Leucine & Muscle Growth

Leucine is a essential amino acid, which means it cannot be produced by your body. Supplementation of this amino acid is popular among athletes. Research has shown how leucine can be used to promote weight loss and muscle growth; for that reason it's often taken in supplement form. Leucine is available in capsule or raw powder form alone or in a combination of supplements.

Leucine & Low-Calorie Diet

• Athlete and health nuts go on low-calorie diets to help rid their bodies of fat and increase muscle definition. Lean tissue loss is contributed to low calorie diets because the body relies on protein for energy. Evidence is present that leucine supplementation can help retain lean mass in a low calorie diet.

Protein Synthesis

• A study out of the University of Texas, Austin, TX, considered the cell signaling effects of leucine. Leucine solution can rapidly activate the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway that causes protein synthesis to occur in skeletal muscle. mTOR is enhanced when a leucine solution is ingested directly after resistance exercise. Protein synthesis is important to conteract the muscle wasting effects of catabolism.

HMB

• Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) acts like an anticatabolic agent that helps prevent muscle damage. One study showed that two weeks of HMB supplementation at 3g/day helped decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and muscle damage in non-trained men.

Conflicts

• There are some conflicts with HMB research. Many studies are only available in abstract form, which makes it hard to clinically go over the results. Research seems to prove HMB effectiveness in non-resistance trained males. There is little information proving the effectiveness in older and resistance trained males. More research must be done in longer, more tightly observed trials.

Warning

• Whether or not you have pre-existing medical conditions, do not begin supplementation with leucine before asking your doctor.