What is leucine? An important amino acid for athletes

Leucine is an essential amino acid that is important for muscle tissues to remain healthy, as it stimulates protein synthesis and helps reduce muscle breakdown, especially after strenuous workouts.

Vegetarian and vegan athletes are especially interested in getting leucine, as it is Essential for building and rebuilding muscle. However, leucine is not found in abundance in plant-based foods and this can pose a problem for vegan athletes.

Leucine in sports nutrition

Leucine, isoleucine, and valine are the three branched chain amino acids They make up about a third of muscle protein.

Leucine can be described as the spark that triggers recovery and muscle synthesis after training. It acts as an anabolism trigger and as a mediator to increase the transport of other amino acids to the muscle.

The World Health Organization recommends that adults take 39 mg of leucine per kilogram of body weight per day. For a 70 kg person, this means 2.7 g of leucine per day.

However, for a person who practices sports with a certain intensity, it may be interesting to increase and concentrate intake after exercise.

Research shows that after exercising, significant decreases in serum leucine levels (decreases from 11% to 33% after aerobic exercise, 5% to 8% after anaerobic exercise, and 30% after resistance exercise).

Plant-based foods with leucine

A proper vegetarian eating plan can provide enough leucine for optimal muscle development and recovery. Without enough leucine, recovery is slower and the risk of injury is increased.

Athletes should consume protein sources at every meal throughout the day to ensure they get essential amino acids for muscle growth and regeneration.

The consumption of leucine is especially important in the intake after the exercise session. Sports nutritionists recommend taking 25g of protein, including 2.5g of leucine, within two hours of training or physical activity.

Plant foods rich in leucine

200g cooked lentils: 18g protein (1.3g leucine) 150g baked kidney beans: 14 protein (1g leucine) 200g firm tofu: 34 protein (2.8g leucine) .30g peanut butter: 8g protein (0.5g leucine). 200g porridge: 5g protein (0.4g leucine).

Other foods with significant amounts of leucine are seeds such as pumpkin (0.7 g leucine in 30 g of seeds), sesame (0.3 g in 30 g) and hemp (0.6 g in 30 g).

If the vegetarian diet includes dairy products and eggs, it is easier to get all the necessary leucine:

100 g cottage cheese: 11 g protein (1.7 g leucine). 100 g yogurt: 3.5 g protein (0.35 g leucine). 100 g fetta cheese: 14 g protein (1.4 g leucine ).A medium egg: 6 g of protein (0.5 g of leucine).

In addition to natural, whole foods, you can turn to quality vegan protein powder. You can check that one measure provides the required 25 g of protein with 2.5 of leucine. It can be added to smoothies, soups, sauces, and stews.