Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)

What are they? And how do they work?

Many of you have probably heard the term Branched Chain Amino Acids (or BCAA for short) but do you really know what they do and what benefit they can be to your horse especially if they are undertaking intense or strenuous exercise?

• BCAA are the building blocks of protein in muscle
• Assist in the production of protein and energy production

• Helps maintain muscle tissue and cell integrity during intense exercise
• Post-exercise they aid in muscle repair and regeneration
• Pre-exercise helps reduce muscle protein degeneration or breakdown
• Helps reduce lactic acid build-up

BCAA refers to the chemical structure of certain Amino Acids that appear naturally in protein – Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine. These 3 amino acids makeup one-third of all muscle protein and continually need replenishing after exercise. They can’t be produced by the body so therefore they need to be received through a horse’s diet and supplementation such as BC5 paste or BCAA paste.

If you and your horse are doing any high-intensity work or competition it may be worth considering adding some BCAA supplements to your diet, helping to make sure your horse is getting optimum recovery and is feeling their absolute best.