Beyond muscle health, leucine also helps in regulating blood sugar levels, promoting fat loss, boosting immune function, and supporting brain health. It activates the mTOR pathway, which is ...

Leucine was the primary amino acid responsible for activating mTOR in macrophages, and increasing protein consumption had a threshold effect on the detrimental signaling pathway.

Zhang X, Kapoor D, Jeong S-J, et al. Identification of a leucine-mediated threshold effect governing macrophage mTOR signalling and cardiovascular risk. Nature Metabolism. 2024;6:359-377. Rose AJ, ...

As it did during the 2020 study, one amino acid stood out yet again in activating mTOR: leucine. Next, the researchers wanted to see if these results actually yielded atherosclerosis.

Leucine is a branched-chain amino acid that helps to build and repair muscles. Learn which 7 foods to eat to get more leucine.