Which supplement works better to maintain muscle mass during weight loss: branched chain amino acids or essential amino acids?

Ratings at a Glance

Supplement	Effectiveness Rating	Confidence Rating
Branched Chain Amino Acids
Essential Amino Acids

Effectiveness Rating: Branched Chain Amino Acids vs Essential Amino Acids

The effectiveness rating is a measure of the supplements' ability to maintain muscle mass during weight loss. This rating answers the question of whether or not a supplement does what it claims. The evidence backing up branched chain amino acids is great, while the evidence backing up essential amino acids is good. Branched Chain Amino Acids should be able to maintain muscle mass during weight loss more effectively, however both supplements should provide positive results.

Confidence Rating: Branched Chain Amino Acids vs Essential Amino Acids

Another factor to take into account when comparing supplements is the confidence rating. This rating is a measure of how valid each supplement's effectiveness rating is. Remember, the confidence rating is a measure of how much you can trust the effectiveness rating. This rating is based on how many studies are included in the database on a supplement's claims. Ideally, you want a high effectiveness AND confidence rating.

Both branched chain amino acids and essential amino acids have low confidence ratings. This means neither supplement has an adequate amount of research to back up this claim. A low confidence rating questions the validity of the effectiveness rating.