Valine is typically used by natural bodybuilders in order to promote the growth of muscles and provide them with the explosive energy they need. Valine also helps athletes and bodybuilders alike recover from the tissue damage caused by physical activity. So, just what is Valine and why do natural bodybuilders depend on it for so much?
What is Valine?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests taking a daily dose of 26 milligrams of valine per kilogram of body weight. The best dietary sources of this amino acid include beans, brown rice, beef, cheese (particularly cottage cheese), eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, seaweed, poultry, soy, and sesame seeds.
While fruits and vegetables are not necessarily good valine sources, some of them are richer in valine than others. Potatoes and broccoli are the best choices, while bananas and oranges also have more valine than other fruits and vegetables.
What Makes Valine Amino Acid so Important for Natural Bodybuilders?
The valine essential amino acid is needed to maintain proper function in cells and organs. Valine is particularly important for keeping the gall bladder and liver healthy. It also helps to balance nitrogen levels across the whole body. Valine is also needed to ensure proper cognitive, immune, and nervous system function. To put it simply; it keeps your brain and body functioning properly.
As well as all this, valine works as a stimulant, helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, and promotes the growth and repair of muscle; making it a necessary tool in the arsenal of any body builder looking to bulk up.
While having proper levels of valine can help keep the body healthy, a valine deficiency can do a lot of damage; including damage to the myelin sheath, muscle deterioration, a decline in cognitive functioning, decreased protein absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, insomnia, and hypersensitive skin. However, such a deficiency is uncommon given that the amino acid is found in such a wide variety of foods.
Valine Benefits
There are a number of health benefits associated with valine. The amino acid has been shown to promote the growth and repair of muscle, help alleviate stress and sleeplessness, as well as working as an appetite suppressant. Valine has also been sown to boost cognitive function and has been used to treat brain trauma.
Valine may also be used to treat gall bladder and liver disease, National Institutes of Health reported. It is especially helpful for treating liver damage caused by drug and alcohol abuse. However, it’s important to consult your physician before undertaking any form of treatment plan.
How Does Valine Work?
The valine amino acid works by preventing muscles from breaking down as it provides the muscles with additional glucose, which gives you the energy you need for physical activity. Valine works as a precursor in the penicillin biosynthetic pathway and is known to inhibit the transportation of tryptophan across the blood-brain barrier.
Basically this all means that valine is an essential amino acid needed to keep the nervous system and cognitive functions working smoothly. Valine, along with leucine and isoleucine is one of three branched-chain amino acids. The human body is not able to produce valine by itself and, as such, relies on the diet and supplements for the essential amino acid.
Valine is necessary for supporting everyday bodily functions and for keeping muscles healthy. It also helps to support the immune system and keep you healthy. The liver is unable to process valine, instead the amino acid is sent directly to the muscles. It can be found in leafy vegetables, poultry, milk, and kidney beans in particular.
Valine offers a range of health benefits such as improving insomnia and nervousness. On top of this, it has also been shown alleviate muscle disorders and effectively suppress appetite.
This amino acid has also been shown to improve immune system regulation. Perhaps the greatest benefits of valine however are the ones experienced by athletes undertaking long-distance sports and bodybuilders. This is because the amino acid is necessary for recovering muscle tissue and metabolising new muscle tissue, all while boosting endurance.
Natural bodybuilders typically combine Valine with Isoleucine and Leucine to boost their energy levels and promote new muscle growth. On top of this, valine helps in the recovery process for tissue damage caused by physical activity.
Athletes know that valine is a necessary component in metabolising muscle and growing muscle tissue. This is because the amino acid helps to promote proper nitrogen levels across the body.
One supplement that makes great use of Valine is D-Bal. The product can be considered a safe and legal alternative to the Dianbaol steroid. This supplement from crazy Bulk has exploded in popularity among natural bodybuilders recently.