EAA vs BCAA
-
What are they? What’s the difference between the two? And which one should you take?
-
BCAA stands for Branched Chain Amino Acids. There are 3 of these amino acids and they are known as Leucine, Iso-Leucine, and Valine. They are responsible for triggering protein synthesis which is the process by which the body uses amino acids from protein to repair and build muscle tissue. They serve other functions as well but this is the main one they are known for.
-
EAA stands for Essential Amino Acids. There are nine different amino acids that make up this group. These amino acids are essential in that our body needs them for various functions and cannot produce them on its own. It takes all nine essential amino acids to stimulate protein synthesis and fully construct muscle protein (repair and build). Therefore we must either obtain them through our diet in various protein sources or through supplementation. The nine amino acids in the group include Leucine, Iso-Leucine, Valine, Lysine, Threonine, Histidine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, and Tryptophan. As you can see EAAs will also include BCAAs.
-
So who should take what?
-
It makes a lot of sense to just opt for EAAs since you will also be getting all 3 of the BCAAs and you are ensuring that your body has everything it needs to repair and build muscle tissue. But EAAs tend to be a little more expensive than BCAAs so another way you could approach it is if you have a high daily protein intake then you have the option of going with either type. Reason being is, you will often times have the other 6 amino acids readily available to you due to your high protein intake. If your protein tends to be on the lower end or you are planning to consume them during fasted workouts, I would opt for EAAs.
-
We hope this helps clear up some of the confusion and helps you make more educated decisions with your supplementation in the future!