Pure instantized branched chain amino acids!

What is IBCAA?

IBCAA’s are Instantized Branched Chain Amino Acids in a 2:1:1 ratio of L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine. Unlike regular BCAA’s found at other bulk supplement stores, our Ajinopure IBCAA’s have been manufactured by Ajinomoto and are recognized as the purest, best tasting, and most water soluble BCAA’s available in the world.

Being that BCAA’s are essential amino acids, they must be supplied by dietary or supplemental sources, since the body cannot synthesize them. IBCAA’s are the perfect supplement to any beverage or protein shake. At the average recommended dose of 2 servings per day, a bottle of IBCAA will last 20 days.

Why would I want to use BCAA’s?

When I go on a low carbohydrate diet for fat loss, I’ll always use 3-4 servings of BCAA’s every day.

Why you ask?

Because BCAA’s help burn off body fat and preserve muscle very efficiently –especially if you are on a ketogenic or low calorie diet (also referred to as therapeutic starvation).

Essentially, starvation is when the body must feed upon itself – so it is up to you to direct the body to feed upon the fat, rather than the muscle if you want to sculpt out a chiseled physique. BCAA’s are quite possibly the most important tool for making this happen. The science is a little complex, but here are the basic ideas:

1. The state of starvation can be created by either burning more calories than you consume, or consuming less calories than you burn. Either way, it’s called a calorie deficit, and you must be in a calorie deficit in order to burn off fat.

2. During a normal calorie deficit, blood glucose is used up as an energy source. When blood glucose gets too low, cortisol is released which causes the breakdown and conversion of muscle to glucose (This is bad for fat loss). (1)

3. BCAA supplementation helps prevent muscle breakdown by sparing glucose (as an energy source) and instead encourages the release of ketones, which are then used as an alternative source of energy. (7)

4. Ketones are a byproduct of fat metabolism. When ketones are present, this means fat is being used as an energy source. Ketones also have the ability to prevent protein breakdown and catabolism of muscle tissue. (This is good for fat loss and preservation of muscle tissue) (8-10)

The anti-catabolic fat loss effects of BCAA’s were clearly demonstrated in a 21-day study with a group of hikers trekking through the Peruvian Andes. (4) One group received 15gm/day of BCAA’s, while the other group received a placebo. At the end of the 21 days, the BCAA group actually gained lean muscle and lost more body fat than the placebo group which had a significant reduction in muscle mass and strength.

The researchers noted -

“From the differences in lean body mass one may conclude that on the whole the placebo group was catabolizing, whereas the BCAA group was synthesizing muscle tissue.”

Which group would you rather be in?

So there it is folks, the secret to fat loss. Encourage your body to use fat (ketones) for fuel, save the muscle from breakdown, and get ripped. Just know that if you want to get truly ripped, your intake of calories (and preferably your carbohydrates) need to be low enough.

Will IBCAA help if I’m not dieting?

If you already consume 400-500 grams of animal based protein everyday you probably won’t notice additional benefits from BCAA supplementation since you probably get plenty of BCAA’s from your dietary protein – however, most normal humans have a hard time consuming this much protein each day – and this is where BCAA’s come in to fill the gap.

Can’t find time to grill up some protein? Or don’t want consume a sugar loaded protein bar?

This would be a perfect time to slam down a quick mix of IBCAA’s.

In fact researchers found that supplementing with ~15gm/day of BCAA’s increased protein retention just as much as a 200lb individual increasing total protein from 54gm to 90gms/day. (2-3) By increasing protein retention, BCAA’s can help retain and increase the availability of circulating amino acids and promote muscle growth through stimulation of protein synthesis. (12-20) The L-Leucine in IBCAA is especially important for this purpose as it’s been shown to have a direct effect on protein synthesis through mTOR signaling and AMPK activation. (21-24)

An additional benefit of BCAA’s was demonstrated in a study with a group of runners. (25) The first group received a milk protein mixture with 10 grams of BCAA’s. The second group received a milk protein mixture without BCAA’s. Both groups consumed the beverage 90 minutes before the run test. In the BCAA group, testosterone stayed the same during the exercise, and increased during the recovery period, while testosterone declined in the non-BCAA group. This shows an additive effect of BCAA’s when consumed with dietary protein.

Other research has shown that BCAA’s can enhance the anabolic (muscle building) effect of insulin. (11) The effect was summarized here by Maria et al –

“We can speculate that the amino acid-mediated [BCAA] enhancement of sensitivity and responsiveness of the tissues to the actions of insulin on suppressing proteolysis may be partly related to increased binding of insulin to its receptors, as well as to associated improvements in postreceptor function”

In laymen’s terms, BCAA’s could be considered a “growth optimizer” that help drive the amino acids into muscle tissue, encourage connection of individual amino acids into proteins than constitute the structural muscle – aka protein synthesis – and support further anabolic effect by supporting post exercise testosterone levels.

In summary, BCAA’s can offer the following benefits for muscle growth:

• Promoting a positive protein balance
• Increased muscle protein synthesis
• Increase the post exercise testosterone : cortisol ratio
• Increased insulin sensitivity

Are BCAA’s safe?

When used at the maximum recommended 20 gm daily dose, BCAA’s have been proven to be safe for long-term supplementation. (26-27)