Everything You Ever Needed, Wanted, or Wished You Knew About Amino Acids, EAA’s and BCAA’s, Courtesy Of @PatJ

[Mary]

I would start at a much lower dose than that. Maybe 5 grams of powder, which would equal 3 grams BCAA's. The powder is 59% BCAA's, so 5 grams powder equals 3 grams BCAA's.

@Rufous McKinney - I agree with @ljimbo423 here. I started with 4 grams a day (in two divided doses, on an empty stomach - 2 grams when I first got up and 2 grams 30 or 60 minutes before lunch). And I noticed results within I think 4 or 5 days. It was amazing. It cut my PEM recovery time by at least half and a maybe a little more, and also gave me a small boost in energy. I've been taking them now for I think 4-1/2 years.

I've increased it now to about 6 grams a day, still in 2 divided doses. I did try to go up to 8 or 10 grams, after reading about @ljimbo423's results but it caused insomnia for me. I buy pIain unflavored BCAAs with no additives. I like this product and this one. The powder doesn't dissolve very well, but oh well, a small price to pay for health!

 

[Rufous McKinney]

That must be what is going on here. I just: gnaw on salted flesh, and then, insulin a mess because of I'm in a big crash from no rest....; I want MORE FLESH after that.

I feel like I am LiLu, the Fifth Element.

After our cabin went down in the wildfire, we stayed at a friends and the neighbor, was a caterer. He hands me about three pounds of warm, rare Tri Tip, coated in nummy: everything. It like resuscetated me..I gnawed on it for days.

 

[Mary]

Thanks. I've experimented. I'm quite familiar with the concept of central fatigue as that is one of the reasons athletes use BCAAs.

There has also been speculation that a supraphysiologic serum level of BCAAs sends a message to the brain that too much muscle is being broken down and that the body should start burning fat instead (because the brain interprets high serum BCAAs as having come from the muscles even if it has come from an exogenous source).

Leucine (one of the BCAAs) is perhaps the most anabolic of all of the amino acids. However, I'm inclined to think that it may be helpful for some because it is a ketogenic amino acid, which would probably be helpful when carbohydrate metabolism is impaired. I don't doubt that it competes with tryptophan; I just personally don't notice a benefit from BCAA-only supplements. (They were amazing for better performance, recovery and lean mass maintenance before I got ill though!)

@SherDa - thanks so much for the explanation! That's very interesting that a supraphysiologic serum level of BCAAs would tell the body to start burning fat.

I first got interested in BCAAs when Nutreval testing showed my leucine levels were low. I didn't know anything about leucine or BCAAs at the time and actually it took me 4 years to look into leucine, which is when I learned about its possible role in helping with the fatigue of ME/CFS. And I also learned that it's unusual to have low levels of leucine. I've eaten a lot of protein for many years so I don't think my protein intake was the problem. I think my body has just been using aminos for fuel.

Anyways, I know we're all different here!

 

[ljimbo423]

Its: Beyond Raw (r) Precision BCAAs (mango-melon) Made in USA/ GNC store.

Thank you for recommending I start at a lower amount!!!

Is the biotin essential or should I just: try it?

I looked at the ingredients and there are a couple of things I'm not familiar with. It also has Betaine Anhydrous, witch is trimethylglycine and boosts methylation.

So I would say to start at a very low dose of maybe 1/4 tsp and see how you feel, then go from there. I don't know what you mean about biotin, I didn't see any in it.

 

[ljimbo423]

I feel like I am LiLu, the Fifth Element.

This gave me a full, all out, belly laugh. The fifth element is one of my favorite movies, I've probably seen it 5-6 times.

 

[SherDa]

@Mary, I'm glad it's helpful to you. I have all of the essential amino acids separately so I could experiment with them individually. Leucine did give me a great energy boost the 1st time I took it, but not since then. The same with threonine. Glutamine and NAC actually helped for 2-3 weeks before the effect faded. I think amino acids are underappreciated for their potential therapeutic value.

 

[Mary]

@YippeeKi YOW !! - I think you tagged me some weeks ago in a thread about amino acids and BCAAs and I was low on energy and time, at that time, so didn't respond. But if you can give me the link, I'll take another look and give my input (if I have any to give). Thanks!

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Does Collagen= BCAA's?

No. Not a complete protein, and ove-processed to boot.

Plain gelatin would be better, even tho it, too, is processed. But it contains a full range of balanced aminos, among them a good supply of the three BCAAs, leusine, isoleucine, and valine, bound by an aliphatic branch of a central carbon atom bound to three or more other carbon atoms.

Does this sound like possibly an Ok product? (its from the GNC store, the weight builders, mall). Mango flavored, darn it.

I avoid anything that's 'flavored'. For one thing, the flavorings come from pretty exotic and spooky sources, none of them the fruit or fruits that are named. For another, if you react to it, you have no idea whether you're reacting to the protein in the product, or the "natural" flavorings.

You're probably better off going with straight, unflavored BCAA powder, and starting in very small doses, then working your way up gradually.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@Mary
Yikes !!!! Asking me to remember a tag from several weeks ago is like asking me to explain quantum physics. In German.

If I can recall it, I'll definitely tag you back.

And no worries ...... I know there are times when breathing in and remembering to breath out is pretty much all I can handle, so I totally get it.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

After our cabin went down in the wildfire, we stayed at a friends and the neighbor, was a caterer. He hands me about three pounds of warm, rare Tri Tip, coated in nummy: everything. It like resuscetated me..I gnawed on it for days.

@Rufous McKinney
I love tri-tip more than any other meat, roast, or what-have-you. It's absolutely the most succulent, flavorsome, totally delicious and delectable protein under the sun. Beats filet mignon all to hell, and even rib-eyes which might run a sort of second..

Three pounds of warm, rare tri-tip wouldn't make it thru the first 20 minutes, and I'd be groaning happily on the nearest couch, sofa, chair, floor, whatever.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@Rufous McKinney , etc

I understand the other link is some general info which is good to know.

I should have entered the usual caveat about how ME affects all of us in different ways, tho some things are universal, i.e, our different metabolism of every-effing-thing, including amino acids and, oddly, B vits. I usually do, but somehow it got by me this time.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@SherDa

I think amino acids are underappreciated for their potential therapeutic value.

I wholeheartedly agree, and wish there was more focused research on their various applications and value to specific conditions.

Right now, it's a long slog thru opaque NCBI research papers and stuff on Hindawi, which many of us just aren;t up to. I can manage it on very good days, otherwise, it might as well be written in Sumerian.

 

[Mary]

Asking me to remember a tag from several weeks ago is like asking me to explain quantum physics. In German.

And you can't do that??

 

[ljimbo423]

And you can't do that??

Of course she can!

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@Mary, @ljimbo423
Well, of COURSE I can (sputter, sputter, frantic glances towards available exits) .... lemme just collect my notes here. May take a minute. They're in Swahili.

At least I think it's Swahili.

Could be Linear B. Hmmmmm .....

Uhhhh ....lemme get back to you on that ..... ( fast dash towards fire exit, which turns out to b a closet) .....

 

[SherDa]

@YippeeKi YOW !! , you wouldn't guess by the title, but 'The Healing Nutrients Within' by Eric Braverman is a book about amino acids. I also have 'A Guide to Amino Acid and Protein Nutrition' by Robert Wolfe that I have not entirely worked my way through yet. (I like to get the Kindle versions and then make the Read Aloud extension on Google read books to me.) Amino acids are pretty interesting to me, but as with other aspects of nutrition, there's SO much we don't know yet.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@SherDa
Thank you for those titles ..... will see if I can get a preview n Amazon to gauge my ability to not just read them, but absorb them in any meaningful way.

The Eric Braverman title seems familiar, I may have read it a while back but remember absolutely nothing !!!!

Sad.

 

[physicsstudent13]

I get inflammation and exhaustion for a day or more even from non denatured whey protein. I don't know if that's a detox reaction and/or production of some inflammatory chemicals or increased glutathione

are amino acids good for brain injuries?

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@physicsstudent13

I get inflammation and exhaustion for a day or more even from non denatured whey protein. I don't know if that's a detox reaction and/or production of some inflammatory chemicals or increased glutathione

I had a really terrible reaction to whey protein after using it daily for many years without incident.

I finally traced it to free glutamic acid, which will be in every whey product made, since they all have to be hydrolyzed in the course of their production, either thru heat, enzymes, or acids, even non-denatured whey protein.

And just to be a bummer, there's really no such thing as un- or non-denatured whey protein powder. No matter how gently they process it, it's denatured from the start by the legally required pasteurization of milk in the US in order to kill certain pathogens. Turning it nto powder form alters it yet again. Flavoring it (if you prefer flavored powder) is another step along the slippery slope of de-naturing it. I could go on and on, but you get the drift.

are amino acids good for brain injuries?

Amino acids can be helpful in rebuilding pretty much any part of the body, including the brain, but there are other things that I think would have to go into healing brain injuries, including the nature and source of the injury. Too deep for me today.

 

[Jwarrior77]

I'm confused about the whole tryptophan thing. Is consuming too much bad or consuming too little? I found a collagen supplement that I'm thinking about taking and it has 0% tryptophan in it. Here's the amino acid profile:

There's also no added flavorings, sugar, or anything artificial. Just bovine collagen and vitamin c.