Micronutrients & recovery
Post-exercise branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation significantly reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) compared to placebo in untrained or recreationally active adults.
If you are new to exercise or train recreationally, taking a BCAA supplement (typically 5-10g) after your workout may help reduce muscle soreness the next day. This might help you stick to your routine. However, if you are an advanced athlete, you likely won't see much benefit, and you should prioritize getting enough total protein from food rather than relying on BCAAs.
The cumulative results of 37 effects gathered from 8 studies published between 2007 and 2017 indicated that BCAA supplementation reduced DOMS following exercise training (ES=0.7286, 95 % CI: 0.5017 to 0.9555, p<0.001).
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials with high methodological quality scores (Jadad scale).
Source
Effect of branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation on Muscle Soreness following Exercise: A Meta-Analysis
Michael V. Fedewa et al. · International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research · 2019
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