Is Phosphorus a Key to Appitite Control? by Jerry Brainum

While the control of food intake occurs in the brain, the portions of the brain related to appetite control respond to nerve signals sent from the liver.Specifically, this relates to the content of adenosine triphosphate or ATP content of the liver. ATP is the most elemental form of energy, and all energy-producing foods, such as carbs, fats, and even protein, are eventually converted into ATP. When the liver is replete in its ATP content, the message is sent to the brain, and no hunger signals are sent out from the brain's appetite center.This pathway was initially discovered in rats, who were provided with a form of fructose known to deplete ATP stores in the liver. When that happened, the rats got ravenously hungry.When you eat a meal, the ATP content of the liver rises, and the faster it rises, the less hungry you'll be, and you will also eat less in subsequent meals.
     The major food element needed by the liver to synthesize ATP is the mineral phosphorus. In fact, ATP is nothing more than an adenosine molecule with three attachments of phosphorus.When the bonds that attach phosphorus to adenosine are broken, energy is released.But when meals are consumed, particularly meals containing a  higher simple carb content, insulin is released.Insulin promotes the uptake of phosphorus into other tissues besides the liver, where it's used in reactions that involve attaching phosphorus to activate various compounds.When this happens,less phosphorus is available to help synthesize liver ATP. What would happen if one meal contained a significantly higher phosphorus level--would this higher level be enough to promote increased liver ATP content, which would in turn, turn down appetite signals for later meals?
      One reason why fructose is linked to excess bodyfat is that it sequesters phosphorus,making it unavailable for use in liver ATP synthesis. This, in turn, promotes greater hunger and a tendency to overeat. In a recent study, adding "preloads" or extra phosphorus to a meal resulted in a 27% reduction in energy intake at the next meal. The technique worked even better when sugars, such as sucrose and fructose were consumed.Adding phosphorus to such sugar meals resulted in a 35% reduction in energy intake at the next meal. How phosphorus does this isn't clear, but it probably relates to increased liver ATP synthesis. Lower levels of ATP are common in those who are obese, and this low level drives overeating, while promoting the less usage of energy in exercise, thus perpetuating obesity. This effect of phosphorus in helping to curtail appetite may explain why some studies show that eating dairy products, which are rich in both calcium and phosphorus, may help promote fat losses.High protein foods are also usually rich in phosphorus content. This explains why the common warning about how eating too much protein leads to calcium losses is bogus. That effect only occurs when pure protein foods are eaten. The phosphorus naturally contained in most high protein foods not only prevents the loss of calcium, but also helps retain it in the body, explaining why recent studies show that eating more protein helps maintain bone mass. Eating a higher protein meal leads to greater satiety or appitite reduction. The key factor for this effect of protein might be the phosphorus content of protein foods, which aids in the rapid synthesis of liver ATP, which results in easier control of appetite

Obeid OA, et al.Increased phosphorus content of preload suppresses ad libitum energy intake at subsequent meal.Int J Obesity2010: in press.

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

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

 

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

 

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Milk: it's for Every Booty by Jerry Brainum

Nobody likes to talk about constipation. But let's face it: **hit happens. Or it doesn't.The incidence of chronic constipation ranges from 2% to 30%. It can be caused by either mechanical or functional causes. The "mechanical" doesn't mean that you get constipated when you hear what that next car repair is going to cost. Instead, it refers neurological disorders, or problems with gastrointestinal muscle activity. Treatment of constipation usually involves such measures as using bulking agents, such as psyllium or unprocessed wheat bran, eating more high fiber foods, or as a last resort, using laxatives. But constipation may also be caused by a relative inactivity of certain gut peptides. These peptides, which are short chains of amino acids, affect gastrointestinal motility, or the movement of food through the stomach and intestines. People suffering from constipation show reduced basal levels of one of these peptides, motilin. Motilin consists of 22 amino acids, and is known as the "housekeeper of the gut."  It increases gastric emptying rate and small intestine transit. Another gut peptide called ghrelin also helps move things along in the gut.

   These peptides are not only produced in the body, but are also found naturally in some foods. One such food is milk, which contains a number of biologically active peptides, including both motilin and ghrelin. Yet, some studies show that people who drink large amounts of whole milk often get constipated. What happens is the saturated fat that isn't fully absorbed from milk remains in the intestine,where it forms soaps. These soaps then combine with calcium, which tends to foster the development of hard stools, which means constipation. Since this effect is related to the fat content of milk, what would happen if you drank non-fat milk, which still contains the active intestinal-stimulating peptides minus the fat?
   In a recent study, subjects either with or without constipation drank amounts of milk that varied from 2 to 4 cups a day. The constipated subjects who drank the fat-free milk showed dramatic and rapid improvement  with their constipation. This effect was attributed to the natural peptides in the milk, along with the high protein content of the milk, which favors the release of ghrelin in the intestine.Some of the subjects drinking the milk also complained of stomach aches, bloating, and gas, which may have come from the sugar found in milk, lactose.Many adults are lactose-intolerant, and will show these symptoms after drinking a certain amount of milk. On the other hand, the lactose itself acts as a laxative, and may play a role in the alleviation of constipation after drinking non-fat milk.
      So it appears that milk is not only a great source of protein, but it can also cure one of the most common intestinal maladies known to man. And we would all have to agree that it sure is a load off all our collective minds to know this. Drinking non-fat milk allows you to put constipation behind you, if you follow my gist.

Aydin S, et al. Fat-free milk as a therapeutic approach to constipation and the effect on serum motilin and ghrelin levels.Nutrition 2010: in press.

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Steroids and Exercise Fatigue by Jerry Brainum

You would be hard-pressed to find any class of drugs more demonized than anabolic steroids. Sure, there are the "get high" drugs, such as ecstasy, amphetamines, and others, but such drugs have little actual medicinal value. While many people think that anabolic steroids are just as potentially evil, the fact that anabolic steroids have some useful medical purposes is often overlooked. Steroids are used to maintain muscle mass in a variety of catabolic conditions marked by excessive loss of lean mass. Such conditions include HIV and other wasting conditions. And, yes, they are often abused by athletes, who use dosages that are far beyond that used to treat any medical condition. But contrary to popular belief, such "abusers" are not dropping like flies. In reality, serious side effects associated with even extensive steroid usage are relatively rare.Not only that, but the preponderance of existing medical studies shows that any abnormalities that appear with steroid usage usually dissipate when the drug use stops.
       A recent rat study illustrates a potential benefit of anabolic steroids. One suggested cause of muscle fatigue during intense training is oxidative damage. This is particularly true if such oxidative damage occurs in the portion of the cell called the mitochondria. It is in these cigar-shaped structures that energy is produced in the form of ATP, and also where fat is oxidized in a process called beta-oxidation. A byproduct of this increased metabolism is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), also known as free radicals, that can damage cells. While the body has a few built-in antioxidants to deal with the increased release of ROS during exercise, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, and others, these native defenses are often overwhelmed during hard training. When that happens, mitochondrial proteins can be damaged, which interferes with energy production, hence an increased level of fatigue.
       In the rat study, rats did exhaustive running sessions on a treadmill during the 8-week study. Some of the rats were "clean," while other rats were given stanozolol (Winstrol), a well-known anabolic steroid. The rats not provided with the drug all showed extensive oxidative damage to mitochondrial proteins. But the rats on Winstrol showed a marked reduction in such damage. Interestingly, this effect of Winstrol was not due to an increased antioxidant protective effect in the mitochondria. How Winstrol provided this level of protection isn't known, but it was a clear effect. Protection of mitochondria can favorably influence not only energy production, but also can enhance fat oxidation. In addition, loss of mitochondria with aging is thought to play a major role in the aging process. While it would be far-fetched to suggest that anabolic steroids such as Winstrol can slow the aging process through protecting mitochondria, it's nonetheless interesting that a drug so reviled as Winstrol--after all, it was the drug that Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson was caught using at the 1988 Olympics--can provide such important protective effects. While this was a rat study, the same mechanisms are known to also occur in human mitochondria.

Sabrido, A, et al. Exercise-induced oxidative stress in muscle mitochondria is reduced after anabolic steroid treatment.Appl Physiol Nutr Metabol 2009;34:1153

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The surprising truth about growth hormone and exercise by Jerry Brainum

Bodybuilding dogma states that the greater the growth hormone (GH) release after training, the greater the muscle gains. On the surface, this seems to make sense. After all, GH is without a doubt an anabolic hormone, and some studies do suggest it may may play an important role in promoting muscle protein synthesis (MPS) after exercise, which would translate into increased muscle hypertrophy or muscle size gains. But a recent study casts grave doubt on such a notion.
     The study consisted of 8 subjects, who completed two separate weight workouts, after which they ingested 25 grams of whey protein.During one workout, they did one-arm biceps curls.Since the extent of GH release during exercise is determined by the mass of muscle being exercised, training a small muscle group,such as the biceps wouldn't be expected to promote any significant GH release. During another workout, they did the same one-arm curls, followed by a heavy leg exercise. Adding this large muscle group exercise would be expected to promote a higher GH release. Biopsies or bits of muscle tissue were extrracted from the exercised and the not exercised arm to check the extent of MPS and also the response to muscle anabolic signaling pathways.
      Within 15 minutes after the workout that included heavy leg work, serum GH levels elevated by 684% above baseline; IGF-1 levels rose by 35%. After 30 minutes, GH levels were still 281% higher than baseline. But indicators of  MPS didn't differ between the small muscle and large muscle workout. Based on this, the study authors concluded that."Elevated physiological levels of GH and IGF-1, in response to resistance exercise, do not provide any additive effect, and are likely not involved in [muscle] hypertrophy."

De Lisio M, et al. No impact of acute resistance exercise-induced elevation of growth hormone on JAK/STAT signaling or mixed muscle protein synthesis in young men.Appl Physiol Nutr Metab2009;34:1125.

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Thyroid and strokes in the young by Jerry Brainum

Strokes are caused by either a sudden rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, or by a clot that prevents blood flow, leading to destruction of neurons or brain cells. While strokes are most often associated with older people, they can also occur at any age. although the precise cause of strokes in the young are often obscure. In some cases, drug usage is involved, such as the use of Ecstasy or cocaine. Excess alcohol can raise blood pressure high enough to cause a stroke in some people, and high blood pressure is the major risk factor for both types of stroke. A new study suggests that a previously overlooked factor may be an important cause of stroke onset in the young: excess thyroid hormone, known as hyperthyroidism.
     Two percent of the world's population is known to have excess thyroid hormone release or hyperthyroidism.The symptoms include excessive sweating,weight-loss, sleep problems, and nervousness. In the new study,researchers examined data obtained from 3,176 young adults, ages 18 to 44, followed for 5 years. They were compared with 28,584 patients free of any known thyroid dysfunction. The results showed that the risk of having a stroke with elevated thyroid hormones was increased by 44 percent.
      A significant aspect of this finding is that many people, including competitive bodybuilders, often use thyroid drugs for purposes of losing excess bodyfat. Since the thyroid gland controls the resting metabolic rate, which often drops under dieting conditions, at first it would appear that using thyroid as a dieting aid makes sense. Less known is the fact that the body is sensitive to presence of exogenous or outside thyroid usage, and reacts by downgrading the normal production of thyroid hormone. Thus, the only true way to get an increased metabolic effect from using thyroid drugs is to use doses that are larger than is normally synthesized in the body. The favored type of thyroid drug used for this purpose is Cytomel, which is the active form of thyroid hormone also known as T3. This type of thyroid drug is about 5-7 times more potent than the usually prescibed thyroid drug, Synthroid, which is actually T4, a prohormone form of thyroid.
       The significance of the above is that the usual dose of T3 suggested to promote body fat losses puts you into the hyperthyroidism category,leading to such possible side effects as muscle tremors and a loss of muscle mass. According to this new research, you can now also add a considerably increased risk of stroke to the list of side effects linked to high dose T4 usage.
     Ching-Lin, H, et al. Hyperthyroidism and risk of ischemic stroke in young adults: a 5-year follow-up study.Stroke 2010: 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.

 

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