Leucine supplementation improves strength, VO2max and central fatigue in endurance athletes 📈

A simple amino acid with big effects.

Effects of Leucine Supplementation on Athletic Performance, Central Fatigue, and Serum Metabolism in Endurance Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Targeted Metabolomics Study

Study Details

This new study recruited 20 cross-country skiers to supplement with either…

1️⃣ 8.5g leucine + 14g sucrose

2️⃣ 14g sucrose (control)

Supplements were provided twice daily for 6-weeks 💊

Metrics including athletic performance, body composition and cognitive performance were assessed pre- and post-intervention 🔍

Key Findings

Compared to control, leucine supplementation led to significantly improved…

🦵 Ankle strength (+38.7%)

🫁 Aerobic capacity (+16.4%)

🧠 Neural response accuracy (+34.5%)

The leucine group also exhibited a significant increase in markers associated with a reduction in the continuous decomposition of BCAAs 🩸

Potentially accounting for some of the above results 🧐

There were no differences in body composition between groups ❌

Conclusion

Six weeks of leucine supplementation improved ankle strength, VO₂max, and cognitive performance linked to central fatigue beyond training alone 📈

Practically, leucine may support both physical performance and mental resilience in endurance athletes ✅

Reference

https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/16/2/94

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