Amino Acids for Weight Loss

Most of what you’ve probably heard about amino acids comes from avid gym-goers and serious fitness gurus. The use of BCAA’s to assist in muscle development and soreness after a workout is one of the most common reasons. However, some studies indicate that amino acid supplements could support weight loss efforts. If muscle development and possible weight loss are part of your goals, you must be up to date on the latest information, trends, and science in the health and fitness industry. So, here’s what you need to know about amino acids for weight loss:  

What Are Amino Acids? 

To understand the benefits amino acids can have on your body, you first must understand what amino acids are specifically. Amino acids are small molecules that are the building blocks to larger protein molecules, and there are 20 amino acids that the human body needs to function correctly. However, nine must be consumed. These nine are called essential amino acids or EAAs: 

It’s important to know that all animal products, like eggs, poultry, fish, etc., carry essential amino acids. To get these EAAs in a vegan diet, one must consume whole grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, and various vegetables. Additionally, buckwheat, soy, and quinoa are the only plants that make a complete protein by carrying all the EAAs.  

As mentioned previously, amino acids help the body function properly and are essential to our overall health and nutrition. As a necessary component of building and maintaining muscle tissue, amino acids also play other vital roles in our bodies. They are crucial to regulating hormones, creating neurotransmitters, energy production, immunity, healthy skin, controlling blood sugar, and helping build muscular connective tissue in our joints.  

Although acquiring the necessary amino acids through diet isn’t necessarily tricky, some prefer to supplement amino acids.  

Amino Acids and Weight Loss 

Because amino acids can potentially boost performance when exercising, they can give you more energy, relieve fatigue, and improve muscle soreness and recovery. This results in the body’s ability to burn more calories and maximize your workout.  

This study, in particular, found that out of 16 athletes supplementing with amino acids had improved strength and performance, better recovery, and reduced soreness after their workout.  

Additionally, other studies have shown that there could be an increase in fat burn when you supplement with amino acids. When the human body metabolizes fat, it can lose more significant weight. Here’s an 8-week study from the U.S. National Library of Medicine that showed that the daily use of amino acid supplements led to decreased body fat percentage in men who practiced traditional strength training regularly. The decline was more than those who just used protein supplements or electrolyte drinks after workouts.  

Unfortunately, there needs to be more testing to find out if amino acids can burn more fat and if it’s a supplement that can promote significant fat loss. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open on these studies and keep you posted on further developments.  

Amino Acids and Building Muscle  

We all know that muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, so this could be related to why amino acid supplements support weight loss. The more muscle tissue you have, the more chance you lose fat and burn calories. The more muscle you acquire, the more energy your body uses, which causes your metabolism to work harder and burn more. So, if amino acids help you build muscle, they can also support weight loss.  

BCAAs and Building Muscle 

Of the nine essential amino acids we get from consumption, three are branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). So, what’s so special about BCAAs? Because there is evidence that these three amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, and valine) are the most important when building muscle. Studies have shown that these three amino acids are fundamental when activating the enzymes that improve muscle development after a workout. BCAAs have also been shown to help the body maintain muscle mass, even in a restrictive diet (Dudgeon, Kelley, & Scheett, 2016).  

The studies behind BCAAs and muscle development is strong, and supplementing BCAAs is already extremely popular with fitness enthusiasts and weightlifters. But these supplements are also fantastic for everyday, active people. So, if you’re looking to take charge of your fitness goals and weight loss is one of them, it’s not a bad idea to integrate aminoVITAL as part of your daily routine. aminoVITAL will help you not only stay hydrated but replenish your body’s muscle proteins and jumpstart the recovery process.  

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References 

Amino Acids for Weight Loss – Do Supplements Work? (n.d.). Issaonline.com. Retrieved from https://www.issaonline.com/blog/index.cfm/2019/amino-acids-for-weight-loss-do-supplements-work 

Dudgeon, W.D., Kelley, E.P., and Scheett, T.P. (2016). In a Single-Bind, Matched Group Design: Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation and Training Maintains Lean Body Mass During a Caloric Restricted Diet. J. Int. Soc. Sports Nutr. 13(1). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26733764 

Stoppani, J., Scheett, T., Pena, J., Rudolph, C., and Charlesbois, D. (2009). Consuming a Supplement Containing Branched-Chain Amino Acids During a Resistance-Training Program Increases Lean Mass, Muscle Strength, and Fat Loss. J. Int. Soc. Sports Nutr. 6(Suppl 1). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3313152/ 

Waldron, M., Whelan, K., Jeffries, O., Burt, D., Howe, L., and Patterson, S.D. (2017). The Effects of Acute Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation on Recovery from a Single Bout of Hypertrophy Exercise in Resistance-Trained Athletes. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 42(6), 630-6. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28177706