Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Every protein is formed from chains of amino acids. A secondary role of amino acids is they can also be used for energy in muscle cells. Branched chain amino acids, commonly referred to as BCAAs, are those amino acids who have a branched carbon side chain, unlike other amino acids. The BCAAs are: leucine, isoleucine, and valine and they have gained growing popularity and media attention in the exercise world in recent years.
Most amino acids are transported to the liver to be made into substrates or intermediates, where they are then transported to the muscle cells where they are used for energy. However, BCAAs can be metabolized for energy in the muscle directly, which eliminates the need for the liver to convert them and they can be used directly by muscle cells (Fink & Mikesky, 2014, p.145). The BCAAs account for approximately 35% of the essential amino acids in muscle proteins (Shimomura, Murakami, Nakai, Nagasaki, & Harris, 2004).
Ergogenic Information 