- Essential Amino Acid
- Preserves Muscle Glycogen
- Maintains Nitrogen Balance
- Protein Synthesis
What is it and where does it come from?
L-Leucine is an essential branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) that's
broken down in fat structures. The other two essential BCAA's are
L-Valine and L-Isoleucine.
L-Leucine can not be made by the body, and must be acquired through
food or dietary supplements. It can be found in nuts, brown rice and
whole wheat bread products.
What does
L-Leucine do?
L-Leucine comprises about eight percent of the total amino acid
count in your body's protein structures; it is the forth most
concentrated amino acid in skeletal muscle tissue.
As one of the three BCAA's, L-Leucine is essential to your basic
health. It has athletic applications.
L-Leucine has many beneficial effects on sports performance. It helps
preserve lean muscle tissue, it supplies the body with energy when
under stress (i.e. when engaging in athletic activity), it preserves
muscle glycogen (glucose stored in muscle tissue used to power muscular
contraction), it maintains nitrogen balance, and it enhances thinking
abilities that can decline as physical activity becomes more intense.
The effects of L-Leucine in the diet are profound. As the strongest of
the BCAA's, L-Leucine is what's known as a "limiting nutrient" -
meaning that you must have enough L-Leucine in proportion to other
amino acids in order for your body to make use of what you eat. Simply:
If you suffer from an L-Leucine deficiency, your body will not be able
to make use of the protein that you give it - no matter how much
protein you consume. And, unless you have enough L-Luecine, the money
you spend on quality food and dietary supplements will be wasted.
To make the most of what you eat, you need two parts L-Leucine and two
parts L-Valine for every one part of L-Isoleucine. You'll fail to get
optimal results if you fall short of meeting this exact ratio. (This
Ratio can be found in 1fast400's product line called "EAA's").
