AMAZING AMINOS

Amazing Aminos – the key to unlocking Amazonian Muscle Growth
Proteins are macro-molecules that are composed of amino acids. Halt! You're bored already. Right! Why? Because most of the crud you read about amino acids is as exciting as watching sand shift in the Mohave desert.
But you know what? The EAAs (essential amino acids) are the single most important dietary factor in promoting muscle mass gains and expediting recovery. Why? Because your body doesn't naturally make them. Hence, they are essential!
If you slept through high school biology (admit it, we all did), remember that amino acids are the building blocks of protein. So for any given protein that you consume, whether it is beef, chicken, or beans, the amount of each specific amino acid differs. Most plant sources of protein for example do NOT have enough of the essential amino acids; that's why they are incomplete proteins. And that's why most athletes are carnivores.
Conversely, the non-essential amino acids are made by your body; therefore, you don't necessary need to consume them in your diet. Though if you consume meat or milk-based proteins, then you will always get a mix of essential and non-essential amino acids.
So what are the essential amino acids or EAA?
Of the 20 amino acids that are used to form proteins, 9 are essential or indispensable; meaning that you need to consume them in your diet because your body does not normally make them. (See Table 1)
Table 1 - Essential Amino Acids
1. Phenylalanine
2. Valine
3. Tryptophan
4. Threonine
5. Isoleucine
6. Methionine
7. Histidine
a. (arginine)
8. Lysine
9. Leucine
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And these EAAs are the holy grail of muscle recovery and growth.
For those of you with the attention span of a fruit fly, here's a summary:
• Consuming the essential amino acids after lifting weights leads to a large increase in the rate of muscle protein synthesis which means in gym lingo, your muscles get bigger.(1)
• A high proportion of leucine, the key essential amino acid, is required for optimal stimulation of the rate of muscle protein synthesis; i.e. big muscles again.(2)
• Net muscle protein gain is significant when essential amino acids and/or protein are consumed immediately post-exercise. There is also evidence to show that consuming essential amino acids pre-exercise is even more anabolic.(3) So friggin' eat protein or aminos right after you train as well as before!
• According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, their position stand states that, �Post-exercise ingestion of amino acids, primarily essential amino acids, has been shown to stimulate robust increases in muscle protein synthesis, while the addition of CHO may stimulate even greater levels of protein synthesis. Additionally, pre-exercise consumption of a CHO + PRO supplement may result in peak levels of protein synthesis.(4)� Yeah yeah�boring science stuff. But hey, it's proof that it works!

Boring Science Stuff to Read – But it's Proof!
1. Drummond MJ, Dreyer HC, Fry CS, Glynn EL, Rasmussen BB. Nutritional and Contractile Regulation of Human Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis and mTORC1 Signaling. J Appl Physiol 2009.
2. Katsanos CS, Kobayashi H, Sheffield-Moore M, Aarsland A, Wolfe RR. A high proportion of leucine is required for optimal stimulation of the rate of muscle protein synthesis by essential amino acids in the elderly. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2006;291:E381-7.
3. Tipton KD, Rasmussen BB, Miller SL, et al. Timing of amino acid-carbohydrate ingestion alters anabolic response of muscle to resistance exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2001;281:E197-206.
4. Kerksick C, Harvey T, Stout J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Nutrient timing. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2008;5:17.

A tale of Leucine, Valine and Isoleucine – the terrific trio of amino acids!
Guess what? The BCAA (branched-chain amino acids) leucine, valine, and isoleucine can help improve muscle recovery and even enhance performance in endurance events. Yep, that's right. We have science to prove it. But first, let's go back to school.
Trivia Question: Which of the following macronutrients are "essential" in the human diet? (The word �essential' as it refers to our diet means that we need to consume that food or nutrient because our bodies do not make that nutrient naturally; hence, it is �essential' we get it in our diets).
Your choices are:
A. Carbohydrate
B. Protein
C. Fat
D. All of the above
E. Two of the above
Did you figure out the answer?
The Answer is.... "E"
Yes, that's right. Only two of the three are essential. And they are protein (with amino acids as the building blocks) and fat (i.e. the essential fatty acids).
In the protein category, there are amino acids are unique in their own right. They're the branched-chain amino acids (valine, leucine, and isoleucine). And of the three BCAA, leucine is very important. Here's why.
So what are the essential amino acids or EAA?
One study looked at the effects of dietary leucine supplementation on exercise performance of outrigger canoeists (i.e. paddlers). Thirteen (ten female, three male) competitive outrigger canoeists underwent testing before and after 6-week supplementation with either capsulated L-leucine (45 mg/kg.d) [that's equal to 3.15 grams of leucine for a 154 lb individual] or placebo (corn flour). Testing included anthropometry, 10 second upper body power and work and a row to exhaustion at 70-75% maximal aerobic power where perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate (HR) and plasma BCAA and tryptophan concentrations were assessed. What happened?
Leucine supplementation resulted in significant increases in plasma leucine and total BCAA concentrations. Upper body power and work significantly increased in both groups after supplementation but power was significantly greater after leucine supplementation compared to the placebo. Rowing time significantly increased and average RPE significantly decreased with leucine supplementation while these variables were unchanged with the placebo. Leucine supplementation had no effect on the plasma tryptophan to BCAA ratio, HR or anthropometric variables. Six weeks' dietary leucine supplementation significantly improved endurance performance and upper body power in outrigger canoeists.(1)
During exercise, muscle protein synthesis decreases together with a net increase in protein degradation and stimulation of BCAA oxidation (the BCAAs are of course leucine, valine and isoleucine). Thus, both insulin and leucine are key regulators in muscle protein synthesis!(2) In other words, they're friggin' important.
Another interesting tidbit is that leucine by itself increases muscle protein synthesis.(3) By combing leucine with protein and carbohydrate, you get quite the anabolic super-effect. For example, in one study eight male subjects were randomly assigned to three trials in which they consumed drinks containing either carbohydrate (CHO), carbohydrate and protein (CHO+PRO), or carbohydrate, protein, and free
Another interesting tidbit is that leucine by itself increases muscle protein synthesis.(3) By combing leucine with protein and carbohydrate, you get quite the anabolic super-effect. For example, in one study eight male subjects were randomly assigned to three trials in which they consumed drinks containing either carbohydrate (CHO), carbohydrate and protein (CHO+PRO), or carbohydrate, protein, and free leucine (CHO+PRO+Leu) following 45 min of resistance exercise. They discovered that plasma insulin response was higher in the CHO+PRO+Leu compared with the CHO and CHO+PRO trials. Whole body protein breakdown rates were lower, and whole body protein synthesis rates were higher, in the CHO+PRO and CHO+PRO+Leu trials compared with the CHO trial; moreover, the addition of leucine in the CHO+PRO+Leu trial resulted in a lower protein oxidation rate compared with the CHO+PRO trial. And to top it off, muscle protein synthesis, measured over a 6-h period of post-exercise recovery, was significantly greater in the CHO+PRO+Leu trial compared with the CHO trial with intermediate values observed in the CHO+PRO trial.(4)
Another study discovered that 2 grams of the BCAA with some arginine actually lessened the amount of muscle breakdown during endurance exercise.(5)
Valine, Isoleucine, and Leucine. They do the body good.
References
1. Crowe MJ, Weatherson JN, Bowden BF. Effects of dietary leucine supplementation on exercise performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 2005:1-9.
2. Norton LE, Layman DK. Leucine regulates translation initiation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle after exercise. J Nutr 2006;136:533S-537S.
3. Lang CH. Elevated Plasma Free Fatty Acids Decrease Basal Protein Synthesis but Not the Anabolic Effect of Leucine in Skeletal Muscle. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2006.
4. Koopman R, Wagenmakers AJ, Manders RJ, et al. Combined ingestion of protein and free leucine with carbohydrate increases postexercise muscle protein synthesis in vivo in male subjects. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2005;288:E645-53
5. Matsumoto K, Mizuno M, Mizuno T, et al. Branched-chain amino acids and arginine supplementation attenuates skeletal muscle proteolysis induced by moderate exercise in young individuals. Int J Sports Med 2007;28:531-8