Designs for Health BCAA Powder contains the 3 Branched Chain Amino Acids – L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine – with L-glutamine, another amino acid, in order to build muscle and support the immune system. This BCAA powder has a natural orange flavor, is sweetened with stevia and is free of sucrose, fructose and artificial sweeteners. Additionally, this product is vegetarian friendly and made with non-GMO ingredients.
There are positive aspects of this BCAA powder. There is a 2:1:1: ratio of the BCAAs where L-leucine has double the amount of L-isoleucine and L-valine. This ratio is based on clinical studies and we were pleased to find it in this formula.
There is also the addition of L-glutamine to this BCAA powder. L-glutamine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning your body has the ability to produce it. However, it is conditionally essential because there are certain times when your body cannot produce it and it must be consumed as part of your diet. L-glutamine is the most common amino acid found in muscle tissue. Therefore, it’s presence in a BCAA powder is welcome as it can assist in muscle building and protein synthesis.
Another point in this powder’s favor is the addition of the natural herb stevia. Unflavored BCAA powder is well-known for tasting extremely bitter. While many companies will add a lot of sugar or artificial sweeteners to compensate for the taste, we look for those manufacturers who use natural ingredients instead, like stevia, for a safer alternative to sugar.
So far, this product has many similarities to our editor’s choice pick. However, further investigation revealed some negative aspects to this powder as well.
First and foremost, we noted a lower dosage of L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine than we would have expected from this product. With only 5 grams of BCAAs, it cannot deliver the maximum amount of energy possible to the muscle tissue.
Next, we found the formula to be lacking in additional amino acids. Although there is L-glutamine, it is also found in a lower amount than we would have expected. That is also the only other amino acid found in this powder. Other products we have reviewed have had at least 2 additional amino acids to boost the effects of the BCAAs.
Another negative we noted was that it is vegetarian but not vegan. When it comes to powders, specifically, this made a difference. In the past, crushed bugs have been found in these types of powders. Some manufacturers will ensure purity by producing only vegan powders or by getting a kosher certification. Either way, we are slightly disappointed that Design for Health did not take the extra step in their formula to ensure absolute purity.
Finally, the addition of an electrolyte was sadly left out of this powder. Intense exercise is known for altering the balance of water to electrolytes in the body. Having a BCAA powder which also contains electrolytes to replenish those that are lost is a nice benefit and is definitely lacking here.
Design for Health’s BCAA Powder has a formula which is a great start for a good formula, however, we definitely feel that it could be much better if it included other key ingredients and higher doses that have been clinically shown to build and repair muscle tissue. One small issue we did have with this product was that it is on the pricier side of powders and comes with a monthly auto-ship program that can be difficult to cancel. If this is something that doesn’t bother you, then keep reading to find out more.
Is Designs For Health BCAA Powder Effective?
One of the best indicators of how well a BCAA powder works is the feedback from people who have used it. Thus, we turned to actual customer reviews to see what people really think about it and how well (or not) it worked for them and whether they would recommend it. Unfortunately, this is where we hit a roadblock because we were unable to find any customer reviews on their website, which is a real shame. After perusing sites such as Amazon, we found a small amount of mixed reviews which were mainly focused on the taste of this powder.
While we had hoped to find more information from athletes or bodybuilders or even regular gym rats, about their results, it was interesting to read what people think of this natural orange flavor. Some people thought it tasted natural and tasty but many found it extremely unappealing.
Is Designs For Health BCAA Powder Safe?
In general, this product is marketed as natural and safe. As with all nutritional health products, we would advise consulting with your health care provider before beginning to take this BCAA powder.
Summary
Designs For Health has been manufacturing supplements since 1989. Therefore, we were very interested to thoroughly examine their BCAA powder. We were pleased to see a 2:1:1 ratio of L-leucine to L-isoleucine and L-valine, which is the clinically proven ratio necessary for effective BCAAs. We were also pleased to see the addition of L-glutamine for increasing the muscle growth benefits of BCAAs. Another positive aspect of this powder is that it is free of sucrose, fructose and artificial sweeteners and instead uses the natural herb stevia.
Where this powder falls short is in the ingredient doses. The total amount of BCAAs equals only 5 grams, which is not significant enough to stimulate the maximum amount of protein synthesis to the muscle tissue. The amount of L-glutamine is also lower than we would have expected to see.
Additionally, there are some ingredients which are missing from this product. One amino acid which is known to boost nitric oxide production is L-citrulline. This is a welcome addition to find in BCAA powders. Another ingredient missing is an electrolyte. Electrolytes are depleted and must be replenished after intense training sessions.
We liked that the price tag isn’t so cheap it screams low quality, yet still affordable for those looking to take BCAA powder for the long term. But we were uncomfortable when we noted that there is only a 30-day return policy and only on damaged goods as well as an auto-ship option. Both these details insinuate that the manufacturer is trying to reel in buyers without concern for customer service. This is a huge negative point for us as we found so many products out there that do offer a money-back guarantee that to find one that doesn’t offer any kind of guarantee is alarming. Does that mean they don’t expect you to experience good results? Are they not confident in the products’ ability? Who knows, we can only guess the answer to this question.
The final point we noticed is while we were impressed that this product is vegetarian-friendly, it is not compatible with vegan diets. Many BCAA powders in the past have been found to contain crushed bugs, therefore we would have liked it if this manufacturer took the extra step to ensure its product was vegan to prevent any presence of bugs. That aside, we know that his company has a good reputation and they manufacture many quality products which we find to be a redeeming feature. We feel that this product was almost there but would need a few tweaks to become our editor’s choice.
