Thread: BCAAs effecting mood in large quantities

Hey,

So I normally use the Serious Mass weight gain powder to help supplement my calories/protein, but they were out of stock recently so I was reading some reviews on a similar product.

There was one product that had over 10g of BCAAs per serving, and 2 of the top reviews were mentioning how they wouldn't recommend taking it if you have depression because too many BCAAs can lower your serotonin and thus lower your mood.

I had never heard about this before and it was kind of concerning to me because even the regular protein powder I use has 5.25g of BCAAs per serving, and since I'm vegetarian I've been relying on this to get the majority of my protein (at least 3-4 scoops a day).

I see some supplements will advertise "0 non-protein amino acids" are these safer to consume in larger quantities when it comes to effecting serotonin and mood? And what about BCAA's from food, will they have the same effect?

I was kind of shocked when I realized this because my mood is very up and down. I'm thinking maybe I should just focus on getting more protein/calories from food and rely less on supplements.

Any advice/info is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

The problem with BCAAs on mood is mostly relevant to consuming isolated BCAAs, so without the other amino acids. The amino acid that's most important to serotonin is tryptophan. If you consume protein powder or just eat normal food you will get tryptophan too.

As a vegetarian it should be easy to hit your protein target without supplements. You only need about 0.7-0.8 gram per lb. All sources count, that includes pasta, bread, oats, dairy, beans etc.

If you need 3-4 scoops of protein powder per day there are probably problems with your diet.

Originally Posted by Mrpb

The problem with BCAAs on mood is mostly relevant to consuming isolated BCAAs, so without the other amino acids. The amino acid that's most important to serotonin is tryptophan. If you consume protein powder or just eat normal food you will get tryptophan too.

ooh okay, this is super helpful to know. ty!