Leucine: A Fat Loss Agent?

[theweapon]

An article i found on MD, well a piece of it. Hope it helps.

You have heard of myostatin knockouts mice, well get ready for the new genetically altered super leucine mouse. Scientists disrupted the branched chain aminotransferase gene, which is the enzyme which breaks down BCAA in muscle. In essence, the mice have genetically elevated levels of leucine. So is there anything unusual about these super leucine mice? What interesting is that these mice exhibit elevated plasma BCAA’s but also decreased adiposity, despite eating more food, along with increased energy expenditure, remarkable improvements in glucose and insulin tolerance, and protection from diet-induced obesity12. High dosages of leucine may be the able to prevent excess fat gain in the offseason when calories are high. Another article of interest was published in the journal of Diabetes in which they fed rats a high fat diet but also doubled their leucine intake by adding it to their drinking water. Even though the rats ate the exact same calories on the high fat diet increasing leucine intake resulted in up to 32% reduction of weight gain and a 25% decrease in adiposity. The reduction of adiposity resulted from increased resting energy expenditure associated with increased expression of uncoupling protein 3 in brown and white adipose tissues and in skeletal muscle10. Consider being like a rat for a while during the weeks leading up to the competition and adding leucine to your water supply. The final article of interest was published in Journal of Life Sciences which they took rats and put on leucine and phenylalanine and then put them on a calorie restricted diet by 50% for 1 week. The scientists then let the rats eat whatever they wanted for 2 weeks after that. Compared to the group of rats that received nothing, chronic supplementation with leucine and phenylalanine was able to improve the body composition by increasing lean body mass and by reducing, although modestly, the accumulation of body fat11. This means that bodybuilders may be able to prevent putting on excess bodyfat after dieting for a competition by taking leucine. So based on these studies, bodybuilders should be taking leucine especially during the competition phase to reduce bodyfat but also stimulate protein synthesis rates. I even suggest adding it to your drinking water like the lab rats!!!

 

[bigbenmarch]

i have been reading up on leucine for a while now and the effects it can have on the body. some people have given it great reviews and others said it wasnt worth the money. but dont belive the hype rite??
so im gona order me a bag of powder and see how this goes for myself. if the science reports are right then awsome. if not, then it cant hurt having some extra aminos in the body.
i will try and record everything that goes on when im taking it and keep a running update on how i personaly think it works.

 

[bigbenmarch]

ok so for anybody who pokes there head into this thread and has a read:

i have been taking leucine for the past 2 weeks. it has had some effect. not sure how much fat i have lost due to taking the supplement alone but that will be monitored more sticly from this week as the tester in the gym is back up and running and now i can keep tabs on it.
but forgeting all that, i have been feeling like i have lost a little bit of weight and he scales proved it. lost a kilo in 2 weeks just by taking the powder in the morning, after i train and with my evening meal. so all is going well so far.
so i will monitor how much actuall fat i loose just from the leucine. too keep the test nice and fair i will follow the same diet (which i always do, just a way of life now) and the same training schedule to make sure we get a fair test
youcant taste the powder thow. just dissolves down into any liquid you put it in. and is tastless.

 

[Ironslave]

ok so for anybody who pokes there head into this thread and has a read:

i have been taking leucine for the past 2 weeks. it has had some effect. not sure how much fat i have lost due to taking the supplement alone but that will be monitored more sticly from this week as the tester in the gym is back up and running and now i can keep tabs on it.
but forgeting all that, i have been feeling like i have lost a little bit of weight and he scales proved it. lost a kilo in 2 weeks just by taking the powder in the morning, after i train and with my evening meal. so all is going well so far.
so i will monitor how much actuall fat i loose just from the leucine. too keep the test nice and fair i will follow the same diet (which i always do, just a way of life now) and the same training schedule to make sure we get a fair test
youcant taste the powder thow. just dissolves down into any liquid you put it in. and is tastless.

Thanks for the update dude.... it's not going to give steroid like effects, but I would highly recommend bulk leucine powder, cutting or bulking.

 

[tim290280]

^^ IS I haven't been convinced of leucine over and above standard protein supplementation. Anything that swung the pendulum for you?

 

[Ironslave]

There's been a ton of literature showing that in addition to protein/carbohydrate drinks post exercise, leucine promotes greater gains in muscle hypertrophy, not just through it's "main" mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, but through other ways as well, such as insulin signaling, myogenic (satellite) cell proliferation/division, probably more....

the way I see it.... the bulk powder is so cheap, it's worth it.

 

[tim290280]

^^ It's been the "in addition" part that hasn't convinced me. I'm not sure if I've missed the tests that actually evened out the amount of overall protein each group got or not. But you are right, it is cheap.

 

[bigbenmarch]

okie dokie, back with my finding for this period. would give you an exact breakdown of bodyfat percentage but the shit gym i work at the body fat tester is broke and we dont have caliper which in my opinion are the best thing for testing anybody fat.... but here is what i have found on the scales, personal looks and opinions from others in the gym and my massage therapist who see's me once a week:
personal opinion : i personaly think it works. i take it 4 times a day in my morning meal, pre/post workout shakes and in my ceasine before bed. i have dropped 2 kg on the scales since using it and havent changed my diet or training in anyway. if not i have been eating/drinking more!!! pants i wore for the wedding wernt tight on my hips like before (thanks mum for giving me genetics to put fat on there and not the belly)
other in the gym : paula says it looks like i have dropped a few kgs coz my face is looking a little slimmer and waiste has come in a little. which is always good
kelly the masure : after she finished sticking needles in my shoulder (not on gear, just dry needling under the AC process due to shoulder injury) i have lost some weight. and she should know as she see's me almost naked most weeks

so im sold on it. stuff lasts for ages aswell coz you dont need much of it per day. 4tsp is all im taking. not gona up it as it works now. so if it aint broke dont fix it right?

 

[Ironslave]

Glad to hear things are going well for you, and I like the way you're taking it.

 

[Braaq]

There's been a ton of literature showing that in addition to protein/carbohydrate drinks post exercise, leucine promotes greater gains in muscle hypertrophy, not just through it's "main" mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, but through other ways as well, such as insulin signaling, myogenic (satellite) cell proliferation/division, probably more....

the way I see it.... the bulk powder is so cheap, it's worth it.

I agree, I have read more than one study that Leucine alone promoted protein regeneration and prevented protein depredation during resistance exercise regimens. One study showed that Glutamine didn't which was interesting given it's inherent popularity.