amino acid supplementation on athletic performance

NadiaBarozzi|PharmD,PhD,MASETHNH,NLPMasterPrac66oner

Healthy4LifeSport&Nutri/on


NadiaBarozzi|PharmD,PhD,MASETHNH,NLPMasterPrac66oner|[email protected]|+41793539163

Aminoacidsarethebuildingblocksofproteinsandthey are essen6al for the synthesis of proteins,enzymes, neurotransmiNers, and certainhormones.Amino acids are involved in metabolic pathwaysthatengageexercisemetabolism.Therefore,ithasbeen suggested that athletes training intensivelymay require addi6onal protein intake or shouldsupplementtheirdietwithtargetaminoacids.

Introduc/on



Many studies indicate that in order to maintainprotein balance during intense resistance and/orendurance training, athletes should intakeapproximately 1.3 to 1.8 g protein per kg of bodyweightperday.



Intake of protein with carbohydrate may increaseinsulin and/or growth hormone levels to a greaterdegreethantheintakeofcarbohydratealone.Intake of protein and carbohydrate prior to exercisemayhaveanan6-cataboliceffect.Intake of carbohydrate and protein following exercisemay promote a more anabolic effect, glycogen re-synthesis,and/orfastenrecoveryfromintenseexercise.Over 6me these altera6ons may allow an athlete tobeNer tolerate training and/or promote trainingadapta6ons.



Certain amino acids such as arginine,his/dine, lysine,methionine, ornithine, andphenylalanine may s6mulate the release ofg r ow th h o rmone , i n s u l i n , a nd / o rglucocor6coids, thus promo6ng anabolicprocesses.

AnabolicAminoAcids



BCAA supplementa6on may decreaseexercise-induced protein degrada6on and/ormuscleenzymerelease(anindicatorofmuscledamage) possibly by promo6ng an an6-catabolichormonaleffect.

Branched-ChainAminoAcids(BCAA)



The availability of BCAA during exercise hasbeentheorizedtocontributetocentralfa6gue.ThedeclineinplasmaBCAAsduringenduranceexercisecanresultinanincreaseinthera6ooffreetryptophantoBCAAs.FreetryptophanandBCAAscompeteforentryintothebrainviathesameamino-acidcarrier.

Branched-ChainAminoAcids



AdecreaseinplasmaBCAAs facilitatestheentryoftryptophanintothebrain.In endurance exercise, free faNy-acid (FFA)concentra6on increases, rising free plasmatryptophan.ThedeclineinplasmaBCAAsandincreaseinfreetryptophanduringprolongedenduranceexercisealtersthera6ooffreetryptophantoBCAAs:theentryoftryptophanintothebrainincreases.




Anincreasedconcentra6onoftryptophaninthebrain promotes the forma6on of theneurotransmiNer5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT).An exercise-induced imbalance in the ra6o offree tryptophan to BCAAs could be a possiblecause of acute physiological and psychologicalfa6gue.




Chronic eleva6ons in 5-HT concentra6on mayexplain someof the signsand symptomsof theovertraining syndrome: postural hypotension,amenorrhea, immunosuppression, anemia,appe6te suppression and weight loss,depression,anddecreasedperformance.




Crea/ne is a naturally occurring amino acidderived from the amino acids glycine, arginine,and methionine. Most crea/ne is stored inskeletal muscle; the rest is found in the heart,brain, and testes. The daily requirement ofcrea6ne is approximately 2-3g; half of it isobtained from thediet (primarily frommeatandfish)theremainingissynthesized.

Crea/ne



Crea/nesupplementa6onhasbeenproposedasameansto"load"musclewithcrea6neandphosphocrea/ne. Theore6cally, an increasedstore of crea/ne or phosphocrea/ne mayimprove the ability to produce energy duringhighintensityexerciseandincreasethespeedofrecoveryfromhigh-intensityexercise.

Crea/ne



Short-termcrea/nesupplementa/onincreasestotal body mass, work performed duringmul6ple sets of maximal effort musclecontrac6ons,andsingleand/orrepe66vesprintcapacity.Long-term crea/ne supplementa/on duringtrainingmaypromotegreaterstrengthgain,fat-freemass,andsprintperformance.

Crea/ne



The leucine metabolite HMB has beenhypothesized to promote gains in fat-freemassandstrengthduringresistancetraining.Leucineand itsmetaboliteα-ketoisocaproateappeartoinhibitproteindegrada6on,andthisan6-proteoly6c effect may be mediated byHMB.

Hydroxymethylbutyrate(HMB)



Supplemen6ng with leucine and/orHMB mayinhibit protein degrada6on during periodsassociated with increased proteolysis, such asresistancetraining.




HMB supplementa6on during training mayenhance training adapta6ons in untrainedindividualsini6a6ngtraining.It is less clear whether HMB supplementa6onpromotes greater gains in fat-free mass andstrength during resistance training in well-trainedathletes.




Glutamine supplementa6on has beensuggestedtopromotemusclegrowth.

Glutamine



•  Carbohydrate/proteinpriortoexercisemayreducecatabolism.

•  Carbohydrate/protein following exercise may promote glycogen re-synthesisandrecovery.

•  Certain amino acids (e.g., arginine, his6dine, lysine, methionine,ornithine, and phenylalanine) may s6mulate the release of growthhormone,insulin,and/orglucocor6coids(anaboliceffect).

•  BCCAsandglutaminehavebeenhypothesizedtoaffectcentralfa6gue.

•  Crea6ne supplementa6on may be safe and effec6ve to enhanceintermiNent high-intensity exercise performance as well as trainingadapta6ons.

•  HMB supplementa6on may reduce catabolism and promote greatergains in strength and fat-free mass in untrained individuals ini6a6ngtraining.

Insummary…

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amino acid supplementation on athletic performance

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