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Nutrition & supplements

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)

DEVerzweigtkettige Aminosäuren (BCAA)

The branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine are essential amino acids enriched in meat, dairy, eggs and protein supplements. Leucine in particular is a potent activator of mTORC1 and stimulates skeletal-muscle protein synthesis, a basis for BCAA supplementation in athletic and clinical sarcopenia contexts. Counterbalancing this, observational human studies and rodent work link elevated circulating or dietary BCAAs to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes risk; in mice, Solon-Biet et al. (2019, Nature Metabolism) showed that chronic high-BCAA diets shorten lifespan indirectly through amino-acid imbalance and hyperphagia rather than intrinsic toxicity. BCAA balance, not absolute intake, drives the metabolic phenotype, and there is no EU health claim for BCAA supplementation.

Sources

  1. Solon-Biet SM, Cogger VC, Pulpitel T, et al.. (2019). Branched-chain amino acids impact health and lifespan indirectly via amino acid balance and appetite control. *Nature Metabolism*doi:10.1038/s42255-019-0059-2
  2. Newgard CB, An J, Bain JR, et al.. (2009). A branched-chain amino acid-related metabolic signature that differentiates obese and lean humans and contributes to insulin resistance. *Cell Metabolism*doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2009.02.002
  3. Choi BH, et al.. (2024). The role of BCAA metabolism in metabolic health and disease. *Experimental & Molecular Medicine*doi:10.1038/s12276-024-01263-6