What is Leucine and how can it Help me Manage My Weight?

"Most people don't realize that muscle equals metabolism – one pound of muscle burns upwards of 30 to 50 calories per day," said Dr. Jamie McManus, Chairman of Medical Affairs, Health Sciences and Education for health and wellness company Shaklee Corporation. "Many typical diets trigger the body in such a way that they cause weight to be lost from water and muscle, rather than from fat. On the other hand, when muscle is preserved, you lose weight from fat and the body's ability to burn calories (metabolism) is not diminished."

Leucine is one of the essential  amino acids and is part of the branched chain amino acid family.  Amino Acids help people build muscle and are the building blocks of protein.  All together, amino acids are the most common substance in the body after water!   According to the University of Arizona, the human body will experience muscle degradation and so forth if we fail to consume even 1 of the 10 essential amino acids.   The human body does not store excess amino acids.

Muscle building in weight loss is important.  Muscle, like the rest of the body is being torn down and built up on a daily basis.  When calories are restricted, your body still needs to provide for necessary functions, like breathing and such!  Your body will use energy stored in the liver and muscles to supply the necessary energy to function.  Also, stored fat will be broken down as will muscle and other body proteins to produce energy.  

Leucine is unique in that once absorbed it travels directly to muscle tissue where it acts as a signal for protein synthesis.  This protein synthesis is important to building muscle in your body and allows for increased muscle. Leucine stimulates muscle protein synthesis, offsetting the breakdown of muscle that naturally occurs with restricted calories.  Leucine aids your body in maintaining muscle mass while keeping your metabolic rate up.  Muscle equals metabolism.

To help those seeking to lose weight from fat, not muscle, Shaklee has created Shaklee 180, a comprehensive program formulated to deliver weight loss and inch loss results. Unlike a typical fad diet, Shaklee 180 is specifically designed to help users successfully reach their desirable body weight while preserving muscle. Containing clinically proven ingredients including leucine, a key amino acid which provides a key signal to help the body preserve lean body mass (muscle), protein to help control hunger, and other ingredients to help retain normal blood sugar levels, Shaklee 180 helps you "Take you Shape in a whole New Direction."TM

More about Leucine and Essential Amino Acids:

Ten amino acids are considered essential as the body cannot make them.  Leucine is among those essential amino acids and is part of the branched-chain amino acids.  To get the proper intake of these essential amino acids you must either eat a diet high in dietary protein or use supplementation. 

Being one of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) that help convert protein to muscle, Leucine is important to our bodies.  BCAAs account for about one-third of the protein in skeletal muscle.  A European study recently found, taking 3 grams of Leucine daily boosted muscle synthesis in older men to approximately equal level as that in young men.  Leucine is unique in that once absorbed it travels directly to muscle tissue where it acts as a signal for protein synthesis.  This protein synthesis is important to building muscle in your body and allows for increased muscle.

Muscle building in weight loss is important.  Muscle, like the rest of the body is being torn down and built up on a daily basis.  When calories are restricted, your body still needs to provide for necessary functions, like breathing and such!  Your body will use energy stored in the liver and muscles to supply the necessary energy to function.  Also, stored fat will be broken down as will muscle and other body proteins to produce energy.   Leucine helps in that it stimulates muscle protein synthesis, offsetting the breakdown of muscle that naturally occurs with restricted calories.  Leucine aids your body in maintaining muscle mass while keeping your metabolic rate up.  Muscle equals metabolism.

So power your weight management with Leucine, maintain your muscle and lose the fat!

Weight Gain is always an issue for the majority of us.  The older we get the harder it is to lose that weight too.  Diets are not fun since we feel we are forced to eat foods we don't like while denying our wanting of sugared, fatty foods that we like.  Sad that most of us live to eat rather than eating to live.  Our lifestyle and food choices are making us sick and we go right on doing the same thing over and over each year.  We need to take care of our bodies, rest and exercise along with proper food intake and wise supplementation can make for a longer, healthier life for all of us.

Research from a 2005 study conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonia showed "…a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day." Note that the risk to becoming overweight actually goes up with each diet soda you drink!  Now that is something I just don't need.  Weight is hard enough to manage without stacking the odds against myself.

Water is the answer that most of us need to hear!  Water is good for the body.  We are made from high percentages of water.  We need to keep the water up so we don't dehydrate, even in the winter.  Water helps keep our temperature regulated even in the winter.  Shaklee has an amazing pitcher, called Get Clean Water.  Get Clean® Water is a revolutionary new water filtration pitcher system certified by the Water Quality Association (WQA) to reduce up to 99% of lead 1—as well as dozens of other nasty contaminants that can turn up in your water and may be harmful to your health.

Watch this short video on how not to gain weight with diet sodas and other foods. Not only is it informative, it is funny too!  Knowing how to keep our body healthy is power!

Also check out the Cinch Inch Weight Loss Plan!  Shaklee's Cinch Inch plan uses clinically proven Leucine to help you maintain muscle while losing fat and inches the healthy way.  Combining meal replacement bars, yummy protein shakes, liquid umph in Cinch Tea as well as 3-In-1 Boost to help maintain your balance while enjoying snack bars and a sensible meal each day.  I use the shakes, tea, and snack bars to help maintain my weight!  

For more information about Shaklee's Get Clean Water Pitcher and Cinch Weight Management, please use this safe link.  Stay well!