{ "dataset": "bcaa-cost-by-brand", "title": "BCAA (Branched-Chain Amino Acid) Supplements Compared — cost per gram of BCAA", "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/branched-chain-amino-acids/best-overall/", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), BCAA Cost Comparison", "dateModified": "2026-07-19", "methodology": "All 5 tracked products are pure/near-pure 2:1:1 (leucine:isoleucine:valine) BCAA products sold at their disclosed label weight — no salt-conversion math needed. Products are ranked by costPerGram = price / totalGrams (totalGrams = servingsPerContainer x mgPerServing / 1000). costPer5gDose is reported because 5g is both the pack's primary ranking dose and the low end of typical retail daily dosing (5-10g/day, often split pre/post-workout). Bulk powder is 3.8x cheaper per gram than the priciest capsule product in this set (BulkSupplements BCAA 2:1:1 Powder (500 g) at $0.05/g vs Optimum Nutrition Mega-Size BCAA 1000 Caps (400 ct) at $0.192/g) — though the cheapest product's 1g labeled scoop means a 5g effective dose takes 5 scoops. HONESTY NOTES (from the verified evidence pack, gates passed 2026-07-19): (1) BCAAs alone raise post-exercise muscle protein synthesis roughly 22% vs. placebo (Jackman 2017, PMID 28638350) — but this is a submaximal, short-window (4h) response, not a hypertrophy outcome, and no oral-BCAA-alone human MPS trial existed as of Wolfe 2017's review (PMID 28852372), whose IV-infusion data showed BCAAs alone can DECREASE muscle protein turnover. (2) For anyone already eating adequate total protein, standalone BCAA products are largely redundant — whey, meat, eggs, and most protein powders already deliver BCAAs, including leucine past the ~2-3g \"trigger\" threshold, as part of a complete amino acid profile (Phillips & Van Loon 2011, PMID 22150425; Churchward-Venne 2014, PMID 24284442). (3) Muscle-soreness (DOMS) benefit is real but modest, timepoint-dependent, and inconsistent across meta-analyses — never a blanket \"BCAAs cure soreness\" claim. (4) BCAAs have a genuine, low-certainty evidence base in medically supervised advanced cirrhosis/hepatic encephalopathy (Marchesini 2003, PMID 12806613; Cochrane 2026, PMID 41542879) — a different population, dose, and use case entirely from the gym-supplement pitch; that evidence does not lend credibility to a healthy-adult sports-performance claim. (5) None of these 5 products are EAA blends; an EAA or whole-protein product is the evidence-preferred choice over any product in this table if the goal is maximizing MPS rather than minimizing cost. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA; these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.", "headline": { "productsCompared": 5, "cheapestPerGramBrand": "BulkSupplements", "cheapestPerGramProduct": "BCAA 2:1:1 Powder (500 g)", "cheapestPerGram": 0.05, "priciestPerGramBrand": "Optimum Nutrition", "priciestPerGram": 0.192, "powderVsCapsuleSpreadX": 3.8, "effectiveDoseG": 5, "typicalLowG": 5, "typicalHighG": 10, "note": "Ranked by cost per gram of BCAA — never by commissions. None of these products are EAA blends; whole protein/EAAs already contain BCAAs and are evidence-preferred for muscle protein synthesis." }, "columns": [ "brand", "product", "slug", "form", "mgPerServing", "servings", "totalGrams", "price", "costPerGram", "costPer5gDose", "scoopsOrCapsFor5g", "flavored", "certification" ], "units": { "mgPerServing": "mg BCAA", "totalGrams": "g BCAA", "price": "USD", "costPerGram": "USD/g", "costPer5gDose": "USD per 5g dose" }, "citations": [ { "claim": "Narrative review: an extensive literature search revealed no human studies quantifying MPS response to orally-ingested BCAAs alone; the only 2 IV-infusion studies found BCAAs alone DECREASED muscle protein synthesis and breakdown. Conclusion: \"the claim that consumption of dietary BCAAs stimulates muscle protein synthesis or produces an anabolic response in human subjects is unwarranted.\"", "source": "Wolfe RR, 2017, J Int Soc Sports Nutr", "pmid": "28852372" }, { "claim": "RCT crossover, n=10 resistance-trained men: 5.6g BCAA vs placebo post-exercise — myofibrillar MPS 22% higher with BCAA over 4h (0.110%/h vs 0.090%/h, P=0.012); no EAA/whole-protein comparison arm.", "source": "Jackman SR, et al. 2017, Front Physiol", "pmid": "28638350" }, { "claim": "RCT, n=40 young men, 5 arms: a low-protein (6.25g) beverage matched a 25g whey dose's MPS response only when boosted to 5.0g total leucine — total leucine content, not isolated BCAAs, is the lever.", "source": "Churchward-Venne TA, et al. 2014, Am J Clin Nutr", "pmid": "24284442" }, { "claim": "Consensus review: total protein intakes of 1.3-1.8 g/kg/day across 3-4 meals will maximize MPS — the lever that matters is total daily protein/leucine intake, not an isolated BCAA product layered on top of already-adequate protein.", "source": "Phillips SM, Van Loon LJ, 2011, J Sports Sci", "pmid": "22150425" }, { "claim": "Meta-analysis + meta-regression, 18 RCTs: BCAA significantly reduced DOMS at 24h/48h/72h/96h but NOT immediately post-exercise; reduced creatine kinase immediately and at 72h but not 24/48/96h — time-course-specific, not a blanket soreness claim.", "source": "Salem A, et al. 2024, Sports Med Open", "pmid": "38625669" }, { "claim": "Cochrane systematic review, 18 RCTs, n=934 cirrhosis/hepatic-encephalopathy patients: BCAAs reduced hepatic encephalopathy (RR 0.79, low-certainty evidence) but showed little-to-no effect on all-cause mortality — a medically supervised clinical population, not a gen-pop claim.", "source": "Aamann L, Deshpande N, Dam G, et al. (Cochrane), 2026, Cochrane Database Syst Rev", "pmid": "41542879" } ], "products": [ { "brand": "BulkSupplements", "product": "BCAA 2:1:1 Powder (500 g)", "slug": "bulksupplements-bcaa-2-1-1-powder-500g", "form": "Powder", "mgPerServing": 1000, "servings": 500, "totalGrams": 500, "price": 24.97, "costPerGram": 0.05, "costPer5gDose": 0.25, "scoopsOrCapsFor5g": 5, "flavored": false, "certification": "None stated" }, { "brand": "Nutricost", "product": "BCAA 1000 mg Capsules (500 ct)", "slug": "nutricost-bcaa-1000mg-capsules-500ct", "form": "Capsule", "mgPerServing": 1000, "servings": 250, "totalGrams": 250, "price": 21.95, "costPerGram": 0.088, "costPer5gDose": 0.44, "scoopsOrCapsFor5g": 5, "flavored": false, "certification": "None stated" }, { "brand": "XTEND", "product": "Original BCAA Powder, Watermelon Explosion (7,000 mg/serving)", "slug": "xtend-original-bcaa-powder-watermelon", "form": "Powder", "mgPerServing": 7000, "servings": 30, "totalGrams": 210, "price": 24.74, "costPerGram": 0.118, "costPer5gDose": 0.59, "scoopsOrCapsFor5g": 1, "flavored": true, "certification": "None stated" }, { "brand": "Optimum Nutrition", "product": "Instantized BCAA Powder (5,000 mg/serving, Unflavored)", "slug": "optimum-nutrition-instantized-bcaa-powder-5000mg", "form": "Powder", "mgPerServing": 5000, "servings": 60, "totalGrams": 300, "price": 39.99, "costPerGram": 0.133, "costPer5gDose": 0.67, "scoopsOrCapsFor5g": 1, "flavored": false, "certification": "None stated" }, { "brand": "Optimum Nutrition", "product": "Mega-Size BCAA 1000 Caps (400 ct)", "slug": "optimum-nutrition-mega-size-bcaa-1000-caps", "form": "Capsule", "mgPerServing": 1000, "servings": 200, "totalGrams": 200, "price": 38.49, "costPerGram": 0.192, "costPer5gDose": 0.96, "scoopsOrCapsFor5g": 5, "flavored": false, "certification": "None stated" } ] }