ADDRA Labs

20 amino acids serve as building blocks of muscle proteins. 9 are essential and need to be consumed. The other 11 are non-essential — they’re made of other building blocks. The protein quality of food is based upon essential amino acid content and scored on a food’s essential amino acid that is lowest vs a standard, like a chain being only as strong as its weakest link.

Three of the essential amino acids, Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine, are Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs). Leucine is particularly important in triggering muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in addition to being an essential building block. Leucine is like a ‘player-coach’ — it's a key ‘player’ as an essential amino and ‘coaches’ the other amino acid ‘players’ to get aligned and working on MPS.

In each hour of endurance exercise about 10g of protein is burned as fuel. While minor compared to carbs and fat, it’s relevant for optimal recovery. The latest daily protein intake recommendation for endurance athletes is 1.8g/kg of bodyweight/day (e.g. 100g protein for a 125lb’er, 120g for 150lb, 140g for 175lb, etc.) which is more than the 1.6g/kg/day recommended for strength athletes.

A lower level of protein enriched with added leucine has been shown to have the same effect on MPS as a larger amount of high-quality protein. This makes it easier to consume, with fewer calories and better convenience. This is where new ADDRA High Performance Protein Bars come in. ADDRA bars formulas are based upon recent peer-reviewed studies as well as the growing consensus that endurance athletes need more protein to optimize recovery and training adaptations.