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LeucineEvidence & Dosage

Anabolic amino acid, mTOR activator, the MPS threshold.

Studies last updated

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
299
With abstract
49
Meta / Systematic / RCT
65
Highly cited
41
Publication years
2004–2026

Leucine in the context of Recovery

This topic is part of our "Recovery" world. There you'll find methodology, evidence and the highest-impact levers — plus the order in which they sensibly build on each other.

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Top studies on Leucine

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. Effects of Whey Protein, Leucine, and Vitamin D Supplementation in Patients with Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    Nutrients2023n=637meta145 influential citations

    (1) Background: In this study, a meta-analysis was performed to investigate the effects of whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D in sarcopenia; (2) Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus databases and retrieved…

  2. Evaluating the Leucine Trigger Hypothesis to Explain the Post-prandial Regulation of Muscle Protein Synthesis in Young and Older Adults: A Systematic Review.

    Front Nutr2021n=29Systematic Review60 influential citations

    Background: The “leucine trigger” hypothesis was originally conceived to explain the post-prandial regulation of muscle protein synthesis (MPS). This hypothesis implicates the magnitude (amplitude and rate) of post-prandial increase in…

  3. The Relationship between Branched-Chain Amino Acid Related Metabolomic Signature and Insulin Resistance: A Systematic Review.

    J Diabetes Res2016n=20,091Systematic Review57 influential citations

    Recent studies have shown the positive association between increased circulating BCAAs (valine, leucine, and isoleucine) and insulin resistance (IR) in obese or diabetic patients. However, results seem to be controversial in different…

  4. Effect of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate supplementation on muscle loss in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Arch Gerontol Geriatr2015Meta-Analysis56 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), a metabolite of the branched-chain amino acid leucine, has been investigated as a potential supplement to improve muscle quality; however, whether HMB supplementation has…

  5. Effects of leucine-rich protein supplements in older adults with sarcopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    Arch Gerontol Geriatr2022n=699Meta-Analysis56 influential citations

    <h4>Objectives</h4>This study examined whether leucine-rich protein supplements improve muscle strength, mass, and performance in sarcopenic older adults.<h4>Methods</h4>We searched PubMed-Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases…

  6. The Association between Circulating Branched Chain Amino Acids and the Temporal Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis.

    Nutrients2022n=9Meta-Analysis53 influential citations

    Introduction: Recent studies have concluded that elevated circulating branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are associated with the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. However, the development of this association over…

  7. Association of postprandial postexercise muscle protein synthesis rates with dietary leucine: A systematic review.

    Physiol Rep2023Systematic Review53 influential citations

    Background Dietary protein ingestion augments post (resistance) exercise muscle protein synthesis (MPS) rates. It is thought that the dose of leucine ingested within the protein (leucine threshold hypothesis) and the subsequent plasma…

  8. Beneficial Effects of Leucine Supplementation on Criteria for Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review.

    Nutrients2019Systematic Review52 influential citations

    Objective: Treating sarcopenia remains a challenge, and nutritional interventions present promising approaches. We summarize the effects of leucine supplementation in treating older individuals with sarcopenia associated with aging or to…

  9. Does the muscle protein synthetic response to exercise and amino acid-based nutrition diminish with advancing age? A systematic review.

    Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab2016Systematic Review50 influential citations

    The precise role of age-related muscle anabolic resistance in the progression of sarcopenia and functional decline in older individuals is unclear. The present aim was to assess whether the muscle protein synthesis (MPS) response to acute…

  10. Food-derived peptides as novel therapeutic strategies for NLRP3 inflammasome-related diseases: a systematic review.

    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr2025Systematic Review48 influential citations

    NLRP3 (NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3), a member of the nucleotide-binding domain (NOD) and leucine-rich repeat sequence (LRR) protein (NLR) family, plays an essential role in the inflammation initiation and inflammatory…

Frequently asked

What dosage was studied?
• Whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D supplementation (Varied by trial: e.g., 20.7 g whey protein + 2.8 g leucine + 800 IU vitamin D; 22 g whey protein + 4 g leucine + 100 IU vitamin D; 20 g whey protein + 2.8 g leucine + 800 IU vitamin D) • ingested protein • microplastics (MPs) exposure
Are there safety considerations for Leucine?
• No adverse events were reported in the excerpt. • No safety signals were reported in the review. • One BCAA-supplement study found no change in glucose metabolism or HOMA-IR versus control. • The review does not identify a dose ceiling for BCAA intake.

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