Here's The Difference Between Vegan and Non-Vegan BCAA
Do you know what’s in the BCAA products in your pantry?
Some dietary supplements make it easy for you to keep track of what you’re ingesting. For example, if you buy brown rice protein or pea protein powder, there shouldn’t be any confusion regarding the ingredients. It’s right in the name.
BCAA capsules and powders are different. Unless the brand you buy from states the source of their formula's ingredients, you may not be able to tell what exactly you’re adding to your routine. Some brands market their BCAA products as vegan—assuring customers that the ingredients are not animal-derived, at the very least.
Why is this important? This is among the questions asked about BCAAs, and you’ll find out soon enough. However, before we get into the difference between vegan and traditional BCAAs, let’s review what BCAA means in the first place.
What Are BCAAs?
The initialism BCAA—or the equally common term "BCAAs"—stands for branched-chain amino acids. Leucine, isoleucine, and valine are the three essential amino acids that make up this group of nutrients.
Like every other amino acid, BCAA are used by your body in protein production. As essential amino acids, you need to include them in your diet. Your body can’t create its own supply of these nutrients like it does other amino acids such as glutamine or tyrosine.
Leucine, isoleucine, and valine make up more than a third of all essential amino acids that are in your body. BCAAs are found mostly in your muscles and are actually broken down in these tissues, rather than in the liver—the norm for many other amino acids. Due to this, it’s thought that BCAAs aid in boosting energy production and increasing performance while exercising. Muscle growth is also thought to be enhanced by BCAA ingestion.
BCAAs may also help with blood sugar level regulation, fatigue, and physical soreness reduction, and even weight loss. These indications make BCAA a popular supplement among bodybuilders and athletes, who often go for the best BCAA.
How Are Traditional BCAA Supplements Made?
If you don’t know the answer already, you’d better sit down and brace yourself before reading further.
The dietary supplement industry may have long evolved past information available online, but it’s still unsettling to find references—though, for the most part, unsubstantiated—of suppliers using human hair as a BCAA source. More common are reports of BCAA products obtained from Chinese suppliers using duck feathers and pigskin as raw materials.
You may be thinking: How are BCAAs even made? How would human hair even be a viable source? The answer is keratin, a protein that may be familiar to you. It’s in your hair and fingernails, after all.
The protein is a natural source of all three BCAAs, so solvents are used to extract the essential nutrients from keratin-rich materials like human hair, pigskin, and duck feathers. Other bird feathers may also be used.
Why do suppliers use such unsavory sources? The practice was likely economically motivated. Up until recently, BCAA extraction from other materials was much more complicated and expensive.
How Are Vegan BCAA Supplements Made?
You can breathe easy now. Even if you’re not squeamish when it comes to animal-based ingredients, the references to human hair should have been at least a little unsettling.
Fortunately, there’s a great alternative: plant-based BCAA. Once up to four times more expensive to make compared to traditional BCAA, the price point is now about the same for both.
What’s the process behind making vegan BCAA? It’s described as a microbial fermentation method lasting several days, using glucose and soy or corn as raw materials. While many BCAA suppliers using this process are said to be based in China or Brazil, the actual method of fermentation was pioneered by a household name: Japanese company Ajinomoto.
It’s important to note, however, that plant-based BCAAs are not necessarily better for everyone. Because the typical raw materials—corn or soy—may be genetically modified, it may give rise to allergens in the final product. Search for BCAA powders or capsules that are non-GMO and free of artificial flavors and coloring if you’re allergy-prone.
Finally, pay attention to the ingredients list. Even with plant-based BCAAs, some products may still contain gelatin or glyceryl monostearate derived from animal fats and tissues.
Which Type Is the Best BCAA for You?
Only you can make this decision.
To clarify, there’s not much of a difference between traditional and vegan BCAA. There could be a slight difference in taste, but you may only notice this if you choose unflavored BCAA powder. As long as you buy from a reputable brand, you are practically guaranteed to get the same three essential amino acids.
Resources— BJJ Heroes, Healthline, ScienceDaily, Superfoodly, The Vegetarian Resource Group
About The Author
