Essential Amino Acids cannot be made in the body therefore they haven to be consumed through external sources. Your body needs 20 different types of amino acids to grow and function properly- 9 of these amino acids are classified as essential. Below is the nine (however it gets scientific and may bore you so skip that bit to see what our thoughts on EAA’S VS BCAA’S are) 

1. Phenylalanine- this is a precursor for the neurotransmitters tyrosine, dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. It plays an integral role in the structure and function of proteins and the production of other amino acids.
2. Valine- this is one of the branched chain amino acids. It helps stimulate muscle growth and regeneration and is involved in energy production. 
3. Threonine- a principal part of structural proteins including collagen which is important in the production of skin and connective tissue. It can play a role in fat metabolism and immune function.
4. Tryptophan- is needed to maintain proper nitrogen balance and it is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates appetite, sleep and mood. 
5. Methionine- plays a massive role in metabolism and detoxification. It is necessary for tissue growth and the absorption of zinc and selenium. 
6. Leucine- another branch chained amino acid that is involved in muscle metabolism and it is heavily concentrated in muscle tissue. It also has a role of helping regulating blood sugar levels, stimulates wound healing and produces growth hormones. 
7. Isoleucine- the last of the branch chained amino acids . It is involved in muscle metabolism and is heavily concentrated in muscle tissue. Its important too in immune function, hemoglobin production and energy regulation. 
8. Lysine- plays a major role in protein synthesis, hormone and enzyme production and the absorption of calcium. It is also important for energy production, immune function and the production of collagen and elastin. 
9. Histidine- used to produce histamine, a neurotransmitter that is vital to immune response, digestion, sexual function and sleep-wake cycles. It is very important for the maintainenace of the myelin sheath- a protective barrier that surrounds your nerve cells. 

EAA’s VS BCAA’s 

We suggest that you take EAA’s over BCAA’s as EAA’s contain all of the BCAA’s and other amino acids which will benefit you more than just taking BCAA’s. This will not only impact your performance for the better but it will also help you save money. 

Best time to take EAA’s 

The best time to take these supplements would be intraworkout as this is the time net muscle protein synthesis increases the most- this is due to the amino acids delivery and absorption in exercisng skeletal muscle.