You may not have heard of LEUVATE™ yet. But there's a good chance you will.
As our understanding of protein continues to evolve, researchers are asking new questions about how our bodies build and maintain muscle. Those questions have led to new discoveries, and new ingredients like LEUVATE.
Here's what you should know.
1. Researchers are asking a different question about protein.
For decades, the conversation around protein has been straightforward: Eat more protein.
While getting enough protein remains important, researchers are increasingly recognizing that quantity may be only one piece of the puzzle.
They're now asking questions like:
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Does the type of protein matter?
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Does its amino acid composition matter?
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Can we improve how the body responds to protein?
That shift in thinking is changing how researchers study protein, and it's one of the reasons ingredients like LEUVATE were developed.
2. Building muscle isn't just about eating protein.
Protein provides the amino acids your body needs to build and repair muscle and other tissues.
But eating protein doesn't automatically mean your body starts building muscle.
That process is called muscle protein synthesis (MPS). It’s the natural process responsible for repairing and building muscle tissue.
One of the biggest areas of protein research today isn't simply how much protein people eat, but how effectively protein stimulates muscle protein synthesis.
In other words, researchers are looking beyond protein quantity and paying closer attention to protein quality and how the body responds to it. 
3. Why leucine has become one of the most studied amino acids.
Proteins are made up of amino acids, and not all amino acids play the same role. Among them, leucine has received particular attention because research has shown it plays an important role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis.
As scientists learned more about leucine's role, they began asking another question:
Could we improve the body's response even further? That question eventually led to the research behind LEUVATE.
4. LEUVATE was developed to build on that research.
LEUVATE isn't just another name for leucine. It's a patent pending blend of leucine-enriched essential amino acids and vitamin D₃, developed to help support muscle protein synthesis.
In published university research involving healthy adults, LEUVATE has been shown to stimulate muscle protein synthesis more effectively than protein alone.
One of the most widely discussed findings is that 3 grams of LEUVATE stimulated muscle protein synthesis to a similar extent as 12 grams of protein. Other published studies have reported that a low-dose (0.6 g) leucine-enriched EAA formula stimulated MPS equal to a remarkable 40 g of whey protein.
Rather than replacing protein, the goal of LEUVATE is to help optimize the body's response to it. 
5. You're likely to hear more about LEUVATE.
Protein science continues to evolve. Researchers are paying closer attention to protein quality, amino acid composition, and the body's response to protein, not just the number of grams consumed.
As that conversation continues, you'll likely be hearing more about LEUVATE.
It's already included in ISO CLEAAR®, and you'll also see it featured in future PVL products designed to help you get more from your protein.
References
Ely, Isabel A et al. “A focus on leucine in the nutritional regulation of human skeletal muscle metabolism in ageing, exercise and unloading states.” Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) vol. 42,10 (2023): 1849-1865. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2023.08.010
Reference: Bukhari, Syed S I et al. “Intake of low-dose leucine-rich essential amino acids stimulates muscle anabolism equivalently to bolus whey protein in older women at rest and after exercise.” American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism vol. 308,12 (2015): E1056-65. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00481.2014
Bukhari, Syed S I et al. “Intake of low-dose leucine-rich essential amino acids stimulates muscle anabolism equivalently to bolus whey
