Health and the election, BCAA supplements and obesity and health star ratings
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Why are branched‑chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements so popular and what do they claim to do?
This is an ABC podcast.
Hello and welcome to this week's health report with me, Norman Swan. Today, fascinating consumer research which tells you why the major parties are saying what they are about health. Should Health Star ratings be compulsory on the processed foods on your supermarket shelves? There's a growing push for this. And those powders, balls, and bars. No, I'm not talking about floor exercises. You can't have missed the boom in the protein supplement. supplement industry. The shelves in the supermarkets filled with tubs of powder and protein bars. Even your local coffee shop has jars of protein balls. Some of it has to do with the popularity of the ketogenic diet, but a lot of it is aimed at gym junkies who want to build muscle bulk after a weightlifting session.
Protein supplements containing so called branched chain amino acids are marketed for just that purpose and are claimed to reduce delayed muscle soreness and fatigue as well as build muscle. Research published last week by a group at the University of Sydney sounds a note of warning, albeit from Animal Studies. The lead author is Samantha Solon Beat of the Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney. Welcome back to the Health Report, Sam.
Hi, Norman. Thanks for having me. So
you better go back to basics. What are amino acids?
So amino acids are essentially the building bloc blocks of proteins. There are twenty of them and there are essential amino acids, those that we must get from our food, and there are those that we can synthesize ourselves. So the branching amino acids are three essential amino acids.
Now, which are the th those three? Yeah, I think. Because I mean because you know, I I think as I said earlier on today in on radio, you couldn't have actually said this on radio before 'cause people wouldn't have a clue, but now it's almost like common parlance. So what are these three amino acids in the branch chain?
That's right. That's isoleucine, leucine, and valine. And those three make up most of the supplements um that you'll see for exercises you mentioned earlier.
And why are they called branch chain?
Uh they're they cha uh they're different in their configuration, actually. So it's just the chemical structure.
And th so they've been pushed for th they will take them and they're gonna balk up your muscle and they all say it's proven and delay muscle soreness. Before we get on to your um your research in particular, is there any evidence that they do any more than any other amino acid build protein build muscle?
Yeah, the branch chain amino acids, particularly leucine, one of them, um, which make up most of the supplements, are actually well known to activate this pro-growth, pro-aging pathway called mTOR. And that usually is associated with muscle growth as well as protein synthesis and overall growth. So, in terms of exercise, there's a lot of evidence looking at how branch chain amino acid supplementation. He's good for lean muscle mass and anabolic growth.
Right, 'cause uh you know, unusually for the health report, I actually did some research into this today and I um I I I found one paper that suggested it actually increased muscle breakdown.
Oh, there is conflicting evidence out there. I mean, it makes you live longer, it makes you live shorter. Uh yeah, there's
Okay, so that's the that's the marketing promise. Tell us about your study, because this is not into gym junkies, this is into mice junkies.
Yeah, exactly. So a couple of years ago we published a study looking at how uh the balance of protein, carbs, and fats affects late life health and longevity.
Yes, exactly.
What does the recent University of Sydney animal study reveal about BCAA supplementation and muscle health?
Yes, exactly.
Exactly. And you
in fact found that low protein and high carbate carbohydrate, a bit like the p Mediterranean diet, was the best diet for the mice in terms of metabolic health and lifespan.
That's right. And that's because it suppressed the pro growth, pro aging pathway, mTOR. Whereas high protein, low carb diets increase growth but actually reduce lifespan in our mice.
So they make you age faster.
Yes, exactly.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why are branched‑chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements so popular and what do they claim to do?
0:02–3:20
2
What does the recent University of Sydney animal study reveal about BCAA supplementation and muscle health?
3:20–6:27
3
How might high BCAA intake affect obesity, appetite, and lifespan in the mouse experiments?
6:27–9:14
4
Why are health‑star ratings being pushed as a compulsory label on processed foods?
9:14–12:48
5
What did the George Institute’s analysis of 32,000 supermarket products find about nutrition quality and junk food prevalence?
12:48–16:57
6
How are the major political parties incorporating health policy, obesity, and prevention into their election platforms?
16:57–21:00
7
What are the proposed reforms for bulk‑billing, cancer care rebates, and private health insurance premiums?
21:00–25:15
8
What challenges and proposals are being discussed for dental care funding and primary‑care reform?
25:15–29:18
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