Branched-chain amino acids do not improve muscle recovery from resistance exercise in untrained young adults
Two articles on PainSci cite Estoche 2019: 1. A Deep Dive into Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness 2. Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements for Pain & Healing
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of BCAA supplementation on muscle recovery from resistance exercise (RE) in untrained young adults. Twenty-four young adults (24.0 ± 4.3 years old) were assigned to 1 of 2 groups (n = 12 per group): a placebo-supplement group or a BCAA-supplement group. The groups were supplemented for a period of 5 days. On day 1 and 3, both groups underwent a RE session involving two lower body exercises (hack squat and leg press) and then were evaluated for muscle recovery on the 3 subsequent moments after the RE session [30 min (day 3), 24 h (day 4), and 48 h (day 5)]. The following indicators of muscle recovery were assessed: number of repetitions, rating of perceived exertion in the last RE session, muscle soreness and countermovement jump (CMJ) during recovery period (30 min, 24 h, and 48 h after RE session). Number of repetitions remained unchanged over time (time, P > 0.05), while the rating of perceived exertion increased (time, P < 0.05) over 3 sets, with no difference between groups (group × time, P > 0.05). Muscle soreness increased (time, P < 0.05) and jumping weight decreased (time, P < 0.05) at 30 min post-exercise and then progressively returned to baseline at 24 and 48 h post-exercise, with no difference between groups (group × time, P > 0.05). The results indicate that BCAA supplementation does not improve muscle recovery from RE in untrained young adults.
related content
- “Effects of protein supplements on muscle damage, soreness and recovery of muscle function and physical performance: a systematic review,” Stefan M Pasiakos, Harris R Lieberman, and Tom M McLellan, Sports Medicine, 2014.
- “Effect of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation on Recovery Following Acute Eccentric Exercise,” Trisha A VanDusseldorp, Kurt A Escobar, Kelly E Johnson, Matthew T Stratton, Terence Moriarty, Nathan Cole, James J McCormick, Chad M Kerksick, Roger A Vaughan, Karol Dokladny, Len Kravitz, and Christine M Mermier, Nutrients, 2018.
- “Effect of branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation on Muscle Soreness following Exercise: A Meta-Analysis,” Michael V Fedewa, Steven O Spencer, Tyler D Williams, Zachery E Becker, and Collin A Fuqua, Int J Vitam Nutr Res, 2019.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
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