If you're looking to build muscle, you'll want to get familiar with leucine, especially if you're on a plant-based vegetarian or vegan diet. Leucine is a powerful essential amino acid known to build muscle and burn fat. If your goal is to lose weight, try adding more foods with leucine to your diet.
What is leucine?
Protein is made up of amino acids, and each protein source has a unique amino acid profile. Some protein sources are high in the branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine, while other protein sources are higher in amino acids like arginine and L-glutamine.
Each amino acid plays a different role in the body, mostly related to the production of enzymes.
The amino acid leucine receives a lot of attention as it can improve body composition and physical performance in both recreational and elite athletes. It has also been shown to be a valuable nutrient for muscle rebuilding in older adults with sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and musculoskeletal injuries (injury or pain to the joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, tendons, and structures that support them). limbs, back and neck).
As with all essential amino acids, the body cannot make it and must be obtained from food. Although it is present in some foods of plant origin, it is generally in higher amounts and is easier to find in foods of animal origin. That is why vegetarians and vegans looking to gain muscle and lose fat should pay special attention to this protein.
How does it help you gain muscle and lose fat?
Research shows that it plays a role in both muscle protein synthesis and fat burning.
In 2016, a study published in the Journal of Research Strength and Conditioning showed that people who ate 3 grams of beta-hydroxy-butyrate beta (a form of leucine) a day for 12 weeks found that they could exercise longer before fatigue, as well as noted increases in muscle mass and decrease in fat mass.
Another study, published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, found similar results in 17 active, college-aged men with the same supplement protocol and timeline. These participants also experienced statistically significant increases in muscle power and muscle strength.
While these results are promising, there are other published studies that did not find that leucine has a significant effect on body composition or physical performance among healthy youth.
Yes, the research on the effect on body composition in healthy young and middle-aged adults is mixed, but there are more consistently positive findings in research among older adults.
For example, supplements showed beneficial effects on body weight, body mass index, and muscle mass in older people with a tendency to sarcopenia, per a 2015 meta-analysis in the Journal of Nutrition.
Research also consistently supports leucine's role in injury recovery. People recovering from musculoskeletal injuries, such as broken bones, torn or ruptured tendons, or ruptured muscles, benefit from the collagen rebuilding effects of the muscles and bones.
How to add more leucine in the diet?
This amino acid is most commonly found in animal-based foods such as beef, poultry, fish, cheese, eggs, and milk , but it is also present in plant-based foods in smaller amounts.
People following a vegetarian diet had statistically significant lower levels of leucine in the blood, while vegetarians had similar (but still decreased) levels compared to meat eaters, according to a September 2016 study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers suggest that this amino acid found in the bloodstream of vegetarians probably comes from dairy products, which are high in content.
If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, try to get most of your protein from plant sources and regularly eat soy and soy- based products, as well as legumes for all the essential amino acids, including leucine.
The best vegan foods with leucine
- Tofu
- Cooked white beans
- Pumpkin and pumpkin seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Toasted pistachios
- Roasted peanuts
- Raw cashews
- Chia seeds
