About Leucine

Leucine is an essential amino acid that is not manufactured in the body and must be found in the foods we eat. It is one of three branched-chain amino acids in the body and is important to the health of the body. Most people get enough leucine from the foods they eat, but some--especially vegetarians--can benefit from dietary supplements.

Benefits

Leucine helps keeps the bone, muscle, and skin of the body healthy and promotes rapid healing of tissues. It prevents the breakdown of muscle by the body during periods of intense exertion and helps to regulate energy levels. It also regulates blood sugar levels and increases the production of growth hormones.

Deficiency Symptoms

Hypoglycemia-like symptoms are common in leucine deficiency, including dizziness, disorientation, confusion, depression and headaches. Because leucine is present in so many forms of protein--plant and animal--leucine deficiency is rare.

Dosage

The recommended daily dosage of leucine is 16 mg per kilogram of body weight. This is the recommended daily minimum, and a person who is active should get more than the minimum, although how much more is dependent on the individual. As an example, dark meat chicken has about 1.5 grams of leucine per hundred grams.

Food Sources

Leucine is found in foods that are high in protein, such as fish, meats, poultry and cottage cheese, as well as brown rice, beans, nuts and whole wheat.

Leucine for Athletic Performance

Leucine supplementation can have positive effects on sports performance, including increased work capacity and stamina and the ability of the body to preserve lean muscle mass during high intensity workouts. One study conducted by researchers at the Institute of Sport and Exercise Science at James Cook University looked at the effects of leucine supplementation on 13 outrigger canoeists. The findings showed that work capacity, power and rowing time all "significantly increased" and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) "significantly decreased" following supplementation with leucine, while the placebo group results remained unchanged.