Supplements: What is Leucine?
Lately I’ve been noticing a lot of Leucine supplement adds in the workout magazines and it seems to be one of the hottest supplements out there right now. So I figured I’d write a quick bio on it so everyone knows exactly what this supplement is. Pretty simple stuff really, and definitely nothing new about it.
Leucine is an essential amino acid, meaning that the
human body cannot synthesize it, and it therefore must be ingested. It is the only dietary amino acid that has the capacity to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. As a dietary supplement, leucine has been found to slow the degradation of muscle tissue by increasing the synthesis of muscle proteins in aged rats.While once seen as an important part of the three branch chained amino acids in sports supplements, leucine has since earned more attention on its own as a catalyst for muscle growth and muscular insurance. Supplement companies once marketed the “ideal” 2:1:1 ratio of leucine, iso-leucine and valine; but with furthered evidence that leucine is the most important amino acid for muscle building; it has become much more popular as the primary ingredient in dietary supplements.
If any of you guys are using this supplement, let us know what you think of it.
Yours in fitness,
Coach Bane
Sources:
- Etzel MR. “Manufacture and use of dairy protein fractions”. The Journal of Nutrition 134 (4): 996S–1002S.
- L. Combaret, et al. Human Nutrition Research Centre of Clermont-Ferrand. Journal of Physiology Volume 569, issue 2, p. 489-499.
