Are BCAAs Vegan?

Updated on  February 26, 2023
William Toro

Published By:  William Toro

Fact Checked by: Bridget MacDonald, RDN


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BCAAs may help exercise performance and muscle growth, but are BCAAs vegan? 

Unfortunately, most BCAA supplements aren't vegan, but there are plant-based, vegan-friendly BCAAs available. 

Finding vegan BCAAs starts with understanding what BCAAs are, how they can help your fitness goals, and how they're typically manufactured. 

Below we'll cover all of that. Then we'll discuss natural vegan sources of BCAAs and why you might consider a supplement instead. 

Finally, we'll touch on what to look for in a vegan BCAA supplement to ensure you get the best quality plant-sourced BCAAs.  

What Are BCAAs?

BCAAs are branch chain amino acids that may help protein synthesis and glucose metabolism. In other words, they might help with muscle growth and provide other fitness-related benefits. 

Amino acids are protein building blocks. While there are twenty amino acids, humans only need to get nine of them from their diet. We can create the rest ourselves.

The nine essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. (1)

Of those nine diet-essential amino acids, only three have branch chains: (2)

  • Leucine
  • Isoleucine
  • And Valine

The branched-chain amino acids appear in the chemical structure of the amino acid and allow those specific amino acids to fulfill certain metabolic and physiologic roles. Many of those roles have to do with muscle growth and recovery. That's why BCAAs are a popular fitness supplement, and many athletes choose to consume them in pill or powder form as intra-workout or pre/post their workout.  Some protein supplements also have essential amino acid.

What Are the Benefits of Taking BCAAs?

There are several benefits to taking branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), but the biggest one is probably their ability to promote muscle growth. 

According to this study, people who consumed a drink with 5.6 grams of BCAAs in the post-workout period had a 22% increase in muscle protein synthesis compared to a placebo. (3)

That said, there's evidence that drinking whey protein, which contains all the essential amino acids, has an even more significant muscle-building effect. However, whey protein is only available through animal sources and isn't suitable for a vegan diet. (4)

BCAAs may also inhibit muscle soreness, allowing you to recover faster and train more often. 

Soreness after working out has a clinical name: delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Unfortunately, researchers have yet to pinpoint the exact cause of DOMS. However, many theorize that DOMS comes from minor cell and muscle damage that occurs during tough workouts. (5)

If that is indeed the cause, BCAAs might be part of the cure for DOMS. A couple of studies have shown that BCAAs can decrease muscle damage. 

In one study, BCAAs reduced protein damage during exercise. And in another, BCAAs decreased the amount of creatine kinase, an indicator of muscle damage. (6, 7)

On top of encouraging muscle growth and decreasing soreness, BCAAs may reduce fatigue during exercise. 

In one study, those who supplemented with BCAAs during their workout saw improved mental focus, which is an indicator of reduced fatigue.  (8)

How does each amino acid help?

Most essential amino acids are made by the human body themselves but sometimes lack of proper diet can make it necessary to consume supplementing bcaas.

There are several benefits to taking branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), but the biggest one is probably their ability to promote muscle growth. 

According to this study, people who consumed a drink with 5.6 grams of BCAAs in the post-workout period had a 22% increase in muscle protein synthesis compared to a placebo. (3)

That said, there's evidence that drinking whey protein, which contains all the essential amino acids, has an even more significant muscle-building effect. However, whey protein is only available through animal sources and isn't suitable for a vegan diet. (4)

BCAAs may also inhibit muscle soreness, allowing you to recover faster and train more often. 

Soreness after working out has a clinical name: delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Unfortunately, researchers have yet to pinpoint the exact cause of DOMS. However, many theorize that DOMS comes from minor cell and muscle damage that occurs during tough workouts. (5)

If that is indeed the cause, BCAAs might be part of the cure for DOMS. A couple of studies have shown that BCAAs can decrease muscle damage. 

In one study, BCAAs reduced protein damage during exercise. And in another, BCAAs decreased the amount of creatine kinase, an indicator of muscle damage. (6, 7)

On top of encouraging muscle growth and decreasing soreness, BCAAs may reduce fatigue during exercise. 

In one study, those who supplemented with BCAAs during their workout saw improved mental focus, which is an indicator of reduced fatigue.  (8)

How does each amino acid help?

Most essential amino acids are made by the human body themselves but sometimes lack of proper diet can make it necessary to consume supplementing bcaas.

Leucine

It is an essential amino acid that helps in muscle protein synthesis and muscle growth. It is also found to manage blood sugar by facilitating glucose uptake and by improving response to insulin.

The daily recommended intake of leucine is 18 mg per pound of body weight or 3.1 gms per day for a 80 Kgs weight as per WHO recommendation.

(9, 10, 11) (12, 13) (14)

Isoleucine

It plays a critical role in the physiological functions of the whole body function. It also helps in boosting energy levels and endurance apart from controlling blood sugar.

Valine

Valine helps in muscle regeneration and growth apart from involved in energy production.

Another branched-chain amino acid is mostly found in meat and dairy products. Vegans should look at consuming them externally as supplements.

What Are Typical BCAAs Made From?  

There are clearly some benefits to supplementing with BCAAs, but those following a vegan diet will need to find the right BCAAs to supplement with. That's because standard BCAAs are full of animal-sourced ingredients. 

This gets a little gross, but typical BCAAs come from keratin which manufacturers collect from animal hair, feathers, and hooves. Some BCAAs may even use human hair as a source of keratin, which is arguably disturbing. (15)

What Are Vegan BCAAs Made From? 

Luckily, there are plant sources of BCAAs that vegans can take advantage of without harming any animal life. Vegan BCAAs come from vegetable matter, most often soy or corn. They can also come from sources such as sunflower seeds, coconut, or chickpeas. 

The vegetable material is fermented so that naturally occurring BCAAs can be extracted and put into a convenient powder or pill form.  

How Do Vegans Get BCAAs Naturally? 

Those on a plant-based diet don't have to consume BCAAs in powder or pill form. Instead, BCAAs are naturally available in vegan foods that many vegans are already eating, like chickpeas, tofu, and lentils. 

Really, any vegan food high in protein will likely have a considerable amount of BCAAs.

Some critical sources of amino acids in plant-based foods are :

  1. Soy
  2. Legumes (Lentils, Beans, Chickpeas)
  3. Nuts (Almond, Cashew, Peanuts)
  4. Whole Grains (Brown Rice, Whole Grain Bread)

Why Should I Use a BCAA Supplement?

Consuming BCAAs in natural forms is great, but it might not give you the workout boost you're seeking. That's because, with BCAAS, timing may play a pivotal role. 

Though the research on timing BCAAs doesn't necessarily support it, many athletes will tell you that consuming BCAAs directly before or after a workout makes all the difference. Waiting an hour or two to drink them doesn't have the same effect, at least anecdotally.  (16)

It can be hard to pack down a plate of tofu or lentils directly before or directly after a tough squat session or sprint series. For many, drinking a BCAA-loaded beverage is much easier. 

And, if you enjoy long runs, rows, or bike rides, drinking BCAAs during your workout may be helpful. Research shows that you can reduce soreness and improve performance by consuming proteins and carbohydrates during endurance workouts. Mix your BCAA supplement into a standard sports drink, which usually contains carbs, and you're set! (17)

What Should Vegans Look For in a BCAA Supplement?

When looking for a BCAA supplement that's vegan friendly, you should look for all of the following: 

Sourced From Plants

It should state this on the label, and the ingredients list shouldn't contain anything traditionally sourced from animals, like gelatin. 

Free Of Artificial Flavors And Sweeteners 

Artificial flavors and sweeteners can have all sorts of impurities. So try to avoid them if at all possible.

Low Heavy Metal Verified. 

Plant-sourced BCAAs can be high in heavy metals because of the soil the plants grow in. High heavy metals can negatively impact your health, so make sure your BCAAs are low heavy metal verified.  


The Bottom Line 

BCAAs aren't always vegan-friendly. Traditionally, manufacturers source them from keratin, which comes from animal sources. 

However, there are plant sources of BCAAs, and a growing market of manufacturers produce vegan-friendly BCAA products.  They also play critical role in lean muscle development .

When looking for a vegan-friendly BCAA supplement, make sure it says plant-sourced on the label and comes from a company you trust. 

William Toro

William Toro ‧ CPT & Nutritionist


William is a certified personal trainer from NASM, he has also been a rehab physiologist for sports persons. He has more than 15 years of experience training people. And has featured in multiple publications like FoxNews, CNBC, Bustle, and other. 


Scientific References:

  1. Biochemistry, Essential Amino Acids
    Michael J. Lopez; Shamim S. Mohiuddin.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557845/
  2. Branched-Chain Amino Acids (Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine) and Skeletal Muscle
    Stefan H.M. Gorissen, Stuart M. Phillips, in Nutrition and Skeletal Muscle, 2019
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/branched-chain-amino-acid
  3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28638350/
  4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22451437/
  5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6392811/
  6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7810616/
  7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11125767/
  8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22050133/
  9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31172828/
  10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22357161/
  11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26081485/
  12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24806638/
  13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19013300/
  14. https://www.nap.edu/read/11537/chapter/53#464
  15. https://www.vrg.org/blog/2011/03/16/leucine-isoleucine-and-valine-may-be-derived-from-duck-feathers-or-human-hair-vegetable-based-versions-available/
  16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28919842/
  17. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8

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