Want to Burn More Fat During Your Cardio Training? Eat Low Carb Before Workout!

Modulation of substrate utilization is the key to effective weight loss. For years we have been told that "training in the zone" (referring to a specific heart rate) would do the trick - recent research does yet suggest otherwise: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been shown to be at least as effective in burning off unwanted body fat, as the longstanding "gold standard", Low Intensity Steady State (LISS) in the "fat burning zone".

Researchers from the Department of Exercise Science and Sports Studies at Springfield College, Springfield, MA, USA, have now found that apart from the type of exercise you chose to perform, the nutrition, especially in the hours before working out, determines whether you will predominantly burn fat or carbs to sustain the workout.

In their study (Gregory. 2011), Gregory et al. compared the metabolic responses of a group of 8 "active, pre-menopausal" women to a 30 minute exercise regimen performed after either a low carbohydrate (LC: 392 kcal @ 15% carbohydrate, 68% fat, and 18% protein) or a low fat (LF: 396 kcal @ 78% carbohydrate, 7% fat, and 15% protein) meal. Respiratory gas exchange (RER), blood glucose (G), insulin (IN), triglycerides (TG), and free fatty acids (FFA) were measured. While "no significant differences existed between test meals for fasting blood measurements", the post-exercise results showed significant differences:

Postexercise (PE) FFA (mEq·L-1) levels were significantly greater following LC [1.1 (0.3) vs. 0.5 (0.3)]. PE TG (mg·dL-1) levels were significantly greater following LC [152.0 (53.1) vs. 114.4 (40.9)]. RER was significantly lower at all time points following LC compared to LF.

With the respiratory gas exchange being a measure of the relative contribution of fatty acids to fulfill the exercise-induced energy demand (Chessex. 1995), the researchers rightly conclude "ingestion of a single LC meal resulted in greater lipid oxidation at rest and during exercise as compared to a single LF meal." But, let's be honest - did you expect anything else?

More Conflicting Evidence on Leucine Metabolite: HMB Makes Volleyballers Stronger.

The leucine metabolite HMB, i.e. β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyric acid, is unquestionable the comeback kid of the supplement industry. "It works!", "It's useless!", ... every now and then a new study supports one side of the debate. A group of international scientists does now present a study, which would support the use of the expensive, yet readily available amino acid.

Portal et al. (Portal. 2011) investigated the effect of 3g HMB/day "on body composition, muscle strength, anaerobic and aerobic capacity, anabolic/catabolic hormones and inflammatory mediators in elite, national team level adolescent volleyball players (13.5–18 years, 14 males, 14 females, Tanner stage 4–5) during the first 7 weeks of the training season". The results were unequivocal, yet not overtly impressive:

HMB led to a significant greater increase in FFM by skinfold thickness (56.4 ± 10.2 to 56.3 ± 8.6 vs. 59.3 ±  11.3 to 61.6 ± 11.3 kg in the control and HMB group, respectively, p < 0.001). HMB led to a significant greater increase in both dominant and non-dominant knee flexion isokinetic force/FFM, measured at fast (180°/sec) and slow (60°/sec) angle speeds, but had no significant effect on knee extension and elbow flexion and extension. HMB led to a significant greater increase in peak and mean anaerobic power determined by the Wingate anaerobic test (peak power: 15.5 ± 1.6 to 16.2 ± 1.2 vs. 15.4 ± 1.6 to 17.2 ± 1.2 watts/FFM, mean power: 10.6 ± 0.9 to 10.8 ± 1.1 vs. 10.7 ± 0.8 to 11.8 ± 1.0 watts/FFM in control and HMB group, respectively, p < 0.01), with no effect on fatigue index.

With no measurable effect on aerobic fitness, anabolic hormone levels or inflammatory mediators, the use of HMB appears to be advisable only in power and strength athletes.

If you are a bodybuilder on a high protein diet, I would however doubt that you would see any benefits from additional HMB. A diet rich in quality protein (high BCAA and particularly leucine content) should provide you with adequate amounts of leucine to keep endogenous HMB levels elevated.

Low Dose Caffeine Ameliorates Catabolic Effects and Increases AMPK and PPAR Expression During Reduced Food Intake in Mice

Caffeine, "the mother of all stimulants", has lately developed a bad reputation. Stress, Cortisol, Adrenal Fatique, Insulin Resistance etc. are only the most recognized buzzwords occurring within the context of caffeine consumption. A very recent paper (Shermann. 2011) coming from scientists from the University of Jerusalem draws a wholly different picture.

Shermann et al. investigated the effect of caffeine consumption (3.5 mg/kg/day or 7 mg/kg/day) on circadian rhythms and expression of disease and metabolic markers in mice under two distinct dietary conditions over a period of sixteen weeks. When the rats were fed an ad libitum diet (meaning they could consume as much food as they wanted), ...

caffeine reduced the average daily mRNA levels of certain disease and inflammatory markers, such as liver alpha fetoprotein (Afp), C-reactive protein (Crp), jejunum alanine aminotransferase (Alt), growth arrest and DNA damage 45β (Gadd45β), Interleukin 1α (Il-1α), Il-1β mRNA and serum plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1).

For those of you who still want to shed some pounds of fat, it may yet be even more interesting to read that "caffeine supplementation led to decreased expression of catabolic factors under RF". With the RF = restricted feeding condition being comparable to what is known as "intermittent fasting" in the fitness community, this finding is highly significant.

Figure 1: Metabolic markers PPAR-Gamma (above) and PPAR-Alpha (below) in mice fed an ad libitum (AL) or a restricted diet (RF) (Shermann. 2011)

This is particularly valid given the fact that there was a highly significant increase in PPAR-Gamma, PPAR-Alpha (cf. figure 1) and AMPK (not shown) activities in the group receiving "high dose" (7mg/kg; for humans this would equal a pretty low dose of about 0.6mg/kg) caffeine. Both, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR), as well as AMPK are regarded as master metabolic regulators that have been implicated in the physiology of fat loss. A moderate caffeine consumption, i.e. about one cup of coffee, in the course of an intermittent fast, may thus well spare muscle protein and burn body fat, at the same time.

Omega 3 Attenuates Exercise Induced Rise in Inflammatory Markers, BUT is This Necessarily a Good Thing?

I want to take the results of a recent study (Bakhtyar. 2011) published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine as an opportunity to readdress the question of whether or not the Omega 3 induced suppression of inflammation must be considered a good or a bad thing, both in view of athletic performance, as well from a health and longevity perspective.

Those of you, who listened to my interview on Carl Lenore's Super Human Radio show, will know that my understanding of "inflammation" is somewhat different from the mass market "explanation" of "a fire that causes damage". To be precise inflammation, or what scientists generally measure, is the release of signals (inflammatory markers) that tell immune cells to do their jobs. So, saying that inflammation is the root of all disease would be like saying that someone who calls the firefighters is to blame for the fire - but I am digressing from the topic at hand...

After administering 1.5g/day of an omega 3 supplement (experimental group) to every third of 45 previously untrained volunteers, Bakhtyar et al. found the subjects' "inflammatory" response to eccentric exercise to be modified:

The experimental group showed less elevation in TNF-α and PGE₂ immediately, 24, and 48 hours after exercise, when compared with the other groups. Significantly less elevation was shown in the concentration of IL-6, CK, and Mb for the experimental group at 24 and 48 hours after exercise. The experimental group also demonstrated a significant trend toward reduction in the plasma concentration of LDH immediately, 24, and 48 hours after the exercise program.

Now, what does this tell us about the training effect and health outcomes of the exercise regimen?

• With inflammation being a not yet fully understood prerequisite for muscular repair and hypertrophy, it would warrant further investigations like muscle biopsies and consistent training regimens with continuously monitored strength and muscle gains to conclude that omega 3 supplementation is beneficial in terms of physical performance.
• In view of the conclusions Pedersen draws in a recent review (Pedersen. 2011) of the role of exercise induced myokines, i.e. inflammatory markers released by muscles (myo- = muscle-), in chronic disease, blunting of muscular IL-6 release, which has been linked to muscular AMPK activation, increased glucose uptake and fat oxidation, omega 3 supplementation is probably counter-indicated in a health oriented exercise regimen, anyway.

I hope more scientists such as Pedersen will begin to question the current "anti-inflammatory" paradigm, so that major players in the medial landscape will be forced to take on their findings and stop portraying long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in general and fish oil in particular as the savior of the fat and diabetic. Instead they should encourage people to finally get their asses off their sofas to induce exactly that amount of healthy, exercise-induced inflammation omega 3 supplementation appeared to suppress in the aforementioned study.

Flavanol-Rich Lychee Fruit Extract Displays Potent Antioxidant Activity in Trained Long-Distance Runners

If I told you about each and every "new" antioxidant that produced some marvelous effects in the petri-dishes of some scientists somewhere on a random university campus, there would hardly be any space left for interesting information on this blog. In the case of the particular lychee fruit extract (FRLFE), Nishizawa et al. (Nishizawa. 2011) selected for their study, we do not only have a human study, but also direct information on how supplementation with 50mg of Oligonol (brand name of the extract) influenced inflammatory markers and performance of 20 university level marathon runners over the course of 2 months:

Some parameters, including the white blood cell count, were significantly modified by FRLFE supplementation [46.3 FRLFE vs. 57.6 control]. Compared with the placebo group, the change in the serum interleukin-6 level between pre- and mid-training were significantly lower in the FRLFE group, while the change in the transforming growth factor-β level between pre- and post-training was significantly greater in the FRLFE group.

This increase in TGF-Beta is significant, because...

...TGF-β controls cell growth and proliferation (Massagué, 1998), and may be secreted in response to strenuous physical training and cell damage during training.

TGF-beta is thus another case, where an "inflammatory marker" indicates repair and (possibly) hypertrophy rather than damage and catabolism. Consequently, it is unlikely that the consumption of a highly anti-oxidant flavanol-rich lychee fruit extract hampers muscle growth. Who knows, maybe we are going to see respective supplements in the near future - meanwhile, I suggest you get yourself some of these Chinese soapberries at your local fruit store ;-)

Heart Protective Effect of Red Wine not Exclusively Due to Resveratrol. Melatonin Potentially the Major Player!

Resveratrol, the red wine polephynol still is in everyone's mouth (literally, as well as metaphorically), yet a recent (Lamont. 2011) study published in the Journal of Pineal Research indicates that another hitherto overlooked constituent of the fermented grape juice factors into its protective value: Melatonin.

Lamont et al. found that, at the doses which can be found in red wine, naturally, individually, as well as in combination resveratrol and/or melatonin ...

... significantly reduced infarct size compared with control hearts in wild-type mouse hearts (25 ± 3% and 25 ± 3% respectively versus control 69 ± 3%, P < 0.001) [...] Furthermore, perfusion with either melatonin or resveratrol increased STAT3 phosphorylation prior to ischemia by 79% and 50%, respectively (P < 0.001 versus control).

Both, melatonin, as well as resveratrol, appear to work via the "survivor activating factor enhancement" [SAFE]. What I consider more important, yet is the scientists' finding that

 [...] melatonin confers a comparable protective effect to resveratrol but at a concentration 30,000 times lower.

And their conclusion that "melatonin may be considered as a primary antioxidant in red wine". So what else could be healthier than a glas of good wine right before a good night's sleep?

Order of Exercises Does not Matter if you Train Upper Body & Lower Body in One Session - Testosterone & Cortisol Response Identical

You will probably remember my post on the effect of leg training on biceps size!? Well, although it is necessary that you train your legs, if you want to grow, a recent study by Jason D. Miller (Miller. 2011) indicates that hormonally it does not make a difference which part of your body you train first; or, in other words, you will get the same hormonal response (measured as testosterone (T) to cortisol (C) ratio) if you bench press (BP) first and do leg presses (LP) as your second exercise (both at 73.5% of 1RM for 4 sets), as you will get if you start with the leg press and finish your workout on the bench.

There does not appear to be an affect of resistance the exercise order of LP [leg press] and BP [bench press] on T [testosterone] and C [cortisol]. The exercise orders resulted in the same exercise volume and lactate responses which in turn resulted in no interaction in T and C between the UB-LB and LB-UB exercise orders.

Miller does yet speculate that a higher volume and or other/supplemental exercises may have changed the picture. But let's be honest: Do you really think it would be wise to do squats, leg presses and deadlifts, followed by bench presses, dips and flys? Probably not.

Life-Long Endurance Exercise and Myocardial Fibrosis - A Potential Danger for Endurance Athletes

Habitual aerobic exercise has long been the cornerstone of what was considered a "healthy" lifestyle. Yet, lately, scientists are not only questioning the time-efficacy of these training regimens (there are studies showing that one can achieve similar metabolic adaptations with short high intensity interval training), there is also cumulative evidence that indicates that life-long engagement in endurance exercises may even be detrimental to your health.

In a recent study by Wilson et al. (Wilson. 2011)  "twelve lifelong veteran male endurance athletes (mean ± SD [range] age: 56 ± 6 yr [50-67]), 20 age-matched veteran controls (60 ± 5 y; [52 - 69]) and 17 younger male endurance athletes (31 ± 5 years [26-40]) without significant co-morbidities underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging to assess cardiac morphology and function." The results of the CMR were disquieting - to say the least:

In 6 (50%) of the veteran athletes LGE [late gadolinium enhancement, short LGE indicates the presence of fibroses as a consequence of minor tissue ruptures] of CMR indicated the presence of myocardial fibrosis (4 veteran athletes with LGE of non-specific cause, 1 probable previous myocarditis and 1 probable previous silent myocardial infarction). There was no LGE in the veteran controls or young athletes. The prevalence of LGE in veteran athletes was not associated with age, height, weight or BSA (p>0.05), but was significantly associated with the number of years spent training (p<0.001), number of competitive marathons (p<0.001) and ultra-endurance (>50 miles) marathons (p<0.007) completed.

In fact, this study is only part of the accumulating evidence against the health benefits of (ultra-)endurance and or excessive aerobic training. Weight lifting and intense, but short sprint-intervals, on the other hand, turn out to be a healthier and much more effective way of keeping lean and healthy up into the older ages.

Want Bigger Guns? Train Legs Before Arms!

It is quite obvious that an elevation of testosterone and growth hormone facilitates muscle gains by jacking up protein synthesis and ameliorating protein breakdown. Now, intense leg training is famous for increasing both, testosterone as well as growth hormone levels of trainees. It is thus quite logical that Ronnestad et al. found (Ronnestad. 2011) that your arms grow faster, if you train them right after your legs.

The study design the scientists used is quite awkward, but clever. They had 9 (unfortunately) untrained subjects perform 4 workouts per week. On two of the occasions the subjects trained legs + one arm (L + A) on the other two occasions they only trained the other arm. Thus, Ronnestad et al. made sure that "both conditions have the same nutritional and genetic environment".

Figure 1: Plasma testosterone and growth hormone  measured before the strength training session (T-0), immediately after the leg exercises in the L ? A session (T-1), immediately after the arm exercises for both the L + A and A session (T-2), and 30 min after the arm exercises in both L + A and A session (T-3). (Ronnestad. 2011)

As can be seen in figure 1, only leg + arm, but not arm training alone produced measurable elevations of testosterone and growth hormone. Yet, although the cross sectional surface area (CSA, measured by MRA) of the biceps increased in both conditions, the major finding of the study was that...

only L + A increased the elbow flexors’ CSA at the two middle sections where the CSA of elbow flexors was largest.

In other words, the peak of your biceps, this hallmark, every bodybuilder is looking for, comes from training your legs (prior to your biceps).

Tune in Today @ 9:00AM AM/12:00PM ET - ProfDrAndro (Me) Live on Super Human Radio

Just in case you got nothing else to do: Tune in live and listen to some more (probably Carl) or less (probably me ;-) intelligent Supp-Talk on Carl Lenore's Super Human Radio!

Listen live @ 9:00AM AM/12:00PM ET

Edit: Show is available for download now:  

Super Human Radio Episode 676 with ProfDrAndro
ProfDr Andro brought his best game and endowed us with ALL the required info on Omega 3's and fish oil. PLUS he discussed a recent study that links hypothyroidism to soy consumption.

From Subclinical to Full-Blown Hypothyroidism by Soy Supplementation. 3-Fold Risk with Just 15mg Soy Phytoestrogens per Day.

"Soy is healthy!" At least the majority of women in the western hemisphere still seems to believe this. Interestingly, it is this group of individuals who is most susceptible to subclinical and clinical hypothyroidism. A recent study may reveal why...

A group of scientists from the UK (Sathaypalan. 2011) investigated the effect an 8 weeks dietary intervention with "high-dose phytoestrogens (30 g soy protein with 16mg phytoestrogens, representative of a vegetarian diet)" on thyroid function in sixty patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. The results were unequivocal - high dose phytoestrogens put your thyroid over the edge:

Six patients (10%) developed overt hypothyroidism after high-dose phytoestrogen, and none after low-dose phytoestrogen supplementation. [...] All six subjects were diagnosed as having overt hyothyroidism during their end-of-study visit after the 8-wk high-dose phytoestrogen supplementation period, when they were found to have raised TSH of more than 10 mU/liter and a low fT4 of less than 9 pmol/liter, i.e. overt hypothyroidism.

Even in view of the fact that some "health markers" such as insulin resistance, hsCRP, and blood pressure improved in the 16mg (high dose) phytoestrogen group, the question remains, whether lifelong levothyroxin medication and the possible subsequent damage due to hypothyrodism (even with "adequate" medication, cf. stopthethyroidmadness.com) is worth it!?

Low Fat Dairy no more! Milk Fat Protects Women from Myocardial Infarction.

Do you like your 0.1% yogurt? No? Well, what if I told you that it ain't even healthy? A recent study from Sweden (Warensjö. 2011) shows that milk fat is heart healthy! Particularly in women.

The study population comprised roughly 1000 Swedish men and women, whose anthropometric, biomarker fatty acid, physical activity, and dietary data were collected and comparisons were made between people with previous myocardial infarctions (cases) and healthy age-mates (controls).

In women, proportions of milk fat biomarkers in plasma phospholipids were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in controls [i.e. healthy individuals] than in cases and were, in general, negatively, albeit weakly, correlated with risk factors for metabolic syndrome. [...] After multivariable adjustment for confounders, the inverse association remained in both sexes and was significant in women. In agreement with biomarker data, quartiles of reported intake of cheese (men and women) and fermented milk products (men) were inversely related to a first MI [myocardial infarction] (P for trend < 0.05 for all).

So, you better ditch your low fat diary products and grab some full-fat cheese and yogurt (preferably from grass-fed cows). Believe me, they also taste much better!

Licorice for Diabetes!? Licorice Extract Reverses (!) Diabetic Nephropathy in Rats

Diabetes is the big "D" in the metabolic synDrome and probably the most destructive of the various faces of the plague of the century. Now researchers from the United Arabian Emirates have found that licorice may ameliorate the destructive effects of high blood glucose levels on your kidneys.

In a rat experiment, Kataya et al. (Kataya. 2011) found that...

... oral ingestion (1 g/kg body weight) of licorice extract for 60 days after the onset of diabetes reversed the adverse effect of diabetes on rats. Licorice extract alleviated blood glucose levels, restored renal function, and attenuated body-weight loss. In addition, licorice extract modulated the adverse effect of diabetes on renal malondialdehyde, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activity. Further, licorice extract restored the total antioxidant capacity of diabetic rat kidneys.

What I find most intriguing is that licorice ingestion at a dosage that would amount to roughly 12g for an average male human being could reverse, i.e. not only ameliorate, diabetic nephropathy. Yet, the sheer amount of extract you would have to consume raises the question if there would not be other complications / unwanted side effects of this protocol. According to Isbrucker & Burdock (Isbrucker. 2006), the "acceptable daily intake" of licorice is "0.015-0.229 mg glycyrrhizin/kg body weight/day" - depending on the concentration of the extract the scientists used, 12g may well exceed this critical limit (high cortisol, high BP, water retention could be the consequences).

9.600 IU Vitamin D Required to Get 97.5% of a Study Population to Serum 25(OH)D Levels of At Least 40ng/ml

I refrained from posting each and every study on vitamin D that has been published within the past weeks - nothing new or exciting there + way too much hype, if you want my opinion... BUT now, finally, there is some additional large-scale scientific data on the issues of how much is enough and how much is too much of supplemental vitamin D!

In the latest issue of Anticancer Research Garland et al. (Garland. 2011) published a study in which self-reported supplemental vitamin D intake in a cohort of 3,667 men and women from different ethnic backgrounds was assessed and corresponding serum vitamin D levels were measured.

Figure 1: Reported daily intake of vitamin D vs. measured serum 25(OH)D levels in study cohort of 3,667 subjects (Garland. 2011)

Unsurprisingly, "serum 25(OH)D rose as a function of self-reported vitamin D supplement ingestion in a curvilinear fashion", but other than some fear mongers would have us believe, ...

no intakes of 10,000 IU/d or lower producing 25(OH)D values above the lower-bound of the zone of potential toxicity (200 ng/ml).

While you, as a regular visitor of the SuppVersity, already knew that doses up to 10,000 IU are generally save, this is probably the first time you read a reliable number on how much supplemental vitamin D it takes to bring 25(OH)D levels to >=40ng/ml (which is even below the concentration of 60-80ng/ml, where scientists believe the anti-cancer effects of vitamin D set in):

The supplemental dose ensuring that 97.5% of this population achieved a serum 25(OH)D of at least 40 ng/ml was 9,600 IU/d.

In view of the authors conclusion that even "universal intake of up to 40,000 IU vitamin D per day is unlikely to result in vitamin D toxicity", and under the assumption that your vitamin D levels, as measured by blood tests, are low, you better invest in some high dose vitamin D supplements if you do not want to pop dozens of pills everyday.

Hungry? Better Eat Whey than Soy! Rats Receiving Soy Supplement Consume More Calories.

Lately, whey protein is all the rage. Rightly, as it seems! A recent study on the effect of protein supplementation on appetite and calorie consumption in rats showed that whey is way superior to soy protein in inducing satiety and reducing caloric intake.

For 10 weeks rats were fed a standard diet (control), or a high protein diet, with either 24% whey or isoflavone-free soy protein added to the chow. Both dietary interventions, i.e. the increase in protein intake, led to significantly reduced body weight and body fat gains, but ...

[...] cumulative food intake measured over the 10-week study period was lower in the HP-W vs. control and HP-S groups (P < 0.01).[...] Plasma concentrations of total GLP-1 [glucagon-like peptide 1] were higher in HP-W and HP-S vs. control group (P < 0.05), whereas plasma CCK, PYY, and leptin did not differ among the three groups.

In how far the reduced caloric intake is retractable to the GLP-1 (exclusively?) is questionable. What is certain is that GLP-1 has for quite some time been investigated as a potential treatment of diabetes. It plays a major role in insulin release and blood glucose management induces satiety and increases insulin sensitivity.

If you still think this is no reason to spend the additional bucks on whey, I suggest you listen to last weeks interview with Dr. Scott Connelly on Super Human Radio - I bet you won't have joy with soy, anymore ;-)

High MUFA Diets are (Heart-)Healthy and Probably Superior to High PUFA Diets

Ever since the "Mediterranean Diet" was/is the talk of the town, more and more people become aware of the potential benefits of the formerly largely ignored mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). In spite of that, the majority of consumers (probably due to the misinformation coming from the marketing machinery of the food industry) still focuses on avoiding the "bad" saturated fats and consuming as much "healthy" polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) as possible in order not to fall victim to an obesity epidemic which is inseparably intertwined with these kind of black-and-white approaches to nutrition.

In an extensive review (Jones. 2011) scientists from the Department of Human Nutritional Sciences at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals (University of Manitoba, Canada) evaluated data from over 50 years of research to come to the conclusion:

Consumption of dietary MUFA promotes healthy blood lipid profiles, mediates blood pressure, improves insulin sensitivity and regulates glucose levels. Moreover, provocative newer data suggest a role for preferential oxidation and metabolism of dietary MUFA, influencing body composition and ameliorating the risk of obesity. Mounting epidemiological and human clinical trial data continue to demonstrate the cardioprotective activity of the MUFA content of dietary fat.

In fact, they found MUFA rich diets to be superior even to diets enriched in PUFAs, which have lately oftentimes been hailed as the saviors of the fat and unhealthy:

When PUFA and MUFA rich diets were compared for replacement of dietary SFA in healthy adult subjects, those consuming MUFA rich diets demonstrated a preservation of HDL-C levels to a greater extent with only a 4% decrease in HDL-C levels compared to those consuming PUFA rich diets, which decreased HDL-C levels by 14%.

What is interesting, however, is that there still seems to be an initial bias against saturated fatty acids. This can also be seen from the fact that the general questions the authors pose throughout their review always come back to the idea of replacing saturated fatty acids by either carbs or MUFA, PUFA or MUFA etc. I would be interested to see a study or a review without this initial bias against saturated fats - the results could be very interesting... what do you think?

Overweight Korean Adults Benefit from Protein Rich "Oriental" Diet - More than from Conventional Diet Program.

Americans and Europeans are by no means the only people with unhealthy weight problems. Korea, where the traditional diet is gradually replaced by an Americanized fast-food diet, faces a similar obesity epidemia. The solution, on both sides, appears to be the same: a significant increase in protein intake.

Compared to a 2006 conventional dieting regime the subjects who participated in the 12 week high protein dietary intervention described in a recent study (Joo. 2011) lost more weight (- 4.7 kg vs. -2.3 kg), had a greater reduction in waist circumference (- 6.8 cm vs. 3.3 cm) and lost more body-fat (- 4.2 kg vs. -2.0 kg). In view of the obesity related health issues it is also noteworthy, that...

... the triglyceride reduction was significantly greater (- 30.16 mg/dL, p < 0.001) in the PRO Diet group after intervention compared to the conventional group.

Unfortunately, the original study is missing the dietary guidelines the subjects were provided (the file is not on the server), so you have to content yourselves with the following short summary as to what a "PRO Diet" looks like:

The PRO Diet aims to reduce consumption of refined starches (cooked rice, noodles, white bread) and to encourage the consumption of high protein. Additionally, the PRO Diet encourages the intake of "favorable" carbohydrates with a low glycemic index (GI) and "favorable" fats with high unsaturated fatty acids, while avoiding "unfavorable" carbohydrates with high GI and "unfavorable" fats such as high saturated fatty acids or trans fats.

The old adage of "bad saturated fats" and the hilarous concept of the glycemic index aside, regular visitors of the SuppVersity will recognize these dietary recommendations - certainly no coincidence ;-)

Acquittal: Anti-Oxidants do not Blunt the Beneficial Effect of Endurance Training on Insulin Sensitivity!

Regular visitors of the SuppVersity will remember that there has been and still is a controversy about whether or not athletes and average gymrats benefit from antioxidants or whether this may even blunt training induced adaptation effects. Other than a 2009 study by Ristow et al. (Ristow. 2009), a more recent investigation into the effects of antioxidant supplementation (Yfanti. 2011), coming from my northern neighbors from Denmark, did not find any negative effects of antioxidants on the exercise induced rise in insulin sensitivity.

In the study 21 young, healthy men, who received 500 mg vitamin C and 400 IU vitamin E (α-tocopherol) daily, completed a 5-days-a-week supervised intense endurance-training (interval training on Tuesday & Thursday; steady-state cardio on Wednesday & Friday). Insulin response, maximal oxygen consumption (VO_2max), maximal power output (P_max) and body composition (fat mass, fat-free mass) were measured and "muscle biopsies were obtained for determination of the concentration and activity of proteins regulating glucose metabolism". The scientists summarize their results as follows:

Although plasma levels of vitamin C (P < 0.05) and α-tocopherol (P < 0.05) increased markedly in the AO group, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake increased similarly in both the AO (17.2%, P < 0.05) and the PL (18.9%, P < 0.05) group in response to training. VO_2max and P_max also increased similarly in both groups (time effect: P < 0.0001 for both) as well as protein content of GLUT4, hexokinase 2 and total Akt (time effect: P ≤ 0.05 for all).

I don't know if you consider this "good" or "bad" news, but in any case, I suspect you will want to know what happened to the participants body composition (at least I would want). Well, the scientists say, there were no significant pre-post changes and from a statistic point of view, this is unquestionably right. I find it interesting, nevertheless that the average decline in fat mass was somewhat larger in the placebo (-21%)  vs. the anti-oxidant group (-8%); the intra-group differences are however so large that, with the given count of subjects, this is hardly meaningful.

Want to Stay Lean on a High-Fat Diet? Consume Whey Protein Everyday.

Listeners of Carl Lenore's Super Human Radio already know: Dr. Paul Arciero of Skidmore College is going to publish a study the results of which confirm that obese individuals can lose weight and improve markers of metabolic health by just adding a 20g shake of whey protein 3x a day.

While you still have to wait for the detailed results of this study to be published, another group of scientists (Shertzer. 2011) derived similar results from a study on mice. Despite being on a high fat diet, mice who received 100mg of whey protein isolate (WPI) per liter of their drinking water (WPI group) ...

had lower rates of body weight gain and percent body fat and greater lean body mass, although energy consumption was unchanged. These results were consistent with WPI mice having higher basal metabolic rates, respiratory quotients, and hepatic mitochondrial respiration. [...] Livers from WPI mice had significantly fewer hepatic lipid droplet numbers and less deposition of nonpolar lipids. Furthermore, WPI improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.

While you are waiting for the human study to be published (the SuppVersity will have it first ;-), get yourself some tasty whey protein and listen to Dr Arciero on Super Human Radio!

1000mcg Oral Vitamin B12 do not Bring Low Plasma Levels Back to Normal

You probably take a multivitamin, do you? Well, you eat healthy, as well? But does this mean you get enough of all nutrients? Maybe... maybe not. In a recent study (Baer. 2011) on vitamin B12 deficiency and supplementation in healthy young women, of the 300 participants, 137, i.e. 46%, had low-normal plasma levels of vitamin B12.

Interestingly, in participants with very low B12 levels, neither supplementation with 1000mcg of oral methylcobalamin, nor the consumption of a cereal meal (probably a bad idea, anyway) 4x/week for three months was able to restore B12 to an acceptable level:

Supplementation of either vitamin B12 pill or 100% RDA fortified cereal for 3 consecutive months resulted in significant (p < 0.05) increase in mean plasma vitamin B12 levels in all subjects (Table 4). Subjects whose baseline plasma vitamin B12 status was < 200 pg/ml were not observed to increase plasma vitamin B12 levels to at or above the 250 pg/ml benchmark following three months supplementation by either pills or 100% fortified cereal.

The scientists also have an answer as to why this might have been the case - malabsorption:

Upwards of 40% of all subjects who demonstrated plasma vitamin B12 values at or below the low-normal range reported daily use of medications associated with adversely affecting vitamin B12 absorption—significantly higher than the number of subjects who were observed to have plasma vitamin B12 levels above 250 pg/ml.

Bear & Parker's advice to people, especially from this "high-risk" group, is thus to supplement with "a higher dose of supplemental vitamin B12 (oral pill form) or sublingual methylcobalamin or IM methylcobalamin" in order to sufficiently correct vitamin B12 status.

L-Arginine Biscuits Exhibit Ameliorated Insulin Response. A Viable Alternative for People with Metabolic Syndrome!?

"L-Arginine ameliorates insulin resistance and has beneficial effects on blood pressure", "Fat people love cookies and tend to develop insulin resistance!" - if these two thoughts get together in the head of an Italian scientists, a new product is born: the L-Arginine Biscuit!

In a recent study Emanuela Setola (Setola. 2011) investigated the effect of a biscuit with 6.6g arginine on selected metabolic parameters of 7 healthy subjects. The results are encouraging:

A significant increase of nitric oxide (NOx) and cGMP levels were significantly increased with Biscuit +L-ARG 6.6 g and Powdered L-ARG as compared to Biscuit. AUC NOx and cGMP were significantly increased (p<0.04vs Biscuit). Percentage incremental increase of post-ischemic blood flow significantly increased with Biscuit +L-ARG 6.6 g and Powdered L-ARG, suggesting a functional effect of L-ARG added to the food preparation. Further, at 240 minute mean arterial blood pressure and peripheral vascular resistances slightly declined with Biscuit +L-ARG 6.6 g without reaching a statistical significance. At metabolic levels, the addition of L-ARG to a biscuit decreased insulin levels in the presence of similar glycemic levels, in particular a significant decrease of AUCinsulin during the test with Biscuit +L-ARG 6.6 g in comparison to Biscuit alone was found (p<0.05).

The last result, i.e. the decreased insulin release is probably the most interesting finding of this study and was further investigated by the researcher:

From the results of glucose and insulin, two indices were derived: a Modified Matsuda, (index of whole-body insulin sensitivity) and the Disposition Index (index of the product of insulin sensitivity and first phase insulin secretion). We were able to define that both indices were significantly increased with 6 Biscuits having 6.6 g of L-Arginine while intermediate values were found when 3 Biscuits (3.3 g) were eaten as compared to Biscuits without L-Arginine addition.

After all, I think it would be better to avoid cookies and biscuits completely, but if you just cannot resist, you may well add some arginine to the dough for this years Christmas baking.

Burn Additional 27 kcal with 6mg/kg Caffeine Pre-Workout

Caffeine is the cornerstone of almost each and every fat-burner on the market. But how effective is it in raising your energy expenditure? A study (Astorino. 2011) conducted at the Department of Kinesiology of the California State University provides an answer: Not very effective.

Astorino et al. had 14 strength-trained men who were regular caffeine consumers perform a strength workout with either 6mg/kg (thanks to Ezhan who pointed me to a type here. It's 6mg not 0.6 as it said before) caffeine or placebo supplement pre-workout. What they found was that

Caffeine intake increased total energy expenditure by 15% (P<0.05), but the additional calories burned was minimal (+27 kcal).

Well, I suppose this is about the amount of calories of a small carrot and not really what you would expect from a fat burner.

Lose More than 2 Pounds of Fat-Mass in Less than 30 Minutes: The Illusiveness of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis

Wouldn't it be nice to burn more than 2 pounds of body-fat within 30 minutes of exercise? Well, according to your body impedance scale this is easily possible! You would even gain 1 pound of solid muscle...

In a recent study Selma Civar Yavuz (Yavuz. 2011) had 52 healthy volunteers perform an exhaustive treadmill exercise (Bruce test) and evaluated the body composition changes by the means of bioelectrical impedance analysis. The results summarized in Table 1 are amazing:

Table 1: Comparison of the body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FTM), fat free mass (FFM), total body water (TBW) and bioelectrical impedance measurements taken before and after the exercises.

What is amazing about these results is yet not the amount of fat the subjects burned in <30 min of running. Its rather the inaccuracy of the impedance analysis. In view of the results of this study you better throw your expensive body-fat scale out of the window and revert to using an old fashioned tape measure to evaluate your dieting / exercise success.

5α-androstane-3,6,17-trione - Kneller's Trione: Newly Patented Aromatase Inhibitor that Raises Testosterone Without Lowering Estrogen Levels!?

I happened onto an interesting patent (Kneller. 2011), published on 02/10/2011 the author of which, Bruce Kneller, who was arrested in the course of a steroid bust back in 2006, claims to have invented an aromatase inhibitor, 5α-androstane-3,6,17-trione (Kneller's Trione) which produces "substantial and significant increases in plasma testosterone levels in men while inducing no changes outside the accepted normal limits for plasma estradiol levels". This is very different from your usual AI (ATD, Arimidex, Letrozole, etc.) which tend to eradicate estrogen and thus produce nasty side effects. As far as its concrete applications are concerned the author writes:

The oral, daily dose of Kneller's Trione can be from about 25 mg to about 750 mg per day, such as, for example, from about 25 mg to about 500 mg per day, from about 25 mg to about 250 mg per day, or from about 25 to about 100 mg per day. [...] In some embodiments of the invention the composition comprising Kneller's Trione is formulated as a tablet, capsule, caplet, powder, suspension, gel preparation, aqueous solution, solid food form (e.g., chewable bar or wafer), or liquid dosage form such as elixirs, syrups, dispersed powders, granules or emulsions.

Bruce W. Kneller then cites a pilot study in which Kneller's Trione was administered orally to three individuals at dosages of 25mg, 50mg and 100mg.

Figure 1: Tables from patent of Kneller's Trione

As can be seen from the tables in figure 1 the effect of 5α-androstane-3,6,17-trione depends on a) previous hormone levels and b) dosage. Most interestingly administration of 50mg Kneller's Trione to subject 2 who had low estradiol levels to begin with did not reduce these levels any further. With reference to the optimal dosing scheme and potential side effects Kneller reports:

Although dosing of Kneller's Trione went as high as 750 mg per day in this pilot study, no added benefits were seen with dosages this high. Dosages of 250 mg and 500 mg per day also raised total testosterone and bioavailable testosterone levels substantially and safely but did not seem to offer any added benefit over a dose of 100 mg per day. At the 750 mg per day oral dosing level, occurrence of a priaprism caused the subject to withdraw from participation in this pilot study. No other adverse events were noted by any study subject during this pilot study. Observations of every subject's liver function, kidney function, blood lipid levels, blood pressure, heart rate, respirations, and body temperature were made at frequent intervals during this pilot study and were found to be within medically established normal ranges and values.

While my cursory web-search for available OTC supplements with this product did not produce any results, I assume it won't take long until we see a range of these products on the market - even in view of the fact that a constant boner (priapism) may not be the worst, but certainly an annoying and in the long run painful side effect ;-)

As always, I will inform you as soon as there are more recent study results and or product releases. In view of the fact, that Kneller is also the patent-holder of the "OUTLAST" formula in Gaspari Nutrition's cell-volumizer SizeON it's most likely that we will see a "new Novedex XT" hit the market soon.

Edit: Kevin just posted a comment mentioning, he believes that it is already in "some Gaspari products" and in fact. He is right! Its part of Gaspari's Halodrol MT, which I believe is not produced anymore, though. Well, I assume that's what happens to things which work, these days...

Vitamin K for Healthy Bones & a Lean Physique: Rat Study Finds Phylloquinone (K1) & Menaquinone (K2) Ward off Fat Gain and Cut Triglycerides by Half

Until not too long ago, scientists thought vitamin D was all about bone. Every follower of this blog knows that this is a way too narrow perspective on what turned out to be more of a hormone than a vitamin. A recent study (Sogabe. 2011) on the effects of vitamin K supplementation in mice does now suggest that vitamin D's "cofactors" phylloquinone (PK, vitamin K1) and menaquinone-4 (MK-4, vitamin K2) have been similarly mistaken.

Figure 1: Weight of visceral fat pad in g after 85 days of  phylloquinone (PK, vitamin K1) or menaquinone-4 (MK-4, vitamin K2) supplementation (Sogabe. 2011)

Japanese scientists, who wanted to investigate the effect of 85 days of vitamin K supplementation (PK: 600 mg/kg; MK-4: 600 mg/kg) on bone development in mice, were surprised to find that vitamin K did not only improve bone mass and structure, but that...

the addition of PK or MK-4 significantly decreased the total fat accumulation (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively), and serum triglycerides were reduced by 48% in the PK group and 29% in the MK group compared with the control.

This is an interesting result, which is not related to increases in growth hormone release, as one might expect in view of the bone-building effects of vitamin K. The scientists speculate: "The effect of vitamin K on fat mass could be mediated through adiponectin regulation which itself has been found to be associated with fat mass." This, as well as the dose response relationship (the human equivalence dose for the amount of PK and MK-4 used in the study would be about 7.5g!) warrant further investigation - and, as always, the SuppVersity is the place to read about it, first!

Glycogen-Depleted Athletes may Benefit from 0.3g/kg BCAA Supplementation: Improved Endurance & Lipid Oxidation

If you have ever read up on the general recommendations concerning "cardio on an empty stomach" you will most likely have encountered the advice to supplement with branched-chained amino acids (BCAA) before or in the course of the workout. I have always considered this to be a solid advice, up to now, I had yet not seen a study underpinning the common sense reasoning behind the suggestion.

Now, Gualano et al. (Gualano. 2011) published a study that investigated the effect of BCAA supplementation on exercise performance and energy metabolism in glycogen-depleted athletes (let's assume by now that an athlete following a low carb diet is in fact glycogen-depleted when he wakes up). In a double-blind placebo controlled fashion the scientists provided their subjects with either 0.3g/kg BCAA or placebo for 3 days...

On the second day, subjects were submitted to an exercise-induced glycogen depletion protocol. They then performed an exhaustive exercise test on the third day, after which time to exhaustion, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), plasma glucose, free fatty acids (FFA), blood ketones and lactate were determined. BCAA supplementation promoted a greater resistance to fatigue when compared to the placebo (+17.2%). Moreover, subjects supplemented with BCAA showed reduced RER and higher plasma glucose levels during the exhaustive exercise test.

For all of you who are now asking themselves, what validates the claim of increased fatty acid oxidation, its the reduced respiratory exchange ratio. Although its arguable how reliable a measure the ratio between O2 in and CO2 out is in terms of fatty acid metabolism, these results support the hypothesis and real world observation that BCAA-supplemented cardio on an empty stomach reliably promotes fat loss.

Grass-Fed Beef: Does CLA make the difference? Probably Not.

You certainly have heard of the benefits of the meat of grass-fed, i.e. naturally nourished, cows. Well, although I do not want to question its general superiority to corn-fed high omega-6 meat, it probably is not the CLA content which distinguishes good from not so good meat sources.

A recent study, which was conducted by scientists from the Iowa State University (Brown. 2011), scientists investigated the effect of a "balanced nutritionally complete diet" (31% energy from lipid, 13% from protein, and 54% from carbohydrate) with either high (1.17 g/d) or low (0.35 g/d) CLA content on various health parameters of 18 healthy women aged between 20 to 39 years over a 8 weeks period. These are the results:

The CLA diet did not result in any differences in insulin sensitivity, body composition, circulating blood lipids, or other measured disease risk factors as compared with the control diet.

Accordingly, the scientists concluded "that a diet naturally enriched with over a 3-fold increase in CLA from pasture-fed cattle "did not provide a health benefit when compared to "a similar diet composed of foods from grain-fed cattle."

While these results stand in line with the generally equivocal findings on possible health benefits from CLA supplementation in human beings, it remains questionable whether with a "nutritionally less complete [from a government standpoint]" diet, i.e. a diet with less carbohydrate content and a consequently higher meat consumption, the results would not have been totally different.

Figure 1: Fatty acid composition of grass-fed vs. conventional meats.

All that aside, a study by Irish scientists (McAfee. 2011) showed that the CLA content of grass-fed vs. conventional meat is not all that different, anyway. According to McAfee et al. it is rather the n-3 PUFA content of grass fed meat which "can significantly increase consumer plasma and platelet LC n-3 PUFA status" and may thus have a positive influence on metabolic risk factors in general and n-6 to n-3 PUFA ratio in particular.

Macronutrient Ratio of a Meal does not Impact Psychological and Physiological Stress Response

Many people say: "I need my carbs to relax!" But is it actually true that high-carb meals facilitate better stress management? According to a recently published study (Lemmens. 2011) this claim belongs to the realms of nutritional mysticism - at least in the short run.

Subjects (n = 38, 19m/19f, age = 25±9 yrs, BMI = 25.0±3.3 kg/m²) reported to the lab fasted and ingested either a high-carb (-C) or a high-protein (-P) meal before half of them performed a computer based stress test (S-), while the other half served as a "rested" control (R-). Groups were changed and the procedure was repeated.

Figure 1: Salivary cortisol concentrations (mean±SEM) at six time points (0, 30, 80, 125, 155, and 205 min) throughout the four test sessions: rest-carbohydrate (RC), stress-carbohydrate (SC), rest-protein (RP), stress-protein (SP); for men (n = 19, M) and women (n = 19, F). (Lemmens. 2011)

As the measured salivary cortisol levels in figure 1 show the stress response does not depend on the macronutrient composition of the previous meal. Thus, after all, another holdout of the supporters of high carb diets starts to falter.

To be fair, one must however say that the picture might have been a different one if the "stressor" had been an intense weight bearing or endurance exercise. Exercise induced hypoglycemia, for example, would unquestionably have induced a significant amount of cortisol release. Yet, my personal experience tells me that you generally do not run out of fuel if you follow a consequent low carb diet. I tend to run into problems (hypoglycemia) only, when I overdo on carbs - a consequent low carb diet, on the other hand, provides me with a steady stream of energy.

3g BCAA + Arginine + Carbs Pre-Workout Modulates Hormonal Response to Single Bout of Treadmill Running to Exhaustion

BCAAs + Arginine + Carbohydrates before workout!? Sounds familiar, doesn't it? In fact many of the first generation preworkout products were either formulated like that or consumers were advised to stack them with a branched amino acid (BCAA) product of the same company. Studies which investigated the combined ergogenic effect of these nutrients are yet scarce. So, I thought that it would be worth posting the results of a recent study from China (Hsu. 2011).

Before they started exercising on a treadmill, the subjects, 14 male physical active college students, received a beverage containing either 3g of BCAA (2:1:1) + 0.5g Arginine + 12.1g carbohydrates or placebo. Blood samples of each subject were collected before exercise, 0, 10, 20, 40, 60, 120 min and 24 h after exercise and the procedure was repeated after two weeks (cross-over design). The results were as follows:

No significant differences in the levels of lactate, ammonia, creatine kinase and glycerol between the two groups were observed at any of the time points. However, the levels of glucose and insulin were significantly higher in the BA trial as compared to those in the PL trial at the 40 and 60 min recovery points. Furthermore, the testosterone to cortisol ratio at the 120 min recovery point was significantly higher in the BA trial as compared to that in the PL trial.

While higher glucose and insulin levels are hardly surprising in view of the fact that the placebo contained no calories whatsoever, the improved hormonal recovery (measured as testosterone / cortisol ratio) in the supplemented group appears to be pretty interesting.

A closer look at the exact data does yet reveal that the supplemented group had a higher testosterone / cortisol ratio to begin with. So, if we calculate the relative changes in the T/C ratio 120min after exercising to exhaustion, these are +13.2% in the placebo group and only +6.8% in the supplemented group.
Does that mean that the money you are spending on preworkout products is wasted? From a hormonal perspective, maybe. From a psychological perspective, we do yet still have another result of the study: "Fatigue score increased immediately at exhaustion in both groups, but the decrease in the fatigue score at 120 min recovery point was significant only in BA trial." Consequently, even if it does not improve the hormonal milieu in the early recovery period, supplementation with branched chain amino acids, arginine and carbohydrates could provide the psychological edge you need to drag yourself to the gym regularly ;-)

On a side note: It would have been interesting to see T/C levels measured beyond the 120 minutes post exhaustion. Based on the fact that the recovery of the T/C levels of the supplemented group sped up from T=60min to T=120min, one may well hypothesize that there would be measurable (hormonal) advantages for the BA group at T=180min and beyond.

L-Citrulline Improves Sexual Performance: 50% Chance of Improvement with just 1.5g/day

You probably receive the same amount of daily spam mails trying to refer you to dubious viagra retailers somewhere on the Cayman Islands, or wherever else in the world. In case, you ever even thought about ordering stuff like that, you may as well consider getting some l-citrulline from your local supplement store first.

Scientistsfrom the University of Foggia in Italy (Cormio. 2011) have found that supplementation with as little as 1.5g/day l-citrulline improved erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction (and I always thought Italian men would not have any erection problems ;-):

Significant improvement in the EHS [erection hardness score] from 3 to 4 was reported by 2 (8.3%) of the 24 men when taking the placebo and 12 (50%) of the 24 men when taking L-citrulline (P < .01). The mean number of intercourses per month, a nonvalidated patient-reported outcome we have commonly used in patients treated for ED, was 1.37 ± 0.93 at baseline, 1.53 ± 1.00 at the end of the placebo phase (P = .57), and 2.3 ± 1.37 at the end of the treatment phase (P < .01). For treatment satisfaction, all 12 patients reporting an EHS improvement from 3 to 4 scored very satisfied, and the remaining 12 scored not satisfied and all asked for a PDE-5 inhibitor prescription at the end of the study phase. Finally, no AEs [adverse events] occurred.

So, this is a 50% chance of improvement. In view of the price of l-citrulline (as bulk-powder) it would be worth a try. I promise, I won't tell anyone ;-)

A Natural Cure for Obesity and Insulin Resistance!? Promising Results from Animal Experiments with Bitter Melon Bioactives

In a very recent investigation, researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center (Wang. 2011) found that high-fat diet fed mice gained less weight and had less compromised insulin response, if they received an (unfortunately) unspecified amount of an aquaeus extract from bitter melon:

Body weight, plasma glucose, insulin, leptin levels and HOMA-IR values were significantly lower in the BM-fed HFD group when compared to the HFD group. BM supplementation significantly increased IRS-2, IR β, PI 3K and GLUT4 protein abundance in skeletal muscle, as well as phosphorylation of IRS-1, Akt1 and Akt2 when compared with HFD (P<.05 and P<.01). BM also significantly reduced muscle lipid content in the HFD mice. BM extract greatly increased glucose uptake and enhanced insulin signaling in L6 myotubes. 

There is however two major caveat to these findings. Firstly, mice ain't a particularly good model for predictions concerning the effect of supplements that are added to a high fat diet. And secondly, even if we would see similar results in human beings, the most obvious conclusion one MUST (but obviously nobody does) draw from the results of this study is that without supplementation the low fat diet, i.e. the group of mice that consumed a diet that is appropriate to their genetic make-up, gained the least amount of weight, had the lowest leptin levels and the best insulin sensitivity.

Figure 1: Insulin levels of the mice on a low fat diet (LFD), a high fat diet (HFD) and a high fat diet supplemented with bitter melon extract (BM)

Does this tell you that you should revert to a low fat diet? No, at least not if you ain't a mouse. What it should tell you, however, is that revamping your diet, making correct food choices and eating according to what our bodies are made for is the key to health and long jeopardy - the "natural cure for obesity and insulin resistance", it's already out there. Don't even think about dietary supplements before you've got that in check...

Scientific Evidence Links High Carbohydrate Intake to the Development of Alzheimer's and Other Neurological Diseases

"Fats are bad, carbs are healthy!" I hope nobody out there still believes this late 20th Century slogan. If you do, chances are you will soon forget about it due to the neuronal damage you are inflicting to your brain by eating a high carb diet.

In a very recent review, a group of international scientists (Seneff. 2011) summarize the current state of research as follows:

[...] an excess of dietary carbohydrates, particularly fructose, alongside a relative deficiency in dietary fats and cholesterol, may lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease. A first step in the pathophysiology of the disease is represented by advanced glycation end-products in crucial plasma proteins concerned with fat, cholesterol, and oxygen transport. This leads to cholesterol deficiency in neurons, which significantly impairs their ability to function. Over time, a cascade response leads to impaired glutamate signaling, increased oxidative damage, mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction, increased risk to microbial infection, and, ultimately, apoptosis. 

They also compiled a comprehensive list of take-home-massages, some of which may have far reaching consequences:

• Researchers have identified mitochondrial dysfunction and brain insulin resistance as early indicators of Alzheimer's disease.

• ApoE-4 is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, and ApoE is involved in the transport of cholesterol and fats, which are essential for signal transduction and protection from oxidative damage.

• The cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer's brains is deficient in fats and cholesterol.

• Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are present in significant amounts in Alzheimer's brains.

• Fructose, an increasingly pervasive sweetening agent, is ten times as reactive as glucose in inducing AGEs.

• Astrocytes play an important role in providing fat and cholesterol to neurons. [...]

• Glycation damage interferes with the LDL-mediated delivery of fats and cholesterol to astrocytes, and therefore, indirectly, to neurons. [...]

• Synthesis of the neurotransmitter, glutamate, is increased when cholesterol is deficient, and glutamate is a potent oxidizing agent.

• Over time, neurons become severely damaged due to chronic exposure to glucose and oxidizing agents, and are programmed for apoptosis due to highly impaired function. [...]

• Simple dietary modification, towards fewer highly-processed carbohydrates and relatively more fats and cholesterol, is likely a protective measure against Alzheimer's disease.

So, if you have not already forgotten what you just read, make sure to cut back your carbohydrate consumption, limit fructose intake and stop being afraid of fats and cholesterol before you cannot remember anymore.

Go for Gold: Golden Kiwifruit Outperforms her Green Sister in Terms of Antioxidant Potential

Groundbreaking research ;-) at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Teikyo University in Tokyo, Japan, did now reveal that Kiwis, especially the golden variate outperforms other highly acclaimed health foods in terms of their antioxidant potential.

Comparison of the anti-oxidant effects in vitro demonstrated that kiwi fruit had stronger anti-oxidant effects than orange and grapefruit, which are rich in vitamin C; gold kiwi had the strongest anti-oxidant effects. Kiwi fruit inhibited oxidation of biological substances in the human body. In particular, kiwi fruit may inhibit early lipid oxidation.

While it is common knowledge that Kiwis contain a lot of vitamin C, the scientists underline that most of its beneficial effects come from the various forms of polyphenols in the fruits.

Fig. 1: Inhibition of Lipid Oxidant by Fruit Juices (Iwasawa. 2011)

So, next time you see some of these hairy little Chinese gooseberries at your local grocery store, grab some golden ones and bump up your antioxidant defenses.



On a side note: According to Dr. Smith from the Life Extension Foundation, Kiwi is also the common food with the highest amount of PQQ ("the new CoQ10" LEF is promoting) you can possibly find - unfortunately, you would probably have to eat truckloads to get the desired effect ;-)

Even Low "Normal" Plasma Testosterone Levels Associated with 2.5x Higher Risk of Insulin Resistance

"Your levels are in range!" Did you ever have your doctor say that to you? It appears as if next time you hear that sentence, you better ask him "Where 'in range' are my levels, exactly?" At least, the results of a recently published study by Menendez et al. (Menendez. 2011) suggests that it might be worth digging somewhat deeper into this issue. Studying a cohort of 282 men (aged 36 to 85 years) who had "normal concentrations of total testosterone", the scientists found:

Serum concentrations of testosterone and bioavailable testosterone were negatively correlated with age, body mass index, waist circumference, blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin levels and insulin. Serum concentrations of total testosterone, bioavailable testosterone and SHBG were lower in men with glucose intolerance or diabetes than in those with normal glucose tolerance. After multivariate analysis, age and total testosterone levels were independent predictors of the presence of diabetes or glucose intolerance. The risk of glucose intolerance or diabetes mellitus was over 2.5 times higher in men with total testosterone levels in the lowest quartile than in those with total testosterone in the top quartile.

While the results of this study are certainly interesting and significant, it is unfortunately impossible to tell, whether glucose intolerance and diabetes reduce the natural production of testosterone, OR low testosterone levels reduce glucose intolerance and lead to diabetes. In other words: What comes first, low testosterone or glucose intolerance? Further research will be needed to answer this question, but if you want my opinion, I suspect that they just go hand in hand, i.e. a bad diet lowers glucose tolerance, high sugar reduces testosterone production, low androgen levels impair glucose tolerance etc. - a viscous circle.

Pot Belly and High Triglycerides Indicative of Low LDL & HDL Particle Size

A recent study by scientists from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota (Irving. 2011) found that the most reliable indicators of LDL & HDL particle size in 84 healthy non-diabetic men and women were a huge amount of trunk fat and high triglyceride levels.

[...] the accumulation of atherogenic lipoprotein particles (e.g. small, dense, low-density lipoprotein particles and small, high-density lipoprotein particles) was associated with low levels of insulin sensitivity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and higher levels of adiposity. However, multivariate forward-stepwise regression revealed that triglycerides, followed by truncal fat mass, were the strongest predictors of the lipoprotein particle size and concentration data.

These results are of particular interest to those who cannot afford having a comprehensive lipid panel done. Since the standard tests often do not provide any information about the size of the cholesterol particles, looking and triglycerides and truncal fat may be a useful indicator of whether or not it will be necessary to check cholesterol particle sizes, as well.

On a side note: Other than it has long been thought, current research suggests that neither the amount of total cholesterol, nor the amount of LDL cholesterol, but rather the size of the cholesterol lipo-proteins is the main determinant of how likely one is to develop arteriosclerosis: Large particle size = benign; small particle size = dangerous.

Zinc + Multimineral Supplement May Improve Glycemic Control & Lipid Levels in Adult Diabetics

Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes are omnipresent in today's food-abundance. Healthy, wholesome and nutrient dense foods, on the other hand are either rare or people are just too lazy to obtain them. Thus, it is no wonder that researchers found that mineral supplementation will benefit people with onset or full-blown diabetes.

Table 1: Nutrient composition of the preparation for the MVM/Z group (Gunasekara. 2011)

In their study, Gunasekara et al. (Gunasekara. 2011) investigated the effect of 4 months of either oral multivitamin/mineral plus zinc sulfate (22 mg/day) (MVM/Z, cf. Table 1) or multivitamin/mineral supplementation alone on blood glucose (fasting and postprandial) and glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb_A1C%) and serum levels of zinc, creatinine, and lipids.

The zinc+MVM group had a mean change of fasting blood sugar -0.33 mmol/L (standard error of the mean 0.21 mmol/L) and was significant (P = 0.05) when compared with the other two groups (mean change in the MVM group +0.19 (0.31) mmol/L and +0.43 (0.23) mmol/L in the control group, respectively). The Hb_A1C% level reduced significantly, irrespective of the baseline level, in zinc+MVM-supplemented individuals. In the other two groups, the change of Hb_A1C% level was not significant. Serum lipid levels reduced significantly in the zinc+MVM and MVM groups.

Overall, the addition of 22mg elemental zinc (as zinc sulfate) triggered profound changes to the effect of the multivitamin/mineral formula, on the basis of which the scientists conclude "zinc, either alone or in combination with other known antioxidant minerals and vitamins, may have supplementary benefits in the routine management of adult diabetes."

1.5g of Vitamin C do not Alter Neutrophil Function in Athletes: ROS & SOA Elevations Remain Unchanged

The verdict is still out there on whether antioxidant supplementation before or around exercise is a good or a bad thing for professional athletes. A recent study by Yamai et al. (Yamai. 2011) which investigated the effect of 1.5g of vitamin C /day on the neutrophil function of judoists found no evidence for either of the propositions - neutrophil counts were not statistically different between the two groups of the 22 male judoists after a 7-day intensified training camp for:

[...]although the typical changes seen following a single bout of normal exercise, namely an increase in SOA [serum opsonic activity] and ROS [reactive oxygen species], and a decrease in PA [neutrophil phagocytic activity], were recorded following the pre- and post-camp ULEs in both groups, significant difference in change rates were not seen between both groups.

These results go hand in hand with many other more recent investigations into the beneficial effects of vitamin C and combinations of antioxidants (a factor the scientists raise in their discussion of the results) on exercise performance in (elite) athletes. So, even if vitamin C won't hurt you, it probably won't help either.

The (Re-)Discovery of 17{beta}-hydroxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one: Low Dose Trenbolone Safely Promotes Myotrophic Actions in Skeletal Muscle and Provides Partial Protection Against Bone Loss and Visceral Fat Accumulation

Sometimes it is interesting to see how agents that have been around all along reappear back on the medical scene, all of a sudden. A recent study conducted by a group of scientists from Florida (Yarrow. 2011) that compared the effect of different doses of 17{beta}-hydroxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one aka Trenbolone on muscle hypertrophy and prostate health of testosterone seems to have the potential to trigger such a "revival":

In both intact and orchiectomized animals, all TREN doses and supraphysiologic testosterone-enanthate augmented androgen-sensitive levator ani/bulbocavernosus muscle mass by 35-40% above Shams (p≤0.001), and produced a dose-dependent partial protection against orchiectomy-induced total and trabecular bone mineral density losses (<0.05) and visceral fat accumulation (<0.05). The lowest doses of TREN successfully maintained prostate mass and hemoglobin concentrations at Sham levels in both intact and orchiectomized animals; whereas supraphysiologic testosterone-enanthate and high-dose TREN elevated prostate mass by 84% and 68%, respectively (<0.01). 

Whether this indicates that "trenbolone therapy" in men would actually be an alternative to the traditional androgen therapy to counter muscle wasting and other medical conditions remains to be elucidated. This is especially valid in view of the fact that the variables controlled in this study did not encompass any of the side-effects steroid (ab-)users tend to report on injectable trenbolone. In other words: Just because it does not enlarge your prostate, this does not mean that it is safe.

News on USP Labs' "Pink Magic": High Dose Massularia Acuminata Increases Testosterone and Makes Bucks Horny as Hell

Faithful readers of the SuppVersity will probably remember my short write-up on USP Labs Test Booster "Pink Magic". Now that the initial fuss about how "brilliant" and "unique" the product is, is over there is finally another study on the efficiency of its main ingredient, a shrub called massularia acuminata.

Two scientists from Nigeria (Yakubo. 2011) published an article on the "Effect of Aqueous Extract of Massularia acuminata Stem on Sexual Behaviour of Male Wistar Rats" in the January issue of Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine. The scientists found that supplementation with 500 and 1000mg/kg body weight (equivalent to 6.8g and 13.6g) of an aqueous extract of the stem of the botanical...

... increased the frequencies of mount and intromission. In addition, the ejaculation latency was significantly prolonged (P < .05). The latencies of mount and intromission were reduced significantly whereas ejaculation frequency increased. The extract also reduced the postejaculatory interval of the animals. Computed percentages of index of libido, mounted, intromitted, ejaculated and copulatory efficiency were higher in the extract treated animals compared to the distilled water-administered control whereas the intercopulatory interval decreased significantly.

In short: the rats were horny as hell ;-) But there was more to it:

The extract also significantly (P < .05) increased the serum testosterone content of the animals except in those administered with 250mg/kg body weight on days 1 and 3.

In view of these results it is interesting to have a look at the amount of massularia in Pink Magic. Unfortunately, USP provides no data on the amount of the individual ingredients - so, we only know that there is 1.6g of a mixture of massularia and two other botanicals in one serving. Massularia is mentioned first which tells us that it should be the main ingredient. So, let's be generous and assume that there is 1.0g of massularia per serving. USP recommends 3 servings per day. This would amount to 3.0g of massularia, which has now been clinically proven to be insufficient; and what's more even with 6.8g/day (equivalent to 500mg/kg in rats) the increase in testosterone (cf. Table 1) is still almost negligible.

Table 1: Effect of aqueous extract of Massularia acuminata stem on serum testosterone concentrations of male rats. (Yakubo. 2011)

What about all the positive feedback on various message boards, then? Well, we do not know how the dosing protocol used in rats eventually translates to human beings. The above calculation is based on a standard human equivalence dose formula, the accuracy of which is certainly questionable. Thus, the results of the study are actually good news for USP Labs, as they prove that massularia which, by the way is not a USP Labs exclusive anymore, actually works.