Review
Best BCAA is a branched chain amino acid (BCAA) supplement that utilizes Oligopeptide-Enzymatic Technology. This is a bonded chain of three key amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine, which may act as a better transport vehicle for optimal absorption. Best BCAA supports lean muscle growth, recovery and helps prevent muscle catabolism. Take one scoop before your workout to help improve performance, one scoop during your workout to help burn fat and preserve muscle, and/or one scoop after your workout to accelerate recovery. If the benefits aren’t enough to convince you, Best BCAA has also received the ChromaDex Quality Verified Seal, an easy-to-spot emblem on the label that signifies the rigorous, third-party testing each bottle goes through to ensure it is of the highest quality possible.
I stumbled on BPI Sports Best Aminos BCAAs with Glutamine truly by chance one day. It was on sale at my local Walgreens, and I was running low on my other BCAAs, so I thought I might as well grab it and give it a shot. It's been about a month of me drinking these BCAAs daily, and I've used it all but maybe a scoop or two, so I think I've tested it thoroughly to give a good review.
Pros:
I did some research on the benefits of the other ingredients in the CLA Matrix, and here's a quick breakdown:
- Safflower oil: can be beneficial for high cholesterol and seems to be overall beneficial for heart health.
- Avocado Oil Powder: seems to provide the same benefits as consuming avocados--providing healthy fat and other cholesterol/heart healthy benefits.
- Coconut oil powder: provides the multiple benefits of coconut oil
- Agmatine: this is a biprouct of arginine, another amino acid found in the body. Agmatine can increase energy production and lower cortisol levels.
- Glutamine: Lastly, the holy grail of many supplements, glutamine is said to encourage the rebuilding of muscles and to enhance recovery.
I take my BCAAs first thing in the morning to help me wake up, because I can't stand coffee and I've found that in general, BCAAs do give me a nice energy boost. Most people take BCAAs as an intra-workout, or post-workout, but it's always worked best taking them first thing in the morning for me. I do think that BPI's Best Aminos helped give me energy in the morning, and on days after lifting, it helped eliminated DOMS. The purpose of BCAAs is to encourage protein synthesis, and I certainly feel that my muscles have been growing efficiently and easily--however, I've been taking protein supplements are other things like creatine, so while I can't quite give these BCAAs the credit, I can say that they've worked well together with the other supplements in my arsenal to keep these gains coming fast.
Cons:
Here's the tough part of this review. These Best Aminos aren't quite the "best" at everything. One thing that I truly had trouble with the flavor. I opted for Fruit Punch because that's usually safe flavor for me, and I just really love fruit punch in general. However, there's a very strong chemical taste to this product, it tastes almost like cough syrup to me. I played around with different levels of dilution with water, adding more, using less, and the result was always the same. It was this very strong artificially sweet flavor. And here's the thing--my dad was a candy salesman almost my entire life--I can handle sweetness. But this flavor wasn't a good kind. I suspect the culprit is one of the artificial sweetners, possibly the Acesulfame-K. Now, for me, this flavor wasn't absolutely unbearable, but it did make me have to chug my BCAAs rather quickly and get them down in just a few gulps. Normally, I like to sip on these in the morning while I get settled in at work, but I really couldn't do that with these.
Another small gripe I had with these was a slight clumpiness. I tried both methods of putting the powder into a cup already filled with water, and then conversely putting the water into a cup already filled with the BCAA powder. Both methods lead to little powder clumps that float around and even with vigorous shaking of my blender bottle, I'd sometimes have to grab a spoon and press the clumps out.
Last last issue I had was more of a personal nitpick, but I really hate FD&C Red No. 40 dye. Firstly, I don't quite understand its purpose in this particular product because I don't think it needs to be any certain color. I get it, red makes you think of fruit punch so it's a color coordination thing. But there are other, better ways to get red color as well. If I could make a formula change, I'd immediately eliminate the Red No. 40.
Final Verdict: I'm not unhappy with the BPI Sports Best Aminos BCAAs, but I wasn't too impressed either. I'm open to trying their other flavors, but I will heavily research and make sure the tastes of the other flavors isn't so chemical-y.
If you'd like to give this product a try and see how you like it for yourself, you can purchase BPI Sports Best Aminos BCAAs with Glutamine here on Amazon for $15.92!
Ingredients
Oligopeptide-Enzymatic Technology (Potassium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Carboxymethyl Cellulose Sodium, Crospovidone, Natural Waxes, Carboxylic Acids, Polyethylene Glycol, Dicalcium Phosphate), Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Malic Acid, Silica, Fiber Blend (Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan Gum), Sucralose, Acesulfame-K, And FD&C Red No. 40
Directions
Take one (1) serving (1 scoop) blended into 8oz of ice cold water, either before, during, or after workout, or as directed by a qualified healthcare practitioner. On non-training days, take one (1) serving (1 scoop) first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, or as directed by a qualified healthcare practitioner.
I purchased this product with my own money for personal use. I was not compensated in any way nor am I affiliated with BPI sports. I do receive a small commission if you purchase something with the Amazon referral link posted in this article.