Timing and Servings DailyUpdated 4 months ago

What is the ideal time to take my Aminos?

Kion Aminos are an amazingly flexible supplement that can provide benefit no matter when they are taken..

With Exercise

Kion Aminos taken with your workout (whether before during or after) will provide the greatest increase in muscle protein synthesis as both EAA's and exercise (resistance exercise in particular) have a synergistic effect greater than either in isolation. 

On Off Days

A common misconception is Kion Aminos should only be taken on days you work out. This could not be further from the truth, as the benefit to taking them even on off days is significant. We're constantly in a state of muscle protein turnover (even at rest) in which we are breaking down muscle tissue for fuel, nutrients etc and subsequently rebuilding - if we have an appropriate level of available essential amino acids. 

With Meals?

Kion Aminos can be a great addition to meals, especially those particularly low in protein. Recent research has shown that elevated peripheral levels of EAA's can actually increase the MPS stimulation from your meal. One caveat, there is the potential with foods high in tryptophan (such as turkey) to blunt this effect to a certain extent as tryptophan and leucine can potentially compete for absorption pathways, so keep this in mind if supplementing your meals. 

What if I'm Fasting?

Very nuanced topic, but in general our stance is that the benefits of taking aminos while fasted far outweigh any drawbacks. Many consider any glucose, and the subsequent insulin response to "break a fast" (which Aminos will do in the short term) but fail to recognize that a good workout (weightlifting in particular) will elicit this same effect. 

 Adding to this is the fact that even in a fasted state, we are continually undergoing muscle protein turnover, and new synthesis is always going to be limited by EAA availability, whether that is from muscle tissue breakdown or supplementary EAA's. 

Especially if one is practicing intermittent fasting for body composition purposes / caloric control, EAA's can be a perfect companion to your fast. 

How Many Servings Can I Take Daily?

There is not currently an established upper limit for daily intake - many studies have approached 90g daily in their protocols. However, we can provide some guidance to ensure that your Aminos are being used as efficiently as possible. 

- 18g at one time has shown to be the point at which the increase in muscle protein synthesis plateaus. Based on this we don't recommend taking more than 3 servings at a time

 - 3 Hours. This is the average length of time the increase in protein synthesis will last. If you are taking the maximum effective dose above, taking more within this 3 hour window will yield diminishing returns. 

Based on this, throughout the span of a 16 hour day, the maximum effective amount of servings would be 15 servings daily. 

Are this many servings necessary to see results? Absolutely not, a single serving daily is perfectly effective!