BCAA helps fuel your workouts for several reasons. Branched chain amino acids compete with the amino acid tryptophan for entry into the brain, where tryptophan can be converted to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Competing with tryptophan and reducing the intra workout serotonin spike allows you to workout harder, longer, minimize muscle breakdown, and ultimately leads to rapidly enhancing your progress and recovery.
BCAA stimulate muscle protein synthesis debatably even more so than when you consume protein from a whole foods source. Leucine, in particular, is an anabolic trigger and when consumed in the BCAA form, rapidly switches your body into a muscle building, rather than a muscle burning state.
When your body senses large amounts of BCAA in the bloodstream, it rapidly reduces the rate of protein breakdown. BCAA have this effect by decreasing the activity of the protein breakdown pathway and by decreasing the expression of several complexes involved in protein breakdown. Enhancing Protein Synthesis and decreasing muscle tissue breakdown is a sure way to help maintain muscle while dieting and rapidly increase muscle and recovery while in a caloric surplus.
When Is The Best Time To Consume BCAA and Why?