A group from The Stockton College of New Jersey tested six (very) popular protein supplements for their actual Branched Chain Amino Acid Content and compared that with the BCAA claims made on the package. The group was comprised of the GNC house brand, Muscle Milk, BSN’s Syntha 6, Isoflex, Cellucor, Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Whey (which I usually recommended until now), and their Hydrowhey (another product I commonly had recommended until seeing these tests).Here’s a look at the abstract (or you can skip ahead to the chart below, which breaks down product claims versus actual amounts):None of the products were even close to their claimed level of BCAAs…The following chart represents the results from the study, with the product name to the far left, the actual (tested) milligrams of BCAA in the center column, and the amount of claimed milligrams to the right:I don’t understand how Syntha 6 is so low, or how GNC could have two grams of BCAA when the claim is 15. But the abstract is out there, as is the poster presentation, so these companies have some explaining to do, and some tests to refute (if they can), because right now they look pretty awful…
And the way class action and Lanham Act lawsuits have been flying around the industry, I wouldn’t be surprised to see BCAA-based actions shortly.Here's the poster presentation:H/T to Adel and Suppversity.(Editing Note: The previous poster was replaced by a higher resolution .jpg)Sign in to follow this BCAA Testing: Popular Brands All FAIL 6 posts in this topic Create an account or sign in to comment You need to be a member in order to leave a comment Sign up for a new account in our community. Register a new account Already have an account? Optimum Nutrition BCAA 1000 Caps It is my favourite BCAA easy way to use . It helps me to don't lose muscles in this diet phase . And I find it good energy resource . Optimum Nutrition BCAA 1000 Caps I go to the gym 3 day week a and do Mma once a week, I've been taking it for 3 weeks now and can definitely notice a difference. Less sore,faster recovery time. So far so good datiekirks did not leave a written review for this product.
I like to take 2 before and 2 after workouts. VeloRush did not leave a written review for this product. theshrew did not leave a written review for this product. Excellent source of Amino Acids to enhance your protein intake and a excellent way to recover after smashing the gym in the face. Easy to take capsules make it a no brian'r, with no after taste and zero side affects, I highly recommend Optimum's BCAA!You can use it as a pre workout, during a workout, after workout or with a meal! The only problems is the taste. Even if it's a pill sometime it will stock in your throat and you will taste it believe me. swollm8 did not leave a written review for this product. Great price for such a usually overpriced product. It works really well as a pre workout on days when I have run out of my pre workout. But I love using this product and in tandem with a good diet, it can really help you. It would've gotten a 10, but it's a pill and the taste just sucks. FcoDGF did not leave a written review for this product.
I would never go back to this. when comparing to EVLUTION NUTRITION BCAA 500. this has so less content in one serving. For example L-Leucine is in Evo is 312.5 where in ON its only 250 mg. you decicde. compare their chart and you would know what I mean. You lost a customer ON.... mblinovas did not leave a written review for this product. Been using these caps for the last 3 months and absolutely love them! It's super convenient to take them, rather than mixing powders that end up making my blender bottles smell. I can tell they are working by the way I feel. I only take my BCAAs as a pre-workout and take the powder out from the caps and mix with C4. not bad, i just dump these down every now and then during the day. when on lunch breakOnly complaint is that I burp them up and I think it's the magnesium In it gets stuck in my throat . BCAAs (Branched chain amino acids) are leucine, isoleucine, and valine, and the name is simply derived from their branch chained looking chemical structure.
Those three amino’s all belong to the category of essential amino acids for human survival. And research shows that they’re the main amino acids behind muscle protein synthesis. Sure there’s roughly about 20 amino acids that the muscle consist of, but BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) comprise a third of the amino acids in muscle tissue. Branched chain amino acids also differ from the other amino’s because they’re not metabolized in the liver (like rest of them are), instead BCAAs are metabolized directly in the muscle tissue. Meaning that when you ingest BCAAs your muscles can almost instantly use them as energy and to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Because of the fact that they’re the main amino acids behind muscle protein synthesis, and can be directly used by the muscle tissue as energy, supplementation with BCAAs pre – post – and after training has became a norm in the bodybuilding world. Now there’s a ton of different BCAA supplements on the market, all claiming to be better than the other.
However the greedy marketers of the supplement companies often leave out the most crucial fact…If you’re not training in a fasted state, BCAA supplementation is a complete waste of your time and money, because if you eat protein, you’re also consuming a ton of BCAAs. Whey protein contains 25% BCAAs, animal protein contains roughly 18% BCAAs, egg white protein has around 18% BCAAs, the protein in cottage cheese has roughly 13% BCAAs, bean and pea protein has around 4%, and the protein in nuts only contains about 2% of BCAAs. In other words: By eating 100 grams of chicken breast meat, you’d be consuming roughly 1,5-2 times the amount of BCAAs that you’d get in a “recommended dosage” of a BCAA supplement. So does this mean that BCAAs are a complete waste of money and time? Answer: If you’re not doing fasted training then you have no reason whatsoever to consume BCAAs, you get plenty of them via foods and they’re present in your body during workouts.
However, if you’re doing fasted training in part with intermittent fasting (which is an incredibly awesome way to stimulate anabolic hormones and torch bodyfat), then BCAA supplementation is essential and extremely important. That’s because if you’re in a fasted state, you may not have those BCAAs available in your body during workouts, which would lead to slow gains and even to some muscle breakdown during exercise (not a surprise as were talking about the main amino’s behind protein synthesis). To have those amino acids in your body, you would need to consume some protein (whey, chicken, beef, fish, etc) before the workout. However this would also break the fast and cut you out of those massive fat melting and hormone stimulating benefits. And that’s exactly where BCAA supplementation steps in… By consuming BCAAs via instantized powder or tablet form, you can get plenty of those essential muscle building amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) into your muscle tissue without breaking the fast as they’re so low in calories.
This suppresses the catabolic effects of fasted training. That’s the only reason why I use and recommend BCAAs in a supplemental form. It’s great for people who do intermittent fasting and workout in a fasted state, simply because you can get the protein directly into the muscle tissue without breaking the fast. Other than that a person who doesn’t follow an eating pattern like intermittent fasting – or doesn’t practice fasted training – has no use to BCAA supplementation. None of the articles in this blog would be complete if I wouldn’t talk about testosterone. And since we’re discussing BCAAs today, here’s the latest research about the effects of BCAAs on male testosterone levels: The evidence clearly shows that BCAA supplementation pre – during – and post exercise seems to significantly increase testosterone levels, growth hormone levels, and muscle protein synthesis (study, study, study, study, study, study). BUT this still doesn’t mean that you would need to supplement with BCAAs if you’re not doing any sort of fasted training.
You can simply sip some whey protein powder during the workouts, or eat a bit more chicken – like I said above – protein packed foods are filled with BCAAs already. So how much BCAAs should you consume when working out in a fasted state? Answer: I use 5-7 grams pre-workout, 5-7 grams during workouts, and 5-7 grams after workouts when I’m training in a fasted state. A hour or two after I’m done with my training I start eating. Go above thatrecommendations and you’re likely to break the fast and lose the enhanced fat burning and anabolic hormone stimulating effects that come with fasted training. Is there a brand of BCAA you recommend? Answer: I personally use and recommend this unflavored BCAA supplement from Optimum Nutrition (affiliate link), simply because I’m not a big fan of sweeteners, preservatives, fillers and other junk chemicals. With that being said, leucine tastes pretty damn horrible to be honest. And most people seem to have huge problems consuming unflavored BCAAs because of the incredibly nasty taste.
But if you’re not a bitch about it, you should buy the stuff unflavored, and just gulp it down like a man. So there you go, a simplified guide on BCAAs and how to use them properly, along with the latest research on what the amino’s do to your hormones. Here’s a concentrated form of the above: If you workout in a fasted state, use 5-10 grams of BCAA pre, 5-10 grams during, and 5-10 grams post workouts. If you don’t workout in a fasted state, don’t use BCAA supplements. This post was incredibly hard for me to write (mostly because English is not my main language), but I hope that you got something out of it. If you made it this far, thank you for reading. About Latest Posts Latest posts by Ali Kuoppala (see all) Bulbine Natalensis and Testosterone: May Raise T-Levels but has Similar Toxicity Side Effects as Many Oral PEDs Holy Basil and Testosterone: Tulsi is Praised as a T-Booster, but How Effective is it Really? Reishi and Testosterone: The Potent Antiandrogenic Effects of Ganoderma Lucidum Mushroom