{"id":26,"date":"2025-01-11T12:21:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-11T12:21:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-04-27T18:16:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T18:16:46","slug":"muscle-growth-bcaa-or-eaa-or-neither-or-both","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/?p=26","title":{"rendered":"Muscle growth BCAA or EAA or neither? Or both?"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/span>What<\/span> <\/span>is<\/span> <\/span>BCAA<\/span>?<\/span> <\/span>What<\/span> <\/span>is<\/span> <\/span>EAA<\/span>?<\/span> <\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n
\n

\n

BCAA<\/span> <\/span>stands<\/span> for <\/span>Branced<\/span>–<\/span>Chain<\/span> <\/span>Amino<\/span> <\/span>Acid<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>while<\/span> <\/span>Essential<\/span> <\/span>Amino<\/span> <\/span>Acid<\/span> <\/span>is<\/span> <\/span>abbreviated<\/span> <\/span>EAA<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>In<\/span> <\/span>total<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>there<\/span> <\/span>are<\/span> <\/span>20<\/span> <\/span>different<\/span> <\/span>amino<\/span> acids, <\/span>and<\/span> <\/span>they<\/span> <\/span>are<\/span> <\/span>used<\/span> <\/span>in<\/span> <\/span>protein<\/span> <\/span>synthesis<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>i<\/span>.<\/span>e<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>as<\/span> building <\/span>blocks<\/span> <\/span>for<\/span> <\/span>proteins<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>In <\/span>whole <\/span>proteins<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>amino<\/span> <\/span>acids<\/span> <\/span>are<\/span> <\/span>attached<\/span> <\/span>to<\/span> <\/span>each<\/span> <\/span>other<\/span> <\/span>by<\/span> <\/span>peptide<\/span> <\/span>bonds<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>They<\/span> <\/span>form<\/span> <\/span>long<\/span> <\/span>chains<\/span> <\/span>containing<\/span> <\/span>hundreds<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>even<\/span> <\/span>thousands<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>of<\/span> <\/span>amino<\/span> acids<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>Dietary<\/span> <\/span>proteins<\/span> <\/span>are<\/span> <\/span>broken<\/span> down <\/span>into<\/span> <\/span>amino<\/span> <\/span>acids<\/span> <\/span>in<\/span> the <\/span>intestines<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>from<\/span> <\/span>where<\/span> <\/span>the<\/span> <\/span>body<\/span> <\/span>then<\/span> <\/span>uses<\/span> <\/span>them<\/span> <\/span>as<\/span> <\/span>building<\/span> <\/span>blocks<\/span> <\/span>for<\/span> <\/span>new<\/span> <\/span>proteins<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>e<\/span>.<\/span>g<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>in<\/span> <\/span>muscles<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>Protein<\/span> <\/span>synthesis<\/span> <\/span>refers<\/span> <\/span>to<\/span> <\/span>this<\/span> <\/span>stage<\/span> <\/span>of<\/span> <\/span>protein<\/span> building <\/span>in<\/span> the <\/span>body<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>In<\/span> amino acid <\/span>preparations<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>amino <\/span>acids<\/span> <\/span>occur<\/span> <\/span>either<\/span> <\/span>in<\/span> <\/span>free<\/span> <\/span>l<\/span>–<\/span>form<\/span> <\/span>or<\/span> <\/span>as<\/span> <\/span>short<\/span> <\/span>peptides<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Essential<\/span> <\/span>amino<\/span> acids <\/span>the<\/span> <\/span>body<\/span> <\/span>needs<\/span> <\/span>to<\/span> <\/span>get<\/span> <\/span>from<\/span> <\/span>food<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>These<\/span> <\/span>for<\/span> <\/span>humans<\/span> <\/span>include<\/span> <\/span>arginine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>phenylalanine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>histidine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>isoleucine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>leucine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>lysine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>methionine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>threonine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>tryptophan<\/span> <\/span>and<\/span> <\/span>valine<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>Of<\/span> <\/span>these<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>BCAAs<\/span> <\/span>contain<\/span> <\/span>leucine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>isoleucine<\/span> <\/span>and<\/span> <\/span>valine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>while<\/span> <\/span>EAA<\/span> <\/span>products<\/span> <\/span>contain<\/span> <\/span>all<\/span> <\/span>nine<\/span> <\/span>amino<\/span> acids<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>Non<\/span>–<\/span>essential<\/span> <\/span>amino<\/span> acids <\/span>include<\/span> <\/span>alanine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>asparagine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>asparagus<\/span> <\/span>acid<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>cysteine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>glutamine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>glutamic<\/span> <\/span>acid<\/span>\/<\/span>glutamate<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>glycine<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>proline<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>serine<\/span> <\/span>and<\/span> <\/span>tyrosine<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>These<\/span> <\/span>can<\/span> <\/span>be<\/span> <\/span>formed<\/span> <\/span>by<\/span> the <\/span>body<\/span> <\/span>itself<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>so<\/span> <\/span>it<\/span> <\/span>is<\/span> <\/span>not<\/span> <\/span>necessary<\/span> <\/span>to<\/span> <\/span>get<\/span> <\/span>them<\/span> <\/span>separately<\/span> <\/span>from<\/span> <\/span>food<\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/div>\n

BCAA <\/o:p><\/span><\/h2>\n

The benefits studied for both BCAA and EAA products
\ndiffered depending on the study design. Several studies examined the efficacy
\nof the products in the treatment of sarcopenia and in elderly people. Sarcopenia,
\ntherefore, is a condition characterized by loss of muscle strength, mass and performance
\nand is often associated with aging. On the other hand, the properties of the products
\nwere studied in connection with athletes and nutritional deficiencies due to various
\nreasons. The results of the study are not without controversy, and the results may
\nbe influenced by hobbies, gender, age, lifestyle, underlying diseases and factors
\nrelated to food absorption, just to name a few. In the following, however, I will
\ndescribe the results of the study in the light of these facts. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

BCAA, along with vitamin D, appears to be a
\nuseful component in the treatment of sarcopenia, according to Cochet et al. (2023).
\nAlso, in a study in patients with cirrhosis, BCAA supplementation appeared to
\nbe an effective and safe treatment for improving muscle mass and strength, as well
\nas preventing the progression of sarcopenia (Xiang 2023). BCAA supplements may be
\neffective in repairing exercise-induced muscle damage if the extent of muscle damage
\nwas low or moderate. Especially when taken before training, it has been found to
\nbe most effective (Four\u00e9 & Bendahan, 2017). <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

BCAA supplements can also mitigate muscle damage
\nand relieve muscle pain after weight training (Khemtong 2021). BCAA may therefore
\nbe beneficial in muscle recovery after exercise (Shimonura 2006). Even for people
\nwho don’t get enough protein from their diet, BCAA could help maintain muscle mass
\nin the body (Li et al. 2024). <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

EEA <\/o:p><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

EAA supplementation, on the other hand, appears
\nto maintain post-exercise muscle protein synthesis, especially during energy deficit,
\nespecially when added to whey protein (Gwin 2024). Brunani et al. et al. (2023)
\nstate that amino acid-based supplements can effectively mitigate the loss of
\nmuscle mass typically observed during weight loss. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Like BCAAs, EEA preparations have been found
\nto be associated with sarcopenia retardation. EAA appears to improve muscle mass
\nand protein synthesis in older individuals, possibly compensating for the effects
\nof sarcopenia (Dillon 2009). Supplementation with EAA between meals appeared to
\nincrease lean body mass, muscle strength, and physical function compared to baseline
\nin elderly subjects (B\u00f8rsheim 2008). EAA-based supplements offer seniors the opportunity
\nto meet protein recommendations in nutrition (Ispoglou 2020). Also Negro et al.
\nAccording to et al. (2024), supplementation with EAA and glutamine showed significant
\neffects on maintaining muscle size and strength, especially in the elderly or those
\nwith pre-existing degenerative diseases (Negro 2024). The muscles of older
\npeople have a weakened and delayed ability to add satellite cells after weight training.
\n<\/span>This can be partially improved
\nwith post-workout EAA supplementation (Reidy 2017).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span>EAA supplementation has been shown to have an effect
\non greater protein synthesis during recovery (Pasiakos 2019). EEA supplementation
\nleads to a rapid increase in blood EAA levels, which in turn stimulates synthesis.
\nAs a supplement, it even increases muscle synthesis more than an equivalent amount
\nof so-called muscle synthesis from the diet. intact protein. Without exercise, the
\nEAA supplement seems to be able to improve functionality (Ferrando 2023). Also Church
\net al. To improve protein synthesis in muscles and the whole body, EAA et al. (2020)
\nrecommend sources of EAA that produce a large and rapid increase in concentration.
\n(Church 2020). <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand,
\nFerraz et al. et al. (2011) found no major differences in supplement-related body
\ngrowth when studying rat body composition as well as training with BCAAs. Wolfe
\net al. (2017), on the other hand, indicates in its review that BCAA supplementation
\nappears to reduce both muscle protein synthesis and protein breakdown. This, in
\nturn, means a decrease in protein turnover in the muscle. Other studies have also
\nfound a decrease rather than an increase in muscle protein synthesis after ingestion
\nof BCAAs. BCAA supplements alone do not appear to increase muscle anabolism (Wolfe
\nalone 2017), nor does combining it with weight training appear to increase muscle
\nmass or strength (Bagheri 2021). <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Finally <\/o:p><\/span><\/h2>\n

In healthy, varied
\ndiets, BCAA or EAA supplementation is hardly necessary. A varied diet provides the
\nnecessary amount of essential amino acids. On the other hand, a person who trains
\nhard is unlikely to suffer any harm from taking a dietary supplement, although studies
\nshow that it does not currently seem particularly beneficial. The elderly or
\nthose with nutritional energy deficits, such as weight loss, are likely to benefit
\nthe most. Those seeking muscle mass or strength gain can decide at their own discretion
\nwhether to consider the supplement to bring benefits to their goals or whether
\nto base optimization on diet. Based on the research, my own conclusion would be
\nthat if you are looking for recovery benefits, you should choose EAA because it
\nalso contains BCAAs. The dosage and time of ingestion have a significant impact
\non recovery, but I will return to these in a separate publication.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  What is BCAA? What is EAA? BCAA stands for Branced–Chain Amino Acid, while Essential Amino Acid is abbreviated EAA. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":66,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[119,71,124,120,121,73],"class_list":["post-26","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bcaa","tag-bodybuilding","tag-dosagebcaa","tag-dosageeaa","tag-eaa","tag-hypertrophy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86,"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions\/86"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/66"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitmia.fi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}