Advanced nutrition: absorbing Stuff from team FLEX

Flex, August, 2002

MAINTAIN MUSCLE WITH BCAAS

Q: As I'm already on a high-protein diet, do I need to be concerned about supplementing with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)?

A: Dr. Jim Wright covered BCAAs pretty thoroughly in The Wright Stuff in the June 2001 issue. I'll recap briefly, though, to reiterate their importance as new research continues to demonstrate their value. As to your question, meat and dairy protein sources contain a full range and plentiful supply of amino acids, including BCAAs. If you're getting the recommended minimum we suggest for hard mass-building training (one gram of protein per day per pound of bodyweight), all your amino needs are very likely being met through your diet, with the sole major exception being if you're cutting calories significantly.

In general, about the only aminos you need to consider supplementing with are glutamine, creatine and BCAAs. BCAAs -- leucine, isoleucine and valine -- are essential amino acids (meaning the body can't make them, and instead must get them through diet) and have long been known as extremely important role players in the biochemistry of energy production and muscle growth.

BCAAs are the amino acids taken up by skeletal muscle in the greatest amount. When they reach the muscle itself, BCAAs can be broken down to produce other aminos (most notably glutamine), as well as energy, although this mainly occurs during dieting and/or extended bouts of cardio. However, laboratory research and reports from many serious and competitive bodybuilders suggest that BCAAs can exert significant anticatabolic effects, and that adding BCAAs to a protein-rich diet can help prevent loss of muscle mass, at least during dieting.

New research indicates that BCAAs may play a more direct role in muscle protein synthesis than previously believed. This research found that BCAAs turn on a biochemical "switch" that cranks up the machinery in muscles that builds new proteins. Leucine in particular has a very healthy capacity to turn on protein synthesis. And if you supplement with either l-leucine alone or a combination of the three BCAAs, you should know that, as with creatine, you can enhance its uptake and muscle-building effects by taking some simple carbs with it.

So, how to apply all this: First, eat well -- get plenty of protein, preferably from a variety of sources. You can enhance BCAA intake by using protein supplements. Both casein (a protein found in products that contain "total milk protein," "milk protein concentrate," or calcium, sodium or other forms of "caseinate") and whey protein have very high BCAA/leucine content, the highest of any available proteins. This may explain why so many bodybuilders of yore bulked up with a high intake of milk as well as why, as Dr. Wright pointed out, the availability of much cheaper and more palatable milk protein powders killed the market for such a real-deal bodybuilding supplement.

You can also supplement with BCAAs themselves. We recommend that you consider supplementing with BCAAs when dieting, if at no other time. Six to 20 grams a day seems to be the ballpark for the anticatabolic effects. Experiment with the doses and timing. See what works for you. Take them as you would creatine or glutamine: several grams at a time, spread out over the day, and have some simple carbs with each dose.

Lyle McDonald

TEA TIME

Q: I recently tried drinking chamomile tea to help me relax before bedtime. I was shocked when it actually worked! What other teas can be beneficial to bodybuilders?

A: For centuries, herbal teas, cooked up in cauldrons and kitchens around the world, have proved their value. Although scientific studies of these herbal infusions are rare, everyday experience has created a long list of teas that can be used by bodybuilders to relieve everything from insomnia to indigestion. It is important to note the difference between real tea, which is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis tree, and herbal blends, which do not contain these leaves, meaning they are not really tea at all. Regardless of this distinction, real and herbal teas have many health benefits to offer bodybuilders.

Diana Rosen, editor of the newsletter Tea Talk (teatalk@aol.com) and author of several books on tea, has some advice for bodybuilders interested in using herbal tea. She recommends purchasing tea only from reputable sources and consuming no more than four six-ounce cups a day. "Anyone who is allergic to pollen or a particular herb or flower should not use herbal [teas] that contain those [specific items]," warns Rosen. Bodybuilders should use common sense, discontinuing use of any tea to which they have a negative reaction. Below are a few specific teas that offer benefits to bodybuilders and other athletes.

Black, white, oolong or green tea are all "real" teas and contain antioxidants. Because real tea is caffeinated (unless labeled decaffeinated), it can be used as a mild stimulant to give you energy to start the day or before a workout. Tea usually has less caffeine than coffee, but the caffeine is released more slowly into the bloodstream, leading to a steadier and longer-lasting energetic feeling. Real tea is sometimes combined with herbal blends to supply the benefits of both.