• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Health
  • Presentation
  • Procedures
  • Diseases
  • Women
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us

medcaretips.com

Health, Medicine and Medical Care

telegram channel medcaretips
You are here: Home / Health / Branched Chain Amino Acids- Benefits and Role as Supplements

Branched Chain Amino Acids- Benefits and Role as Supplements

By Dr Surbhi Mahajan

toc
    • Sources of Branched Chain Amino Acids
    • Metabolism of Branched Chain Amino Acids
    • Different Conditions with Altered BCCA Levels
    • Functions of the BCAA
    • BCCA Supplements and Their Health Benefits
    • References

Branched chain amino acids or BCAA are three essential amino acids namely valine, leucine, and isoleucine.

These are called essential because these cannot be produced by the body and must be obtained from food.

There is a total of 20 amino acids in our body. Out of these nine are essential. Out of these three have branched-chain structures.

Amino acids are building blocks of proteins, which are the building blocks of every cell, tissue, and organ. Both play a crucial role in metabolism too.

Branched chain amino acids have been studied in a number of disorders like liver cirrhosis, renal failure, sepsis, trauma, burn injury, and cancer.

Branched chain amino acids are also thought to be important for muscle building as they are thought to promote anabolic pathways.

There potential health improvement effects are thought to improve cachexia, prevent or treat hepatic encephalopathy, and decrease fatigue during exercise, promote wound healing, and stimulate insulin production.

But, there is no consensus, until today, regarding their use as nutritional supplements.

There is no recommended BCAA dosage. But they do form the part of the protein diet which has different recommendations for a different set of populations.

Branched chain amino acids

Sources of Branched Chain Amino Acids

A protein-rich diet is a good source of branched chain amino acids as these are available in a wide variety of foods.

  • Meat, poultry, and fish
  • Dairy products
  • Eggs
  • Nuts
  • Soybean and its products
  • Legumes
  • Greek yogurt

Metabolism of Branched Chain Amino Acids

Most of the amino acids are initially metabolized in the liver. But in the case of branched chain amino acids, the initial metabolism does not take place in the liver.

This is due to the fact that in liver there is a low hepatic activity of branched-chain-amino-acid aminotransferase.

Therefore, after ingestion, branched-chain amino acids increase rapidly in the systemic circulation.

The initial site of metabolism is the skeletal muscle which results in the formation of glutamate and the corresponding branched-chain keto acids

Glutamate then acts as an amino group source to form alanine (ALA) from pyruvate. It also acts as a substrate for ammonia detoxification and converts to glutamine during the process.

Further metabolism occurs in the liver, kidneys, and heart.

Thus muscle and liver play a dominant role in branched chain amino acid metabolism.

Effect of Diet on BCCA Levels

  • Starvation
    • Brief starvation increases BCAA concentrations
      • Increased protein breakdown
      • Reduced protein synthesis in muscles
    • Prolonged starvation lowers the BCAA concentration
  • Low-protein diet
    • Lower the plasma BCAA concentrations
    • BCAA or BCKA supplementation is recommended when a low-protein diet is prescribed to patients as in chronic renal failure.
  • High-protein diet
    • Increase protein synthesis
    • Decrease protein breakdown
    • Reduce fat accumulation
    • Overall effect
      • Builds muscle mass in athletes
      • Prevent muscle wasting

Different Conditions with Altered BCCA Levels

Decreased BCCA Levels

  • Liver cirrhosis
    • Play a role in hepatic encephalopathy and muscle wasting
    • An inverse relationship between plasma ammonia and branched chain amino acids concentration in these patients
    • Supplementation has the potential for [But no strong evidence yet]
      • Positive effect on ammonia detoxification
      • Liver regeneration and hepatic function
      • Glucose metabolism
      • Physical and mental fatigue
  • Urea cycle disorders
    • Enzymatic defects in the ammonia detoxification
    • Leading to low levels of urea and high levels of ammonia
    • Theoretical rationale to use BCAAs as a therapeutic agent but not much research yet
  • Chronic renal failure
    • Decreased branched chain amino acids and branched chain keto acids levels [also other nonessential amino acids] in the blood
    • Reduced concentrations of valine in muscles
      • Acidosis
      • Effects of glucocorticoids [there is decreased excretion]
      • Decreased intake of proteins
    • Supplementation may maintain protein balance and at the same time allow low protein diet without affecting urea levels

Increased BCAA Levels

  • Type 1 diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Obesity

Inconsistent alterations in BCAA levels

  • Exercise
    • May increase decrease or remain unchanged
    • The rationale for supplementation [but no benefits noticed in studies]
    • Benefits suggested
      • Muscle protein synthesis
      • Fatigue recovery
      • Exercise-induced muscle damage
  • Systemic inflammatory response syndrome [SIRS]
    • Seen in sepsis, burn injury, trauma, and cancer
    • All are hypermetabolic states
    • BCAAs act as a significant energy substrate
    • Change in levels is not consistent due to multiple influencing factors
    • BCCA supplementation thought to be beneficial in SIRS but no evidence in most cases
    • Definite benefit was seen in traumatic brain injury

Functions of the BCAA

  • Participate in protein metabolism
    • Serve substrates for protein synthesis
    • Stimulate protein synthesis
    • Inhibit protein degradation
  • Influence neurotransmitter levels in the brain with effects on behavior and brain function.
  • Upregulate glucose transporters and activate insulin secretion
  • Increase levels of Alanine and Glutamine in metabolism
    • ALA is the main gluconeogenic amino acid
    • GLN is essential for
      • Immune system
      • Glutathione production
      • Maintenance of acid-base balance by the kidneys
      • Expression of heat shock proteins.
    • Other effects [Reported by studies, not established]
    • Improvement of breast health and quality of breast milk
    • Intestinal development
    • Mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative stress

BCCA Supplements and Their Health Benefits

Potentially, there are multiple health benefits of BCAAs. But it must be emphasized that while few studies have pointed out at the benefit, it has not been established beyond doubt that supplementation works.

So as of now, there is no condition for the recommendation of branched chain amino acids.

The following are the situations where supplementation of BCCA is recommended but whether they actually help or not is still under evaluation.

  • Improvement in exercise performance by reducing exercise fatigue
  • Lean muscle mass
    • BCCA increase protein synthesis and decrease fat accumulation
    • Increase in non-fat mass
  • To prevent muscle wasting during an illness like cancer, chronic renal failure
  • In liver disease
    • BCAA supplementation may benefit people with liver disease by lowering ammonia nd thus decreasing hepatic encephalopathy risk
    • They also prevent muscle wasting.

All said, branched chain amino acid supplements are available commercially and people use them based on oral recommendations and some studies with positive results.

But the final verdict is still awaited and they are not recommended for clinical use.

References

  • Fischer JE, Funovics JM, Aguirre A, James JH, Keane JM, Wesdorp RI, et al. The role of plasma amino acids in hepatic encephalopathy. Surgery. 1975;78:276–90.
  • Nishitani S, Takehana K, Fujitani S, Sonaka I. Branched chain amino acids improve glucose metabolism in rats with liver cirrhosis. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2005;288:G1292–300.
  • Zhang S, Zeng X, Ren M, Mao X, Qiao S. Novel metabolic and physiological functions of branched chain amino acids: a review. J Anim Sci Biotechnol. 2017;8:10.
  • Holecek M. Three targets of branched-chain amino acid supplementation in the treatment of liver disease. Nutrition. 2010;26:482–90.
  • Kasperek GJ, Dohm GL, Snider RD. Activation of branched-chain keto acid dehydrogenase by exercise. Am J Phys. 1985;248:R166–71.
  • Bower RH, Kern KA, Fischer JE. Use of a branched chain amino acid enriched solution in patients under metabolic stress. Am J Surg. 1985;149:266–70.
  • Choudry HA, Pan M, Karinch AM, Souba WW. Branched-chain amino acid-enriched nutritional support in surgical and cancer patients. J Nutr. 2006;136:314S–8S.
Spread the Knowledge
      
     

Filed Under: Health

About Dr Surbhi Mahajan

Dr Surbhi Mahajan, MD Pathology, is pathologist at Kanwar Hospital, Hajipur and Kanwar Path Lab, Dasuya.

She is cofounder of MedCaretips.com

When she is not working on her lab projects, she writes for MedCareTips.com

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to updates

Receive articles in your inbox !!
Enter your email address below

nash or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

NASH or Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is inflammation and damage of the … [Read More...] about NASH or Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis

Autoimmune Hepatitis: Clinical features, Diagnosis And Treatment

Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease in which the immune system of the … [Read More...] about Autoimmune Hepatitis: Clinical features, Diagnosis And Treatment

Pruritus or Itching

Itching or Pruritus : Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Itching is an unpleasant sensation of the skin that leads to a desire … [Read More...] about Itching or Pruritus : Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Pain

Pain-Classification, Diagnosis and Treatment

Pain is an unpleasant and uncomfortable sensation caused by injury or … [Read More...] about Pain-Classification, Diagnosis and Treatment

acne care-dos and don'ts

10 Dos and Don’ts About Acne Care

Acne (pimples) is a common, self-limiting skin condition that affects … [Read More...] about 10 Dos and Don’ts About Acne Care

Copyright © 2022 Med Care Tips

Manage Cookie Consent
This website uses cookies. Please accept cookies for a better visiting experience
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}