Does taking BCAA's burn fat instead of muscle when doing intermittent fasting?

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I've been watching so many youtubers who do intermittent Fasting and they talk about how they add BCAA's to their water throughout the day because it allows for them curve the hunger and uses stored fat for energy? Is this true? Also if so what brand of BCAA's are good and do you drink them all day or just before/during a workout?

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  • kimothy38
    kimothy38 Posts: 840 Member
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    I found BCAAs capsules really beneficial when training fasted. Made a huge difference for me but I'm sure about fat burning.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    Short answer, maybe, but the evidence is weak.

    From Examine "In prolonged exercise and somewhat related to the antifatigue effects, an increase in fat oxidation is noted with BCAA supplementation; this is thought to be related to the glycogen preserving effects of BCAAs."

    The studies (3) were done on 10, 7, and 7 participants - so a pretty low sample set.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    BCAAs are low/zero calorie protein. If you are doing IF or for some other reason aren't getting enough protein in time proximity to your workout/training/exercise schedule, BCAAs may help prioritize fat loss vs LBM loss(bone/muscle/organ).

    So yes, kinda sorta, but not really.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    For the average person there is no point.