grrlAthlete

I remember seeing a post on BCAA"s on your lost forum.

I am wondering what your views on them are, and what are they "supposed" to do for those that claim they work?

Are they for recovery only, extra growth/protein source, etc? I am having difficulty finding the pros and cons of them.

Thanks,
H.

Hi Hannah,

The typical marketing is that BCAA's may help with recovery from workouts...maybe something to do with protein synthesis. Research is equivocal. And depending on the testing methods and selected ways of measuring outcomes the data really doesn't mean that much.

Academic research papers almost never take into account the quality a purity of products on the market either. So even if you could show scientifically a definately benefit of taking BCAA's (which you can't) it would be impossible to validate the quality of any BCAA supplement purchased as quality control standards just aren't there for this industry.

I'd say stick with your regular diet for protein sources. If there is any minimal benefit from BCAA's its still probably not worth the money spent.

John

P.S. we're looking into other formats for the forum. Sux that this happened.

Really, the only 2 supplements I take in addition to whey powder is omega 3's and a multivitamin.

What do you suggest as the daily dose for Omega 3 EPA/DHA and how divided? I believe what I have now are 1200 mg capsules.

Any other tips/input is greatly appreciated too!!

edit: Maybe I should have started this as a new thread under Omega 3's ?? Please change if you feel it's more appropriate.

Hannah, I can't really comment on dose or how to take as I don't think either is that crucial.

And without doing a full dietary inventory of what you are eating, and getting your blood tested there really is no way to make an educated recommendation per se. So I'm sure what you are taking is going to be enough.

Beyond that, the quality of the product you are taking is the bigger issue. I can't speak for all brands, but I am pretty confident in the omega 3's provided by a company called Ocean Nutrition. Their omega 3's are found in many different brands under the brand name Meg-3. It's got a cool logo with a fish in it. I would check for brands that use this one (simply because I have met the guys who make this ingredient and from what I can tell they are doing a good job)

With Whey protein I tend to believe that you get what you pay for. As the price of whey protein is going up big time I would expect that good protein products would end up going up in price. Any protein products that aren't going up at least a bit in price I would be skeptical of.
I know this isn't the most fun recomendation but its the only logical way I can view the protein market right now (at least any brand that I have not had a hand in making myself)

John