Eating right and performing weight training are two parts of the equation for promoting muscle gain. A third, and equally important, part is consuming specific supplements that have been backed by science as effective muscle builders. These supplements often build muscle by increasing blood flow and enhancing protein synthesis, the muscle growth process within muscle cells. Consult your health-care provider before taking any supplements.
Whey Protein
Kevin Ballard led a team of researchers who examined the effects of whey protein on blood flow, according to findings reported in the 2009 issue of the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Healthy subjects ingested 5g of whey protein or a placebo for two weeks. Scientists found that subjects consuming whey protein had improved blood flow to the forearm muscle. Whey protein increases nitric oxide synthesis, a molecule that boosts blood flow by widening blood vessels. Increasing blood flow during exercise enhances the delivery of muscle-building nutrients such as oxygen and hormones to muscles.
HICA
Alfa-hydroxy-isocaproic acid, or HICA, might have beneficial effects on body composition. In a 2009 study led by researcher Antti Mero and published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, researchers studied the impact of HICA on body composition during high-intensity training periods. Participants received HICA or a placebo three times a day for four weeks. Scientists discovered that the HICA group experienced increases in lean body mass compared to the placebo group.
Leucine
Peter J. Garlick reviewed the literature regarding the impact of leucine, an amino acid, on the regulation of protein metabolism, according to research reported in the 2005 issue of the Journal of Nutrition. He said that leucine stimulates protein synthesis alone and that this effect is amplified in the presence of insulin. Protein synthesis increases muscle gain, since it is the process that signals muscle cells to grow.
References
- Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition: Acute Ingestion of a Novel Whey-derived Peptide Improves Vascular Endothelial Responses in Healthy Individuals: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial
- Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition: Effects of Alfa-hydroxy-isocaproic Acid on Body Composition, DOMS and Performance in Athletes
- Journal of Nutrition: The Role of Leucine in the Regulation of Protein Metabolism
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