Lots of active adults put in a couple of miles of jogging in the morning before breakfast. The idea behind fasted cardio is forcing your body to burn fat for energy in the absence of carbohydrates. But amino acids from muscle tissue are also an option. That’s why supplement savvy individuals use BCAAs to help spare muscle tissue. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows how well essential amino acids (EAAs) help preserve muscle mass.

Sixteen knee replacement patients with an average age of 69 received 20 grams of EAAs twice daily for a week before and three weeks after their surgery. For comparison, 12 patients of similar age received 40 grams of non-essential amino acids (NAA) for the same duration before and after their knee replacement surgery. In measurements taken six weeks after surgery, those consuming NAAs lost 18% of quadriceps muscle mass compared to the 6% lost by subjects who consumed EAAs.

True Strength Moment: The EAAs provided included histidine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine along with the BCAAs leucione, isoleucine and valine. This combination not only helped subjects maintain muscle mass but helped them to become more active sooner than the subjects who received NAAs. Work some EAAs and BCAAs into your active lifestyle.