EAAs vs. Protein: What's the Difference?

I was over-supplemented and under-supported.

I kept adding more to my routine, more to my cabinet, more to my list, and I still felt depleted. Every answer seemed to be another thing to add.

So let's take the noise out of this one.

Whole protein gives you all twenty amino acids, along with everything else the food brings. An essential amino acid (EAA) supplement gives you only the nine your body can't make, in a small serving. Food is still where most of your protein comes from. EAAs are a small, easy addition for the days your meals don't go to plan.

How protein becomes muscle

When you eat protein, your body breaks it down into amino acids, and those amino acids are what it builds with. To build new muscle protein, it needs all nine essential amino acids present at the same time. If one is missing, building slows down.

Leucine is the one most closely tied to starting muscle protein synthesis, the process of building new muscle protein.

What EAAs are good at

EAAs skip the food and go straight to the nine building blocks. That means a small serving can deliver a meaningful dose.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham found that in older women, 3 grams of a leucine-enriched EAA blend produced a muscle-building response similar to 20 grams of whey protein. A follow-up study from the same group concluded that the composition of the EAAs, and leucine in particular, mattered more than the amount.

Where whole protein wins

Whole food brings more than amino acids. Eggs, fish, beans, yogurt and meat come with vitamins, minerals and everything else that makes a meal a meal. Researchers have also pointed out that leucine-rich protein foods can support muscle protein synthesis in older women on their own.

EAAs don't replace dinner. They're there for the days when dinner, or breakfast, or lunch doesn't happen the way you meant it to.

Where BCAAs fall short

BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) are three of the nine essentials: leucine, isoleucine and valine. They've been a gym staple for years.

In a 2017 review, amino acid researcher Robert Wolfe argued that BCAAs alone can't build new muscle protein, because the body still needs the other six essential amino acids to finish the job. Without them, it has to borrow from muscle it already has. Not every researcher agrees on how much that matters, but it's the main reason a full EAA blend is a different thing from a BCAA blend.

Side by side

What's in KESSARA

KESSARA is 4 grams of all nine essential amino acids, with leucine at 40%, plus magnesium bisglycinate and electrolytes. It's meant to sit next to the food you already eat, not replace any of it.

Give your body something to build with.

If you want to be here from the beginning, join the Founding Circle.

Sources

• Bukhari SS, Phillips BE, Wilkinson DJ, et al. Intake of low-dose leucine-rich essential amino acids stimulates muscle anabolism equivalently to bolus whey protein in older women at rest and after exercise. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2015;308(12):E1056-65. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25827594/
• Wilkinson DJ, Bukhari SSI, Phillips BE, et al. Effects of leucine-enriched essential amino acid and whey protein bolus dosing upon skeletal muscle protein synthesis at rest and after exercise in older women. Clinical Nutrition. 2018;37(6 Pt A):2011-2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2017.09.008
• Wolfe RR. Branched-chain amino acids and muscle protein synthesis in humans: myth or reality? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14:30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0184-9
• Is leucine content in dietary protein the key to muscle preservation in older women? (commentary). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6248570