The anabolic amino acid
by Co van Well
Looking for the “magic pill”?
A supplement that has been conclusively proven to promote muscle building? And do you already use omega 3 and vitamin D?
Then leucine is worth a try. Several studies show a positive effect of this amino acid on the production of muscle tissue.
In 2011, American scientists allowed soldiers to cycle for an hour at 2 times1.
During the activity they consumed a drink that consisted one time of a mix of 10 grams of the 8 essential amino acids and in the other case also contained 10 grams of amino acids, but now with extra leucine and less of the other amino acids.
Protein synthesis was 33% higher when the amino acid mix contained extra leucine.
This was partly due to less muscle breakdown in case extra of the amino acid leucine was consumed.
In a Dutch study2, subjects were given a drink consisting of carbohydrates, carbohydrates plus proteins or carbohydrates, proteins and the amino acid l-leucine after exercise. The latter group clearly showed the greatest anabolic response. The scientists concluded, "The present data indicate that the additional ingestion of free leucine in combination with protein and carbohydrate likely represents an effective strategy to increase muscle anabolism following resistance exercise."
Brazilian scientists discovered that leucine is useful not only for recovery from workouts, but also during times of inactivity3. A hind paw was splinted for a week in a group of rats. Half of the rats received extra leucine during that time. The decrease in muscle mass of the inactive calf muscle was significantly smaller in this group than in the group that did not receive extra leucine.
In a French study4 leucine was added to the diet of a group of seniors. The result of this was that the production of muscle tissue was higher for hours than in the control group that received food without extra leucine.
If you want to build more muscle mass, it pays to supplement your diet with leucine. This can be in its pure form or by using additional BCAAs. Most Branched Chain Amino Acids formulas have a ratio of 2: 1: 1, ie 2 parts leucine to 1 part isoleucine and valine. A BCAA product that has a higher proportion of leucine. An extra boost of muscle building will be the result like Intra Amino , free of sugars and a boost for your muscle growth!
References:
- Pasiakos SM, et al., Leucine-enriched essential amino acid supplementation during moderate steady state exercise enhances postexercise muscle protein synthesis, Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Sep; 94 (3): 809-18. Epub 2011 Jul 20.
- Koopman R, et al., Combined ingestion of protein and free leucine with carbohydrate increases postexercise muscle protein synthesis in vivo in male subjects, AJP - Endo April 1, 2005 vol. 288 No. 4 E645-E653
- Baptista IL, et al., Leucine attenuates skeletal muscle wasting via inhibition of ubiquitin ligases, Muscle Nerve. 2010 Jun; 41 (6): 800-8.
- Rieu I, et al., Leucine supplementation improves muscle protein synthesis in elderly men independently of hyperaminoacidaemia, J Physiol. 2006 Aug 15; 575 (Pt 1): 305-15. Epub 2006 Jun 15.