A natural amino acid that is found in your body.
Leucine Leucine works with the amino acids isoleucine and valine to repair muscles, regulate blood sugar, and provide the body with energy. It also increases production of growth hormones, and helps burn visceral fat, which is located in the deepest layers of the body and the least responsive to dieting and exercise. Physical Properties: Nonpolar. Leucine, an essential amino acid, is one of the three amino acid with a branched hydrocarbon side chain. It has one additional methylene group in its side chain compared with valine. Like valine, leucine is hydrophobic and generally buried in folded proteins. Close window. Leucine is an amino acid that is found in many types of protein and is considered to be necessary for the proper absorption of various types of nutrients. Leucine acid is also available in supplement form and is popular among people who engage in sports activities on a regular basis. Photo Credit Siri Stafford/Digital Vision/Getty Images. Leucine is a natural amino acid that is found in your body. Leucine and the branched amino acids, isoleucine and valine, make up almost one-third of your muscle protein. Leucine is a member of the branched-chain amino acid family, along with valine and isoleucine. The branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are found in proteins of all life forms. The three branched-chain amino acids constitute approximately 70 percent of the amino acids in the body proteins.
http://www.vitaminstuff.com/amino-acid-leucine.html http://www.biology.arizona.edu/biochemistry/problem_sets/aa/Leucine.html http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-leucine.htm http://www.livestrong.com/article/49600-leucine-used/ http://www.vitamins-supplements.org/amino-acids/leucine.php
what is leucine