Sure, you’ve probably heard of amino acids before. The name comes up a lot in the health and fitness industry, sometimes under the name of branched-chain amino acids, or BCAAs.
To put it simply, these little organic compounds help your body perform a variety of vital functions like tissue repair, nutrient absorption, and even protein synthesis.
This means that without amino acids, your body can’t perform at its maximum capacity. Thankfully, there are ways in which you can help your body absorb more amino acids.
However, it helps to first understand the purpose of amino acids when it comes to your daily life. We’ll go over that as well as explore various supplements that you can take to ensure your body is absorbing the right amount.
What is the Purpose of Amino Acids?
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which means they are vital for many bodily functions including synthesizing hormones.
However, your body can only produce so many amino acids, and others must come from the diet in order to complete their functions.
You’ll find that health professionals classify them as either essentiall, conditionally essential, or non-essential depending on a few factors.
For example, your body needs 20 different amino acids to grow and function properly, but only nine of those are considered essential amino acids. These nine are:
- Histidine
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Valine
What’s so interesting about these amino acids, is that your body does not produce them on its own.
That’s why it’s so important that you eat right and take supplements to ensure that you’re getting everything that you need to fuel your body.
Proteins are a great way to get your fill. Durring the digestion process, our body breaks down proteins into amino acids. Foods like fish, chicken, and certain nuts and legumes all have amino acids.
However, because it can be hard to ensure you’re getting all 20 of the amino acids you need, it’s sometimes best to look for a supplement that can not only provide all of the amino acids you need, but the right amount.
What Are BCAAs?
Now that you’ve got a solid understanding of amino acids and their role in your body, you must understand the difference between essential amino acids and branched-chain amino acids.
Only three of the essential amino acids are technically branched-chain amino acids. They get their name from the fact that the chemical structure actually features branched-chains. These are:
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
- Valine
These three amino acids have a side-chain with a branch, but more than that, they make up about 35% of your body’s muscle protein.
This makes them pretty important when it comes to building muscle, leaning out, and even losing weight.
However, because they are in the essential amino acid class, your body is not going to make them itself. You will need to get them from your diet, or specific workout supplements.
Usually, people take BCAAs as part of an exercise regimen in order to accomplish things like:
- Gaining muscle faster
- Reducing muscle fatigue
- Decreasing muscle soreness
- Preventing muscle loss
In fact, one study showed that people who consumed 5.6 grams of BCAAs after a workout had a 22% greater increase in muscle protein synthesis than those who didn’t.
There are numerous other studies that demonstrate the benefits of BCAAs. Although you will need to tailor the dosage and the time at which you consume the supplement depwnding on your goals.
Why High-Quality BCAA Supplements Are Best
BCAA supplements are numerous, and when it comes to choosing the right supplement, it’s really going to depend on your specific body and overall needs.
However, the one constant is that you definitely need to look for high-quality supplements.
When looking for a high-quality BCAA supplement, look for certain qualities. These can include:
- Qualified studies regarding the safety and effectiveness of the supplement.
- Supplements that don’t include preservatives or chemicals that could be harmful to individuals.
- Highly-rated customer reviews that show how satisfied people are with the product. These reviews should speak about both the quality and effectiveness of the supplement.
Perhaps the most important reason why high-quality supplements are crucial when it comes to a BCAAs is that a high-quality supplement will be easier to digest and break down. This means that your body will absorb it better.
This is going to help combat one of the main problems people tend to see when it comes to amino acids, the inability of your body to properly absorb the branched-chain amino acids in a way that supports muscle growth and maintenance.
Problems with Absorption of Amino Acids
One of the main problems people seem to have when it comes to taking BCAAs is that their body doesn’t absorb them well. This is usually due to a few main factors.
First, depending on your goals, you’ll want to ensure you’re taking BCAAs at the right time.
If you want to improve athletic performance, then you’ll need to take them before your workout. If you want to reduce muscle soreness, then you’ll need to take them after.
Then comes dosage. Generally, to increase athletic performance, taking four grams of BCAAs should be enough.
However, if you also want to help with recovery, you can consume about seven grams to ensure your body has enough to carry over after your activity.
This is where most people tend to see problems. Depending on the supplement they’re taking, they find that their body does not seen to absorb the BCAA supplement correctly.
Looking for a supplement that is easy to digest can help combat this problem. Combining your BCAAs with other supplements and minerals could also help.
For example, it helps if you maintain or increase your protein intake to maintain a positive nitrogen balance and ensure your body and muscles are synthesizing amino acids correctly.
Make sure your amino acid supplements also feature the right ratio. A good branched-chain amino acid supplements generally comes in a 2:1:1 ratio (Leucine-Isoleucine-Valine).
If this doesn’t seem to work, then there are other ways in which you can improve amino acid absorption.
How to Improve Amino Acid Absorption
Whether you’re working hard in the gym to build muscle, lose weight, or simply achieve your recent health goal, it’s important to think about the supplements you’re taking.
If you’re not seeing the results you desire, then it could be because you’re either not taking the right supplements or your body isn’t absorbing them correctly. If that’s the case, then it helps to look into taking AstraGin®.
If you’re the producer of an amino acid supplement, then it might make sense to consider adding AstraGin® to your formula.
AstraGin® works to enhance bioavailability and increase the absorption that your customers get out of the supplement.
In fact, AstraGin® works to increase the absorption of nine of the 20 amino acids, including those sought-after branched-chain amino acids.
Additionally, it can help our bodies absorb other important nutrients including glucosamine and essential fatty acids. This makes it a well-rounded addition to any supplement formula.
It works by up-regulating the absorption of specific mRNA and transporters. Even better, it’s soluble in water and comes in a fine granular powder that absorbs easily into drink mixes.
If you create BCAA supplements, then adding this to your formula is easy and effective.
Increasing the Benefits of BCAA Supplements
The purpose of amino acids is to help your body perform its vital functions. When it comes to BCAAs, you need to ensure that you’re taking the right kind of supplements in order to support proper muscle health, growth, and maintenance.
Interested in increasing the benefits you already receive from your BCAA supplements? Look for ingredients that can help your body absorb the amino acids in a way that’s going to make them work better for you.
Take a look at everything that AstraGin® can offer you.
AstraGin® is our full-spectrum gut health formula that increases the absorption of certain important supplements such as amino acids and more specifically branched-chain amino acids.