Apurna BCAA 2:1:1 Review

In your opinion, what is the star of sports nutrition in the dietary supplement aisle? If there’s one that has seen growing success in recent years (especially among people looking to build muscle mass), it’s amino acids. But are they really the miracle dietary supplement they promise to be? And more specifically for endurance athletes?

Text and photos: Jean-François Tatard (DR)

I wanted to check during and after a three-month course of treatment if the benefits lived up to what is claimed everywhere. And since I was going to test a new product, I preferred to knock on Apurna’s door again, as they have consistently given us concrete results with all the other products in the range that we have experimented with in recent years. Quentin Porhiel, the BU manager for this division, which belongs to the Lactalis group, had invited me to test this new range that had just been released at the end of the summer. The objective was also to set up a personalized action plan and find an effective and lasting solution to some of my deficiencies related to my high volume of physical activity, and a diet that was sometimes difficult to regulate in a schedule as busy and unpredictable as mine.

The effects of BCAAs on physical performance

In the field of bodybuilding, BCAA consumption is very popular among athletes looking for an anti-catabolic formula. Indeed, they improve protein synthesis in the muscles to preserve muscle tissue and thus promote anabolism. During training, BCAAs serve as an energy source for muscles because they preserve glycogen stores. These stores constitute the body’s and muscles’ fuel. Thus, BCAAs can be a prime ally to help you perform during physical exertion.

Why take BCAAs for endurance sports?

Nutrition during long-duration efforts can be crucial. Indeed, the body consumes a good number of essential nutrients such as carbohydrates (glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltodextrin…), salt (sodium) as well as minerals (magnesium, potassium, calcium…) and vitamins (B, C, D, E…). Consuming BCAAs during an endurance sport allows for energy production over a long-duration effort such as a run, bike ride, trail run, or triathlon… Indeed, as the effort progresses, glycogen reserves (energy) decrease, leading to fatigue. BCAA intake during a long-duration effort helps reduce the degradation of active muscles, minimizes the degradation of glycogen stores, and decreases the phenomenon of central nervous fatigue, which helps maintain a certain level of excitement during the effort.

The use of BCAAs can therefore be very well done during bodybuilding practice but also during endurance sports. Simple to use, BCAAs are metabolized directly by the muscles and not by the liver, unlike other amino acids. This is why they play an important role for you, triathletes, runners, or cyclists.

Regarding muscle development, the higher leucine content in BCAAs is essential since this amino acid is responsible for protein synthesis. This is why it is preferable to opt for BCAAs with a high leucine ratio but especially with a high amino acid dosage. Indeed, the ratio determines the proportion of leucine compared to the other two branched-chain amino acids but in no way the quantity of leucine.

What BCAA dosage should I take?

As with any use of dietary supplements, the effects occur from a certain recommended dosage. For a sport like yours, Quentin, the BU manager at Apurna, suggested that I take at least one 6g spoon of BCAA per hour of long-duration event for a total of approximately 12g maximum. And I took it in this form in a 400g jar to mix with water or with an effort drink.

When to take BCAAs for endurance?

BCAA consumption can be done during endurance sports (cycling, triathlon, or running) to make them available at the time of effort. But during my test, I mainly took them after training because that’s when I felt the most need for them.

Why BCAA 2:1:1 amino acids?

Apurna’s BCAA 2:1:1 branched-chain amino acids are ideal for athletes engaged in endurance or power sports. They help promote recovery by repairing muscle tissue. This BCAA intake during exercise also helps provide a quick source of energy in addition to carbohydrates. They will limit the use of muscle amino acids as an energy source during exercise, thus promoting recovery and muscle building.

These three branched-chain amino acids (Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine) are predominantly present in muscle tissue (35%). They are called essential because they are not naturally produced by the body. They must therefore be supplied through diet. For athletes, it is difficult to consume enough BCAAs through diet to meet the body’s needs. Supplementation is therefore necessary to meet the muscular needs of athletes.

The 2.1.1 ratio, 2 (Leucine), 1 (Valine), 1 (Isoleucine) is said to be “natural” because it corresponds to the natural ratio of these branched-chain amino acids in the muscle.

What other ingredients are in the BCAA 2:1:1 tub?

It contains: maltodextrin, branched-chain amino acids (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine), natural red fruit flavor, acidifiers (malic acid, citric acid), natural blackcurrant flavor, concentrated red beet juice powder, sweeteners (sucralose, acesulfame potassium), and vitamin B6.

How does it work in practice?

Eating a meal rich in protein and BCAAs increases the body’s rate of muscle protein synthesis. This is important because you need to have a positive protein balance to gain muscle and therefore strength. Your body undergoes continuous muscle protein turnover, with periods of increased muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and periods of muscle protein breakdown (MPB).

If your total muscle protein synthesis exceeds muscle protein breakdown, you will gain muscle power. On the other hand, if MPB exceeds MPS, the overall result will be a loss of muscle efficiency.

Thus, BCAA supplementation can help increase the rate of muscle protein synthesis in your body. An increased MPS rate will lead to a positive protein balance and subsequently increase the likelihood of strength and power gains.

The benefits of Apurna BCAAs?

For those who read 3bikes.fr, it’s not muscle hypertrophy, or increased muscle growth as bodybuilders understand it, that interests us. In reality, we are essentially looking to increase our power and strength…

Due to the impact of BCAAs on increasing MPS rates, BCAA supplements have generally been used to maximize muscle growth. Despite this, evidence does not corroborate the theory that BCAAs alone can increase muscle power. According to studies, BCAAs act as a signal and a building block for muscle protein synthesis. However, all essential amino acids must be present to maintain the rate of muscle protein synthesis in order to build muscle. Therefore, consuming a good whey protein supplement, containing all essential amino acids and rich in BCAAs, such as those offered in the 400-gram tub from the Breton sports nutrition brand, is a much better strategy for optimizing muscle power gain.

For muscle pain and recovery

My test essentially showed that Apurna BCAA supplementation reduced the sensation of muscle pain after intense training. Excellent news for those who struggle to get up from a chair after a trail run with a lot of elevation gain and loss, or a big maximum power workout on an indoor trainer. However, to improve recovery in a way that affects muscle performance, the effects of BCAAs seem more minimal. For example, my experiment showed no effect on the performance of plyometric or vertical jump and squat tests despite BCAA supplementation. I mainly identified an optimization of my recovery.

Low-protein meals

Although I still lack more precise and concrete evidence to support the use of BCAAs for muscle growth and recovery, BCAA supplementation has provided me with a benefit in certain circumstances. Indeed, one of the biggest advantages of supplementing with this BCAA powder lies in how it “saves” some of my low-protein meals. This can be very useful if you, too, find yourself in a situation where your food intake is a bit out of control. For example, if you are faced with a busy day of meetings at work and the only option is the dreaded sandwich buffet. Having this source of BCAAs on hand can help ensure that your low-protein meal will still increase the rate of muscle protein synthesis.

My opinion

Many of the health benefits attributed to these BCAA powders do not, for the time being, always have a scientific basis. Despite my research, I cannot find enough evidence to say that BCAA powder helps with a lot of prodigious good things. But my three-month test did show a beneficial effect of this substance on reducing fatigue and optimizing recovery. Moreover, it should be noted that it is not a medicine, but a dietary supplement. And for my part, I was also quickly convinced of the effectiveness of this substance offered by Apurna. The dietary supplement that Gregory and Quentin offered me to try meets my requirements. It is a dietary supplement that truly contributes to my well-being.

In summary, what I observed…

• A gradual disappearance of fatigue
• The sensation of much better form after one week
• A better general state
• Improved mental health and the impression of a stronger mind
• Improved mental performance
• Improved physical performance
• A moderating effect on muscle glycogen degradation
• A moderating effect on the depletion of muscle glycogen stores within the endurance exercise itself

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