Friday, October 26, 2012

The Acid Factor by Jerry Brainum


From a dietary standpoint, muscle growth results when anabolic factors predominate over catabolic factors. Anabolic factors include a hormonal milieu favorable to promoting gains in muscular size and strength—such as higher levels of testosterone and growth hormone and a controlled release of insulin at the right time. The primary catabolic hormone is cortisol, secreted from the cortex area of the adrenal glands, which sit just on top of the kidneys. A high-protein diet is also vital for encouraging anabolism in muscle because the components of protein foods, amino acids, are directly involved in muscle protein synthesis. Amino acids also help curb the effects of cortisol.
     Cortisol is released when the body is under high stress and has a protective role in that regard. In fact, a lack of cortisol can lead to death if a massive stress event, such as shock, ensues. Exercise itself is a form of stress that’s beneficial under the right conditions. The body reacts to exercise by upregulating the muscular and cardiovascular systems. On the other hand, the body also has a finite capacity for that. Excess stress can overwhelm the body’s defenses, leading to disease. Overtraining constitutes excess stress, which results in a loss of muscle because the body can’t cope with an overabundance of induced stress.
      A less recognized cause of muscle loss, which is common among many bodybuilders, involves alterations in the body’s acid-alkaline balance. The body functions best within a certain range of pH, which is a measure of acidity. Every bodybuilder is familiar with the burn induced by an intense set. The burn is caused by a buildup of hydrogen ions, signaling that the end of that particular set is near. Energy-producing enzymes in muscle fail under high-acid conditions, leading to muscular contraction failure. The body is also affected, however, by systemic acidity.
       While high acidity often happens during pathological conditions, such as a heart attack or kidney failure, a more subtle form often isn’t immediately recognized. Systemic metabolic acidity relates to diet, specifically an imbalance between high-acid-producing and alkaline-based foods. Most high-protein foods, along with cereal and wheat products, are high acid. Protein generates acid because of the presence of certain amino acids that contain sulfur—methionine, cysteine and taurine. The sulfur content of the aminos encourages the production of acid, mainly highly caustic sulfuric acid.
      The body normally neutralizes the excess acid with various buffers, which include bicarbonate, phosphate and carnosine in muscle. The buffer system is aided by the intake of foods rich in alkaline minerals, such as potassium, magnesium and calcium. Alkaline foods are mainly fruits and vegetables.
What happens when you eat a high-protein diet and no alkaline foods? Studies show that most people lean toward a high-acid diet, mainly because they don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. As people age, their kidney function declines, and the kidneys are the primary organ that excretes excess acid. As a result, many older people are in a chronic state of mild acidosis. Other studies show that obese people on fat-loss diets are also susceptible to becoming mildly acidic. The higher acid levels that result from such diets can lead to a loss of muscle, which in turn results in a lower resting metabolic rate—which just about ensures a regain of the lost bodyfat. Other studies show that supplying a buffer, such as potassium bicarbonate, stops the loss of muscle. An easier way to do that would be to just eat more fruits and vegetables.
       In response to a higher acid level in the body, cortisol levels rise, leading to a breakdown of muscle tissue. When the amino acids that are released from muscle enter the blood, they travel to the liver, where they are converted into glutamine. The kidneys use glutamine to synthesize ammonia. The ammonia molecules readily accept acid protons and are then excreted as ammonium ions, which leads to acid excretion and lower blood acidity. That’s a primary buffering system of the body, but it also explains the connection between high body acidity and loss of muscle.
     The scenario gets worse with age, as kidney function often declines by an average of 40 percent in older people. A recent study found that older adults who eat more alkaline-based foods, as determined by excretion of potassium, a primary alkaline mineral, experience less loss of muscle than those who eat only high-acid foods. The authors suggest that seniors who eat fruits and vegetables in addition to enough protein will stave off the loss of muscle that leads to frailty.
     Another interesting recent study focused on 1,136 young women, age range 18 to 22, to identify any association between an acid/alkaline imbalance and cardiovascular risk factors. The study found positive links between high-acid food intake and high blood pressure, increased total and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and, surprisingly, a larger waist, which is associated with the metabolic syndrome. Those effects were thought to be related to an increased amount of cortisol induced by high-acid food intake, coupled with a loss of minerals that act as buffers in the body, such as calcium and citrate.
      What does it all mean to a hard-training bodybuilder? As I’ve pointed out in regard to low-carb dieting, one of the main problems with following a high-protein, low-carb diet is the increased acidity. Some claim that such diets lead to loss of muscle, often incorrectly attributing it to a lack of carbs. It’s not the carbs—it’s the high acidity; high acid favors more cortisol.
     The cure is simple: Eat more fruits and vegetables. Those who don’t should get enough alkaline minerals, such as potassium and magnesium, as well as citrate, to offset the higher acidity of a high-protein diet. Eating more alkaline foods is far better, though, because they provide other nutrients often lacking in high-protein diets, such as fiber.

References
Hughes-Dawson, B., et al. (2008). Alkaline diets favor lean tissue mass in older adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 87:662-665.
Murakami, K., et al. (2008). Association between dietary acid-base load and cardiometabolic risk factors in young Japanese women. Brit J Nutr. 18:1-10.



©,2013 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited.

Have you been ripped off by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com

 
 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

Friday, October 19, 2012

Creatine: Bad for the heart? by Jerry Brainum

     One indirect gauge of the effectiveness of sports supplements is the amount of criticism directed at them. Supplements that work as advertised seem to attract more attention. Examples include ephedrine-and-caffeine combinations that were banned for one year by the FDA due to often dubious adverse-effect reports, then restored to the market by a federal judge because of a lack of sufficient scientific evidence concerning their potential dangers to health when used in suggested doses. Another example is the pro-hormone supplements, which fell victim to the ongoing hysteria about anabolic steroids. The final versions of them were remarkably effective and produced few or no side effects when used as directed. Their biggest problem was that they attracted too much attention—and because a few of them actually were anabolic steroids or contained so-called designer steroids.
     It was perhaps only a matter of time before creatine was accused of endangering health. That’s evident in reports that it is linked to kidney failure, muscle cramps and liver damage, none of which are even remotely true.
      Some reports to the FDA have even claimed that using creatine led to heart problems. Since creatine is a natural constituent of the human body, synthesized from amino acids in the liver, pancreas and kidneys, it’s hard to justify an accusation like that. Nevertheless, a recent case report linked the use of supplemental creatine to atrial fibrillation, a disturbance of heart rhythm.1
      Atrial fibrillation involves a disturbance in the contraction of the atrial, or upper, chambers of the heart. The incidence of this disorder doubles with each decade of life, so it’s far more common in older people. The most frequent cause is long-term hypertension, or high blood pressure, which may damage the heart. The errant heart rhythm may lead to more clots being released into the blood—embolisms that may then travel to the brain, inducing stroke. Doctors prevent that effect by providing anticoagulants, such as Warfarin, to those afflicted with the condition.
     When atrial fibrillation occurs without any evidence of structural heart damage, it’s called lone atrial fibrillation. While it’s rare in younger people, it can be produced by scar tissue forming in the atrial chambers of the heart, hypersensitivity due to neural stimulation of the heart or an inflammation in the heart. The most common causes, however, are drug use, including excessive caffeine intake, acute alcohol intoxication and using too much thyroid drugs (many bodybuilders have experienced it after using excessive amounts of the thyroid drug Cytomel).
      In the case study a 30-year-old man without any prior evidence of heart problems reported to a hospital emergency room, complaining of heart palpitations and rapid breathing, both of which had occurred abruptly within the previous 48 hours. An electrocardiogram indicated atrial fibrillation. The man denied using any drugs, and none showed up in his medical tests. He did, however, admit to using creatine supplements. He’d begun by taking 20 grams a day for five days, a loading phase, followed by a maintenance dose of 2.5 grams daily for one month.
      That much creatine produced cramping and diarrhea, so he curtailed it for a month, then switched to a capsule form. He developed the heart symptoms while taking a loading dose of the creatine capsules. He was treated with intravenous drugs to prevent clot formation and to stabilize his irregular heart rhythm. The treatment proved effective, as his heart returned to normal rhythm in eight hours. He was discharged within 24 hours and told to take aspirin and a beta-blocking drug for his heart.
      In discussing this man’s case, the author asserts that since creatine is known to cause dehydration and diarrhea, it may have caused an electrolyte, or mineral, imbalance that led to the atrial fibrillation. Yet the man’s primary electrolytes, potassium and magnesium, were within normal values. While it has been frequently reported anecdotally that creatine causes dehydration, there’s no documented evidence in the medical literature that points to it. Since creatine may promote a shift of water from extracellular to intracellular compartments in the body, it may adversely affect electrolyte balance that way, but that would happen only during restricted fluid intake. The odds that creatine would cause an effect significant enough to produce a lone atrial fibrillation are remote at best.
       So why did the man in the study experience atrial fibrillation after he took creatine? He may have had an inherent sensitivity to creatine, or the creatine may have induced a neural stimulation of his heart. The latter effect is more likely, since the man was a vegetarian, and vegetarians have lower creatine stores in their bodies. The loading dose may have had a druglike effect on him. The solution would be to avoid the creatine load, which is a dubious technique anyway, and take no more than five grams, or one teaspoon, a day. In 30 days that will result in the same level of creatine storage in muscle as a one-week load, minus any possible side effects.
      One other aspect to consider is that if anything, creatine would be beneficial for the heart. A feature of heart failure is the lack of production of energy compounds, such as ATP. Anything that boosts ATP production in the heart would aid heart function. Several supplements, such as coenzyme Q10, ribose and creatine, have all been shown to do just that.
1 Kammer, R.T. (2005). Lone atrial fibrillation associated with creatine monohydrate supplementation. Pharmacotherapy. 25:762-764.


©,2012, Jerry Brainum.Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited.



Have you been ripped off by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com

 
 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 


Friday, October 12, 2012

All Men Are Created Equal—Or Are They? by Jerry Brainum

     Certain genetic attributes bestow a greater chance of success in bodybuilding competition, among them a bone structure that includes naturally wide shoulders and a narrow waist. Longer muscle attachments are associated with fuller muscles that contain more muscle fibers, which means that people who have those characteristics can build larger muscles with regular training. The development of specific muscle groups, such as the calves, is strongly related to genetics. One bodybuilding axiom is that when it comes to calves, development is largely based on a genetic head start.
      What about hormones? Do champion bodybuilders have naturally higher levels of such anabolic hormones as testosterone and growth hormone? It’s no secret that unlike muscle structure and shape, hormones can be controlled through the use of various drugs, including anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, insulin and insulinlike growth factor 1. Using doses of them that are well beyond what’s normally prescribed for the treatment of hormonal deficiencies enables a person to exceed normal genetic limitations in muscle size.
     What about natural levels of anabolic hormones in people who don’t use any type of anabolic drug? Research shows that having higher levels of testosterone leads to more rapid gains in muscle size and strength. Maintaining levels of growth hormone and IGF-1 preserves muscle size and function as people age, and depressed levels lead to muscle loss and bodyfat gain as well as various degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
     Perhaps the most controversial aspect of hormones in men relates to racial differences in how they work in the body. In many sports, black athletes show superior athletic skills. Some have attributed that to their having higher levels of testosterone, which favors more muscle and less fat in the body, a scenario that relates to athletic success. Others cite the special attraction of sports to minorities, who see sport as a path to financial success. Muhammad Ali once commented that if it hadn’t been for his boxing skills, he would have wound up “picking up garbage cans in Louisville.”
      Hormone research has identified some health issues that have a race component. Black men experience higher rates of prostate cancer, which some scientists relate to higher testosterone levels than whites. According to statistics released by the American Cancer Society, the rate of prostate cancer in black men is 62 percent greater, with a mortality rate that is 241 percent greater than in white men of the same age. Studies that have compared testosterone levels in younger black and white men reveal that on average black men have slightly higher levels, although the racial disparity fades with the passing years.
     A recent study surveyed 538 black, 651 Hispanic and 710 white men, aged 30 to 79, and measured any racial variations in androgen levels.1 The androgens studied included total testosterone, free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and dehydroepitestosterone (DHEA). The researchers noted that a variation in average levels of Big T by race would mandate an adjustment in how testosterone is measured and what constitutes normal amounts. The study found no differences in levels of total and free T, SHBG and DHEA. Black men in the study, however, had the highest levels of DHT. The measure was only slightly higher than in the other two groups but was considered statistically significant.
Having more DHT would predispose men to prostate cancer. Most doctors believe, incorrectly that higher testosterone levels lead to prostate cancer. The evidence is that test doesn’t actually cause prostate cancer but does feed the activity of malignant tumors. Many doctors argue that the issue is moot, since test converts into DHT through the action of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. Some studies show that black men with prostate cancer have higher 5AR activity, as well as more responsive androgen receptors in their prostate glands. That would help explain a higher risk for prostate cancer.
     Not all research agrees with that finding, however. A study measured T and DHT in the prostate tissue of black and white men, none of whom had prostate cancer.2 The hormone levels were similar in both groups. The study noted that black men may have a genetic predisposition to produce a type of 5AR that’s more active in converting T into DHT. Other possible factors include alterations in the androgen receptor gene, loss of apoptotic control—meaning the body’s ability to kill cancer; aged and damaged cells;differences in androgen signaling; overproduction of a gene that causes cells to multiply; and overproduction of growth factors that favor cancer, such as IGF-1.
     From a bodybuilding perspective, it appears that hormonally, all men are indeed created equal. On the other hand, the subjects studied weren’t bodybuilders or other athletes, so the influence of diet and exercise unique to bodybuilding weren’t factored into the results. Exercise, for example, increases testosterone levels. Would black bodybuilders be at greater risk of prostate disease because of naturally higher 5AR activitity? What about using anabolic steroids for years—would that be considered more dangerous for black athletes?  Those questions await further research.
     In the meantime, it may be a good idea for black athletes to consider taking substances that offer natural protection against toxic amounts of DHT, such as green tea. Drugs such as Avodart and Proscar, both of which are prescribed to treat prostate disease, do the same thing. Many bodybuilders are already using them to combat the increase in DHT that results from using certain testosterone-based drugs.
Does Growth Hormone Offer Cardiovascular Protection?

    The greatest danger to the health of those who use large doses of anabolic steroids is cardiovascular risk. Taking oral anabolic steroids reduces blood levels of high-density lipoprotein, which is known as the “good cholesterol” because it removes excess cholesterol from the blood, carting it off to the liver, where it’s converted into bile. HDL also blocks the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, a.k.a. the “bad cholesterol,” which is important because LDL is toxic only when oxidized.
      Another way that steroids predispose someone to cardiovascular disease is by increasing the stickiness of platelets in the blood, which leads to the formation of arterial blood clots, often the immediate cause of heart attacks and strokes. Steroids also adversely affect the endothelium, or lining of arteries, which can lead to atherosclerosis and high blood pressure.
       Arterial endothelial dysfunction leads to stiffness of the large elastic arteries, which in turn results in high blood pressure. High blood pressure strains the heart. The heart responds by increasing the size of the left ventricle, its pumping chamber, and an oversize left ventricle may eventually result in heart failure.
      While anabolic steroids can have negative effects on heart function, growth hormone has a beneficial effect. Using GH reverses arterial stiffness and lowers blood cholesterol while increasing HDL. On the negative side, GH also increases lipoprotein (a), which has effects similar to LDL.
       A new study examined what happens when former users of anabolic steroids get more than usual amounts of GH.3 Forty-eight subjects were divided into a control group that got no drugs and a group that got a dose of GH comparable to what bodybuilders typically use. Although the experiment lasted for only six days, some interesting effects occurred.
      The men in the GH group experienced bodyfat loss and an increase in VO2 max, a measure of oxygen intake. IGF-1 also increased, as it usually does when you use GH. They also showed an increase in blood sodium, a finding consistent with GH-related water retention. Levels of serum homocysteine, C-reactive protein, thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroid hormones all declined in the GH group but not in the control group.
      Lowering homocysteine and C-RP is considered beneficial, since they’re both related to cardiovascular disease. Those in the GH group also had an elevated pulse pressure and resting heart rate, which was attributed to an increase in nitric oxide activity, and the added arterial stress when the body is at rest is linked to endothelial dysfunction, the cornerstone of cardiovascular disease.
      The GH subjects also experienced a rise in blood urea one week after they stopped using the drug—likely indicating an increase in catabolism due to increased protein breakdown. The authors suggest that it may represent a rebound effect from suddenly getting off GH. That’s something to consider if you’re interested in using GH.
      The conclusion was that while GH reduces many adverse cardiovascular effects of anabolic steroids, the increased resting pulse pressure and heart rate are a matter of concern, as they also represent a considerable cardiovascular risk.
References
1 Litman, H.J., et al. (2006). Serum androgen levels in black, Hispanic, and white men. J Clin Endocrin Metabol. 91:4326–4334.
2 Marks, L.S., et al. (2006). Prostatic tissue testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in African-American and white men. Urology. 68:337–341.
3 Graham, M.R., et al. (2007). Evidence for a decrease in cardiovascular risk factors following recombinant growth hormone administration in abstinent anabolic-androgenic steroid users. Growth Hor IGF-1 Res. 1717(3):201–209.


©,2012, Jerry Brainum.Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited.



Have you been ripped off by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com

 
 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

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Friday, October 5, 2012

Cherry Bomb by Jerry Brainum

This fruit’s antioxidant power is explosive

     Tart cherries contain several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients that may benefit exercise recovery. A study presented at the 2006 American College of Sports Medicine meeting looked at the effects of a commercial tart cherry sports drink on exercise-induced muscle damage.
      Fourteen male college students drank either 16 ounces of cherry juice or a placebo twice daily for eight consecutive days. On the fourth day the subjects did a bout of eccentric, or negative, biceps curls, which produce the most extensive muscle damage. Levels of muscle strength, pain and tenderness were recorded before and four days after the exercise session. The subjects did the same exercise regimen two weeks later, with one group drinking cherry juice and the other a placebo.
     The cherry juice group lost less strength than the placebo group. The strength loss after four days averaged 24 percent with the placebo but only 5 percent with the cherry juice. The authors contend that’s because cherry juice is a potent source of numerous antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients that aid muscle recovery following intense exercise.
                                                                                                                                                                                         
Cote, K., et al. (2006). The efficacy of cherry juice supplementation in preventing the symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 38:S404.


 ©,2012, Jerry Brainum.Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited.


Have you been ripped off by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com

 
 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com