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Supplements and Sports
Amino Acids
Understanding How Amino Acids Relate to Sports
Essential amino acids are an important part of the human body. They are ingested
through the diet by consuming proteins from legumes, meat, seafood and the like
or by amino acid supplementation.
It is considered an “essential amino acid” because a person cannot survive
without its presence in his or her diet. Amino acids fulfill various metabolic
functions in the body. They work as a building block of proteins, antioxidant,
neurotransmitter, hormones’ precursors and other body constituents.
Amino acids are found in red meat, dairy products and other protein-containing
foods. Amino acid supplementation can help since certain amino acids including
lysine, Arginine, methionine, phenylalanine, Ornithine and Histidine stimulate
the release of insulin, hormones and glucocorticoids, which promotes the body’s
anabolic process. BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) supplementations are the
source of amino acids isoleucine, Valine and Leucine.
Normally, humans cannot synthesize the number of amino acids needed in one’s
body. Therefore, you have to ingest them from vitamins to maintain proper health
and athletic performance. A typical person cannot consume the .8 grams of
protein for every kilogram of body weight needed for an ample supply of amino
acids.
The typical diet today contains an average of 1.2 grams of protein for every
kilogram of body weight. However, people who are physically active, such as
bodybuilders, power athletes, weightlifters and endurance athletes need larger
amounts of amino acids to fill 2.2 grams of protein.
Since it is impossible to stuff this much amount of amino acids into the body
from diet alone, supplementation can definitely fill this need.
Amino acids are associated with sports since they are involved in various
metabolic pathways, which greatly affect your exercise metabolism. Accordingly,
there have been various studies suggesting that athletes involved in extensive
training require extra protein in their diet.
Amino acids for athletic performance have been a hot topic in the world of
professional sports because of its three benefits:
1) Amino acids build muscles – The muscle tissues contain two important proteins
– myosin and actin. These proteins are made up of isoleucine, Valine and Leucine,
also known as the BCAAs. If you include branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in
you diet, from either supplements or food, it increases raw materials of your
muscle tissues, which in turn, contributes to muscle building.
2) Amino acids increase stamina – When a person performs strenuous physical
activities, his or her body automatically decomposes proteins and use up BCAAs
to compensate for the lack of energy source.
Several studies show that intense physical activities such as cross-country
marathons could damage your muscle tissues. However, this can be prevented by
replenishing the needed BCAA in the body before or during participating in
intense sports activities.
BCAA supplements can help significantly in giving room for energy sources, which
allows your body to hold stamina for longer periods. Moreover, taking the
required amount of amino acids could help speed up the recovery of damaged
muscles, preventing muscle soreness, fatigue and other symptoms of muscle
damage.
3) Amino acids improve recovery from fatigue – Branched-chain amino acids also
helps in suppressing lactic acid production. This is particularly important for
athletes and physically active people since lactic acid is a fatigue-causing
substance.
When a person exercises continuously, his or her lactic acid blood levels
increases, which results in the decrease of pH in muscles. This results in a
sudden difficulty to contract muscles.
Amino acid supplements can replenish your body’s BCAAs, inhibiting the elevation
of lactic acid blood levels, even if you’re performing intense exercises.
4) Amino acid supplementation reduces mental fatigue – Your physical performance
relies greatly on concentration and willpower. When the amount of
neurotransmitter called serotonin increases in your brain, your will power
decreases.
This main cause of this scenario is due to the raw material of serotonin called
tryptophan, an essential amino acid. When you perform extensive training
continuously, this essential amino acid is transferred to your brain, which
leads to the production of serotonin. If you take amino acid supplements, it
prevents a great portion of tryptophan to enter your brain, which suppresses
serotonin production.
These are the reasons why amino acid supplements can enhance both your mental
and physical performance. Experience an increase in mental clarity, reduce the
risks of infections due to exercise stress and improve athletic performance even
under extreme conditions by incorporating amino acid supplements into your diet.
>>>
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