Protein Supplements

A feature article by an Alumbo member, Apr 10, 2008         

Summary: To understand the significance of protein intake to weight training individuals it will be helpful to get a little technical and start at the source of everything: What exactly is protein? and, What impact does it have on us?

 
About Protein

To understand the significance of protein intake to weight training individuals it will be helpful to get a little technical and start at the source of everything: What exactly is protein? and, What impact does it have on us?

Definition of Protein:

Protein is a formation of complex, organic macromolecules consisting of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur. It is composed of one or more chains of amino acids. Proteins are fundamental components of all living cells and substances that include enzymes, hormones, and antibodies. These are all extremely important and are required for the normal function of an organism. Protein is essential in the diet of animals for the growth and repair of tissue and can be obtained from foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, and legumes. In recent times it has been developed into more potent forms in bodybuilding supplements that are widely used to facilitate intense training.

Definition of Amino Acids:

Chemically, an Amino Acid is an organic compound containing an amino group, a carboxylic acid group, and any of a variety of side groups with a similar chemical signature. They can link together, by peptide bonds, to form proteins or, can function as chemical messengers and as intermediates in metabolism (a conversion to other useful substances). They are the building blocks of protein at its most basic form. There are 20 types of amino acids, 8 of which are essential. This means that they must be attained from food as they cannot be sourced from the body like the non-essential amino acids can.

Definition of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs):

The Amino Acids Leucine, Valine and Isoleucine are called “Branched Chain” because they have a different molecular structure to their brethren. They are 3 of the 8 “Essential” amino acids and are supplemented into diets in an effort to keep the body in an anabolic state (a positive state of growth). The reason they are called BCAA’s is because their structure indicates that they “branch” off another atom instead of forming a straight line in the usual pattern. This tends to make them more versatile and more useful, especially for intense weight training.

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BCAA supplementation can assist skeletal muscle growth and maintenance, enhance fat loss, aid energy stores, increase protein synthesis and inhibit the breakdown of proteins. There has also been some indication of increased anabolic hormone release. For weight training and athletic purposes it is desirable to keep your body in a state of positive nitrogen balance which means that you are never lacking in usable protein for growth and maintenance. Ingestion of BCAAs can help this.

Another important BCAA characteristic is the available metabolic conversion to useful energy in times of physical stress from extended exercise activity. There is a process called the Alanine-Glucose Cycle whereby a BCAA is released from muscle cells and is broken down into nitrogen and carbon. The nitrogen unit forms an Amino Acid called Alanine. This in turn is used to form a glucose unit which is immediately utilized for energy production. The carbon molecule is directly burnt as fuel. Thus the blood sugar levels are maintained sustaining energy production and vitality.

Joey Sheather is the head trainer at Global Weight Training, which provides step-by-step instructions on how to get into shape in the shortest possible time. For more information, visit Online Personal Trainer.

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