chain Amino Acids Supplementation an Efficient Nutritional Strategy to Alleviate Skeletal Muscle Damage? A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2017 Oct; 9(10): 1047. doi:10.3390/nu9101047.
Mateusz Durbas
Clinical and sports dietitian, author of numerous articles on nutrition and supplementation.
Official website : www.mateuszdurbas.pl
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