Where it comes from: Branched-chain amino acids are essential amino acids (specifically, valine, leucine and isoleucine). They are essential, meaning we must get them in our diet because our bodies do not produce them, explains Sarah Currie, RD and personal trainer for New York City-based Physical Equilibrium LLC.
At what age do boys stop growing? The stopping date for male growth is just as variable as the starting date. Some men are done growing around the end of high school, while others continue into the college years. Puberty generally lasts two to five years, stopping around ages 17 to 19 for boys. At the end of puberty, the growth plates on the long bones close, which ends the normal period of growth, says Dr. Gettleman.
For girls, the growth spurt begins between 10 and 11 and lasts until around 15; for boys, it starts about two years later and lasts until age 17 or so. Girls typically stop growing about three years after they've had their first period, but boys continue to grow throughout their teens.