Benefits of Essential Amino Acids (EAAs)

Benefits of Essential Amino Acids (EAAs)

Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) are required to carry out processes such as protein building, synthesis of neurotransmitters and hormones. People consume it in a supplement form, which is the natural way to elevate athletic performance and improve mood swings.

These acids fall under different categorizations, such as essential, nonessential, and conditionally essential, depending on multiple factors.

What Are Essential Amino Acids (EAAs)

Amino acids are popularly known as the building blocks of protein. They are compounds that are responsible for playing several important roles in your body. The human body requires 20 distinct amino acids to maintain their health.

But about nine from the 20 amino acids are known as essential amino acids. Your body doesn’t produce these acids, but they are only obtainable through your diet. These nine essential amino acids include:

• Lysine
• Histidine
• Threonine
• Methionine
• Valine
• Isoleucine
• Leucine
• Phenylalanine
• Tryptophan

These essential amino acids do carry a ton of benefits. Some of them are as follows:

Improves Mood and Sleep – Tryptophan is responsible for producing serotonin, a chemical known for making you sleepy. It also plays a big part in regulating your mood and behavior. The chemical acts as a neurotransmitter in the human body.

Low levels of serotonin cause depression and sleep disturbances. According to many studies, supplementing with tryptophan tends to decrease symptoms concerning depression. It elevates your mood and improves your sleep schedule.

Increased Exercise Performance – Essential amino acids such as valine, isoleucine, and leucine are responsible for improving athletic performance, alleviating fatigue, and stimulating muscle recovery.

According to recent studies, 16 resistance-trained athletes who started consuming the BCAA supplements witnessed muscle recovery, reduced muscle soreness, and improved performance compared to a placebo.

Additionally, consuming 4g of leucine every day for 12 weeks elevates the strong performance in untrained individuals. It shows that essential amino acids can even benefit the non-athletes too.

Muscle Building – EAAs tend to build muscles as they stimulate an increased stronger anabolic response than BCAA supplements.

It is advisable to use an amino acid supplement that includes all the nine essential acids for maximizing your muscle-building performance.

The EAA formulas don’t just support protein synthesis completely like BCAAs, but they also tend to bolster immune functioning and collagen formation. Lysine acid is responsible for the creation of collagen.

Prevents Muscle Loss – Bed rest and prolonged illnesses can cause muscle loss, especially in adults.

The essential amino acids tend to prevent the breakdown of muscle and preserve the lean body mass in all occasions. EAAs allows excellent preservation of lean body mass, mostly in athletes and adults.

According to a 10-day study in about 22 adults on bed rest, the EAAs started receiving positive feedbacks.

Those adults that received about 15g of combined EAAs maintained proper muscle protein synthesis. The same wasn’t for the placebo group as they noticed a 30% decrease.

Promotes Weight Loss – Branched-chain essential amino acids allows effective stimulation of weight loss. It is proven through many tests carried out in both humans and animals in recent studies.

For instance, an 8-week study in over 36 strong trained men revealed that supplementing with 14g of BCAAs per day reduces the body fat percentage compared to a sports drink or whey protein.

A study in rats also showed that a dietary plan consisting of 4% supplemental leucine decreased fat and body weight.

However, further studies are required to be 100% sure about its consistency in promoting weight loss.

You need to integrate all these nine essential amino acids or EAAs in your diet at the earliest. They are extremely crucial for the production of protein synthesis, absorption of nutrients, and tissue repair.

The EAAs also prevent muscle loss and bring major improvements to your sleeping habits, weight loss, and athletic performance.

Best Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) Supplements

Essential amino acid supplements are an excellent option for you if you want to build muscle or recover your body quickly after intense workouts.

These supplements are available in both powder and capsule form, allowing you to choose based on your needs.

However, you might be wondering which amino acid supplements are best for you, especially if you are a beginner. As such, this guide compiled a list of top three essential amino acids supplements.

Product Comparison Table:

Solgar – Essential Amino Complex, 90 Vegetable Capsules:

If you are looking for an essential amino acid supplement in capsule form, consider this product.

These capsules are non-GMO and kosher, and they do not contain gluten. So it is suitable even for vegetarians.

Moreover, the product is also free of dairy, artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, and preservatives. As such, you can use it even when you are on a strict diet regime.

Each container comes with 90 vegetable capsules, which are easy to swallow and ready for your body to absorb. Additionally, your body gets 20mg of vitamin B6 for every serving. This vitamin helps support the metabolism of amino acids.

Besides, this product will not only assist with the muscle recovery process but also promote overall health and wellness.

Pros:

• It does not contain any artificial flavors and preservatives.
• It is excellent for digestion.
• You can easily incorporate it into your diet.
• Promote optimal assimilation and absorption.
• The product is free of gluten, thereby making it suitable for vegetarians.

Cons:

• Some users experienced headaches after consuming this product.
• It is not very practical for boosting energy.

NutraBio Alpha EAA

This product is not a basic essential amino acid supplement. The manufacturers have designed this supplement to promote all-day focus, muscle recovery, and hydration.

It can also improve your brain function, thereby enhancing your memory recall. So if you are looking for a stimulant-free supplement that offers a higher level of hydration and recovery, this product will be a perfect choice.

It not only features 8.2 grams of essential amino acids and 6 grams of fermented branched-chain amino acids but also focuses on a hydration matrix.

It is this aspect that makes this product stands out among its competitors. It has a standard 2:1:1 ratio of branched-chain amino acids. Besides, each serving of this supplement offers 8.2 grams of essential amino acids.

Another essential attribute of this product comes with the hydration matrix. Each serving will give you 500mg of coconut powder and 1.2 grams of taurine, thereby keeping your body hydrated by providing electrolytes. It means you can take this supplement at any time of the day.

When it comes to quality, this product stands out again. It is a non-GMO product and does not contain gluten.

Additionally, the supplement is free of soy and has passed the third-party test, thereby meeting strict quality standards. So even if you are a vegetarian, this product is an excellent addition to your supplement regime.

Pros:

• It keeps your body hydrated even when performing intense workouts.
• It is a non-stimulant source of energy.
• It contains Huperzine A to promote an all-day focus.
• It is free of gluten, soy, and genetically modified organism.
• It enhances power output and muscular contractions.
• It is available in different flavors.

Cons:

• Some users reported that it tastes too sweet.
• The mixing is quite difficult.

BPI Sports Clinical Essential Aminos:

If you are looking for a supplement that offers recovery, muscle growth, and hydration, you should consider it. It features a combination of non-essential and plant-based amino acids to help boost your workout performance.

Each serving provides seven grams of essential amino acids, thereby giving you the strength and endurance for athletic performance.

Besides, it supports muscle growth and prevents muscle protein breakdown during intense exercise activity.

Another essential aspect of this product is that it is a medical-grade hydration formula. It means that it will keep your body hydrated before or after a strenuous workout.

So you can exercise for an extended period. You can also drink this supplement at any time of the day. The reason is that this product is a non-stimulant supplement. It does not contain caffeine.

When it comes to flavor, it has a delicious taste. You can choose between two flavors, namely, sour candy and arctic ice.

Both the flavors are irresistible, making it more like a treat. Besides, you can easily mix this supplement with water.

Overall, this product is a superior workout formula. It can greatly enhance your workout or sports activities by providing the required strength and muscle recovery.

The manufacturers have also included a 100 percent money-back guarantee for 30 days.

Pros:

• It offers seven grams of essential amino acids per serving.
• It also contains all branched-chain amino acids.
• You can consume it at any time of the day.
• It is a stimulant-free product.
• Irresistible flavors.
• It keeps your body hydrated.
• 100 percent money-back guarantee.

Cons:

• Some users have experienced stomach cramps when using this product.
• Some do not like the smell.

To sum up, choosing the best essential amino acid supplements can sometimes be confusing, given that several products are available.

We hope that this review has helped you clear your confusion about picking the right supplement product. The above-reviewed products have their pros and cons; hence, you should choose the one that satisfies your needs.

No doubt, essential amino acid supplements promote muscle growth and overall health. However, you should not entirely depend on this product to take care of your muscle.