Leucine is one of the nine essential amino acids your body cannot produce, which you need to take through food or supplementation. Taking leucine supplements can help you promote muscle growth in older individuals, reduce inflammation, and stabilize blood sugar levels.
But how much leucine should you take? Keep reading this article and find out what is your ideal leucine dosage.
Leucine - health benefits
Leucine is an essential amino acid that you need to take through food or supplements. You naturally eat smaller doses of leucine through these protein-rich foods:
- meat,
- fish and seafood,
- eggs and dairy,
- legumes,
- nuts and seeds.
However, there are several scientifically proven health benefits of upping your leucine dosage and taking it through oral supplements:
- Leucine promotes muscle growth, especially in older people (1),
- Leucine has an anti-inflammatory action (2),
- Leucine stabilizes blood sugar levels (3).
Leucine - dosage
The recommended dosage of leucine is 39 mg of leucine per kilogram of body weight per day (4). Most people, especially those who eat animal products, achieve this dosage without many issues. However, if you'd like to enjoy higher doses of leucine for those added health benefits, you can take up to 5 grams per day.
In the scientific studies mentioned above, tested individuals received anywhere from 192 mg/kg body mass (about 1.3 grams if you weigh 70 kilograms) to 3 grams of leucine per day.
How much leucine per day to build muscle?
If you're interested in the muscle-building properties of leucine, you probably want to know how much of it should you take per day.
Unfortunately, there are no clear answers to this question yet. While some studies showed positive results in building muscle after supplementing with leucine, this was mostly valid only for older people who might suffer from sarcopenia. A review of several other studies showed that leucine supplementation by itself did not affect muscle growth (5).
You might do better if, for muscle growth, you just focus on eating and supplementing enough proteins in general, not just leucine.
Leucine - side effects
Every supplement has its safe dosage range, but at some point, it can become dangerous. So, how much leucine is too much?
Leucine is generally regarded as safe, but taking very high doses (more than 500 mg per kg of body weight per day) can result in (6):
- gastrointestinal troubles,
- low blood sugar,
- Imbalances of other amino acids,
- elevated ammonia levels in the blood,
- worsen symptoms of pellagra.
Literature references:
- Oh GS, Lee JH, Byun K, Kim DI, Park KD. Effect of Intake of Leucine-Rich Protein Supplement in Parallel with Resistance Exercise on the Body Composition and Function of Healthy Adults. Nutrients. 2022 Oct 26;14(21):4501. doi: 10.3390/nu14214501.
- Theis N, Brown MA, Wood P, Waldron M. Leucine Supplementation Increases Muscle Strength and Volume, Reduces Inflammation, and Affects Wellbeing in Adults and Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy. J Nutr. 2021 Jan 4;151(1):59-64. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxaa006.
- Liu H, Liu R, Xiong Y, Li X, Wang X, Ma Y, Guo H, Hao L, Yao P, Liu L, Wang D, Yang X. Leucine facilitates the insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and insulin signaling in skeletal muscle cells: involving mTORC1 and mTORC2. Amino Acids. 2014 Aug;46(8):1971-9. doi: 10.1007/s00726-014-1752-9.
- Rondanelli M, Nichetti M, Peroni G, Faliva MA, Naso M, Gasparri C, Perna S, Oberto L, Di Paolo E, Riva A, Petrangolini G, Guerreschi G, Tartara A. Where to Find Leucine in Food and How to Feed Elderly With Sarcopenia in Order to Counteract Loss of Muscle Mass: Practical Advice. Front Nutr. 2021 Jan 26;7:622391. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.622391.
- Guo Y, Fu X, Hu Q, Chen L, Zuo H. The Effect of Leucine Supplementation on Sarcopenia-Related Measures in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 17 Randomized Controlled Trials. Front Nutr. 2022 Jul 1;9:929891. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.929891.
- Borack MS, Volpi E. Efficacy and Safety of Leucine Supplementation in the Elderly. J Nutr. 2016 Dec;146(12):2625S-2629S. doi: 10.3945/jn.116.230771.
