scholarly journals The effects of acute branched-chain amino acid supplementation on recovery from a single bout of hypertrophy exercise in resistance-trained athletes

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 630-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Waldron ◽  
Kieran Whelan ◽  
Owen Jeffries ◽  
Dean Burt ◽  
Louis Howe ◽  
...  

This study investigated the effects of acute branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage among experienced resistance-trained athletes. In a double-blind matched-pairs design, 16 resistance-trained participants, routinely performing hypertrophy training, were randomly assigned to a BCAA (n = 8) or placebo (n = 8) group. The BCAAs were administered at a dosage of 0.087 g/kg body mass, with a 2:1:1 ratio of leucine, isoleucine, and valine. The participants performed 6 sets of 10 full-squats at 70% 1-repetition maximum to induce muscle damage. All participants were diet-controlled across the study. Creatine kinase, peak isometric knee-extensor force, perceived muscle soreness, and countermovement jump (CMJ) height were measured immediately before (baseline) and at 1 h, 24 h, and 48 h postexercise. There were large to very large time effects for all measurements between baseline and 24–48 h. Between-group comparisons, expressed as a percentage of baseline, revealed differences in isometric strength at 24-h (placebo ∼87% vs. BCAA ∼92%; moderate, likely), CMJ at 24 h (placebo ∼93% vs. BCAA ∼96%; small, likely), and muscle soreness at both 24 h (placebo ∼685% vs. BCAA ∼531%; small, likely) and 48 h (placebo ∼468% vs. BCAA ∼350%; small, likely). Acute supplementation of BCAAs (0.087 g/kg) increased the rate of recovery in isometric strength, CMJ height, and perceived muscle soreness compared with placebo after a hypertrophy-based training session among diet-controlled, resistance-trained athletes. These findings question the need for longer BCAA loading phases and highlight the importance of dietary control in studies of this type.

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 595-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beau Kjerulf Greer ◽  
John L. Woodard ◽  
Jim P. White ◽  
Eric M. Arguello ◽  
Emily M. Haymes

The purpose of this study was to determine whether branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation attenuates indirect indicators of muscle damage during endurance exercise as compared with an isocaloric, carbohydrate (CHO) beverage or a noncaloric placebo (PLAC) beverage. Nine untrained men performed three 90-min cycling bouts at 55% VO2peak. Subjects, blinded to beverage selection, ingested a total of 200 kcal of energy via the CHO or BCAA beverage before and at 60 min of exercise, or they drank the PLAC beverage. Creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), isokinetic leg-extension and fexion torque, and muscle soreness were assessed before and immediately, 4 h, 24 h, and 48 h post exercise. The trials were separated by 8 wk. CK activities were significantly lower after the BCAA trial than in the PLAC trial at 4, 24, and 48 h post exercise, as well as lower than the CHO beverage at 24 h post exercise. CK was lower in the CHO trial at the 24- and 48-h time points than in the PLAC trial. LDH activities were lower in the BCAA trial at 4 h than in the PLAC trial. As compared with the CHO and PLAC trials, ratings of perceived soreness were lower at 24 h post exercise, and leg-fexion torque was higher at the 48-h time point after the BCAA trial. The present data suggest that BCAA supplementation attenuates muscle damage during prolonged endurance exercise in untrained college-age men. CHO ingestion attenuates CK activities at 24 and 48 h post exercise as compared with a placebo beverage.


2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 348-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael V. Fedewa ◽  
Steven O. Spencer ◽  
Tyler D. Williams ◽  
Zachery E. Becker ◽  
Collin A. Fuqua

Abstract. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a symptom of exercise-induced muscle damage that occurs following exercise. Previous research has indicated that branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation may attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage that causes delayed onset muscle soreness, however the results are inconsistent. The primary aim of this study was to examine the previous literature assessing the effect of BCAA supplementation on DOMS following an acute bout of exercise in adults. This review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses), and identified peer-reviewed articles comparing a BCAA supplement to a placebo non-BCAA supplement following an acute bout of exercise. An electronic search of three databases (EbscoHost, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus) yielded 42 articles after duplicates were removed. All studies included in the current analyis were: 1) peer-reviewed publications; 2) available in English; 3) utilized a random control design that compared a BCAA group to a placebo control group following exercise; 4) and assessed soreness of muscle tissue during recovery. DOMS was assessed in 61 participants following ingestion of a BCAA supplement over the course of these interventions. The cumulative results of 37 effects gathered from 8 studies published between 2007 and 2017 indicated that BCAA supplementation reduced DOMS following exercise training (ES = 0.7286, 95% CI: 0.5017 to 0.9555, p < 0.001). A large decrease in DOMS occurs following BCAA supplementation after exercise compared to a placebo supplement.


2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 620-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazunori Nosaka ◽  
P.▀ Sacco ◽  
K.▀ Mawatari

This study investigated the effect of a supplement containing 9 essential and 3 non-essential amino acids on muscle soreness and damage by comparing two endurance exercise bouts of the elbow fexors with amino acid or placebo supplementation in a double blind crossover design. The supplement was ingested 30 min before (10 h post-fasting) and immediately after exercise (Experiment 1), or 30 min before (2-3 h after breakfast), immediately post, and 8 more occasions over 4-day post-exercise (Experiment 2). Changes in muscle soreness and indicators of muscle damage for 4 days following exercise were compared between supplement conditions using two-way ANOVA. No significant differences between conditions were evident for Experiment 1; however, plasma creatine kinase, aldolase, myoglobin, and muscle soreness were significantly lower for the amino acid versus placebo condition in Experiment 2. These results suggest that amino acid supplementation attenuates DOMS and muscle damage when ingested in recovery days.


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