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Athletic Performance
Amino Acids and BCAAs
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What are amino acids and BCAAs?
Amino Acids and BCAAs
Amino acids are essential to life, and they are present in every cell in our bodies. They combine to create protein formations, which are the building blocks of muscle, tissue, and hormones. There are three types of amino acids, which are:
- Essential – these must come directly from the diet.
- Nonessential – these can be produced within the body due to the breakdown of proteins and other amino acids.
- Conditionally essential – these are the amino acids cannot be produced in some situations, and so, you have to consume them.
All of these essential amino acids must be present at all times in the body, and while it is possible to get them all from a completely vegetarian diet, many people choose to take additional amino acid supplements, especially for weight training and athletic performance.
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) are a group of three essential amino acids, and they are the principal source of fuel for the skeletal muscles. This is why they are important to athletes as sports supplements. The three BCAAs are: valine, leucine, and isoleucine.
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