You’re a big fan of protein powders pre and/or post-workout, and sometimes stack them with branched chain amino acid (BCAA) powders for an added boost of muscle-building potential. According to a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, supplementing your diet with BCAAs mixed up in a 2:1:1 ratio of leucine to isoleucine and valine could help extend human life by 10 years.

Italian researchers at Brescia University gave ‘middle aged’ lab mice water containing this 2:1:1 ratio of BCAAs. Mice that drank the supplemented mixture lived 80 days longer than their non-supplemented counterparts. That’s a 12% lifespan extension. In human terms, a typical 77 year lifespan could be increased to 87 years.

True Strength Moment: BCAAs boost the number of cellular mitochondria which play a role in turning food into energy used by the brain and body. These amino acids also help protect cells from free radical damage. Scientists aren’t sure how they would benefit aging humans, but speculate that if middle-aged adults starting taking a BCAA supplement daily, it might help strengthen weak muscles and cut the risk of fractures.