Metabolomic Impacts of Branched-chain Amino Acid Supplementation During Endurance Exercise

The overall goal of this investigation was to determine the impact of branch-chained amino acids (BCAAs) supplementation on serotonin and associated metabolites during endurance exercise on healthy individuals. Specifically, despite the strong theoretical basis for supplementation of BCAAs to attenuate serotonin production and fatigue during exercise, most human clinical trials have failed to demonstrate these benefits. To shed light on this discrepancy, the purpose of this study was to measure the impact of BCAA supplementation on serotonin and associated metabolites during exercise. To achieve this purpose, investigators determined the effects of the consumption of a BCAA beverage on endurance exercise performance and serum metabolites. The supplementation protocol consisted of two trials in which each participant consumed 8 grams of BCAA supplement in a beverage or a placebo in randomized order. It was hypothesized that post-exercise metabolites would differ between BCAA and placebo conditions.