Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

0

I recently started using BCAA powder intra and post-workout (this gives me the best results) and have noticed that on days that I 'cheat' or eat more carbs than throughout the week I no longer get bloated... My theory is that, because BCAA's limit fat oxidation they force the body to use carbs as energy. Since my body is fat adapted for the most part (I usually eat around 30g of carbs from veggies daily) that when I would cheat before, my body didn't know what to do with the excess and stored it, causing inflammation. If this is the case, could this be a good use for BCAA's before events/vacations when a higher carb intake is expected?

flag	asked Sep 17 2011 at 17:23 Ashley 1,569●4●19

James · Answer 1 · 2011-09-17 23:07:48Z UTC

2

I've never heard that BCAA's limit fat burning. The articles I have seen indicate the opposite. The theory they came up with is that the body senses the extra amino acids, thinks that there's excessive muscle breakdown, so switches to burning fat. The extra carbs would screw with that, overriding fat burning/protein burning.

answered Sep 17 2011 at 23:07

James
7,892●4●13

	Someone posted a study that bcaa's prevent catabolism at the same time as they limit fat oxidation. It was last week on this site they posted the link... – Ashley Sep 18 2011 at 21:56
	Ah, found that post now. Yeah, I agree, if you've got liver disease and are fasting, you might not want to take BCAA's. However, if you're healthy, exercising, and want to use it pre-post workout it's a different thing... :) There's a study on pubmed (search for Branched-chain amino acids supplementation enhances exercise capacity and lipid oxidation) that is more along the lines of what you're interested in. Summary: BCAA supplementation increases resistance to fatigue and enhances lipid oxidation during exercise in glycogen-depleted subjects. – James Sep 19 2011 at 4:43

BCAA’s and cheat days?

1 Answer