BCAAs Vs. EAA. Which one should you pick?
Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements have long occupied a special place in the hearts of bodybuilders and strength athletes alike. But formerly, essential amino acid (EAA) supplements have begun cropping up everywhere, endangering to edge out BCAAs as fitness enthusiasts’ go-to athletics supplement.
But the questions that strike in one's mind are - Is one better than the other supplement? Which supplement is rigth for a bodybuilder or athlete? Which one should you side?
In this article, you will know the difference between the supplements and is one sports supplement better than the other.
But before knowing the difference between them, lets us know about them and there benefits and drawbacks of both the supplements –
BCAA’s (Branched-chain amino acid)
BCAAs are also known as branched-chain amino acids. They are building slabs of protein that have a branched molecular structure. Three major types of BCAAS are Valine, Leucine, and Isoleucine. They are one of the considerably traditional sports supplements attainable in the market.
The benefits of using BCAAs supplement are:-
- The use of BCAAs supplement helps lessen the amount of muscle fatigue.
- BCAAs supplements used to reinforce the recovery of muscles and joints. They are also highly advantageous in reducing muscle soreness.
Drawbacks of BCAA are:-
- One of the vital deficiencies in taking NCAA supplements is that it negatively affects blood sugar metabolism.
- BCAA is not at all favourable for lactating and pregnant women.
- These supplements curtail your serotonin level and thus hamper your sleep cycle.
EAAs ( Essential amino acids)
On the other hand, EAAs comprise 9 out of 20 amino acids which are essential amino acids. All of these are trustworthy for accomplishing different functions in the human body. Lysine, threonine, histidine, tryptophan, methionine, valine, lysine, leucine, and isoleucine are nine vital amino acids present in EAAs.
Benefits of using EAA supplement:-
- EAAs supplements used to enhance muscle protein synthesis as it includes all the necessary amino acids required for increasing muscle protein synthesis.
- These supplements also help better immunity support due to the existence of an amino acid called histidine that generates histamine.
- EAA supplements also provide hormonal balance to the body as it includes amino acids like leucine and lysine that are useful in keeping the endocrine system balanced.
The significant deficiencies of using EAAS are:-
- They may be harmful to the digestive system of children, so one must talk with a doctor before using EAAs based supplements.
What’s the difference between the Sports Supplements?
Well, the answer isn’t straight and clear as there is some overlap, but their aims and purpose can be quite different in comparison.
The fundamental difference between BCAA and EAA is that BCAAs supplements compose 3 out of 9 essential amino acids, whereas EAAS virtually includes nine amino acids that are deemed to be vital. A body cannot carve itself by itself, so one has to take the help of supplements to fulfil its necessity. Other than this, they can be differentiated as under-
- Molecular Structure –
BCAA has aliphatic side chains and a central carbon atom span to three or more carbon atoms. Whereas, EAAs molecular structure comprises essential amino acids.
- Protein synthetic response-
BCAA supplements are not considered very well for workouts and pieces of training and have considerably low protein synthetic response. On the other hand, EAAs are great for workouts and training sessions and have a very high protein synthetic response.
- The number of amino acids-
BCAA supplements comprise three essential amino acids- Valine, Leucine, and Isoleucine. Whereas EAAs include nine amino acids which are essential amino acids.
- Immunity support-
BCAA supplements do not provide better immunity assistance as EAAs due to the non-availability of histamine, which is a vital amino acid for immunity support.
What Does The Research Show?
While many studies show that BCAA and EAA supplements are best when combined, that doesn't certainly mean that stand-alone BCAA supplements are entirely worthless. For years many have deemed BCAAs as an enormous thing since sliced bread. And while EAAs supplements have somebody put them in their shadow, the exploration is still providing prof BCAAs to be incredibly effective. Researchers have inferred that BCAA supplements were able to reduce whole-body protein breakdown, which is crucial when trying to conserve lean muscle tissue. Besides, BCAAs supplements can help lessen body fat percentage. Switching over to EAAs supplements, the research specific to their advantages is also quite remarkable. EAAs are profitable at not only preserving but improving lean body mass.
In a nutshell, Studies have found that to get the greatest retort from amino acids, you can supplement with both BCAA and EAA supplements. BOTH OF THE SUPPLEMENTS CAN BE USED TOGETHER AS THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. YET, POWERFUL ENOUGH TO BE SEPARATED.