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Written by Navneet Kaur, M.Sc. Nutrition & Dietetics
Diet
BCAA is short for Branched Chain Amino Acids; these are three essential amino acids (isoleucine, leucine and valine) that are required for muscle growth and repair.
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BCAA has several benefits, ranging from muscle growth to improving exercise performance and aiding in muscle recovery.
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Some studies also suggest that BCAA can aid weight loss as it may reduce the appetite and increase the feeling of fullness.
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The human body cannot make BCAAs, so you need to get them from diet or supplements.
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BCAA supplements are required for everyone but especially for vegetarian or vegan athletes, as they may struggle to get enough BCAA through diet.
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Plant-based protein powders also have BCAAs, like Soy protein, Pea protein, Rice protein and Hemp protein.
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BCAA, as described above, are amino acids that come together and make protein in the human body, and protein benefits we all are aware of range from muscle growth, recovery, exercise performance improvement, endurance, strength, etc. Supplementation of BCAA will depend on personal choices and physical activity levels.
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