EAT TO GROW : Bodybuilding-Diet Dangers? Does a high-protein intake lead to kidney damage? by Jerry Brainum

A frequent concern about high-protein diets is their effect on kidney function. On the surface that appears to make sense, since the liver and kidneys are the primary organs involved in protein metabolism and the excretion of waste products, such as urea. The latter function is handled mainly by the kidneys. The supposition is that a long-term high-protein diet eventually wears out and induces pathology in the kidneys.

The belief is rampant, often voiced even by those who should know better, such as medical professionals. Some allude to studies to prove their contention about the dangers of a high-protein diet. Perusal of such so-called proof, however, nearly always reveals that those adversely affected by a high-protein diet already had kidney disease. No study has ever shown that eating a high-protein diet leads to kidney problems in those with normal kidney function.

While it’s true that kidney function declines with age in many people, with older people showing an average of 40 percent kidney function, functional loss isn’t related to a high-protein diet; it’s most often related to a gradual loss of nephrons, the kidneys’ filtering units. That loss, in turn, is traceable to various health problems and drugs, such as long-term use of painkillers, including aspirin. Untreated high blood pressure is another primary cause of kidney-function loss, as is heart disease, due to poor blood circulation through the kidneys. Even healthy people can harm their kidneys through dehydration, which limits blood flow through the kidneys.

A recent study examined the effect of a high-protein diet in those engaged in regular weight training.1 It featured 77 men, average age 26, all of whom trained with weights. Their diets averaged 19 percent protein, which came out to 1.67 grams per kilogram of bodyweight daily, or 98 to 139 percent of the recommended intake for those engaged in weight training. Measurements of the three primary blood tests for kidney function—creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and uric acid—showed that all were within normal values. Thus, the study indicates that a high-protein intake doesn’t stress the kidneys in a normal weight-training population.

1 LaBounty, P., et al. (2005). Blood markers of kidney function and dietary protein intake of resistance trained males. 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.

 

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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TRAIN TO GAIN : All-Over Bi’ Size New study on regional biceps growth by Jerry Brainum

Bodybuilding dogma has it that different exercises affect different parts of a muscle. That explains the reason for varying your exercises. Not everyone agrees with that concept, noting that muscles have distinct nerve connections and that making minor changes in angles or exercises does little or nothing to change the function of any particular muscle.

A study presented at the 2005 meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, however, seems to confirm that muscles can be activated at different points.1 The muscle in question was the familiar biceps. The purpose of the study was to determine whether varying biceps exercises, as commonly used by bodybuilders, produces a differential growth pattern in three regions of the muscle: near the origin (top of the arm), the belly (middle of the upper arm) or near the insertion (at the bottom of the upper arm).

Sixty-eight subjects trained with weights for 12 weeks on a biceps program. They used a progressive, periodized protocol, doing four weeks of 12 reps using 65 to 75 percent of one-rep maximum, or 1RM, weight; five weeks of eight reps using 75 to 82 percent of 1RM; and three weeks of six reps, using 83 to 90 percent of 1RM. Thus, the training required a gradual increase in poundage coupled with a decrease in reps. The exercises were preacher curls, concentration curls and standing barbell curls. To determine changes in the subjects’ biceps as a result of the training, the researchers used magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI.

After 12 weeks all areas of the biceps showed growth, with the greatest change appearing in the lower biceps, near the insertion of the muscle. Investigators thought that was because it’s the part of the biceps most affected by maintaining the hand in a typical curl position. The next most affected portion was the belly, followed by the top of the upper arm.

The study lends weight to the long-held notion that different exercises affect different portions of a trained muscle, despite a common nerve supply. Once again, science has born out the experiences of countless bodybuilders over many years.

1 Price, T., et al. (2005). Biceps brachii regional growth in response to 12 weeks of resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exer. 37:S131.

©,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.

 

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TRAIN TO GAIN : Better Blood Flow Burns Blubber Why high reps can help you drop fat by Jerry Brainum

Many bodybuilders have noticed that it’s easier to burn upper-body fat than lower-body fat. That situation occurs in women and a large percentage of male athletes. Various theories have been proposed to explain the apparent differences between upper- and lower-body fat stores.

In women, lower-body fat acts as an emergency calorie reserve, a precaution designed to ensure perpetuation of the species. Since it takes about 80,000 calories to produce a human baby, nature wants to make sure that expectant mothers get the calories they need, even in times of famine. That’s why women preferentially store fat in their upper thighs, hips and buttocks. Some anthropologists also suggest that female fat storage, especially in the hip and buttocks areas, acts as a sex signal to males, indicating fertility.

Still, that doesn’t explain why many men also have trouble losing fat in their lower bodies. Anyone who’s ever attended a bodybuilding contest has probably noticed male competitors who show razor-sharp muscular definition in the upper body, yet have nary a cut on their legs. Some men ascribe that to “localized water retention” and “excessive estrogen secretion.” While estrogen has potent water-retaining effects and promotes bodyfat accumulation, that’s not the true explanation.

A new study pinpoints the differences in fat mobilization between upper- and lower-body fat.1 Previous studies have measured the appearance of glycerol, which makes up one-third of a triglyceride, or fat, molecule. Trouble is, that’s an indirect measurement and could be inaccurate in regard to the actual speed of the body’s fat use. In the new study British and French scientists teamed to come up with a technique to measure direct fat use, and they applied the newer technique to upper- and lower-body fat release in six lean male subjects aged 22 to 43.

What they found was that gluteal fat tissue shows a 67 percent lower level of blood flow than upper-body fat. It also has an 87 percent lower rate of activity of hormone-sensitive lipase, an enzyme that catalyzes fat release from fat cells, than abdominal-fat cells.

One theory is that the body stores fat in the lower body to protect against high levels of free fatty acids in the blood. A high level of FFAs interferes with glucose uptake in cells, which in turn leads to insulin resistance and diseases linked to insulin resistance, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The body shuttles excess fatty acids directly to lower-body fat stores, where they are “locked in,” which buffers the effect of high levels of fat in the blood.

The fact that lower-body fat may protect against potentially deadly diseases offers little solace to definition-minded bodybuilders. The body won’t use lower-body fat until nearly all upper body fat is oxidized through exercise and diet. So the ultimate answer to eliminating lower-body fat involves persistence and patience. Continuing to exercise and diet will eventually enable you to make progress in getting rid of lower-body fat.

For those in a hurry, some evidence shows that using an alpha-2 adrenergic blocker can also enable bodybuilders to tap into lower-body fat stores. The fat cells in the lower body, unlike those in the upper body, have a preponderance of alpha-2 adrenergic cell receptors. (Upper-body fat cells have a preponderance of beta-adrenergic cell receptors, which permit more rapid release of fat.)

One natural alpha-adrenergic blocker is yohimbe at a dose of 0.2 milligrams per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of bodyweight. It must be taken on an empty stomach, however, since any release of insulin totally negates its fat-mobilizing effects.

From a training standpoint, if your goal is increased definition, it may be a good idea to use higher reps, in the range of 15 and up, for lower-body training. Higher reps may increase blood flow, giving you a greater mobilization of lower-body fat.

One other thing to consider is that overtraining the legs can lead to a type of localized stress reaction in which you retain water subcutaneously, or just under the skin, obscuring muscular definition. In their zeal to get more cut, bodybuilders often overtrain their legs prior to a contest, leading to water retention. More experienced bodybuilders often curtail leg training, including aerobics, at least a week before a contest to prevent that effect.

1 Tan, G.D., et al. (2004). Upper and lower body adipose tissue function: A direct comparison of fat mobilization in humans. Obesity Res. 12:114-118.

©,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.

 

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EAT TO GROW : Battle of the Bulge Scientists study popular diets: Who wins the war on weight loss? by Jerry Brainum

If you look at any list of best-selling books, you’re likely to find at least one on weight loss. That isn’t surprising, considering that one-third of Americans are clinically obese and that the figure is rising. While excess fat may be undesirable from an aesthetic viewpoint, carrying it around places a severe burden on the body that’s linked to many degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Fat isn’t the inert storage site that many thought it was. Instead, fat is extensively active, releasing chemicals that have far-ranging effects on health.

The question is, What’s the best way to lose excess bodyfat via dieting? Scientists say that you must increase activity and eat fewer calories than you burn in activity. That solution isn’t attractive to many people, as most seek an easier, less painful method of shedding excess pounds. If you can present a diet plan that appears to help people effectively lose fat yet somehow avoid food deprivation or hunger, you’ve got a best-seller in the making.

Some of the most popular diet plans include the Atkins low-carb diet; the Zone diet advocated by biochemist Barry Sears; the Weight Watchers diet, a plan usually favored by women; and the Ornish low-fat plan. Which one is best?

A recent study didn’t seek to determine the superiority of any particular diet but instead focused on the health and adherence aspects of the plans, as well as their cardiovascular benefits—or lack of same.1 One hundred sixty subjects, age range 22 to 72, were randomly assigned to one of the four popular diet plans. All subjects had at least one cardiovascular risk factor, such as high blood pressure or elevated blood cholesterol. They were monitored for a year.

Those in the Atkins group began with a carb intake of only 20 grams a day, gradually increased to 50 grams. They got relatively large amounts of fat and protein. Those in the Zone group followed the Zone precepts of carb, fat and protein percentages of 40, 30 and 30, respectively. The Weight Watchers group could eat any food but counted points, with each point averaging 50 calories. The Ornish diet, developed by cardiologist Dean Ornish, limits fat intake to no more than 10 percent of total calories. The participants were told to exercise about an hour a day and maintain a food diary.

The first finding that stood out was the lack of adherence to any of the diets. Only 58 percent of the subjects maintained their diets for one year. The greatest dropout rates occurred in the Atkins and Ornish groups, which were considered the most restrictive of the diet plans. But even those who stuck with their diets cheated more as time went on. Those who persevered lost between 4.6 and 7.3 pounds over a year.

One aspect of this study that didn’t make sense was advice given to the participants that they could adjust the diets any way they wanted after two months. Those in the Atkins low-carb group increased their carb intake to 190 grams by the six-month mark, which means they were no longer on the Atkins or any other low-carb plan. Even those in the Ornish lowfat group were eating an average of 30 percent fat by the end of the study, or three times the maximum suggested.

The diets varied in their effects on cardiovascular risk factors. All the diets except the low-fat Ornish plan led to a higher level of protective high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol. The lower-carb diets, such as the Atkins and Zone plans, showed greater reductions in blood triglyceride (fat), diastolic blood pressure and insulin. The authors say their results don’t support the notion that low-carb diets are superior to standard diets in terms of weight loss or cardiovascular benefits—a notion disputed by other recent studies. Besides, as noted above, those in the low-carb group had abandoned their low-carb diets by the study’s halfway point.

The authors also suggest that the best diet is the one that you stick with. Adherence is a major problem with most diets, especially among those who aren’t highly motivated. That’s rarely a factor with bodybuilders, who are highly motivated to improve their appearance and lose fat, though many don’t consider the health aspects of dieting.

The study didn’t examine the effects of what are probably the best diets overall with respect to promoting health and fitness, the Mediterranean diet and the so-called Paleolithic, or Stone Age, diet. Both are moderate in carbs but feature a lot of the nutrients and food factors known to prevent most degenerative diseases. They’re the best long-term diets to follow, without a doubt.

1 Dansinger, M.L., et al. (2005). Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers and Zone diets for weight loss and heart disease risk reduction. JAMA. 293:43-53.

©,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

 

TRAIN TO GAIN : Androgen-etic How weight training affects your androgen receptors by Jerry Brainum

Having an abundance of testosterone floating around in your blood means nothing unless it can interact with cellular receptors. Free testosterone, which is not bound to a protein such as sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) or albumin, locks on to androgen receptors located on the outside of cells. The testosterone-and-receptor complex is then transported deeper into the cell until it reaches the nucleus, where it promotes protein synthesis.

When it comes to the anabolic effects of testosterone, the androgen receptor is the site of action. Anabolic steroid drugs, which are modified versions of testosterone, increase the number of androgen receptors. That increase, in turn, permits a greater level of protein synthesis, which translates to added muscular size and strength, especially when the user is also exercising.

Weight training, particularly heavy training, also increases the number of androgen receptors. That’s why lifting weights gives you more muscle size than endurance exercise. Studies show that a combination of heavy weight training and anabolic steroids produces the greatest increase in androgen receptors.

Lifting weights increases the level of anabolic hormones, including testosterone and growth hormone. It also increases cortisol, an adrenal steroid that’s the primary catabolic hormone in the body. Little is known, however, about how specific modes of weight training affect androgen receptor content. A recent study examined how different modes of training affected androgen receptor content in the thigh muscles following a squat workout.1

The subjects were nine men, aged 19 to 32, with at least three years of training experience, including squats. They trained using two types of protocols. The first workout involved doing one set of squats, while the second consisted of six sets of 10 reps of squats. Blood was collected just prior to the workout and every 15 minutes after it for one hour. Muscle biopsies were also taken before and one hour after the workouts.

No increases in total testosterone occurred after the single set of squats. After the multiple sets, however, testosterone increased 16 to 23 percent. Cortisol also didn’t change during the single set but rose 31 to 49 percent after the multiple sets of squats. The androgen receptor content wasn’t changed one hour after the single set of squats but dropped 46 percent after the multiple-set routine.

The authors suggest that the multiple-set protocol led to higher metabolic demands and a transitory catabolic state reflected in the decreased androgen receptor numbers after the workout. The initial drop in androgen receptor content is followed by a rebound within 48 hours.

The study implies that doing a single set of an exercise, even with heavy weights, stimulates little or no anabolic activity. On the other hand, those who advocate doing single sets of high-intensity training say that you must do such single sets to complete muscular failure, which didn’t happen in the experiment. Another study is needed to fill that gap in the research.

Another finding was that having a high baseline level of testosterone did not correlate with maximal strength during training. A common misconception is that having high levels of testosterone automatically means increased strength and muscle size. What really counts is the number of androgen receptors, because without them testosterone doesn’t get into the cell and promote an anabolic effect.

Though the authors don’t say so, the study has implications for overtraining. Because the initial response of trained muscle is a drop in androgen receptors, training again without giving your body time to compensate will rapidly lead to muscle catabolism; cortisol will overwhelm testosterone. Bottom line: Training too often—that is, with less than 48 hours of rest—is a sure way to produce losses in muscle size and strength.

1 Ratamess, N.A., et al. (2005). Androgen receptor content following heavy resistance exercise in men. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 93:35-42.

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EAT TO GROW Calcium: A Testosterone Booster? by Jerry Brainum

Mention the word calcium, and just about everyone thinks about bones or teeth. It’s true that the majority of calcium is stored in bones, but the small amount that circulates in the blood—about 1 percent—is vital.

Calcium is required for proper nerve transmission and muscle contraction, including that of the heart. While an outright deficiency is rare in Western societies, the long-term effects of insufficient calcium can be apparent, particularly in older women who also lack estrogen. They often suffer from osteoporosis, a thinning of bone tissue. Osteoporosis begins at about age 30 but manifests to the greatest extent when women pass menopause: The lack of estrogen that ensues following menopause compounds the problem of a long-standing lack of calcium.

Another factor contributing to the problem is failure to do weight-bearing exercise—resistance training helps the bones retain calcium. Small, slight women are more prone to osteoporosis. Those who have more bodyfat have more protection because the enzyme aromatase, which is found in bodyfat, converts circulating androgens into estrogen. It’s also possible for men to get osteoporosis, particularly those who don’t exercise and who have low testosterone.

Some research has suggested that calcium may help with bodyfat loss. The theory is that dietary calcium suppresses calcitriol-based fat increases. Calcitriol, an activated form of vitamin D, suppresses thermogenic protein activity in fat cells and encourages an increase in fat deposition. The problem is, that kind of fat loss works only when the diet was previously lacking in calcium. More recent studies have found no fat-loss effects at all when calcium is added to the diets of subjects who are already getting plenty.

Bodybuilders’ precompetition diets may be short on calcium due to a lack of the best source of calcium—dairy foods, such as milk and cheese. You can easily remedy that deficiency, however, by taking supplemental calcium, preferably in the form of multimineral supplements, which provide the required nutrients without the unwanted calories.

A recent study found that athletes with a high-calcium intake, combined with intense training, have higher counts of both free and total testosterone. That would imply that calcium may provide anabolic effects. The subjects, 30 male athletes with an age range of 17 to 21, were divided into three groups of 10:

1) Athletes who took 35 milligrams of calcium gluconate per kilogram of bodyweight with no training.

2) Athletes who took the same dose of calcium and trained for 90 minutes a day, five days a week.

3) Athletes who trained for the same length of time but didn’t take any calcium.

The dose of calcium was three times the usual recommendation for the mineral, which is 800 milligrams daily—35 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight amounts to 3,150 milligrams of calcium for a 200-pound athlete. The study lasted for one month.

As expected, the exercising groups had more free and total testosterone than the sedentary group. The hormone count was highest in group 2, where intense exercise was combined with the calcium supplement. The authors speculated that calcium pathways in the body that affect testosterone may have played a role. On the other hand, their credibility was dampened by their noting that a form of the amino acid by-product HMB contains calcium, and HMB has been linked to an increase in fat-free mass. In reality, HMB contains tiny amounts of calcium, and its mechanism has nothing to do with calcium. In fact, the studies showing the effectiveness of HMB are equivocal at best in regard to muscle size and strength.

Based on this preliminary study, I would not suggest that calcium is in any way an “anabolic” supplement, except perhaps in maintaining bone structure. Calcium is a vital mineral, but don’t count on it to build muscle or help you lose bodyfat, unless you’re deficient. Considering the widespread availability of calcium supplements, you shouldn’t be.

Cinar, V., et al. (2009). Testosterone levels in athletes at rest and exhaustion: Effects of calcium supplementation. Bio Trace Elem Res. 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

 

EAT TO GROW : Creatine and Muscle Recovery by Jerry Brainum

The effectiveness of many popular sports supplements may be more theoretical than factual, but not where creatine’s concerned. Creatine is perhaps the most popular sports supplement sold today—and for good reason. Since its market introduction in 1993, the science behind it has been steady and consistent. It works for 80 percent of those who use it.

The 20 percent for whom it’s been deemed ineffective are those who are habitual meat eaters. Meat is the richest natural source of creatine, and those who regularly eat meat experience a natural, gradual creatine load in their muscles. So when they supplement with it, it doesn’t do much. Their muscles are already loaded.

For most creatine users, however, the supplement is remarkably effective, and ongoing research is revealing new properties. Its primary advantage is that it acts as an energy backup in muscles. It’s like having a second battery in your car. All energy-providing nutrients eventually convert into the most elemental form of energy for muscular contraction: adenosine triphosphate. ATP provides energy when chemical reactions break off one of its three phosphate groups. Creatine is stored with phosphate in muscle, and when the ATP degrades, the stored creatine replaces the missing phosphate, thus maintaining the body’s energy. In addition, creatine provides a buffering activity in muscle, reducing the metabolic acid that leads to muscle fatigue and failure. More recent studies show that creatine aids muscle protein synthesis by boosting insulinlike growth factor 1 in muscle.

Whether creatine also plays a role in exercise recovery was the subject of two recent studies. In one study, 14 untrained subjects were randomly divided into two groups. The first group took creatine with carbohydrate while the second group got carbohydrate only, five days before and 14 days after all subjects engaged in weight training. They did four sets of 10 eccentric-only (lowering the weight) reps, using 120 percent of their maximum concentric (raising the weight) one-rep maximum on the leg press, leg extension and leg curl. Eccentric muscle contractions cause more muscle damage and soreness than concentric muscle contractions. To assess muscle damage, the researchers monitored the release of two muscle enzymes into the blood.

Those who used the creatine-and-carb combo fared far better than the carb-only subjects. Specifically, isometric muscle strength was 21 percent higher in the creatine group, and isokinetic muscle strength was 10 percent higher.

Although the study didn’t examine the precise mechanism of beneficial change, the authors suggested that creatine enhances calcium buffering in muscle. That would lower intracellular calcium, which in turn helps suppress muscle degradation. Creatine also boosts muscle protein synthesis and supports the enhanced muscle stem cell proliferation that in turn supports new muscle fiber formation. The result is enhanced muscle recovery following training.

The other study explains the likely reason that prior short-term studies of creatine and muscle recovery haven’t shown much benefit. The researchers compared the effects of providing creatine for seven and 30 days. As in the previous study, the subjects performed eccentric muscle contractions. Some subjects loaded 20 grams of creatine for seven days, followed by six grams a day for 23 days. Another group took a placebo.

Creatine had no effects on measures of muscle damage after seven days, but maximum isometric muscle force was greater in the creatine group after 30 days. The conclusion: The primary increased muscle recovery provided by creatine occurs after 30 days of supplement use. Studies of shorter duration, such as seven days or less, showed no creatine-related recovery because, apparently, its effects are cumulative.

It all adds up to a new notch on creatine’s effectiveness belt: increased muscle recovery and the ability to train harder with time.

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

References

Cooke, M.B., et al. (2009). Creatine supplementation enhances muscle force recovery after eccentrically induced muscle damage in healthy individuals. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 6:13.

Rosene, J., et al. (2009). Short and longer-term effects of creatine supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage. J Sports Sci Med. 8:89-96.

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

Please consider joining this blog by clicking on the blue "join this site" button to the right of this blog. This will ensure that new blogs continue to be published. It costs nothing, and takes only a few seconds. Thank you.

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EAT TO GROW : Carcinogens to Go? by Jerry Brainum

Chicken is a staple of most bodybuilding diets. Eat it baked or grilled minus the skin, which contains the majority of chicken’s fat, and it’s a rich source of lowfat, no-carb protein. Since many bodybuilders eschew red meat because of its alleged high fat content, chicken and fish become the primary precontest protein sources. In fact, leaner cuts of beef, such as sirloin and round, don’t contain a lot of fat. Grass-fed beef offers an even better fat profile, containing less saturated fat than feed-lot beef and more conjugated linoleic acid, a.k.a. CLA, a type of fat that some studies associate with greater fat loss. Nonetheless, old dogma never seems to die, and chicken remains popular among bodybuilders. There are, however, potential problems with eating large amounts of chicken.

Among them is bacterial contamination. A few years ago I mentioned a survey of chicken purchased at several commercial outlets. Nearly all the samples were found to contain high levels of bacteria called campylobacter, which causes food poisoning. The study was alarming. In truth, however, cooking the meat likely destroyed most of the bacteria, explaining why most people who eat cooked chicken don’t show any signs of food poisoning.

Speaking of cooking, how chicken is cooked can relate to another possible problem. Many bodybuilders eat chicken at local restaurants after their workouts. According to a new survey, that chicken could prove hazardous to health. The study tested samples of chicken entrees at several popular chain restaurants: Applebee’s, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s, McDonald’s, Outback Steakhouse and TGI Friday’s. The entrees tested included grilled chicken. The problem here has to do with compounds called heterocyclic amines.

HCAs are formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures, particularly by pan frying, grilling or barbecuing. They were first isolated in the 1970s in various highly cooked meats; thus far, 17 HCAs have been found. Studies show that they cause cellular mutations in isolated-cell studies and are carcinogenic in animal studies. Other studies have linked the intake of HCAs to prostate, colon, stomach and kidney cancers. While not all studies have found a direct carcinogenic link with eating well-done meat, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified HCAs as possible or probable human carcinogens. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment includes four HCAs on its list of chemicals known to be carcinogens or reproductive toxicants.

Grilled chicken contains a high count of an HCA called PhIP, which is considered the most potent HCA in relation to DNA damage that leads to cellular mutations and cancer. In the new study 100 samples of chicken were collected from the chain outlets mentioned earlier, and they all contained PhIP. The amount varied depending on the cooking method and temperature used during the cooking process. PhIP is associated with the first two stages of cancer: initiation and encouragement of tumor growth.

Does that mean we should all avoid eating grilled chicken or well-done meats? What about other protein sources—do they also contain HCAs? They’re found only in meats because they’re formed when amino acids in meat react to high heat and to meat’s creatine and creatinine content. Since other protein sources, such as dairy and eggs, don’t contain significant amounts of creatine, they don’t produce HCA.

There are several ways to reduce the dangers of HCA in chicken and beef. The obvious one is not to overcook the meat; the higher the temperature, the more HCA is produced. Microwaving meat for two minutes before cooking reduces HCA by 90 percent. Marinating meat, especially with fruit, reduces most of the HCA production in cooked meats. You don’t want to undercook meat, especially chicken, as that opens up the possibility of bacterial food poisoning.

Various studies show that the production of HCA is part of an out-of-control oxidation process. It naturally follows that taking in antioxidants would short-circuit that effect, as studies confirm. Such dietary antioxidants as tea, garlic, red wine, fruits and vegetables all offer protection against the carcinogenic effect of putting HCAs into your body. Blueberries are particularly efficient in that regard. Some studies show that adding cherries to cooked beef (doesn’t sound very appetizing to me—or should I say berry appetizing?) totally eliminates HCA formation even in seared beef. Casein binds to HCA and leads to its rapid elimination from the body. The same holds true for dietary fiber. Quercitin, found in onions and other foods, is a flavonoid that also neutralizes HCA. Even the hops found in beer are a natural enemy of HCA synthesis.

Another factor to consider is that HCAs convert into carcinogens in the liver during phase-one metabolism. Phase-two liver metabolism detoxes various carcinogens, including HCAs. The most potent food stimulators of phase-two liver metabolism are cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage.

Statistics show that your chance of acquiring cancer from a lifetime exposure to HCAs is 1 in 10,000—better odds than getting all six numbers in a state lottery, but still in your favor in relation to getting cancer. So go ahead and have that grilled chicken entree, but play it safe by also ordering some cruciferous veggies or perhaps a postworkout protein drink containing casein. Or you can add a clove of garlic, in which case you not only prevent cancer but also ward off any vampires that may be lurking in the area.  

    
Sullivan, K.M., et al. (2008). Detection of PhlP in grilled chicken entrees at popular chain restaurants throughout California. Nutr Cancer. 60:592-602.

©,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

 

EAT TO GROW Beta-Alanine: No Age Limit More effective workouts for the geriatric generation by Jerry Brainum

What causes muscle fatigue? One theory holds that a rise in the acid produced in muscle during exercise interferes with the normal production of energy. The body combats it by releasing natural buffers. In muscle the two primary natural buffers are phosphate and carnosine. Carnosine is a dipeptide, meaning that it’s composed of two bonded amino acids, in this case histidine and beta-alanine. Muscle contains more than enough histidine to synthesize carnosine, so the limiting factor for carnosine synthesis in muscle is beta-alanine. The body can get it from two sources: a breakdown of uracil, a primary component of RNA, in the liver; and from the degradation of carnosine itself, usually eaten in meat. That natural source is, however, limited. Many studies that I’ve discussed in past issues of IRON MAN show that taking four to six grams of supplemental beta-alanine a day increases muscle carnosine by as much as 60 percent after only 28 days of supplementation. Taking the beta-alanine for another 35 days boosts carnosine another 20 percent.

When supplied to young adults, age range 18 to 30, at a dose of 6.4 grams daily, beta-alanine increased work capacity before fatigue by 12 to 15 percent after 28 days. What about older people? Would carnosine lower muscle fatigue for them too? Many older people don’t eat a lot of the richest natural source of carnosine, red meat. In addition, enzymes rapidly degrade most of the carnosine from food—which does liberate some beta-alanine in the body. Nonetheless, one study of older people found that their type 2 muscle fibers—where carnosine concentrates, since they’re highly prone to increased acid production—contained 47 percent less carnosine than those of younger people.

Increased carnosine in older people would lower the muscle-fatigue threshold, making exercise easier and more effective. In a recent study researchers gave 800 milligrams of beta-alanine—less than that usually supplied to younger people—three times a day for 90 days to 26 men and women, aged 55 to 92. Others received a placebo. Those in the beta-alanine group were able to exercise 28.6 percent more intensely before becoming fatigued. The exercise was done on a special type of stationary cycle. Those in the placebo group showed no changes.

While athletes and bodybuilders show increased muscle carnosine from the exercise alone, the older subjects were untrained, thus pointing to beta-alanine supplementation as the source of their increased resistance to fatigue. The implications is that beta-alanine is particularly useful for older people, since it makes it easier for them to engage in exercise. Exercise, in turn, is effective in helping to maintain physical and mental health and preventing the muscle frailty that is often the harbinger of mortality.

Stout, J., et al. (2008). The effect of beta-alanine supplementation on neuromuscular fatigue in elderly (55-92 years): A double-blind study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 5:21.

©,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

 

EAT TO GROW : ATP Energy Do the new ATP supplements work? by Jerry Brainum

Adenosine triphosphate is the immediate energy currency of cells. What that means is that all energy-producing nutrients eventually become ATP through processes within cells, specifically in their mitochondria. Some of the most popular sports food supplements, such as creatine, ribose and citrulline malate, aide the production of ATP in some way.

ATP produces energy by giving up one of its three phosphate groups through enzymatic action. The breaking of the actual phosphate bond is what produces the energy. Creatine comes into play because it donates a phosphate so that ATP can be rapidly regenerated. Ribose contributes to the physical structure of ATP, since ATP is classified as a purine nucleotide.

So the obvious question is, Why not cut to the biochemical chase and provide straight ATP supplements instead of accessory supplements such as creatine or ribose? One reason ATP supplements have not appeared on the market until recently is that ATP has a molecular weight of more than 500, so attempting to have a cell absorb an oral ATP supplement is tantamount to trying to squeeze an elephant through a keyhole. In contrast, creatine weighs a paltry 140 and is easily absorbed.

Furthermore, it must be absorbed intact to be effective. But the presence of phosphatase enzymes in the gut and in the blood makes that unlikely. As the name implies, phosphatase enzymes function by breaking off phosphate bonds. If the enzyme encounters ATP, it breaks off the phosphate bonds prematurely, leaving you with free adenosine and phosphate—and no energy. On the other hand, animal-based studies show that the phosphate and adenosine taken in concentrate in liver ATP pools, contributing to them by supplying raw material for ATP synthesis.

One possible way around those formidable problems is to allow ATP to bypass the enzymes that may degrade it. An enteric coating would let the ATP reach the intestines, where it could be absorbed intact.

A new study tested the idea that an enteric-coated ATP supplement may act as an ergogenic aid for exercise and athletic usage.1 Twenty-seven men were randomly assigned to a high-ATP group (225 milligrams), a low-ATP group (150 milligrams) or a placebo group. The study lasted 14 days. Subjects completed a Wingate anaerobic test to determine any changes in muscular power and a bench press test to determine any strength changes as a result of using the supplement.

None of the groups showed any significant changes in ATP blood levels. No changes occurred during the power test, but a few of the men taking the high-dose ATP demonstrated minor increases in muscular strength. The authors suggest that even high doses of ATP would be unlikely to affect strength or power, considering that the total body pool of ATP amounts to 80 grams. They also feel that the ATP molecule is just too large to be effectively absorbed through any oral route.

On the other hand, men who took the larger dose of ATP reported feeling better. That would be consistent with increased ATP uptake, since ATP positively affects several brain neurotransmitters known to control mood.

So do ATP supplements work or don’t they? They did appear to work for a few of the participants, who showed some strength gains and reported feeling better. Clearly, the door isn’t ready to close on ATP supplements just yet.

1 Jordan, A.N., et al. (2004). Effects of oral ATP supplementation on anaerobic power and muscular strength. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 36:983-990.

©,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

 

Artificial : Can Artificial Sweeteners Like Sucralose Sour Your Health? by Jerry Brainum

“Better living through chemistry”—the official slogan of the DuPont company back in the 1950s and ’60s—implied that chemicals make life easier for all. Of course, that includes rich profits for chemical megaconglomerates such as DuPont. Few could reasonably argue that the advent of new chemicals has provided notable benefits for humankind. Drugs have eradicated fatal diseases. Still, the word chemical arouses suspicion—especially if a chemical substance is synthetic. Nowhere is that more evident than in the case of artificial sweeteners.

Numerous Internet sites warn of the dangers of artificial sweeteners, implying that you’d be better off sticking to natural sweeteners, such as sucrose (table sugar), honey, fructose and stevia. The idea is that, as natural sweeteners, they’re all safer than their artificial counterparts.

Critics suggest that the human body isn’t meant for artificial sweeteners and that using them constitutes a risk. Conveniently ignored in such pontifications are the established dangers of eating too much refined sugar. Most health authorities now say that today’s obesity epidemic results mainly from intake of two processed substances: high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats. Too many simple carbs, such as sucrose, increase blood triglyceride, or fat, levels and set the stage for such health problems as the metabolic syndrome, which affects about 25 million Americans.

By far the most vilified of artificial sweeteners is aspartame. Aspartame consists of two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, and small amounts of methanol, or wood alcohol, which is undeniably toxic—in large amounts. Anti-aspartame forces are fond of pointing that out, but according to the United States Food and Drug Administration, it takes 200 to 500 milligrams of methanol per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of bodyweight to produce enough of its metabolite, formite, to convert into toxic formaldehyde in the body. You’d have to drink 600 to 1,700 cans of aspartame-sweetened diet soda to accumulate that level of formite. The body metabolizes formaldehyde into S-adenosylmethionine, or SAMI, which is a natural antidepressant and a precursor of creatine synthesis.

Rumors persistently link aspartame to numerous maladies—everything from headaches to brain tumors. When such claims are investigated, they never prove true. So the biggest mystery of artificial sweeteners is what motivates people to lie about them.

The biggest fears about them, however, relate to cancer promotion. Let’s take a closer look at the issue.

Artificial Sweeteners

and Cancer

Saccharin—the first artificial sweetener—was introduced in 1879. Although it was used without significant health problems for nearly 100 years, a series of studies involving rats indicted saccharin as a possible carcinogen.

Sucralose:

A Health Danger?

The latest artificial sweetener to come under fire is sucralose. Discovered in 1976 by a British company investigating uses of sugar, sucralose was unlike previous artificial sweeteners because it was actually made from sugar, specifically sucrose. Sucralose contains three chlorine ions instead of the three hydroxyl (hydrogen and oxygen) groups sucrose has. That means the body can’t digest or assimilate sucralose. Even so, its sweetness is 600 times greater than that of sucrose; aspartame is 180 to 200 times sweeter.

The rats in those studies got diets averaging five percent saccharin—a dose far higher than any human being would ever take. That led one strain of rats to show higher rates of bladder cancer, but the rats used in the studies were frequently infected with a bladder parasite called Trichosomoides crassicauda, which made them more susceptible to bladder cancer.

The mechanism that causes bladder cancer in rats doesn’t apply to humans. Indeed, the rodents also developed bladder cancer when they got ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, in doses similar to those of saccharin. Why? Rats have more-concentrated urine than humans. Consequently, crystals form relatively easily and irritate the bladder tissue. That leads to tumor formation. Monkeys that were fed similar levels of saccharin developed no bladder cancer, and there’s no evidence that the sweetener causes human bladder cancer.

The forerunner of today’s artificial-sweetener scare occurred in 1970, when a sweetener called cyclamate was linked to cancer. Like saccharin, cyclamate caused bladder cancer in rats, and it was banned in the United States. It had been ubiquitous in everything from sodas to candy. Subsequent studies failed to find any evidence that cyclamate promoted bladder cancer in humans, but it’s still banned in the U.S.

Aspartame was introduced in 1981 after animal studies showed that it had no cancer-causing effects, even in high doses. Most cancers are related to damaged DNA, which leads to cell mutations. No evidence exists that sweeteners such as aspartame, cyclamate, saccharine, acesulfame-K and sucralose damage DNA.

In 1996, however, a physician theorized that the increasing rate of brain tumors since 1980 was related to aspartame use. The theory was based on an FDA study of 320 rats, 12 of which developed malignant brain tumors after two years on feed containing aspartame. Another theory was that aspartame became mutagenic when combined with nitrates, chemicals that form naturally in the body.

Critics of the aspartame-brain tumor link argued that the introduction of aspartame and the increased incidence of brain tumors was merely coincidental, an “ecological fallacy.” There was no proof that people with brain tumors had taken any more aspartame than anyone else. Even the rodent brain tumors couldn’t be confirmed in later studies. A study of children with brain tumors showed no relationship between the disease and aspartame, whether consumed by the children or their mothers.

Aspartame does have problems, but none are related to health. It’s unstable under high-temperature conditions and breaks down in acidic solutions, such as fruit juices. Because it has limited shelf life, it isn’t an ideal sweetener.


©,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

 

 

 

EAT TO GROW Atkins for Exercisers? by Jerry Brainum

Is the low-carb plan suitable for those who work out?

The Atkins diet, which was developed by the late Dr. Robert Atkins, is an ultralow-carbohydrate diet that initially permits an intake of less than 1 percent carbohydrate. The concept behind it and other low-carb diets is that most people who have excessive bodyfat levels produce too much insulin because all of that bodyfat has made them insulin insensitive. To compensate, the body oversecretes insulin in response to meals, especially those containing a lot of carbohydrates. Excess insulin not only perpetuates obesity but also blunts other mechanisms that promote the use of fat as fuel.

Atkins believed that by limiting carb intake, you lowered insulin output and would begin to burn excess bodyfat. Critics of Atkins often lambasted that concept, noting that without excess calories insulin itself couldn’t make you fat. They also voiced alarm over the diet’s high-fat aspects, suggesting that it was a sure route to cardiovascular problems. Recent research has confirmed many of Atkins’ ideas. Compared to other diets, low-carb diets prove superior in promoting initial weight loss. Although some of that loss is water from glycogen breakdown (glycogen is stored with three grams of water per gram of glycogen), low-carb diets promote greater bodyfat losses, an effect traced to their higher relative protein content. Eating lots of protein imparts greater satiety, which eventually leads to an automatic reduction of total caloric intake. Low-carb diets are also superior in promoting an enhanced thermogenic effect, leading to a greater oxidation of fat.

Reports of increased cardiovascular disease due to a higher fat intake with the Atkins diet have also proved false. Indeed, a surprising aspect of the regimen is a clear beneficial effect on several protective cardiovascular risk factors, such as increased high-density lipoprotein and lowered blood triglycerides.

The one aspect of the Atkins diet that hasn’t changed since its inception in the 1970s is its effect on exercise. In his initial writing on the diet, Atkins explained that his diet plan might not be suitable for those engaged in intense exercise, which relies on a sufficient store of glycogen in muscle. The primary nutrient that replenishes depleted glycogen stores is carbohydrate, and Atkins recognized that. A recent study confirmed the point.1

Nine people followed the Atkins diet for a week. Their exercise time was reduced by 56 percent, and their blood glucose levels went down, but they all also showed a loss of bodyweight and bodyfat. One notable flaw of the study was its short duration. It takes a few weeks for the body to adjust from a sugar-burning to a fat-burning machine. In addition, Atkins himself modified the diet over the years, calling for a greater intake of low-glycemic-index carbs, such as fruits and vegetables. That adjustment would likely permit the beneficial fat-loss effects of the diet while also supplying carbs to replenish glycogen.

1 Forbes-Lorman, R., et al. (2005). The Atkins diet decreases exercise capacity. Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2:10.

©,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.

 

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