APPLIED ERGOGENICS

Use it or lose it

You lose strength and muscle size with age if you do nothing to avoid it. Scientists have a name for age-related loss of lean mass: sarcopenia. Eventually, if nothing is done to forestall the loss of muscle, people can’t take care of themselves. But what about elite athletes? What toll does age take on them?

A recent study examined the effects of aging in male and female elite weightlifters and powerlifters.1 Earlier studies used static exercise, with subjects not actually moving muscles but just exerting pressure, such as in isometric exercise. In the new study, though, dynamic forms of exercise, specifically Olympic-style weightlifting and powerlifting, were the focus.

The study showed a decline in functional muscular capacity in both men and women, beginning in early middle age, which is younger than in past studies. The rate of decline in performance proved greater in the weightlifters, due to the need for a greater level of skills, including balance and speed, than in the relatively simple forms of lifting typical of powerlifting.

While prior research showed that lower-body strength dissipated before upper-body strength, this study found no differences. The female athletes showed a greater rate of decline in weightlifting than the male athletes, though no sex-related differences occurred in the powerlifting group.

As for what causes the decline even in athletes, one suggestion is a downgrade with age of neuromuscular function and coordination. In practical terms, that means aging causes a loss of the ability to fully activate muscular structures, leading to a loss of strength. Another explanation, provided by the researchers, doesn’t make much sense. They mention that with age comes a loss of type 2 muscle fibers, which are most associated with strength, and a greater ratio of the fast-twitch type 1 fibers, which produce less force. While that pattern occurs in people who don’t exercise, continued exercise maintains the type 2 fibers. A more likely explanation involves the loss of neuromuscular communication, which could relate to certain hormonal factors.

Fortunately, men and women who continue lifting can maintain much of their functional strength, thereby preventing some of the physical horrors linked to the aging process, such as debilitating loss of bone and muscle.

1 Anton, M.M., et al. (2004). Age-related declines in anaerobic muscular performance: weightlifting and powerlifting. Med Sci Sports Exer. 36:143-147.

©,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 .

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.

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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Many mainstream dietitians say that those engaged in weight training don’t require any type of protein supplement to promote increased muscle gains. They’re not shy about insisting that buying such supplements is a waste of money. Studies, however, often refute those views. One such study involved 20 untrained men who were assigned to either a protein-supplement group or a group that got dextrose, or sugar.1 The protein was a whey-casein-and-leucine combination. Whey and casein are the two major milk proteins; leucine is a branched-chain amino acid vital to muscle protein synthesis.

Both groups trained three times a week for 10 weeks, averaging three sets of six to eight reps with weights equal to 85 to 90 percent of one-rep maximum. Those in the placebo group got three grams of dextrose daily, while those in the protein group took a supplement containing 40 grams of protein, five grams of carbs and one gram of fat. On training days both groups took their supplements one hour before and within one hour after an exercise session. On rest days they took the supplements once with breakfast.
The results, which included careful measurements of protein synthesis, showed that those on the protein supplement made superior gains in thigh-muscle mass and strength than those in the placebo group.

1 Wilborn, C., et al. (2005). Effects of heavy resistance training and proprietary whey, casein and leucine protein supplementation on muscle strength and mass and MHC isoform mRNA expression. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2:5.

©,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 .

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.

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

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A number of studies, many of which have been reported here, demonstrate that using supplemental beta-alanine may boost gains in muscle size and strength. Beta-alanine acts as a substrate for the synthesis of carnosine in muscle. Carnosine is a dipeptide, composed of two bonded amino acids, histidine and beta-alanine. Muscle usually contains more than enough histidine, so the limiting factor is beta-alanine. Taking carnosine itself would not be effective, as it’s rapidly degraded by the enzyme carnosinase before it has a chance to enter muscle.

Carnosine acts as a major intramuscular buffer. That means it neutralizes the excess acidity that builds up during high-intensity exercise. Studies show that regular intense training increases muscle carnosine. In fact, bodybuilders tend to have higher-than-normal muscle carnosine as a result of regular intense training. On the other hand, even experienced athletes who take extra beta-alanine get a boost in muscle carnosine as high as 64 percent over normal.

While many studies related to supplemental beta-alanine have used untrained subjects, a few have used more experienced subjects. One study, for example, found that giving beta-alanine for 10 weeks to experienced trainees led to a significant increase in workout volume on the squat and bench press. Because higher training volume is related to a greater release of anabolic hormones, such as growth hormone and testosterone, a new study tested the effects of supplemental beta-alanine in eight college-aged men with at least three years of training experience.¹

The men took beta-alanine for 30 days, getting 1.6 grams three times daily. Other subjects got a placebo, as the study featured a double-blind, randomized, crossover design, the gold standard of clinical research. Before and after using the beta-alanine, the subjects did six sets of 12 reps of barbell squats using a weight equal to 70 percent of their one-rep maximums. At the end of 30 days those in the beta-alanine group had increased their completed reps by 22 percent. Measurements of testosterone, growth hormone and cortisol showed no differences between the groups, indicating that while those hormones were affected by the exercise, beta-alanine had no discernible effect. No changes occurred in body mass or strength, but as the authors note, rapid gains don’t occur too often in advanced trainees, especially in only 30 days. Meanwhile, the fact that beta-alanine clearly increased training endurance shows that it may pump up training intensity, which is likely to increase gains in muscle size and strength over the long haul.

Hoffman, J., et al. (2008). Beta-alanine and the hormonal response to exercise. Int J Sports Med. In press.

©,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 .

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.

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

Chitosan is promoted as a fat “trapper,” or blocker. It’s a derivative of chitin, a fibrous substance that forms the cornerstone of shellfish exoskeletons. The initial claims for chitosan came from studies that showed it effectively mopped up fatlike industrial-waste products by forming an insoluble bond with them. That was followed by in vitro, or test-tube, studies, in which chitosan was placed in a beaker with a buffer and fat. The liquid was then stirred, and the resultant fat clumping was measured. Under those conditions, chitosan seemed to work.

But as with many other substances, what works outside the body isn’t necessarily duplicated inside. Various studies that have tested the effects of chitosan on fat absorption in human subjects show that it has negligible effects. The latest research examining the fat-blocking characteristics of chitosan featured both male and female human subjects.1

The 12 men and 12 women were told to follow specific diet plans that averaged five meals a day for 12 days. Participants took two capsules of a commercial chitosan supplement before each meal. The total daily doses averaged 2.5 grams. The extent of fat malabsorption induced by chitosan was measured by examining the subjects’ fecal output.

The fat intake per dose of chitosan averaged 10 to 76 grams in the male subjects and 10 to 60 grams in the women. The 2.5 grams of chitosan per day increased the fecal excretion of fat by 1.8 grams a day in men and zero in women. Why the female subjects didn’t get the effect wasn’t clear, but the amount of fat excreted by the men was inconsequential. It would take more than seven months for them to lose one pound of fat due to chitosan.

1 Gades, M.D., et al. (2005). Chitosan supplementation and fat absorption in men and women. J Am Dietetic Assoc. 105:72-77.

©,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 .

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.

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

An unwritten rule of bodybuilding nutrition is that you should limit protein to no more than 30 grams per meal. So if a 200-pound bodybuilder should ideally get 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of bodyweight, that amounts to a suggested daily protein intake of 153 grams. In reality, most bodybuilders who weigh 200 pounds get considerably more than that. The recommendation is based on research that monitored protein use and absorption in a weight-training population. Despite that, you hear and read about champion bodybuilders who take in 300 grams or more protein a day.

Many dietitians and other health professionals who aren’t as well-versed in nutrition as their academic backgrounds would indicate espouse the idea that eating a large amount of protein can be problematic or even hazardous to health. They warn that it stresses the liver and kidneys, which at first glance seems to be true, as the liver and kidneys are the primary organs that metabolize protein in the body. Even so, normal liver and kidney functions are more than sufficient to handle the nitrogen-based waste products that result from eating a huge amount of protein. Having diseased kidneys or liver may require some changes in protein intake, but that doesn’t apply to an otherwise healthy population.

Other so-called expert claim that excess protein can make you fat, since a gram of protein does contain four calories and since too many calories eaten from any source can eventually wind up as bodyfat. Here again, however, is an example of scientific ignorance, perhaps duplicity. In active people the fate of excess protein is not storage but rather oxidation, mainly in the liver.

Again, the question arises: Is there an actual limit to how much protein you should eat if you’re trying to build muscle? Although the 30-gram rule has been around for decades, its source is not clear. Recent studies seem to confirm that there is indeed a limit to how much protein you can use at one time. For example, an intake of only six grams of essential amino acids maximizes muscle protein synthesis after weight training. Other studies narrow it even further, suggesting that just one essential amino acid—leucine—is the key to effective muscle protein synthesis after weight training.

Another theory is that getting excess protein spurs the synthesis of a major blood protein called albumin. Basically, the albumin is thought to act as a storage vehicle for protein, to be used when required for muscle and whole-body protein synthesis. Amino acids stored with albumin are protected from oxidation.

Until recently, no one had bothered to test the notion that 30 grams of protein or less is about all the body can handle after weight training. A new study tackled that issue in particular. Six healthy young men, average age 22, on five separate occasions reported to a lab, where they did intense leg exercise. After training, the men received drinks containing zero, five, 10, 20 or 40 grams of whole-egg powder. The researchers measured protein synthesis and oxidation over a four-hour period after the training ended by tracing tagged leucine.

They also monitored factors involved in muscle protein synthesis that are affected by amino acid intake, particularly the branched-chain amino acids, such as leucine. The factors become activated when phosphate groups are attached to them; however, in this study they weren’t affected by any amount of protein intake. The authors suggest that the exercise itself may have maximally stimulated the factors, which would obscure the effect produced by amino acids.

The study did find that both muscle protein and serum albumin synthesis were maximally stimulated with protein intakes under 20 grams at one sitting. Eating more than 20 grams of protein at a time results in increased protein oxidation with no further increase in muscle protein synthesis. The 20 grams contain 8.6 grams of essential amino acids, which is about the same amount that has proved effective in boosting muscle protein synthesis following weight training. Maximal protein synthesis at rest requires only 10 grams of protein per meal.

As for the lack of muscle-protein-synthesis-factor stimulation, adding carbohydrate to the protein would likely have favored more stimulation due to a greater insulin release. The authors note, however, that the exercise-induced increase in essential amino acid delivery into muscle results in upgraded muscle protein synthesis after weight training.

While some people advocate taking supplemental amino acids to spark muscle protein synthesis, in reality, having a constantly high level of aminos in the blood makes muscle resistant to protein synthesis. The excess amino acids are simply oxidized. According to the authors of this study, maximal protein synthesis can be achieved with 20 grams of protein per meal, eaten five to six times daily. Any more than that results in oxidation of the excess protein, with no further increase in muscle protein. In short, the excess protein is just wasted.

The authors also warn that eating huge amounts or protein regularly causes the body to oxidize less of it. That may actually result in a protein deficit, although I doubt whether it’s likely with most bodybuilders.

What is certain is that many bodybuilders are eating much more protein than they need for building muscle. Those 300-to-600-gram daily intakes that you hear about may not be causing health problems, but they aren’t helping to build muscle or strength, either.

I contacted one of the authors of the new study. Stuart M. Phillips, Ph.D., is an associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He’s published many articles about sports nutrition and muscle physiology in numerous professional journals. Phillips said that the recommendation of 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight is based on old, imprecise examinations of nitrogen balance. In contrast, his study measured actual muscle protein synthesis, a far more reliable method of determining protein use in relation to exercise. He notes, “The bottom line is that nobody has any idea how much protein you need to consume to maximize muscle growth, but based on our work, we see it as being much lower than anyone has previously speculated. This makes a lot of sense, since the rate of muscle growth is so slow in even the biggest guy that it can’t be much more protein, if any.”

Moore, D.R., et al. (2009). Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men. Am J Clin Nutr. In press.

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Many “experts” write off the significant gains made by supplement users as the result of either training itself or the placebo effect. A recent study compared training and taking a high-calorie, high-protein supplement to training without taking one. The subjects were untrained men, randomly assigned to one of the following groups:

1) Performed three sets of weight training and took a high-calorie, high-protein food supplement

2) Performed five sets of weight training and took a placebo that lacked the protein and other nutrients but contained the same number of calories as the supplement in group 1

3) Performed five sets of weight training with no supplements

The goal was to examine the effects of the protocols on bodyweight, percentage of bodyfat, fat weight, fat-free weight, one-rep-maximum leg extension, maximum-endurance leg extension—how many reps could be completed—one-rep-maximum bench press and maximum-endurance bench press. The exercises were done three days a week for eight weeks, using 80 percent of one-rep-maximum weights.

The study found that those doing three sets and using the genuine supplement experienced the same strength and weight gains as those who did five sets with the placebo and five sets without any supplement. The results imply that using a supplement high in calories and protein enables you to make muscle gains that would otherwise require a greater volume of training.

Mielke, M., et al. (2008). The effects of a calorie dense, high protein supplement on exercise performance and body composition during resistance training. J Str Cond Res. 22:29.

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The annual meeting of the International Society of Sports Nutrition was held during the first week of June 2008 at the $925 million Red Rock Casino and Spa in Las Vegas. The Red Rock, named for the nearby Red Rock Mountains, opened in 2006 and is located 10 miles away from the fabled Las Vegas Strip. I last attended the ISSN meeting two years ago, when it was held at the now-defunct Sahara Hotel on the Strip.

This year’s event looked promising, as it featured several well-known researchers in sports nutrition and exercise physiology. There were scheduling conflicts; I chose to attend the seminars that seemed likely to provide the most practical information for those engaged in bodybuilding.

Richard Kreider: Nutrition Strategies for Preventing Overtraining and Optimizing Performance

Kreider heads the sports nutrition lab at Baylor University in Texas and has published a number of studies analyzing the effects of popular sports supplements. Here are the highlights of his discussion:

• The best supplements for promoting lean mass gains with resistance training are protein supplements, essential amino acids, HMB and creatine.

• Protein requirements vary with level of exercise, but as a general rule, the following apply:

General fitness: .8 to 1 gram per kilogram of bodyweight

Moderate fitness: training 30 minutes to one hour, three to four times a week—1 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight

Heavy training: training two to three hours, six days a week—1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight

Training at elevated altitude: 2 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight.

• Most people engaged in bodybuilding need an average of 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.

• Athletes who need to make weight are at the greatest risk of not getting enough protein due to decreased calorie intake. That includes runners, cyclists, swimmers, skaters and boxers. A high-quality protein supplement is valuable for them. Protein quality is based on the content of essential amino acids.

• The best overall supplement for increasing muscle, based on existing research, is creatine. It enhances muscle glycogen synthesis, increases work capacity and boosts exercise recovery. Studies have shown that using creatine supplements can double muscle gains when compared to a placebo. The gains are derived from more efficient muscle protein synthesis, not water retention.

• The optimal essential amino acid intake for increasing muscle mass is six grams.

• HMB is a leucine metabolite that in doses of three grams a day may help untrained people build muscle. The jury is still out on the effects of HMB in those with more training experience, although it may help prevent excessive muscle breakdown after intense training.

• Sodium bicarbonate—baking soda—may provide ergogenic effects if you take it one to two hours before competition at a dose of 0.3 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. Another method: taking 10 grams of sodium bicarb for five days. Sodium bicarb affects activity lasting one to three minutes. Since it can cause gastrointestinal distress, it’s best to start with small doses.

• Sodium phosphate, like sodium bicarb, may reduce excess extracellular acidity. Some studies show that it increases oxygen intake. The dose is four grams a day for three to six days.

• Beta-alanine shows promise as a precursor of carnosine synthesis in muscle. Taking four to six grams a day of this intramuscular buffer can increase muscle carnosine by 60 to 80 percent.

• GAKIC is an amino acid complex that when taken right before training may give you more reps during training.

• AAKG, an arginine complex taken in 12-gram doses, increases one-rep-maximum bench press strength. This form of arginine is common in many nitric oxide-boosting supplements.

• Branched-chain amino acids may have anticatabolic effects, but research is equivocal on the benefits. Leucine, one of the three branched-chain amino acids, is the primary amino involved in muscle protein synthesis, however.

• In summarizing his suggestions for athletes, Krieder recommended eating a high-carb diet, taking a multivitamin daily, carb loading, drinking plenty of water and fluids to prevent dehydration, and using posttraining and evening protein drinks.

Layne Norton: Optimizing Protein Intake for Muscle-Mass Gains

Norton is a graduate student from the University of Illinois who is also a bodybuilder. He’s been published in this magazine and elsewhere.

• Norton believes that specific meal recommendations are more important than total daily protein intake in relation to making muscle gains.

• Leucine is the primary initiator of muscle protein synthesis. Taking three to four grams of leucine per meal maximizes it.

• Twenty-five to 33 grams of whey protein contain three to four grams of leucine. You’d need to eat 54 grams of chicken or 20 slices of bread to get that amount of leucine.

• The notion of constantly supplying amino acids to build muscle is wrong, according to Norton. He cited studies showing that an infusion of amino acids for six hours led to an increase in muscle protein synthesis for only the first two hours. The activity stops after that time, even though plasma amino acids may still be elevated for five hours or more. When you eat a meal containing protein, fat and carbs, muscle protein synthesis lasts for at least three hours.

• Insulin also drops off after about three hours, so there must be a connection between insulin decline and decreased muscle protein synthesis.

• One study showed that taking 2.5 grams of leucine between meals increased muscle protein synthesis. Contrary to popular opinion, eating small, high-protein meals more often doesn’t give you the same result.

• It’s more effective to eat larger amounts of protein at each meal, separating the meals by four to six hours.

• Using an example of a 200-pound bodybuilder, Norton provided this model: five meals a day, each meal separated by four to six hours, four grams of leucine per meal, two meals from whey, two chicken meals, one beef meal. The whey meal must contain 33 grams of protein to maximize muscle protein synthesis. That would result in a daily intake of 225 grams of protein, close to the often suggested dose of one gram per pound of bodyweight. Taking essential amino acids between meals augments muscle protein synthesis.

• Younger people can eat less protein because they get increased insulin response. Older people need to take more essential aminos to duplicate the response of younger people.

• Whey is the preferred protein source because the slowly digested casein, another milk protein, won’t supply enough readily available leucine to maximize muscle protein synthesis.

• Eating fewer calories leads to greater use of protein as an energy source, as does endurance exercise.

Richard Bloomer: The Truth About NO Supplements

Bloomer is an assistant professor at the University of Memphis, and his research focuses on antioxidants and oxidative stress. He told me that he used to be a competitive bodybuilder and as a teenager went up against none other than two-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler (Cutler won). Perhaps for that reason Dr. Bloomer began his discussion by pointing out how large a role genetics plays in bodybuilding success. He suggested that about one in 10 million has the genes to duplicate the bodies you see competing in the Olympia.

His seminar focused on the efficacy of the popular nitric oxide supplements. Bloomer noted that none of the companies selling NO products seem willing to sponsor research to support the claims they make in their ads. On the other hand, if the products didn’t work at all, they would likely have fallen from favor. Other points he made:

• NO is a free radical and a gas with a short half-life. That means it disappears rapidly. The amount of NO is determined by the amount of nitrite in your blood.

• Low or slightly elevated amounts of NO have positive effects on health. Large amounts can be toxic because it reacts in the body with superoxide to form peroxynitrate, one of the most toxic free radicals. So products that promote excessive increases in NO aren’t a good thing.

• A low level of NO in the body is good for cardiovascular health. The vasodilation of blood vessels from NO release leads to lower blood pressure, greater oxygen delivery to muscles and improved nutrient delivery to tissues.

• While intravenous administration of arginine can boost NO in the body, there’s no evidence that any type of oral arginine supplement duplicates the effect.

• Exercise alone increases NO release after eight to 12 weeks.

• Many bodybuilders say that NO supplements work for them, but there could be another mechanism at work. Many NO products also contain simple sugars, which promote an insulin release, itself a cause of rapid vasodilation.

• Contrary to popular belief, arginine, though it’s the direct dietary precursor of NO synthesis, doesn’t regulate the process. What actually determine how much arginine gets converted into NO are the NO–synthesizing enzymes.

• A supplement that may boost NO an average of 18 percent above baseline is propionate L-carnitine and glycine, sold as GPLC, which boosts NO–synthesizing enzymes in the lining of blood vessels. You need 4.5 grams a day divided in two doses. It’s best taken in with a high-carb source, as the increased insulin release helps retain carnitine in muscle. If all that sounds familiar, it’s because I’ve written about that effect in previous issues of IRON MAN. Note that at current prices, using the suggested dose of GPLC isn’t cheap. On the other hand, it’s good for your heart, and it’s the preferred form of carnitine in muscle metabolism.

Darryn Willoughby: Protease Supplementation and Muscle Damage

Willoughby, also from Baylor University, specializes in how exercise and nutritional supplements regulate the molecular mechanisms of muscular growth. You can’t help trusting his information: He looks like a champion powerlifter or professional linebacker, not a geek who never set foot in a gym. Willoughby talked about using proteases, or protein-digesting enzymes, to improve muscle recovery and the molecular mechanisms of muscular inflammation. While there was a bit of biochemistry overload, the man does know his stuff. Among his many valuable points:

• There’s no direct relationship between the extent of muscle soreness and muscle damage following exercise.

• While protein-digesting enzymes, such as bromelain and papain, are most often linked to digestion of protein foods, when taken without food, they may have potent anti-inflammatory effects that help increase muscle recovery.

• Protease supplementation improves the return of interstitial fluid, or lymph, and cells to the blood, which reduces swelling and edema. Taking the enzymes without food also appears to decrease production of inflammatory prostaglandins and other eicosanoids.

• The inflammatory response is a result of tissue damage, usually from eccentric muscle contractions, which increases capillary permeability and allows leakage of proteins, such as fibrinogen, albumin and various globulins into the interstitial space—the lymph system—at the site of the injury. Fibrinogen is particularly important because it hinders the return of edema fluid to the capillaries and lymphatic channels. That leads to edema and inflammation in the affected area. Protease enzymes break down the fibrin barrier, thus giving you greater flow of lymph and decreasing inflammation. At least, that’s the theory. Willoughby pointed out that no one knows for certain how the enzymes work, since research in this area is just beginning.

• What is known is that an oral dose of about three grams of protease enzymes lessens strength losses, minimizes muscle damage and improves recovery. Previous studies of protease enzymes appear to have used a dose too small to show any effectiveness.

Stu Phillips: The Superiority of Whey Proteins for Building Muscle

Phillips, from McMaster University in Canada, is a well-known researcher specializing in skeletal protein metabolism. His discussion focused on why whey protein is best for building muscle. His essential points were:

• The timing of protein intake is more important than the amount of protein taken in.

• Whey is the highest-quality protein available because of its high BCAA and leucine content.

• Athletes have different needs for protein than nonathletes. Bodybuilders and strength athletes need 1.6 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight each day. Most athletes get at least 25 percent of their total calorie intake as protein, which meets their daily needs.

• Endurance athletes need more protein because they burn more energy, including protein. Also, endurance exercise shuts down muscle protein synthesis.

• There’s no tolerable upper limit for protein intake. The recommended daily allowance of 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight was never intended to represent a target goal for protein intake.

• Hard-training athletes need more protein for remodeling of proteins in tendons, bones and ligaments. Protein supports gains in lean mass, optimal immune function and optimal use of plasma proteins.

• A study of older men compared the effects of taking protein immediately after exercise with waiting two hours after exercise to take it. The supplement used in the study contained only 10 to 12 grams of protein. Taking it right after training supported muscle protein synthesis, but delaying it by two hours abated that effect and blocked training-related strength increases.

• Taking more than 10 grams of protein leads to an increase in protein oxidation. The maximum amount of protein you can take in at a single time and avoid oxidation is 20 to 25 grams. Resistance exercise improves the ability to use protein, which explains why advanced trainees may need less protein than beginners.

• Various studies prove the superiority of milk over soy protein in supporting muscle protein synthesis after resistance training.

• In one study a subject taking protein gained seven kilograms of lean mass in 30 days, far more than other subjects in the same study. Phillips attributes that to more favorable responses due to genetic factors and suggests that this was the type of person who could add huge amounts of muscle and wind up as a professional bodybuilder.

• The BCAA leucine is not only the key to muscle protein synthesis but also stimulates significant bodyfat loss. The mechanism may be an upregulation in the activity of thermogenic proteins in muscle.

• Casein is the slowest digesting protein known, and no other food protein duplicates its effect. Cottage cheese is largely casein. While casein curdles in the stomach, leading to a slow release of protein, whey remains in solution, leading to a rapid uptake into the body.

This is only a small part of the information offered at the ISSN meeting, but it’s the material that I thought would have most relevance for IRON MAN readers. One final thing: The cliché “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” was true in my case. I received a box lunch during the second day of the conference. Somehow I misplaced the box. So it did indeed stay in Vegas.

©,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

Several types of anabolic steroid drugs, including testosterone, can convert into estrogen. That occurs whenever a steroid encounters the enzyme aromatase, which converts androgens into estrogens. Aromatase exists all over the body—in muscles, brain and bodyfat. When free, or unbound, testosterone meets aromatase, the test is rapidly converted into estradiol, the most potent form of estrogen. Aromatase converts weaker androgens, usually secreted from the adrenal gland, such as androstenedione, into weaker forms of estrogen, such as estrone.
That, in fact, was a major problem with the initial generations of pro-hormone supplements. They were supposed to convert directly into testosterone, making them superior to the old standby, DHEA. In reality, most of them converted more reliably into estrogen. Later versions proved more stable, but even then, any free testosterone derived from such supplements had to deal with aromatase.

Estrogen in men is considered a problem for bodybuilding purposes because when the hormone rises to above normal levels, it produces a number of undesirable effects, including water retention and an increase in subcutaneous fat, a combination that effectively obscures muscular definition. Even worse, excess estrogen in men interacts with estrogen receptors in the chest area to produce gynecomastia, or male breast-tissue formation. Nodules just under the nipple are particularly evident when the arms are raised. Gyno, or the more sexist term “bitch tits,” is considered a certain sign of anabolic steroid usage. The cure is to either get off the steroids that caused it or use drugs that block or inhibit estrogen function.

In years past a popular drug for that purpose was tamoxifen citrate, better known by its trade name Nolvadex. Nolvadex is structurally similar to estrogen and can block estrogen receptors, thereby preventing estrogenic activity. It wasn’t designed for bodybuilding use but for treating estrogen-sensitive breast cancer, particularly in older women.

What many bodybuilders didn’t realize—and still don’t—is that Nolvadex is both an antagonist and agonist of estrogen. That means it can have a paradoxical effect, acting more like an active estrogen than an estrogen blocker, especially when it’s taken in either too large a dose or for too long a time. In addition, Nolvadex blocks at least two enzymes that testes require for testosterone synthesis. Clearly, it wasn’t ideal for dealing with excess estrogen in men.

Enter the aromatase-inhibiting drugs. They deal with estrogen in a different way. They don’t just block estrogen receptors; they knock out the aromatase enzyme that produces estrogen from androgens. The effect results in a dramatically reduced level of estrogen in the body. Since 0.8 percent of testosterone is converted daily into estrogen in any man, just using an aromatase-inhibiting drug alone will lead to elevated T levels.

In fact, various aromatase inhibitors, such as anastrozole, letrozole and examestane, are being evaluated for use in treating hypogonadism, or low testosterone levels, in men. Initial studies show that these drugs can elevate testosterone to a normal range without the possible side effects linked to using actual testosterone. The body may, however, require some estrogen for sperm production and cardiovascular protection, since estrogen boosts nitric acid production in blood vessels and helps maintain vital high-density-lipoprotein levels.

With the advent of potent aromatase-inhibiting drugs, it seemed that the estrogen problem had finally been effectively solved in men who chose to use certain types of anabolic steroids.

Or had it?

According to a recent study, even if you effectively inhibit estrogen synthesis through aromatase-inhibiting drugs, you can still get estrogenic effects from other sources.¹ Anything that can positively interact with estrogen cell receptors can produce estrogenic side effects, even if the substance in question isn’t a direct estrogen.

The study examined two types of isolated cells, one from breast cancer cells, the other from noncancerous cells. According to the authors, the estrogen cell receptor can be activated by certain androgens. One is androstane-3-beta, 17-beta diol (3BD), a nonaromatizable steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone. DHT itself is converted from testosterone by way of the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, which, like aromatase, is present throughout the body in such tissues as skin, liver, brain and prostate.

DHT is often considered to be testosterone’s evil twin. It earned its notorious reputation because it’s linked to the onset of such steroid side effects as male-pattern baldness, acne and prostate gland enlargement. The interesting aspect of this is that anabolic steroids that are based on the DHT structure are immune to the effects of aromatase and thus cannot be converted into estrogen.

Yet the new study shows that at least one DHT-derived androgen can interact with estrogen receptors to produce effects similar to those linked with an excessive level of estrogen itself. The information, however, is still theoretical because it’s unknown whether the concentration of 3BD used in the isolated-cell study can be produced in an intact human body. On the other hand, the authors note that the level of the estrogen-mimicking steroids depends on the level of testosterone in the body, the activity of 5-alpha reductase and the metabolic level of the steroids. All of those factors are high in athletes who use anabolic steroids.

The solution to this problem is clear. Using a drug that inhibits the 5-alpha reductase enzyme would prevent the synthesis of DHT from testosterone and the downstream metabolites of DHT that can interact with the estrogen receptors. Drugs in this class, or 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, include finasteride, sold as Proscar and Propecia, and dutasteride, sold as Avodart. They treat prostate problems, and Propecia is marketed to treat male-pattern baldness. Many bodybuilders and other athletes are already using them to prevent problems associated with high DHT levels, such as baldness, acne and prostate problems. They may also be useful for preventing estrogenic effects.

Did Clenbuterol Cause This Heart Attack?

Clenbuterol remains a popular drug with many athletes, who believe that it provides both anabolic and fat-burning effects. Clenbuterol is a beta-2 agonist mainly used to treat asthma. It was never approved for human use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration but is available under various brand names in several countries, including Mexico. Drug companies have no interest in marketing clenbuterol in the USA because it lasts far longer in the body than other beta-2 agonist drugs, and its extended half-life, as it’s called, increases the chances of side effects.

Since clenbuterol is based on epinephrine, it has side effects similar to those of epinephrine, including rapid heartbeat, nervousness, tremors, headache, muscle pain and gastrointestinal problems. In animals it provides a repartitioning effect, in that lean muscle mass increases while bodyfat is substantially lowered. That occurs in many animal species and explains why the drug proved attractive for athletic purposes. Some cases of clenbuterol-tainted meat have led to side-effect outbreaks in Europe, leading in turn to a European ban on clenbuterol for livestock purposes.

What many athletes didn’t consider, however, was that the doses of clenbuterol used in animal studies were far higher than could be tolerated by any human. The drug does provide potent—though fleeting—thermogenic effects, which is why it’s considered a “cutting” drug in bodybuilding. The adrenergic cell receptors that clenbuterol interacts with, however, are exquisitely sensitive and tend to close down within a short time, often with as little as two weeks of continuous use.

Athletes work around the considerable downregulation by taking it on a two-days-on/two-days-off pattern, which extends the usage time. Another technique involves using ketotifen (Zaditen), an antihistamine that can maintain the potency of adrenergic cell receptors, thereby extending the usefulness of clenbuterol.

Did Clenbuterol Cause This Heart Attack?

Another thing to consider about clenbuterol is that several recent studies have confirmed that it produces severe toxic effects in muscle. In fact, some animal studies show that the drug appears to destroy muscle. The toxic effects are especially apparent in heart muscle.

According to a recent case study, in some people the effect may be potent enough to lead to a heart attack in an otherwise healthy person.² Published reports have linked a combination of clenbuterol and anabolic steroids to a bodybuilder’s heart attack. The 26-year-old man in that case had switched to using clenbuterol after getting off a steroid cycle. His heart attack was attributed to a spasm of his coronary arteries.

In the newly reported case, the subject was a 17-year-old bodybuilder who claimed that he used no anabolic steroids or other drugs with the exception of 20 milligrams a day of clenbuterol, which he took on a two-days-on/two-days-off protocol. That’s not considered a high dose or frequency. Despite that, he turned up at a clinic complaining of acute chest pains. Examination showed that he had a fast heart rate and an elevated level of homocysteine, an amino acid by-product linked to cardiovascular disease. Most of his other tests were normal, although certain elevated enzyme levels pointed to heart damage.

His diagnosis was that of a clenbuterol-induced coronary artery spasm, with possible blood clot in the left anterior descending coronary artery, the most common area of blood clots leading to heart attacks. The case was complicated, however, because the subject had two risk factors linked to the onset of coronary artery spasms—elevated homocysteine levels and increased clotting elements in the blood. Homocysteine is easily controlled in most cases by taking three nutrients: folic acid, and vitamins B6 and B12. The clotting can be controlled by small daily doses of aspirin, which he was given.

The question, then, is whether the heart attack was caused by clenbuterol or his other risk factors. Most likely it was a combination. The adrenergic effect of clenbuterol may have pushed him over the edge. One thing is certain, however: Clen-buterol, even in small amounts, exerts toxic effects on heart muscle tissue. It could cause serious heart problems in anyone. Combining clenbuterol with other thermogenic drugs, such as thyroid hormone, compounds the effect because TH in large doses also stresses the heart. The combination of the two could prove deadly.

In fact, clenbuterol and TH use are likely suspects in the death of a professional bodybuilder several years ago. This man was using large doses of TH and an injectable form of clenbuterol. He was also dehydrated and probably suffering an electrolyte, or mineral, imbalance. With that many things against him, it wasn’t surprising that he succumbed to a heart attack.

References

¹Ishikawa, T., et al. (2006). Aromatase-independent testosterone conversion into estrogenic steroids is inhibited by 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. J Steroid Biochem Molecul Biol. 98:133-138.

²Kierzkowska, B., et al. (2005). Myocardial infarction in a 17-year-old bodybuilder using clenbuterol. Circulation Journal. 69:1144-1146.

©,2015 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

©,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 .

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.

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

Are They for Real?

In 1984 I was asked to write an article about ergogenic aids for a national sports magazine. It was to be included in a special issue covering the Summer Olympic Games that year. I interviewed a number ofexperts. One, a medical doctor, told me off the record that he had about 20 Olympic athletes on a regimen that included anabolic steroids and growth hormone. Significantly, none of the athletes got busted during the Olympics. While the guy was forthcoming—although he refused to identify the athletes using the drugs—other experts proved far more secretive.

I called a man in Boston who was described to me as a “well-known physician.” He had extensive experience with a little-known substance called Smilax officinalis, which I understood was some kind of herbal concoction, but when I called “Dr. X”—he refused to divulge his real name—he told me that he wasn’t at liberty to provide any details about Smilax. It wasn’t until later that I found out that Smilax officinalis was actually sarsaparilla, a common flavoring in root beer. A search for the anabolic effects of the plant turned up one obscure connection related to natural compounds called plant sterols.

Flashback to 1942. A renegade chemist from the University of Pennsylvania named Russell Marker was acting like Indiana Jones, searching for plants with special properties in the wilds of Mexico. At the time, steroid hormones, including testosterone, were being produced in a very expensive process. Working in his lab in 1936, Marker successfully developed a method of producing chemical steroids from plant sterols. All steroids are made from the parent compound, cholesterol. When Marker noticed that plant sterols, which are the plant versions of cholesterol, have a close structural similarity to cholesterol, he was able to produce a human steroid from sarsaparilla. It was too expensive, though, to be used in mass quantities; hence Marker’s Mexican trek.

Marker found his ideal substitute in the Mexican yam. Diosgenin, a plant sterol in the yam, proved to be an effective substrate for steroid production. Through a five-step process involving the use of various enzymes, Marker successfully produced the steroid progesterone. The first major steroid produced from cholesterol, progesterone is the precursor of other steroid hormones, including estrogen and testosterone.

Marker offered his discovery to drug companies, but they all turned him down except for a small, little-known company called Syntex. Syntex eventually became a major producer of hormone drugs, including a number of anabolic steroids. Meanwhile, the Mexican yam and diosgenin became the major raw materials for steroid hormones, particularly birth control pills, until they were supplanted by a synthetic process in 1970.

Mexican yams were also sold as a food supplement because of their plant sterol content. In fact, early forms of supplemental DHEA primarily contained Mexican yam extract. That proved problematic, since the yam itself doesn’t contain any active steroid hormones, including DHEA. The poor quality and ineffectiveness of the supplements led to their removal from the market in 1987 by the Food and Drug Administration. Real DHEA turned up a few years later, thanks to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.

It’s no secret that anabolic steroids help build muscle size and strength. The problem with steroids is twofold. First, they’re prescription drugs and have potentially serious side effects. Second, most doctors are loath to prescribe them, knowing how easily they can be abused by those seeking to build muscle. That led to the pro-hormone industry, which began with legitimate DHEA supplements and ended with the advent of the Anabolic Steroid Drug Amendment in 2005.

Not much better than DHEA, the initial pro-hormones were far worse from a health perspective. They offered little in the way of true anabolic activity but plenty in the way of anabolic-steroid-related side effects, including rapid conversion into estrogen. The last generation of pro-hormones was far improved, since many were actual anabolic steroids that were never released by the companies that researched them—and for good reason. Most of them had too many side effects, such as being hard on the liver. Even worse, evidence for significant anabolic effect in humans was lacking.

After the FDA banned pro-hormone supplements, supplement companies catering to bodybuilders and athletes were temporarily at a loss. What could they do to maintain their lucrative sales? A few threw all caution to the wind by attempting to sell a few more rejected steroid compounds, while others began to surreptitiously include a new category of steroids, called “designer steroids,” since they were supposedly not detectable by the usual drug screens. That proved short-lived, for the FDA was on the lookout for any substance that could directly convert into testosterone, which put it in direct violation of the 2005 steroid amendment.

Now, how to explain the current plethora of supplements advertised as boosting testosterone? What the supplement companies did amounted to going back in time. Most of the products are based on plant compounds, which makes them completely legal in the eyes of the FDA. The more important question is, Are they effective?

Some of the more unscrupulous companies resorted to highly questionable tactics. For example, many current pro-hormone supplements are based on DHEA, but it’s usually called something else. That’s a common tactic today—listing complex chemical names to make consumers believe that a supplement contains a new and revolutionary compound. Another likely motive is that the chemical nomenclature imparts a druglike aura to the product. DHEA is not junk; it benefits those whose bodies produce low amounts of it. As a testosterone-booster, though, it’s effective only for women.

Plants don’t actually contain real testosterone but rather plant sterols. The human body lacks the enzymes required to convert plant sterols into true steroids, although it can be done in a lab. That explains why plant sterols were—and in some cases still are—used to produce steroid drugs. One plant known to contain an actual androgen—the truffle—is a type of mushroom. Truffles naturally contain a very weak androgen called androst-16-en-3-ol. It isn’t very anabolic, which explains why you don’t see any mushrooms competing for the Mr. Olympia title.

Perhaps the foremost herbal testosterone booster is Tribulus terrestris, which grows wild in Bulgaria and elsewhere. Tribulus contains various plant sterols, including diosgenin. Most of the sterols are categorized as saponins, since they produce a soaplike effect when metabolized. The active anabolic ingredient in tribulus is a saponin called protodioscin.

Purveyors of tribulus often note that if it doesn’t contain enough protodioscin, it’s useless for building muscle, although it does have other properties, including diuretic effects and coronary artery dilation. Normally tribulus contains about 5 percent protodioscin. One study analyzed commercial tribulus supplements for their protodioscin content. It varied, with samples from Bulgarian sources having more and those from China and India the least. Quality control is a real problem with tribulus, as it is with many other herbal supplements.

Tribulus came to the attention of Western athletes after poorly controlled Russian research revealed that it increased testosterone. The initial studies involved animals, such as rams. In the human studies that followed, tribulus was given to men with clinically low testosterone levels. One study found that men receiving 750 milligrams of tribulus daily for five days showed a 72 percent increase in luteinizing hormone, along with a 40 percent rise in testosterone. Less publicized was the accompanying 81 percent rise in estrogen.

Luteinizing hormone is produced in the pituitary gland and governs the production of testosterone in the testes. It’s suggested that tribulus contains a substance called harmine that blunts the breakdown of an enzyme in the brain that degrades dopamine. Elevated dopamine encourages the production of not only luteinizing hormone and subsequent testosterone but also growth hormone. The much touted “active” tribulus ingredient, protodioscin, aids DHEA synthesis and release.

Based on these mechanisms, tribulus should indeed be an efficient testosterone booster, although increasing DHEA wouldn’t have much of an anabolic effect in young men. Animal studies seem to confirm the hormone-boosting effect of tribulus. One recent study, in which primates, rats and rabbits were given a tribulus extract intravenously, resulted in a 52 percent increase in testosterone, a 31 percent rise in the testosterone metabolite DHT and a 29 percent rise in DHEA-S in the primates. The rats in the study were castrated but still experienced a 51 percent rise in testosterone. Rabbits didn’t fare as well, showing mainly a 32 percent increase in undesirable DHT.¹ Another study showed that giving rats tribulus protected against diabetes through antioxidant activity.²

Animal studies can’t always be extrapolated to humans. While the research on tribulus emanating from Russia is nothing short of glowing, the herb hasn’t fared as well under Western scientific scrutiny. One study involved 15 men who got either a placebo or tribulus at a dose of 3.21 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight daily. The subjects followed an eight-week weight-training routine. Muscle endurance increased on the bench press and leg press in the placebo group, while those in the tribulus group showed an increase only in leg press strength. No changes in body composition occurred in either group.³

Another study examined the effects of either a placebo or 450 milligrams a day of tribulus in 22 rugby players who were engaged in weight training for five weeks. Both groups produced similar gains, along with no rise in testosterone in the tribulus group.⁴ Still another study looked at whether tribulus raises testosterone in young men. The 21 subjects took either tribulus or a placebo for four weeks. Tribulus had no effect.⁵

Given that tribulus can raise estrogen, it’s not surprising that there’s at least one case study on record of a young bodybuilder who acquired gynecomastia, or male breast formation, after using a tribulus supplement.⁶ DHEA can easily convert into estrogen, particularly in younger men, although it more often converts into a metabolite of DHT.

One company is selling what it calls a “potent testosterone booster” based on the herb fenugreek. According to the company’s claims, substances in fenugreek called fenusides promote a significant rise in free, or active, testosterone. The company mentions a study in which 55 men, aged 18 to 35, all actively involved in weight training, were divided into two groups, with 29 receiving the fenugreek product and 26 getting a placebo. The subjects were evaluated three times over the eight-week course of the study. Those in the fenugreek group showed a 100 percent rise in free testosterone compared to the placebo group, along with a reduction in skin folds, pointing to lowered bodyfat.

Sounds impressive, until you realize that this was an unpublished study done by the company making the product. No other details of the experiment were mentioned. Interestingly, fenugreek contains some of the same plant sterols found in tribulus, including protodioscin, as well as diosgenin, which was as found in Mexican yams. It contains a unique amino acid called 4-hydroxyisoleucine that has an effect similar to insulin in aiding glucose uptake. One study of cyclists showed that fenugreek seemed to increase the efficiency of muscle glycogen repletion when taken with glucose, which is precisely what insulin does.

I’ll have more on testosterone boosters next month.

References

¹Gauthaman, K., et al. (2008). The hormonal effects of tribulus terrestris and its role in the management of male erectile dysfunction—an evaluation using primates, rabbit, and rat. Phytomed. 15:44-54.

²Lotfy, A.A., et al. (2006). The protective effect of tribulus terrestris in diabetes. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1084:391-401.

³Antonio, J., et al. (2000). The effects of tribulus terrestris on body composition and exercise performance in resistance-trained males. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 10:208-15.

⁴Rogerson, S., et al. (2007). The effect of five weeks of tribulus terrestris supplementation on muscle strength and body composition during preseason training in elite rugby league players. J Str Cond Res. 21:348-53.

⁵Neychev, V.K., et al. (2005). The aphrodisiac herb tribulus does not influence the androgen production in young men. J Ethnopharmacol. 101:319-23.

⁶Jameel, J.K., et al. (2004). Gynecomastia and the plant product “tribulus terrestris.” Breast. 13:428-30.

©,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

The media seems to revel in reports about how useless antioxidant supplements are in preventing disease. In recent years, many such reports have even implicated antioxidants as promoters of mortality. A closer view of such adverse studies, however, shows that few, if any, of them have any real relevance. For example, one study that showed that vitamin E increased the death rate death in a group of people used people that were moribund.Short of heavenly intervention, nothing could have saved these people, much less vitamin E. In addition, the amount of vitamin E supplied was below optimal levels to have shown health benefits. Another thing to consider is that the study used only synthetic alpha-tocopherol. In reality, vitamin E consists of eight forms: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. The isomer of vitamin E shown to provide cardiovascular protection is not alpha-tocopherol, but gamma-tocopherol. Tocotrienols inhibit cholesterol synthesis in a manner similar to statin drugs, but minus the side effects of statins.
A new animal study will not appear in the popular media because it shows dramatic effects provided by supplying a cocktail of natural antioxidants. Antioxidants always work best when provided as a group, as is found in nature. Supplying just one antioxidant, such as vitamin E, does nothing. This study involved two genetically altered groups of mice. They were altered in such a way as to mimic human disease states. As such, one type of mice in the study showed higher than normal levels of inflammation, which is the common underlying cause of cardiovascular disease. The other group of mice were bred to produce higher levels of cholesterol. Both groups mimic atherosclerosis in humans, the primary cause of cardiovascular mortality.The mice were provided with either a placebo or a cocktail of antioxidants, consisting of lycopene, catechin (found in green tea and other sources, such as red wine), resveratrol, vitamins C and E, and fish oil. The idea of providing these nutrients was that they would significantly lower inflammation, and subsequently, cardiovascular disease.
The results showed that providing the mice with the antioxidant/anti-inflammatory cocktail resulted in a 96% reduction in the development of atherosclerosis compared to the placebo mice. The mixture also reduced a number of inflammatory mediators closely linked to cardiovascular disease.While this was an animal study, the particular animals used closely mimicked how human disease develops. But don't look for this in the popular media because none of the animals died.

A dietary mixture containing fish oil, resveratrol, lycopene, catechins, and vitamins E and C reduces atherosclerosis in transgenic mice.J Nut 2011: in press.

©,2015 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

The recent massive earthquake in Japan has resulted in a significant amount of damage to several nuclear reactors, setting off fears that a possible meltdown can occur, as happened in Chernobyl in 1986. While the Japanese government has issued statements saying that there is no immediate danger from any reactor meltdowns, conflicting reports about just how serious the extent of the damage is has led many people to become proactive. "Proactive" in this sense means rushing out to purchase potassium iodide tablets. This is based on the fact that nuclear reactor meltdowns produce a variety of radioactive substances, many of which are absorbed by breathing and in food. Two such radioactive products are iodine 129 and 131.Both of these are rapidly taken up by the thyroid gland, which could lead to thyroid cancer. The idea of taking potassium iodide tablets is that the tablets, which contain massive amounts of iodine, will saturate the thyroid gland, thereby preventing the uptake of radioactive iodine. To work effectively,however, the potassium iodide tablets need to be taken prior to exposure to radioactive iodine. This explains the current run on potassium iodide tablets.
Taking the tablets after exposure will not only not help, but may lock the radioactive iodine (assuming you were exposed) into the thyroid gland, making matters worse.In addition, the tablets will only protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine exposure; it will not protect against any other radioactive material, nor will it protect other parts of the body besides the thyroid gland. Other parts of the body are capable of concentrating iodine intake, including the salivary glands and the gastrointestinal tract. These are the areas of the body most likely to show side effects if you go overboard taking potassium iodide tablets. You can also experience severe allergic reactions, including a sudden drop in blood pressure.
The major function of iodine is for use in synthesizing the two major thyroid hormones, T3 and T4. Once in the thyroid gland, iodine is oxidized by hydrogen peroxide, a free radical reaction. Keep this in mind next time you read how bad free radicals are. There are some useful purposes for them, and thyroid hormone synthesis is one of them. After being reacted with hydrogen peroxide, the iodine combines with residues of the amino acid, L-tyrosine to form the thyroid hormones. The suggested daily adult requirement for iodine is 150 micrograms. You need only 70 micrograms to synthesize thyroid hormones. The upper safe limit of iodine is about 1,000 micrograms. The amount of iodine in a potassium iodide pill is 130 milligrams. One thousand micrograms equals one milligram. Do the math, and you'll realize just how potent potassium iodide pills are. They should not be ingested more than once every 24 hours, and should not be used once the threat of any nuclear radiation passes. Within hours after the Chernobyl incident 25 years ago, the Polish government handed out potassium iodide pills to parents of children in exposed areas. As a result, the children did not experience any increase in pediatric thyroid cancer. In contrast, in other fallout areas such as the Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, pills were not handed out as generously. Those areas showed significant increases in thyroid cancer. The pills contain 77% iodine.
When I competed in bodybuilding contests in the 70s, a popular supplement often suggested for fat burning was kelp tablets. Kelp, or seaweed, concentrates iodine. The idea was that taking kelp tablets would speed up your thyroid gland, and thus help you burn fat more efficiently. While a couple of kelp tablets didn't cause any harm (although they were also high in sodium), what wasn't known then was that iodine has a J-shaped curve in relation to thyroid function. Simply put, ingesting too much iodine provides the paradoxical effect of slowing down thyroid output. As such, many competitors who were ingesting as many as 100 kelp tablets daily were hampering their precontest dieting efforts without being aware of it. Even 100 kelp tablets,however, don't contain as much iodine as a single potassium iodide tablet. This stuff is potent, so keep that in mind, and don't consider taking it for days on end as a preventive against radiation exposure.

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One question potential anabolic steroid users frequently ask is, How long do muscle gains last after you get off a steroid regimen? Some people think that’s a trick question, since many scientists still believe that the majority of gains produced by steroids consist largely of water. In fact, official position statements of several sports medicine organizations declare that any gains following steroid use are likely more water than muscle. On the other hand, muscle is 72 percent water anyway.
Solid gains would consist of protein and the connective tissue components of muscle. They’d tend to be more permanent than the ephemeral bloat characteristic of pure water gains. Exercise favors Protein and connective tissue gains, although, depending on several other factors, such as diet, water may also accompany muscle gains and be reflected on the scales.

Doubts about the genuineness of steroid-induced gains arise from casual observations that many steroid-using athletes don’t appear to be as massive when they aren’t taking the drugs. That led to the impression that the previously displayed muscle size must be temporary and can only be maintained with a constant steroid regimen.

Another frequent observation is that while the drugs appear to promote muscular gains, they also seem to favor bodyfat losses. That’s readily apparent when you compare so-called natural bodybuilding competitors to their steroid-using peers. The drug users are not only usually more massive, but they also appear to show a far greater degree of muscular definition than the naturals. The effect is so common, in fact, that some bodybuilders who swear they’re natural are often suspect due to their steroidlike degree of muscularity. The consensus is that you just can’t get super-ripped without resorting to drugs.

So the question is, How do anabolic steroid drugs actually affect body composition, and how long do you retain gains after you stop using them? Those questions and others were examined in a recently published study that featured 35 experienced male strength athletes, 19 of whom self-administered anabolic steroids, while 16 were clean.1

To assess the men’s body composition, the researchers measured body circumferences at baseline, eight weeks and six weeks after steroid withdrawal (in the steroid users). Since another goal involved determining any differences between effects noted with short- vs. long-term steroid use: Nine of the steroid users took the drugs for eight weeks, while 10 others took them for 12 to 16 weeks.

Of those in the study, 28 considered themselves bodybuilders, yet only seven competed in bodybuilding contests. While several of those subjects got their drugs with a physician’s prescription, most purchased the drugs on the black market. They designed their drug regimens after conversing with other athletes and experimenting on their own. The drugs consisted of typical injectable anabolic steroids, such as various types of nandrolones, testosterone and oral drugs such as stanozolol (winstrol or Stromba). One key point is that all of the steroid users took a combination of drugs, a process known as stacking.

After eight weeks the steroid users showed a significant lean body mass increase of 4.5 kilograms, or just a tad under 10 pounds. In contrast, the nondrug users showed no significant changes in lean mass or weight gain. The percentage of fat in the steroid group dropped 1 percent, yet it wasn’t reflected in any loss of muscle mass. The gains in lean mass made by the steroid group persisted after the subjects had been off the drugs for six weeks.

The steroid users also showed size gains in the neck, upper arm, forearm, wrist, thigh and calves that were significantly greater than the nondrug group experienced; however, the measurements of chest circumference, waist and buttocks didn’t differ significantly between the groups.

The size gains made by the steroid users did decrease slightly when they stopped using the drugs but still remained greater than they’d been at the start of the study. Another interesting finding was that gains made by the long-term steroid users weren’t significantly different from those made by the short-term users. The authors think that debunks the long-held idea that a longer steroid cycle produces greater gains.

Another curious result was that the lean mass gains made in the upper arms of the steroid users were twice those of the legs or trunk areas. That wasn’t the result of any training differences, since all subjects trained with similar levels of exercise volume and intensity. It led the authors to conjecture that steroid stacks may affect specific body areas more than others. Taking that a step further, they’re saying that using certain drugs may target some muscle areas more than others. They mention a previous study that found greater gains in the legs and trunk after subjects used nandrolone drugs, such as Deca-Durabolin.
The researchers also carefully measured the composition of the lean mass gains made by the steroid group. While some of the gains did include water, the majority were clearly muscle. They also note that the usual practice of getting back on drugs several weeks after being off, when gains start to recede, appears to make sense, although they warn that the long-term health effects of such cycling remain unknown.

A study published nine years ago examined the effects of body composition changes in seven healthy young men, ages 20 to 24, none of whom were bodybuilders and only one of whom exercised, after they received injections of testosterone enanthate for 12 weeks.2 The study began with five of the subjects getting a 0.75-milligram per kilogram injection of testosterone for four days. Then all seven subjects received a three-milligram per kilogram weekly dose for 12 weeks. That amounts to about 270 milligrams weekly for a 200-pound man, not considered a hefty dose of testosterone. In contrast, a later study showed that the lean-mass-building effects of testosterone involved a dose of 600 milligrams a week.

Despite the paltry dose of testosterone provided in this study, the subjects still managed to average a 16-pound gain in lean body mass, which reflected a 12 percent increase above baseline lean mass measurements. They also lost an average of 3.4 kilograms of bodyfat, or 27 percent less than starting values. So a low dose of just one steroid drug led to gains in lean mass coupled with significant fat loss—even in a group that didn’t exercise!

After the subjects stopped getting testosterone injections, the lean mass gains gradually declined to the point where half were gone in two months; however, five to six months after they stopped using the drug, they still showed more lean mass than they had at the start of the study, indicating that the muscle gains were longer lasting than most people expect.

The study concluded with the observation that anabolic steroids promote greater lean mass gains than can be achieved with exercise alone and that such gains consist nearly entirely of muscle. That’s the same conclusion arrived at by a study that used a 600-milligram dose of testosterone, four years after the initial study was published.3

At the risk of belaboring the obvious, anabolic steroids do work, and the gains produced are mostly muscle coupled with a significant loss of fat, particularly subcutaneous fat. While some of the muscle increase does decline after the end of a steroid regimen, much of it remains, especially if you continue to train hard and eat correctly.

I also want to add one other observation: If you start with two people who had comparatively equal genetic bodybuilding abilities and put one of them on a steroid-stacking regimen, the drug user will nearly always defeat his or her natural counterpart in bodybuilding or other athletic competition. That’s because drugs such as anabolic steroids promote increased training recovery, as well as greater degrees of muscular size and definition. Anyone who disputes that notion is either dishonest or naive. From a health and longevity viewpoint, however, the odds are likely in favor of those who shun drug use, especially long-term use.

References

1 Hartgens, F., et al. (2001). Androgenic-anabolic steroid-induced body changes in strength athletes. Physical and Sports Medicine. 29:49-66.

2 Forbes, G.B., et al. (1992). Sequence of changes in body composition induced by testosterone and reversal of changes after the drug is stopped. JAMA. 267:397-399.

3 Bhasin, S., et al. (1996). The effects of supraphysiologic doses of testosterone on muscle size and strength in normal men. NEJM. 335:1-7.

taken from the June 2001 issue of IRONMAN, written by Jerry Brainum

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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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Sunday, March 27, 2011

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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.

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Saturday, March 26, 2011

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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.

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.

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

See Jerry's book at www.jerrybrainum.com

See Jerry's book at www.jerrybrainum.com

Thursday, March 24, 2011

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Sunday, March 20, 2011

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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Friday, March 18, 2011

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.

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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

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Saturday, March 12, 2011

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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 .

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 .

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 .

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 .

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 .