If you have been doing your research online about healthy weight loss you likely have come across the term Branched-Chain Amino Acids or BCAAs. If not, no worries, the Ideal Protein Team has broken down the benefits of Branched-Chain Amino Acids and the positive role they play in weight loss. In addition to supporting muscle growth and repair, BCAAs have been shown to support metabolic health and appetite regulation, which are both critical to weight loss success.



There are 20 different amino acids that make up the thousands of different proteins in the human body. Nine of the 20 are considered essential amino acids, meaning they cannot be made by your body and must be obtained through your diet. Of the nine essential amino acids, three are the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs): leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

5 Benefits of Branched-Chain Amino Acids 

  1. Increase Muscle Growth

In one study, people who consumed a drink with 5.6 grams of BCAAs after their resistance workout has a 22% greater increase in muscle protein synthesis compared to those who consumed a placebo drink. BCAAs may build more muscle when taken with whey proteins. 


  1. Decrease Muscle Soreness

It’s not uncommon to feel sore a day or two after a workout, especially if your routine is new. This soreness is called delayed onset muscle soreness, which develops 12-24 hours after exercise and can last up to 72 hours. Several studies show that BCAAs decrease protein breakdown during exercise and decrease levels of creatine kinase, which is an indicator of muscle damage. That means that taking BCAAs, before exercise, can speed up recovery time.


  1. Reduce Exercise Fatigue

Everyone experiences fatigue and exhaustion from exercise at some point. How quickly you tire depends on several factors, including exercise intensity and duration, environmental conditions and your nutrition and fitness level. Your muscles use BCAAs during exercise, causing levels of the essential amino acid tryptophan in your brain increases. Tryptophan is converted to serotonin, a brain chemical that is thought to contribute to fatigue.  Therefore, BCAAs may be useful in decreasing exercise-induced fatigue.


  1. Prevent Muscle Wasting

Muscle wasting is a sign of malnutrition and occurs with chronic infections, cancer, periods of fasting and as a natural part of the aging process. In humans, BCAAs account for 35% essential amino acids found in muscle proteins. They account for 40% of the total amino acids required by your body.

Therefore, it is important that the BCAAs and other essential amino acids are replaced during times of muscle wasting to halt it or to slow its progression.


  1. May Lower Blood Sugar Levels

Leucine and isoleucine are thought to increase insulin secretion and cause your muscles to take in more sugar from your blood, thereby decreasing your blood sugar levels.  However, taking BCAAs with a high fat diet can lead to insulin resistance.

The BCAA amino acid supplement created by Ideal Protein and available at Vital Body, is a proprietary amino acid complex specifically formulated with key amino acids to support and protect the physiological processes occurring throughout all phases of the Ideal Protein weight loss protocol.


To learn more about the 7 amino acids + Vitamin C blend, which are part of the proprietary Ideal Protein BCAA formulation which specifically address the needs of the body during ALL phases of the Protocol talk to a Vital Body weight loss coach today!