BCAA side effects
What are BCAAs?
BCAAs are dietary supplements that can be adequately supplied through a balanced and healthy diet. Athletes can have a higher need for BCAAs through intensive and frequent training and must therefore take these additionally through supplementation.
Basically, BCAAs are safe for healthy people to take. Older athletes as well as athletes with previous illnesses should speak to a doctor before taking BCAAs. Otherwise, the intake is to be assessed as risk-free. Side effects can only occur at very high doses.
Read also: BCAA - effect and function.
Are there any known side effects?
BCAAs promise faster and stronger muscle building and better strength development. Therefore, more and more athletes are taking BCAAs through dietary supplements. (See also BCAA to build muscle)
Many are a bit relaxed with the dosage, so that there can sometimes be side effects. However, these usually only occur in the event of extreme overdosage. Rather, care should be taken to choose the amount of intake so that no BCAAs are wasted.
Amino acids that the body can no longer absorb are excreted through the gastrointestinal tract and are therefore worthless. So side effects are not only related to the body. Amino acids wasted pointlessly mean supplements paid for for free. It is therefore important to include the amino acids that are ingested through food in the daily dose. Nutritional tables show exactly which foods contain how many milligrams of BCAAs.
Which factors influence the side effects?
If side effects occur after taking BCAAs, the side effects can be influenced by several factors. BCAA powders have the specialty that they contain ingredients for taste, consistency and solubility. When mixed with water or other liquids, this composition of the powder can lead to side effects. If water is used to mix, no side effects are to be expected. It can look different with milk. The lactose alone can lead to side effects, which mainly affect the stomach.
An undesirable effect can be increased hair growth. As a result, visits to the hairdresser can be more frequent, and undesirable extra costs arise due to the use of BCAAs. However, this side effect is rare and should therefore not be overweighted.
Overall, when taking nutritional supplements, it is important to be healthy with your own body. In addition, to be on the safe side, you should ask your doctor for advice before adding BCAAs. In general, BCAAs can be seen as a relatively safe dietary supplement.
What happens in the event of an overdose?
One effect that is noticeable in the event of an overdose is the high financial burden of purchasing the BCAAs. Quantities that the body cannot absorb are superfluous and are excreted again.
However, the high amounts of BCAAs put additional stress on the organs, so that, in addition to the empty wallet, there is also a high level of physical strain when processing the BCAAs. You don't have to put this unnecessary strain on your body.
Other side effects, which are very individual, such as stomach problems and digestive problems, occur rarely and disappear again when the overdose is over.
Dosage recommendations for an average athlete are made up as follows:
- Leucine: 4 - 5 grams per day
- Isoleucine: 2 grams per day
- Valine: 4 grams per day
Even higher recommendations apply only to competitive and extreme athletes. Otherwise, all doses above these recommendations are to be regarded as overdosing and do not bring any further benefits for training, strength and muscles.
Read about it: Dosage and intake of BCAA
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