7 Benefits of Amino Acid Supplements
You’ve probably heard that amino acids are some of the most essential nutrients for the human’s body as they have many different roles. In fact, amino acids are compounds responsible for building blocks of proteins and providing a synthesis of your hormones and neurotransmitters. These compounds can’t be made by your body alone and you must obtain them through a healthy diet.
But truth be told, today the average person can’t find the time to consume a diet that’s carried enough to obtain sufficient amino acids, and this is why many people go for the popular amino supplements to maintain a balance. Wondering whether you need to supplement with amino acids? Here are the ways your body can benefit from them.
Boost Your Physical Performance
Regardless if you’re fond of cardio activities, lifting weights or visiting Zumba classes to maintain your shape, it’s easy to grow tired soon and be too fatigued to keep going. To get the most of their workout, many bodybuilders and athletes supplement with amino acids.
In fact, the three branched-chain amino acids Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine are shown to significantly alleviate fatigue and therefore improve your athletic performance. This is due to amino acid supplements changing the way your body uses your primary fuel sources which are carbs and fat, and not having sufficient amounts of them can lead to exhaustion and sharp drops in your performance. So, don’t hesitate to get your amino acid gym supplement and build a strong body without any difficulties.
Develop Your Muscles
We have all heard that in order to build muscle mass, it’s recommended to consume at least 30 grams of protein per day. But consuming different protein powders or being on a protein-rich diet would be completely in vain if you don’t consume the efficient amount of amino acids to help the protein build healthy muscle mass.
In fact, Leucine, one of the main ingredients of every amino acid gym supplement is shown to promote muscle growth by regulating and improving muscle protein synthesis after a workout. So, once you stress out your muscles with a hardcore workout, you can encourage their growth by taking your daily dose of amino food supplement.
Speed Up Muscle Recovery
Amino powder supplements aren’t only shown to help your muscles grow and become stronger, but due to giving your organism the ability to improve your muscles’ protein synthesis process and guard them, they’re going to get faster recovery from your previous workout and get ready for another excessive workout.
This doesn’t only mean that you’ll get stronger and better built, but consuming an amino gym supplement will also limit the soreness in your muscles that tends to strike after the strenuous workout you just had.
Promote Weight Loss
Amino acids aren’t only essential to boost your body’s strength and increase your muscle mass, but they’re also very beneficial for people who do weight loss exercises. Not only are they great to stimulate your metabolism, but consuming Leucine, especially in combination with Glutamine has also been shown to reduce excess fat and normalise visceral fat.
In fact, research has shown that consuming 14 grams of branched amino acids per day has been more efficient in decreasing the body fat percentage in people that are regularly exercising, compared to consuming whey proteins and different sports drinks.
Lower Blood Glucose Levels
Amino acid supplements are also beneficial for maintaining healthy blood glucose levels in your organism and can be very beneficial for people suffering from type 2 diabetes. In fact, amino acids lower the blood sugar IQ without impacting insulin levels in the human’s blood, so don’t hesitate to enrich your healthy diet with some amino powder.
Get Better Mental Focus
Amino acids are very powerful in keeping your tryptophan levels balanced, the amino acid responsible for keeping headaches, visual blurring and mental fatigue away. This means that consuming a sufficient amount of amino acids will clear the fog in your brain and therefore improve your mental focus, your memory and processing ability.
Improve Your Mood
But high levels of tryptophan won’t only improve your mental focus and reduce your mental fatigue, since this amino acid is very beneficial for the production of serotonin, or also known as the hormone of happiness. Low levels of serotonin are the main causes of depressed moods and sleep disturbances, which means that supplying your body with a sufficient amount of amino acids won’t only reduce symptoms of depression, but will also significantly boost your mood and even improve your night’s sleep.
When Should I Take Amino Acids?
If you decided to embrace the benefits of consuming an amino acid supplement powder, then it’s essential to adjust the dose according to your body weight. When it comes to timing, these supplements can be taken at different parts of the day, depending on what your intention is.
So, if you want to increase your sports performance and work on building muscle mass, then it’s recommended to take your amino acid supplement around your workout time so your body can get the most out of them. On the other hand, if you want to accumulate some extra energy and stay in a good mood throughout the day, then it’s recommended to take your daily dose of amino acid in the morning, combined with your morning dose of caffeine.
If you’re a person that’s suffering from insomnia, then doctors recommend taking your daily dose of amino acids before going to bed. This will help you to shorten the time to fall asleep, rest properly and help your muscles recover. But if falling asleep is the least of your problems, then taking an amino acid supplement recently after you’re done with your workout is the ideal time to help your muscles recover and regenerate faster.
However, different types of amino acid supplements require different ways of consumption- while amino acid pills are recommended to be consumed with food, powders should be mixed with water or other beverages. This is why it’s always recommended to check out the label and follow your manufacturer’s instructions for consuming your supplement right.