Best BCAA For Women: Top 7 Supplements You Should Try In 2024

Amino acids are components of the proteins that make up the human body. There are twenty different amino acids, nine of which are considered essential for humans. This simply means they can’t be synthesized in the body and must come from your diet. 

Of those nine essential amino acids, three are known as branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). These include: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. 

Branched-chain amino acids are required for building and repairing muscles. They also support liver health. BCAAs may help mitigate symptoms^[1] in people suffering from cirrhosis, a chronic disease that impairs liver function. 

You can find branched-chain amino acids in protein-rich foods like chicken, beef, turkey, and fish as well as eggs and some dairy products. 

If you want to quickly increase your daily intake of branched-chain amino acids, taking a BCAA supplement is a great option.

We’ve come up with a list of the 7 best BCAAS for women to help you achieve your health and fitness goals. Check out our favorites below.

Best BCAA For Women In 2024

What Are BCAA Supplements?

Generally speaking, branched-chain amino acids are an energy source for your muscles. They are named for their molecular structure which includes three branches of amino acid chains. BCAAs are found in significant quantities in muscle protein, so adequate daily intake is essential. BCAAs are also found in dairy and legumes for those who don’t eat meat.

BCAA supplements help provide the body with the amino acids needed to support muscle maintenance, growth, and repair. They play a key role in sports nutrition but can be beneficial for anyone looking to improve workout performance, lose weight, or simply achieve adequate protein intake for optimal health.

The best amino acid supplements contain the ideal balance of leucine to isoleucine and valine. They should come in a manageable serving size with safe, natural ingredients without too many unnecessary additives. It’s also important to verify the safety of a BCAA supplement by choosing a brand that uses third-party testing. 

How Do BCAAs Work?

Branched-chain amino acids represent three of the nine essential amino acids your body needs. They’re a key component of the protein that makes up your muscles. Because the body can’t synthesize protein on its own, these essential amino acids must come from your daily diet. BCAAs help promote muscle protein synthesis. 

BCAA supplementation helps ensure that your muscles have the protein they need during exercise and they support recovery after a workout. By providing fuel for your muscles before a workout, BCAAs help you preserve your body’s glycogen stores.^[2] This means you’ll have more stored energy to tap into throughout the workout. Glycogen functions as an energy reserve for the body both short-term and long-term.

Maintaining your body’s glycogen stores also ensures that you have plenty of energy throughout the day to prevent your body from breaking down muscle protein. 

Branched-chain amino acid supplements provide a simple way to boost BCAA intake. They’re easy to take before a workout but can also be consumed during or after exercise. They work best in conjunction with a healthy and balanced diet.

Benefits Of BCAA For Women

Any athlete can benefit from taking a branched-chain amino acid supplement. They help athletes maintain muscle mass and speed muscle recovery. In combination with strength training and adequate overall protein intake, BCAA supplements may also help build muscle mass. All that being said, a BCAA supplement has specific benefits for women:

Reduced Appetite

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or maintain lean muscle mass, it may help to take dietary supplements that suppress appetite. A BCAA supplement might be just what you need. Leucine, one of the three amino acids in BCAA supplements, activates an enzyme called mTOR.^[3] This enzyme plays an important role in protein synthesis and regulates cell growth. As mTOR levels increase in the body, it sends a signal to the brain that its nutritional needs are met which reduces hunger.

Increased Metabolism

Having more muscle tissue in your body speeds up your metabolism. A faster metabolism helps you burn more calories when you exercise, and also while you’re at rest. By supporting protein synthesis and helping you build muscle, branched-chain amino acid supplements may help increase your metabolism.

Increase Muscle Growth

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or maintain lean muscle mass, it may help to take dietary supplements if you’re looking to build lean muscle mass, taking a BCAA supplement after a workout^[4] can help provide for your body’s increased protein requirements. These supplements support muscle protein synthesis and they provide energy to fuel your workouts. This enables you to work harder and achieve greater muscle gain. Taking BCAAs may also speed muscle recovery and help prevent muscle soreness after a tough workout.

Reduced Muscle Soreness

Tough workouts put a lot of strain on your muscles. Unless you consume enough calories and protein, your body may end up breaking down lean muscle for fuel. Stress on the muscles is what makes you sore after a workout but taking a BCAA supplement can help. 

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) usually develops 12 to 24 hours after exercise and it is believed to be the result of tiny tears in the muscle. By decreasing the damage caused to the muscle during your workouts, branched-chain amino acids may help reduce muscle fatigue and the length and severity of DOMS.

Better Reproductive Health

Balanced nutrition is essential during pregnancy, especially the protein that helps fuel the growth and development of the fetus. Adequate intake of branched-chain amino acids and other essential amino acids is incredibly important. Taking a BCAA supplement can help ensure you get enough leucine, isoleucine, and valine in your diet during pregnancy.

Improved Hormone Balance

While women exhibit much higher estrogen levels than men, testosterone is still important – especially if you want to gain weight in the form of muscle. A BCAA supplement may help boost testosterone levels^[5] to the level needed to support muscle growth. BCAAs may also help reduce cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone that, at high levels, can impair progesterone production and increase blood sugar. Taking BCAAs may help stabilize blood glucose levels.

Support For Weight Loss

Exercise plays an important role in weight loss, but if you don’t provide your body with plenty of protein you may end up losing muscle mass in addition to body fat. BCAAs help prevent muscle breakdown which can occur when you don’t consume enough protein. Once your energy stores are depleted, the body starts breaking down the protein in your muscles.
If you want to lose body fat, you need to burn more calories^[6] than you consume. Taking BCAA supplements helps ensure that the body weight you shed comes from fat instead of muscle.

Potential Side Effects

There are no official recommendations for daily BCAA dosage, though your needs will likely vary depending on your body weight and your fitness goals. It’s best to talk to your doctor to determine how much BCAA supplementation you might require based on your diet.

Even the best BCAAsupplement comes with the risk of side effects. These supplements are generally considered safe when taken as directed, but taking too high a dose may increase your risk for certain diseases.

Research suggests a link between BCAAs and the following diseases:

• Diabetes
• Nonalcoholic liver disease
• Cancer
• Heart disease

A 2018 study^[7] published in Nutrition & Metabolism found that increased BCAA levels could be a marker of type 2 diabetes. It remains unclear, however, whether BCAAs are involved in the development of insulin resistance. Some research^[8] also suggests that BCAAs could be a marker for certain cardiovascular diseases.
Regarding nonalcoholic liver disease, a 2016 study^[9] revealed an association between high levels of BCAA and impaired liver function. High levels of BCAA may also fuel cancer growth. A 2018 review^[10] suggested that BCAAs may be essential nutrients for cancer growth and could increase growth in tumors.

How To Choose The Best BCAA?

Before taking a dietary supplement, it’s important to do your research. Not only should you consult your doctor to determine whether you truly need a supplement, but talk about the ingredients to look for and the proper dosage. 

Here are some things to look for when shopping for a BCAA supplement:

Amino Acid Ratio

A good BCAA supplement will contain all three branched-chain amino acids but it’s still important to check the ratio. The ideal ratio is about 2:1:1 leucine to isoleucine to valine. Consider what goal you’re trying to achieve when looking at the ratio of leucine to other amino acids. The best BCAA for female weight loss, for example, might be different from the best option for muscle growth.

Supplement Form

Generally speaking, the best BCAAs for women come in powder form. A BCAA powder can be mixed with water or other liquids and consumed before, during, or after exercise. Capsules may not be ideal because the serving size would be too large to be practical.

Serving Size

Take a look at how many grams of BCAAs are in each scoop of BCAA powder. More isn’t always better because you don’t want to overload your body. A product that contains somewhere around 7 grams of BCAA per scoop works for many people but, again, be sure to check the ratio of the three branched-chain amino acids.

Ingredients

Aside from the BCAAs themselves, check the list of ingredients for other additives. If you’re sensitive to certain ingredients, this is particularly important. Keep in mind as well that some BCAA powders are whey-based which could be a problem for those allergic to dairy. 

It’s also worth noting whether the product contains other amino acids like threonine or tryptophan while added electrolytes can help support hydration. Check for unnecessary additives like artificial sweeteners or synthetic colors as well.

Third-Party Testing

Before you put anything in your body, you have to determine whether it’s safe. You can’t always take marketing claims at face value. To determine whether a product is safe or not, look for third-party lab tests on the brand’s website. Some manufacturers even print a QR code on the label so you can look up test results for the specific batch. 

Look for quality certification programs for supplements such as Consumers Lab, U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), or NSF where purity and safety is their goal.

Final Thought

Whether you’re trying to prevent muscle soreness, boost muscle protein synthesis, or increase fat burn, a branched-chain amino acid supplement could help. 

No matter your fitness goals, it’s important to find a supplement that will provide the BCAAs you need without any unnecessary ingredients. The product should be well-tested and well-reviewed, and it should come at an affordable price point. 

If you’re looking for a BCAA supplement for women, consider one of the options reviewed above.

Frequently Asked Questions

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