2008 Studies & Research Blog

With all the different fat loss products out on the market, at times it can be hard to decipher which are going to work and which are going to be a waste of your time. Not to mention that many of the fat loss products have so many ingredients in them that it’s hard to keep track of – half of which you can’t even pronounce.

One thing you might have never considered supplementing with however, which shows promising benefits as far as fat loss is concerned is cinnamon.

Researchers out of the Wadsworth Medical Center looked at the effects a water-soluble cinnamon extract had on body composition as well as the metabolic profile in men and women who were showing signs of being pre-diabetic.

Subjects were either assigned to a 500 mg/dL Cinnulin PF® supplement or a placebo over a twelve week period, and then systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and body composition were assessed.
After the results came back, it was confirmed that the subjects who had taken the cinnamon extract had significant decreases in fasting blood sugar levels, systolic blood pressure, and showed increase in lean muscle mass.

Therefore, the take home message from this is that taking the time to add some cinnamon to your protein shakes, oatmeal, or adding it into anything you bake is a good way to promote a healthy body composition and help prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Reference:
Anderson, RA. Et al. (2006) Effects of a water-soluble cinnamon extract on body composition and features of the metabolic syndrome in pre-diabetic men and women.  Ohio Research Group, Wadsworth Medical Center. Journal of the International Society of Sports and Nutrition. Dec 28;3-45-53.

Counterintuitive as it may seem, those healthful phytoestrogen nutrients that consumers usually associate with fruits and vegetables also exist in foods of animal origin. After all, "phyto" means "plant." Now the first comprehensive study of phytoestrogen content in foods has identified the best sources of these nutrients.

In the study, Gunter G. C. Kuhnle, Laure Thomas and colleagues point out that phytoestrogens have garnered increasing attention for their beneficial role in preventing several diseases, including osteoporosis, type-2 diabetes and certain cancers. But much of the scientific research on these compounds has focused on their occurrence in plant-based foods, which has led to an underestimation of actual amounts people consume, the study says.

The researchers analyzed 115 foods of animal origin and found that all food groups studied contained phytoestrogens. Isoflavones — one of the three major classes of these compounds — were considerably higher in soy-based foods. In fact, the amount of phytoestrogens in soy-based infant formula was more than 300 times higher than in normal infant formula. In animal products, phytoestrogens are low when compared to foods containing soy, the paper notes, but the range is similar to that of many commonly consumed vegetables.

SOURCE: Kuhnle et al. Phytoestrogen Content of Foods of Animal Origin: Dairy Products, Eggs, Meat, Fish, and Seafood. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008; 56 (21): 10099

A recent meta analysis study conducted by the School of Medicine at West Virginia University has examined the effects of progressive resistance training on lipids and lipoproteins in adults. To acheive this, the researchers included Twenty-nine studies representing 1329 men and women (676 exercise, 653 control) conducted between 1955 and 2007. The outcome of this analysis has shown that Progressive resistance training reduces total cholesterol (TC) ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG).

The importance of this study is that it illustrates one of the many positive benefits of resistance training and its implications to reduce various risk factor associated with cardiovascular disease.

Reference:

Kelley GA, Kelley KS. Impact of progressive resistance training on lipids and lipoproteins in adults: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Prev Med. 2008 Nov 1.

For those of you who are getting into your later years but still wanting to continue strength training and see corresponding increases in muscle mass as well as strength, there is a good chance you might have considered using growth hormone as an ergonomic aid to help you get results faster.

But, how effective is growth hormone administered in the later years at increasing muscle size and strength? That’s the question researchers out of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in California decided to look at.

Studies have already demonstrated that the normal aging process is characterized by negative changes in body composition and
muscle strength, and we also know that human growth hormone declines as one age as well.

The researchers took eighteen healthy elderly men ranging from 65-82 years of age and had them undertake a progressive weight training program for 14 weeks so they would then be classified as ‘trained’.  

From there, they were randomized into two groups, the first group receiving 0.02 mg/kg BW day of recombinant human growth hormone, and the second group receiving a placebo.

Measurements of muscular strength, body composition, circulating levels of insulin-like growth factor and IGF-binding protein were then assessed to determine the effects of the growth hormone supplementation on the body.

The results demonstrated that the IGF-1 levels o f the treatment group increased both after the initial week of use as well as after week 24 of the study, over and above the control group.

It was also noted that the growth hormone had no effects on the  measures of muscle strength, or body weight, however the lean body mass did increase in the growth hormone group while fat mass decreased.

Therefore, these results suggest that supplementing with growth hormone will likely not increase your overall muscle strength or body weight, but could have favorable effects in terms of body composition.

Reference:
Butterfield, G. et al. (1994) Effect of recombinant human growth hormone on the muscle strength response to resistance exercise in elderly men.  Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Nov;79(5):1361-6.

When we are young and healthy it’s quite easy to not envision what life will be like in our fifties and beyond. Do we ever really sit down and make a plan of attack towards long term general health goals or is it more or less just what will effect how we how aesthetic our appearance is in the “now” when we look in the mirror? Regardless of your perspective there are a few supplements which have shown a great benefit when used as older adults in their “golden years.”

Over the past decade we’ve seen beta-alanine emerge as a quite a popular ingredient among the well educated supplement consumer for its carnosine boosting properties. Quite clearly this has shown to increase endurance capacity in healthy athletes. Also, it’s been known for quite some time that as you age intramuscular carnosine levels and ultimately buffering capacity often declines. Whether this is a major factor causing age related muscular atrophy is up for debate, but the power to augment this effect really shouldn’t be.

A joint research team representing the University of Oklahoma, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Chichester recently put the use of beta alanine in elderly adults to the test. As a result of beta-alanine supplementation showed to increase working capacity in older adults aged 55-92 years of age. In fact, the average increase in physical working capacity was an astonishing 28.5%. That’s over twice the increase found in younger test subjects in their mid twenties.

So what can we take from these findings? As you age you ability endurance and mobility can often be hampered by the aging process no matter what you activity level is. It is quite possible that beta alanine supplementation can help you maintain or even increase your physical working capacity thus allowing you to be more active during your “golden years.” Since this is the first step in beta-alanine use in elderly subjects I’m curious to see if more research will now begin focus on its effect in attenuating advanced glycation end products (AGES). Boosting carnosine appears to augment their deleterious effects but the direct research utilizing beta-alanine to potentially battle this has not yet been observed clinically. Only time will tell but I have a feeling it will prove to be powerful.

On a personal note, I just printed this study out for my father and purchased a beta alanine supplement for him (he’s been using them for a while now) to send along with it. The research is quite compelling as it alludes to the notion those entering into the world of supplementation later in life can actually benefit much more than the typical athlete in most cases as we’ve seen demonstrated with beta-alanine.

Stout JR, Graves BS, Smith AE, Hartman MJ, Cramer JT, Beck TW, Harris RC. The effect of beta-alanine supplementation on neuromuscular fatigue in elderly (55-92 Years): a double-blind randomized study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2008 Nov 7;5(1):21.

Full Text found here.

While any type of physical training will have a number of health benefits, when it comes to improving specific measures of your physique and performance factors, there are certain combinations of training that are going to work better than others.

In a study performed out of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory in the University of Kansas, researchers looked at how a strength training program, an endurance training program, or a program that combined both methods of training would affect the measures of basal metabolic rate, body fat percentage, maximal aerobic power, and one-rep max for both bench press and squat.

The subjects performed each exercise protocol they were assigned to for a ten week period, performing either three sessions a week of jogging, three sessions a week of resistance training, or a combination of the two for three sessions a week.

The results indicated that BMR increased most dramatically in those who were performing either the resistance training program or the combined program, but not so for the endurance training group. Their BMR’s actually declined.  Body fat percentages on the other hand decreased the most for the combined training group, with both the resistance training and endurance training groups showing much less noticeable declines.

On the aerobic power side of things, improvements were seen the most in the endurance training group, and for the one rep max measure, the resistance training only group showed the greatest improvements.

So, to put this information into practice, if you are strictly looking to control body fat, you’re best off combining both endurance training and weight training in your program.  If you just want to boost your metabolic rate, you can do this through either combined training or resistance training alone, but doing just endurance training with the lack of resistance training will actually hinder your progress as far as body fat and metabolic rate are concerned.

Finally, if you are looking for performance specific improvements, than performing that modality alone is going to be your best option.

Reference:
Dolezal, BA. & Potteiger, JA. (1998) Concurrent resistance and endurance training influence basal metabolic rate in nondieting individuals. Journal of Applied Physiology. Aug;85(2):695-700.

"Consumption of grape and grape extracts and/or grape products such as red wine may be beneficial in preventing the development of chronic degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease," write Wayne R. Leifert, Ph.D., and Mahinda Y. Abeywardena, Ph.D., of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Adelaide, Australia.

The authors review the accumulating evidence that grape polyphenols work in many different ways to prevent cardiovascular and other "inflammatory-mediated" diseases. Polyphenols are natural antioxidants found in grapes and some other plant foods. Their types and actions vary, depending on where in the grape they are found. Grape seeds, grape skin, and grape juice contain several types of polyphenols, including resveratrol, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, and flavonoids.

Through their antioxidant effects, grape polyphenols help to slow or prevent cell damage caused by oxidation. Polyphenols decrease oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol)—a key step in the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Grape polyphenols also have other protective effects on the heart and blood vessels, including actions to reduce blood clotting, abnormal heart rhythms, and blood vessel narrowing. It’s not yet clear exactly how these benefits of polyphenols occur, although there is evidence of effects on cellular signaling and on the actions of certain genes. The wide range of health-promoting effects suggests that several different, possibly interrelated mechanisms may be involved.

So far, most of the evidence on grape polyphenols comes from laboratory experiments and animal studies. However, a few studies support the disease-preventing benefits of grapes in humans. Studies in patients treated with grape seed extracts have shown improvements in blood flow and cholesterol levels. In other studies, drinking Concord grape juice has improved measures of blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease and lowered blood pressure in patients with hypertension.

Studies investigating the lower rates of heart disease in France—the so-called "French paradox"—first raised the possibility that red wine might have health benefits. The subsequent research reviewed by Drs. Leifert and Abeywardena helps build the case that grapes and grape products might be a useful part of strategies to lower the high rate of death from cardiovascular disease.

At a time of growing interest in the use of "functional foods and nutraceuticals" to promote heart health, grapes and grape polyphenols are "attractive candidates" for use in such supplements, Drs. Leifert and Abeywardena believe. "Therefore," they conclude, "supplementation with grape seed, grape skin or red wine products may be a useful adjunct to consider for a dietary approach in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, although additional research is required to support such a strategy."

SOURCE: Elsevier, 2008.

Coauthor Jeffrey Blumberg is director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in Boston, Mass. He and colleagues reported the findings from this study in the Journal of Nutrition.

HNRCA scientists analyzed blood and urine samples from the subjects who had consumed three different dietary treatments, consisting of the same amount of calories each, for one month. The study was a cross-over, randomized clinical trial, so each subject received each treatment in random order.

Treatments consisted of a "full dose" of almonds, defined as 73 grams daily (about 2.5 ounces), a "half-dose" of almonds plus a half-dose of muffins, and a full-dose of muffins as a control. The subjects consumed a low-fat background diet and were counseled on strategies to maintain weight and to consistently follow their usual exercise routines throughout each test phase.

The researchers wanted to investigate possible antioxidant effects from eating almonds.

The team found that when the volunteers ate the full dose of almonds, their concentration of two biomarkers of oxidative stress–plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and urinary isoprostanes–were significantly lowered. MDA decreased by nearly 19 percent compared to the start of the study in the full-dose almond group. Isoprostane decreased by 27 percent in both the almond groups when compared to the control period, suggesting a possible threshold effect for that biomarker.

SOURCE: USDA/Agricultural Services

A recent study, combining creapure creatine with Russian Tarragon extract (Artemisia dracunculus L) was presented at this years ISSN conference. This placebo controlled study looked at plasma concentrations of creatine when combined with a specific Russian tarragon extract(Artemisia dracunculus L). Eleven healthy male subjects ingested either creatine(creapure)+Russian tarragon extract or a placebo. Creatine concentrations in the plasma were than measured at 60,90 and 120 minutes. The groups that ingested the creatine with the added russian tarragon extract, showed significant reductions in plasma creatine concentrations. The reductions were substantial and comparable to the area under curve(AUC) of the carbohydrate+creatine study using 75g of glucose, as well as the protein+creatine study, that used 50g protein and 47g CHO, combined with creatine. This is a major breakthrough study on creatine supplementation.

Ralf Jager, Iain P Kendrick, Martin Purpura, Roger C Harris, David M Ribnicky and Ivo Pishel
The effect of Russian Tarragon extract (Artemisia dracunculus L) on plasma creatine concentrations with creatine monohydrate administration.
Poster Presentation at the fifth annual international sports nutrition ISSN conference and expo. Volume 5, Suppl 1, 2008

BY: ATHLETIC EDGE NUTRITION

As you begin your journey into the world of supplementation you learn the value of hormonal manipulation or even more so, maintaining hormonal homeostasis. While the rewards having elevated testosterone levels are well known some of the less popular hormones such as cortisol are rarely given much thought.

Sure, you are probably aware that this is a hormone related stress and high levels of it can be deleterious to your overall health status. Believe it or not, there is strong relationship between cortisol and testosterone levels. In a nutshell, high levels of cortisol can impair the biosynthesis of testosterone so keeping them controlled, especially as a bodybuilder or someone competing as an elite athlete is of the utmost importance.

Fortunately, a research group from the University of Mississippi studied the effects of phosphatidylserine on endocrine response to moderate intensity exercise. Two of parameters of their clinical trial focused on it’s potential effects with regards to testosterone and cortisol levels. The trial lasted ten days and involved either a placebo or 600mg of phosphatidylserine post workout. After samples were collected and analyzed the results from the ten healthy male participants who underwent a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer showed some pretty remarkable results.

A  600mg daily dose of  phosphatidylserine lowered exercise induced cortisol on average by 35% and increased testosterone 37%. This altered the normal testosterone to cortisol ratio by over 180% which would appear to favor a the hormonal status anyone who exercises would benefit from. This confirmed other clinical studies which showed the inverse relation between cortisol and testosterone. Essentially, phosphatidylserine is effective at reducing exercise induced stress and maintaining optimal testosterone levels which otherwise might fall during long bouts of strenuous exercise.

In a practical application, those of you who are “natural” athletes or those using anabolics could all benefit from this. The reason being, cortisol levels have been attributed to increasing the presence of visceral adipose tissue (belly fat). If you are putting in long hours in the gym phosphatidylserine just might transiently help you maintain or achieve that sought after six pack or may just help your body bounce back a little faster.

Starks MA, Starks SL, Kingsley M, Purpura M, Jäger R. The effects of phosphatidylserine on endocrine response to moderate intensity exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2008 Jul 28;5:11.

Full text found here.

Much research has already demonstrated that weight lifting is one of the best ways you can use to go about increasing your metabolism over the long haul.  By lifting weights on a regular basis, you will increase the quantity of lean muscle tissue you have on your body, therefore increasing how many calories you burn on a daily basis just existing.

Recently researchers wanted to look at what role the contribution of blood lactate played with regards to total calorie expenditure during a given weight lifting protocol session.

Lactate levels will vary depending upon the style of weight lifting program you choose to use, so learning more about what programs help increase the calorie burn could prove to beneficial for those looking for maximum fat loss.

In the study, the researchers compared two different types of weight training, one group performing 60% of 1 rep max going until exhaustion, while the second group performed at 80% of 1 rep max using limited repetitions (not to exhaustion).

The methods used to determine total energy expenditure consisted of taking a blood lactate reading, monitoring exercise oxygen uptake, and looking at a modified excess post-exercise oxygen consumption rate (EPOC).

After the tests were taken, the data demonstrated that the total energy expenditure seen was significantly higher for those using a higher rep protocol (to exhaustion) when blood lactate volumes were taken into account (which helps to take into account ATP turnover during the workout session).

Without the including of the blood lactate readings, the results were similar for both set-ups, thus demonstrating that when evaluating total energy expended from a workout, results will be improved when this estimate of rapid anaerobic substrate-level
ATP turnover is included.

For you, this could suggest that if you are really focused on burning maximal fat from your weight training workouts, you should consider using a slightly higher rep range.

Reference:
CB, S. (2006) Contribution of blood lactate to the energy expenditure of weight training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.  University of Southern Maine. May;20(2):404-11.

Due to poor diet, over consumption of caffeine and alcohol, lack of exercise and a lot of stress, erectile dysfunction (ED) seems to becoming more and more of an issue in older men. Sales of Viagra and Cialis seem to be at an all-time high, and it would appear that men are even investigating the potential of the obviously crappy sex energy products available on the counters of 7-Eleven and gas stations.

                                                 Got wood?
A recent study using 50 patients with mild to moderate ED were treated for one month with a placebo or a combination of l-Arginine Aspartate and Pycnogenol, an extract from the bark of the French Maritime Pine tree. Patients kept sex diaries and answered questionnaires regarding their subjective feelings. Patients using the l-arginine aspartate and pycnogenol noted that their incidence of morning erections increased, as did their ability to initiate and sustain an erection, whereas those using the placebo did not. In addition to this, testosterone levels and endothelial NO synthase (e-NOS) were monitored, and both increased significantly. Researchers also noted that cholesterol levels and blood pressure were both lowered, with no side effects suffered.

Stanislavov R, Nikolova V, Rohdewald P. Improvement of erectile function with Prelox: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Int J Impot Res. 2008 Mar-Apr;20(2):173-80.