| Proteins are comprised of an assortment of amino acids, classified as nonessential or essential. If they cannot be manufactured by the body and come strictly from the diet, they are deemed essential. In order to build, repair and ensure optimal health of muscles, adequate levels of these essential amino acids must be consumed.
Specifically, branched chain amino acids (bcaa's) are 3 essential amino acids that are required for efficient function of muscle cells, for lean muscle growth and for repair. The key branched chains are leucine, isoleucine and valine that normally circulate in the bloodstream in specific ratios.
Branched chains have an overall effect on protein metabolism and are required in larger amounts than other amino acids during periods of strenuous exercise and stress, whether from a physiological or emotional cause. Importantly they are considered 'mutually antagonistic' in their absorptive qualities, meaning they must be available at the same time to ensure maximum absorption into the body.
As muscles burn up the normal circulating pools of branched chains during exertion, they begin to catabolise muscle cells and liver proteins as the only backup source. Muscle cell damage results in a reduced ability to contract and relax during extreme exertion. Muscle fatigue sets in, the ability to use oxygen efficiently, rapidly decreases and an increase in lactic acid can lead to performance reduction and tying up.
The body uses the circulating pools of branched chains, preferentially, decreasing muscle catabolism and allowing continued oxygen uptake by muscle cells. When fed orally, just prior to exertion we can increase this reservoir of branch chains. Results can be dramatic in horses with suboptimal fitness levels and even more dramatic when used after tying-up has already occurred. Horses work out of this condition much faster and smoother. You can actually see the benefits the first time you use it during recovery from tying-up.
By reducing the negative effects associated with the stress of training and competing at a high level, muscle cell catabolism and liver protein degradation can be reduced providing for better recovery. In one study, horses that trained on branched chains fed orally had up to 15% lower heart rates than the non-treated controls. This indicates enhanced skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise training.
BC2A, a branched chain formula in an oral paste for horses is patented for exactly this type of adaptive response. These same horses, trained on branched chains, visibly worked easier, had lower lactic acid levels and improved gait.
Lowering of the heart rate can help maintain an optimum core body temperature. As well, it can spare the serious associated effects of electrolyte/fluid imbalance, hot weather performance and dehydration's negative effects.
Conditioning horses for a big event requires hard workouts. By introducing branched chains into the regimen, their use before and after heavy training provides the essential bcaa's required. Normally scavenging its own body resources for branched chains, the usual muscle cell damage and liver protein degradation can be prevented.
After tying-up, liver and muscle cell enzymes levels (AST,CPK and LDH) are taken, about 20 hours later to determine the exent of the damage. It is this damage we are trying to avoid by employing branched chains orally in the setup program.
Sodium bicarbonate has been used to treat tying-up in the past. Unfortunately, sodium bicarbonate does not prevent problems (muscle cells are already damaged), it is testable (by measuring CO2 gas), and it does not use the natural pathways that mother nature has given the horse.
On the other hand, branched chains supply the materials required by the body's normal or natural buffering system. Branched chains are not foreign substances, but are a normal constituent of food. By supplying additional bcaa's just prior to exertion, they are absorbed quickly into the blood stream and are available in the appropriate L-crystalline form, when the body needs to call upon them.
As the body shunts the by-products from muscle metabolism away from unwanted lactic acid production to bind with pyruvate, they are converted to alanine. alanine itself is metabolized by the liver for an additional energy resource during recovery.
Normally, even very fit horses do not have sufficient branched chains to buffer lactic acid produciton. with intermittent training, coming back from injury or illness or stepping up the workouts, the horse requires additional branchedchains, readily available, to meet this incrementally increased level of performance stress.
BC2A oral paste is a patented essential branched chain formula, engineered to assist veterinarians, trainers and horse owners to prevent typing-up, assist in recovery and to train to their maximum fitness potential.
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