BPI Sports : Best BCAA Shredded BCAA Supplements

BPI Sports have a few amino acid products but Best BCAA remains their go to product for those seeking a BCAA supplement from the US brand. Best BCAA Shredded, as the name suggests, is a line extension of Best BCAA by retaining many of the same ingredients but adding additional nutrients designed to put the emphasis of the product on not just enhancing muscle recovery but also trying to help you get into leaner condition.

Based Around Oligopeptide Technology

The first thing you notice when you check the nutritional label out for Best BCAA Shredded is the use of the phrase oligopeptide technology. This is essentially a scientific term to describe the process where multiple amino acids are bonded together into one rather than included individually. BPI argue that the use of peptide bonds can improve absorption as well as utilisation of the constituent amino acids in the bond. While this might be true it is important to remember that when you look at the label and see for example 2.5g of the oligopeptide Glycyl-Alanyl-Lysine-L-Leucine, that the 2.5g is comprised of four different amino acids joined together. 

Why is This an Issue?

Most BCAA supplements are based around serving sizes of around 5 grams of the different bcaa's (leucine, isoleucine and valine) but with Best BCAA Shredded it is unclear how much of each of these amino acids is included as the doses on the label refer to the dose of an amino acid blend comprising leucine, isoleucine and valine respectively.

What we can say for sure is that despite the oligopeptide blends of leucine, isoleucine and valine adding up to 5 grams, the individual bcaa's themselves are going to be much less. In fact, if you assume all four amino acids within each blend is equally weighted within the blend then it could mean the BCAA content of Best BCAA Shredded is as little as 1.25g which would be an issue for most users.

Citrulline and Carnitine for Performance and Fat Loss

Both of these two amino acids which are associated with better muscle endurance/pumps in the case of the former, and fat loss with the latter are also included but again in oligopeptide blends. This brings up the same issue as the one highlighted about bcaa's and in the case of the citrulline at least, the dose is nowhere near what is needed for an ergogenic effect.

What can you Expect From Best BCAA Shredded?

Given the difficulty in knowing the dose of each amino acid, and bearing in mind the other amino acids in each oligopeptide blend is not that useful for the body, we would hazard a guess that for most athletes this is not the best option as the bcaa, citrulline and carnitine doses are likely below what is optimal.

On the other hand, the best thing about this product is the taste and mixability so if you prioritise this then we still think that Best BCAA Shredded can be of benefit as while the key ingredients are likely underdosed, they will still provide some benefits for the user. However, if you are on a severe diet and looking for a true bcaa supplement focused on recovery we would probably suggest you look elsewhere.