Posts

Showing posts with the label amino acids

Popular topics

Show more

'Spiking' (not Replacing) Suboptimal Amounts of #Whey With #EAAs Yields Increase in Net Protein Balance, Yet not(!) Protein Synthesis in Muscle - Acute Response Study

Written by | published on
Image
You will probably have read about the results of this recent study from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences  elsewhere already - hopefully in an article that applied the same rigorous scrutiny as this one. "Wait: EAAs are better than whey?" If that's your overgeneralized and essentially wrong (there was no comparison of EAA vs. Whey, but one of EAA+whey vs. whey 😎) take-home message from the abstract of a recent study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition  you may have recently read about on Facebook, you better read the rest of today's SuppVersity article on Park's paper, of which I would like to point out that the authors come to a very different, accurate, and more nuanced conclusion, that reads as follows: "that a composition of a balanced EAA formulation combined with whey protein is highly anabolic as compared to a whey protein-based recovery product, and that the response is dose-dependent" ( Park 2020 ...
Read full article »

'Training Low[Carb]' Requires 0.12g/kg Extra-Protein | Fitbit Fitness Data Decently Reliable | Plus: Salt vs. Passin' Out

Written by | published on
Image
Mixed news about nutrition, exercise, and supplementation. In the absence of game-changing nutrition, exercise, and supplementation science I decided to post one of the recently rare installments of the good old " on short notice " column at the SuppVersity . This installment of the " short news " features two plus one papers from the latest issue of "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise"  and their, as of yet, unpublished "ahead of print" articles. While we'll start with a short discussion of the latest investigation into the accuracy (or rather usefulness) of your (old) Fitbit Charge 2.0 , I suspect that most of you will be more interested in the "training low [carb/glycogen]" study which is the first to quantify the (to be expected) increase in protein/amino acid requirements in those who avoid carbs to maximize the mitochondrial response to exercise (see "Maximizing Training-Induced Cellular Adaptation: T...
Read full article »

BCAAs Mess W/ Vegan Glucose Management, Human Study Says - Do You Have to Stay Away From BCAAs, Now?

Written by | published on
Image
Are vegan athletes who supplement their low BCAA baseline diet with amino acid powders making an unhealthy mistake? At first sight a recent study from Poland suggests just that. Upon closer scrutiny, however, the practical relevance of the results appear less and less convincing. It seems (and I have to admit that I fell for that logic, too) only logical that vegans, unlike omnivores and lactovegetarians run the risk of not getting enough BCAAs from their diet. After all, their diets allow the neither the consumption of dairy nor many of the other wonderful high BCAA protein sources. Against that background, I would venture the guess that many vegan athletes spike their diets with copious amounts of the ubiquitous BCAA supplements, supplement vendors all around the globe are pushing on unsuspecting customers who have no clue that a new study claims that these supplements may ruin one of the often-heard benefits of vegan diets: improved glucose management and reduced diab...
Read full article »

Meta-Analysis: Could Energy Drinks be All About Taurine? Taurine, not Caffeine Predicts Performance Enhancement

Written by | published on
Image
While almost all energy drinks appear to have it, the evidence that taurine adds to the effects of caffeine has hitherto been unconvincing. Does this change with the latest study by a group of researchers from Brazil and Spain? Energy drinks (ED) are all about caffeine, right? I have to admit. If you had asked me before I've read the latest study from the Londrina State University in Brazil and the Camilo José Cela University in Spain, I would have answered this question in the affirmative. I mean, come on... the strange add-ons the producers mix into their drinks have but one purpose: distinguish drink X from drink Y and, even more importantly, the healthier competition of plain coffee. The fact that Souza, et al. observed in their latest meta-analysis that "a signifcant association between taurine dosage (mg) and performance (slope = 0.0001; p = 0.04), but not between caffeine dosage (mg) and performance (slope = 0.0009; p = 0.21)," caught my attention. You can...
Read full article »

Glycine for Your Gains? Glycine Boosts Protein Synthesis (80%), Reduces Protein Degradation (-30%) in Muscle Cells

Written by | published on
Image
If glycine worked in athletes as it did in pigs or even isolated muscle cells, in which scientists recently observed a dose-dependent increase in protein synthesis (up to 80%) and reductions in protein degradation (-30%), it would be a go-to supplement for dieting athletes. Glycine is not exactly the most popular amino acid supplement in the health and fitness community. With recent studies by a group of Chinese and American scientists from the State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition  in China and the Texas A&M University , this may change - rightly so? Only recently Wang et al. were able to show that dietary glycine supplementation enhances skeletal muscle growth in young pigs (Wang. 2014a,b) - an excellent model of human metabolism. In view of the fact that the mechanism has hitherto not been fully understood, it was difficult to judge whether the smallest possible amino, i.e. glycine, could / would be useful for trainees as well. Learn more about amino acid supple...
Read full article »
Disclaimer:The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only. It is by no means intended as professional medical advice. Do not use any of the agents or freely available dietary supplements mentioned on this website without further consultation with your medical practitioner.