Why eating just BCAA supplements won't build muscle with insulin
Insulin does not stimulate muscle protein synthesis during increased plasma branched-chain amino acids alone but still decreases whole body proteolysis in humans
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
BCAA supplementation didn't enhance insulin's ability to stop muscle breakdown.
Scientists expected BCAA to amplify insulin’s anti-catabolic effect since BCAAs activate mTOR—a key muscle growth pathway. But the data showed zero synergy.
Practical Takeaways
Skip standalone BCAA supplements—opt for complete protein sources like whey, eggs, or meat instead.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
BCAA supplementation didn't enhance insulin's ability to stop muscle breakdown.
Scientists expected BCAA to amplify insulin’s anti-catabolic effect since BCAAs activate mTOR—a key muscle growth pathway. But the data showed zero synergy.
Practical Takeaways
Skip standalone BCAA supplements—opt for complete protein sources like whey, eggs, or meat instead.
Publication
Journal
American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism
Year
2016
Authors
Sarah Everman, Christian Meyer, Lee Tran, Nyssa Hoffman, Chad C. Carroll, William L. Dedmon, Christos S. Katsanos
Related Content
Claims (4)
Even if you have more branched-chain amino acids in your blood, insulin still works the same way to stop your muscles from breaking down — adding these amino acids doesn’t make insulin any better at protecting your muscles.
Insulin helps stop your body from breaking down muscle, even if you have a lot more of certain amino acids in your blood than usual — it works no matter what.
Even if you pump insulin into a healthy young person’s body and boost certain amino acids by 150%, their muscles still won’t grow more—because insulin needs other amino acids too to make muscle.
If you only raise the levels of three specific amino acids in the blood—without boosting all the other important ones—your muscles won’t start building more protein, even if insulin is around to help.