In a recent study, some popular brands of protein were tested for their BCAA content. Check out this ground breaking report from Anthony Roberts.
A group from The Stockton College of New Jersey tested six (very) popular protein supplements for their actual Branched Chain Amino Acid Content and compared that with the BCAA claims made on the package. The group was comprised of the GNC house brand, Muscle Milk, BSN’s Syntha 6, Isoflex, Cellucor, Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Whey (which I usually recommended until now), and their Hydrowhey (another product I commonly had recommended until seeing these tests).
Here’s a look at the abstract (or you can skip ahead to the chart below, which breaks down product claims versus actual amounts):
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None of the products were even close to their claimed level of BCAAs…
The following chart represents the results from the study, with the product name to the far left, the actual (tested) milligrams of BCAA in the center column, and the amount of claimed milligrams to the right:
I don’t understand how Syntha 6 is so low, or how GNC could have two grams of BCAA when the claim is 15. But the abstract is out there, as is the poster presentation, so these companies have some explaining to do, and some tests to refute (if they can), because right now they look pretty awful…
And the way class action and Lanham Act lawsuits have been flying around the industry, I wouldn’t be surprised to see BCAA-based actions shortly.
Here’s the poster presentation:
via Anthony Roberts