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Archive for the 'Advanced Supplement Discussion' Category
Friday, February 1st, 2008
I don’t use my blog as a platform for direct marketing of Gaspari Nutrition for numerous reasons. To me, this is an area for to express your thoughts, rant if need be, or share something with the rest of Bodybuilding.com community which you believe could be of interest of others. This is why I haven’t loaded this blog with affiliate links or tried to promote personal training or dieting services here to profit from. However, sometimes my role with Gaspari Nutrition does indeed give me cause to share something with you guys as it relates to my employment with them and so today’s story goes.
On the forums, our new NO2 product called PlasmaJet has been receiving a lot of attention which has mostly been positive. It is not yet sold on Bodybuilding.com but we have had a few members reviewing it and the results have been absolutely stellar. The majority of them has been reporting personal records on many lifts and truly been enjoying the effects. They are finding out while it is technically a NO2 product, it is the first one to actually improve physical performance in the gym in a significant manner.
Of course with the good comes the bad and we have been addressing some fairly poignant attacks regarding the inclusion of Peak ATP which we license from TSI Health Sciences. Despite my best efforts to break down some pretty dense research, the explanations would not appease those claiming to seek answers. Fortunately, since Gaspari Nutrition does respect intellectual property rights and understands the importance of utilizing the best compounds for our products we have access to some of the brightest minds in sport’s supplementation.
Adenosine 5′-triphosphate disodium salt
I’m not talking about people who lurk on forums or even authors who write for magazines. I’m talking about world renowned researchers with more published research and approved patents then you can shake a stick at. One of these great minds is Dr. Eliezer Rapaport who is the inventor of Peak ATP. Being able to interact with such an individual was an experience I will certainly not take for granted.
In today’s conference call involving Dr. Rapaport, Rich Gaspari, our COO, a representative of TSI, and myself, we were truly given an insight into PlasmaJet I never thought possible. I have to tell you it was pretty cool listening to Rich and Dr. Rapaport discuss the intricacies of the product and at times I was a bit too humbled to speak up and participate. However, I held my own and gained a much better perspective on how Peak ATP works in the context of PlasmaJet and truly improves performance to agree never seen before in any product in the nitric oxide class.
After lengthy discussion Dr. Rapaport also provided us with a nice position paper as well which you can read here.
Mr. Richard Gaspari
President and CEO
Gaspari Nutrition
501 Prospect St. Suite 107
Lakewood, NJ 08701 USA
Dear Rich,
Thank you for your time today on the conference call. Pursuant to your request, I wish to address some the questions you referenced today with respect to PEAK ATP?, and its ability to be absorbed by the body effectively when delivered in a liquid capsule formulation.
PlasmaJet is a glycerol based product containing PEAK ATP (disodium salt of adenosine 5?-triphosphate (ATP)). ATP, which is highly soluble in water, is not soluble in glycerol, we feel this benefits its stability this liquid capsule delivery vehicle in general.
Further, it is our position that ATP is stable in liquid capsules that contain the L-Arginine proprietary mixture developed by Gaspari Nutrition. After swallowing the capsules, they disintegrate in the stomach where ATP, along with the other ingredients, dissolve readily after the dilution of the glycerol (especially when athletes consume PlasmaJet with your recommended consumption of water). ATP, at a level of 200-250 mg/day, has its own buffering capacity in solution (pH 4-4.5), and it is completely stable in the gastric environment. Furthermore, it is now well established that absorption from a solution is much faster than absorption from a solid formulation, 20-30 minutes versus 30-120 minutes respectively. ATP is highly soluble in saliva or gastric juices and has its own buffering capacity, and it is completely protected from the gastric acidity of pH 1-2. The acidity of the stomach, over time at 370C, would cause a breakdown of the adenine-ribose bond in ATP. This is, however, not the case in PlasmeJet or any solid dose of ATP.
Scientific evidence suggests the disodium salt of ATP does not need to be enteric coated in order to be protected to produce significant biological effects. However, it remains my position that the optimal delivery of ATP in solid dosage form is through enteric means, the exceptions are liquid capsules as well as effervescent tablets, quick dissolve tablets and drink mixes delivered through aqueous means.
Additionally, disodium-ATP is now an approved drug in France under the brand name ATEPADENE? marketed by Laboratoires Mavoly-Spindler. ATEPADENE was approved for the treatment of subacute low back pain, which is muscular in origin. Namely, patients whereby the low back pain is a result of trauma, cancer or causes other than muscle pain were excluded. The effectiveness of ATP in this indication is attributed to the enhanced removal of lactic acid from low back skeletal muscle environment. ATP was shown effective in two large multi-sited trials, one of which was also double-blinded. Disodium-ATP was delivered orally as a solid powder in a two part hard shell capsule, which is not enteric coated. Patients took a dose of 90 milligrams disodium-ATP per day. These two clinical trials demonstrated that disodium-ATP is active without enteric coating at much lower levels than the doses recommended for PlasmaJet, for this specific indication. In addition, subacute low back pain (lumbago) is muscular in origin and the stimulation of blood flow, which is the biological basis for recovery, is a mechanism that operates after taking PlasmaJet. PlasmaJet is most likely more effective than disodium-ATP alone because of the presence of multiple mechanisms due to the action of ATP and L-Arginine in synergy. I enclose copies of the two published French papers, which clearly show that disodium-ATP need not be enterical coated to be effective in stimulation of blood flow along with the insert of ATEPADENE, the brand name of the product.
Once the L-Arginine and ATP are absorbed in the duodenum (the proximal part of the small intestine), and following established mechanisms, the increased level of blood plasma ATP and its degradation product adenosine stimulate both the uptake of L-Arginine by vascular endothelial cells and the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), which is catalyzed by nitric oxide synthase (NOS).
The elevated NO produces an immediate vasorelaxation (vasodilation) increased blood flow to skeletal muscle resulting in enhanced disposal of oxygen, glucose and other nutrients to the working muscle, along with significant stimulation of removal of lactic acid and ammonia which are byproducts of the exercising muscle. Overall, the stimulated removal of lactic acid yields a decrease in muscle ache and enhanced recovery.
I hope this answers your questions. Please let me know if you are in need of further assistance.
Best regards,
Eliezer Rapaport, Ph.D. ”
When all is said and done, I said to myself, “You are one lucky mother****er Dan.” How many opportunities in life do you have to sit down and discuss your passions with PhD’s like Dr. Rapaport and an IFBB Hall of Famer like Rich Gaspari? Fortunately for me, occurrences like this are now a reality in my roll with Gaspari Nutrition. The future is certainly bright and it’s truly an honor to have opportunities to be in the presence of both physical and intellectual greatness.
-What a man can be, he must be. This need we call self-actualization.
Abraham Maslow
Posted in Advanced Supplement Discussion
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
Quote:
| Zhang G, Shirai N, Higuchi T, Suzuki H, Shimizu E. Effect of Erabu Sea Snake (Laticauda semifasciata) Lipids on the Swimming Endurance of Aged Mice.Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2008 Dec;53(6):476-81.
The effect of Erabu sea snake (Laticauda semifasciata) lipids on the swimming endurance was investigated in aged mice. Fifty three-week-old male Crlj:CD-1 (ICR) mice were fed one of three experimental diets containing either 6% lard, 6% fish oil, or 6% sea snake lipids for 16 wk. The swimming exercise was carried out in an acrylic plastic tank filled with 25 cm of water maintained at 23(o)C. Swimming times to exhaustion were measured with a load of 2% of their body weights attached to the tails of the mice. The swimming times to exhaustion of the group that were fed the sea snake lipid diet tended to be longer than those of the lard diet group, and were significantly improved compared with the fish oil diet group (p<0.05). The plasma and muscle lactate levels were significantly lower in the sea snake lipid diet group than in the lard and fish oil diet groups (p<0.05). The liver glycogen and plasma glucose levels of the sea snake lipid diet group did not differ markedly from those of the lard diet group (p>0.05), and were significantly higher than those of the fish oil diet group (p<0.05). These results suggest that an intake of sea snake lipids but not the fish oil, which is also rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), is useful for improving the swimming endurance of aged mice by attenuating lactate production and/or enhancing lactate clearance during swimming exercise, and the n-3 PUFAs contained in the sea snake lipids did little or nothing for this improved endurance. |
Apparently the sea snake lipids have the ability to increase lactate clearance from plasma. Lactate is formed during anaerobic exercise such as weight lifting, sprinting, and in some endurance exercise depending on the individual lactate threshold. Anyway, it appears at least in mice that snake oil does have some efficacy in raising the lactate threshold.
It would be interesting to see the implications of supplemental snake oil deployed in humans using Fartlek or interval training as the exercise medium. Either way, it looks the snake oil salesman might be getting his fifteen minutes of fame with some righteous humor.
Posted in Advanced Supplement Discussion
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
It’s no doubt that in the supplement industry us manufacturers are vying for market presence by “one upping” the competition in terms of marketing and formulation. Pick up any bodybuilding magazine and you will see RIDICULOUS advertisement claims which are often not supported by any clinical research. Sometimes I wish I had gone into law just I could throw the Lanham Act at some of these purveyors of “broscience.”
Broscience - a term first used on the Bodybuilding.com forums to describe those most likely to pass on false information while using the term “bro”
Yes, I work for the company that came out with the infamous “box” ad and you are probably thinking, “Who the **** is this guy?” Beyond the obvious marketing genius which captured our target market we did not make up the statistics used in the ad and every single one of the ingredients has research supporting its efficacy.
As you most of you may or may not know beta-alanine (3-Aminopropanoic acid) is hottest new supplement on the market since creatine. From the hardest training athlete looking for increased muscular endurance to the most disgusting Big Mac eating slob who needs to fight off diabetes related advanced glycation end products, beta alanine can certainly be of great benefit. Even better, this compound is dirt cheap, not aromatic, and is extremely water soluble. Keep in mind what percentage of your body mass is actually water too!
Beta-Alanine
Despite its solubility being so high some have found it necessary to bastardize this intriguing compound through esterfication. I’m fairly certain many of you of became aware of the “ethyl ester” craze when during the CEE boom which has essentially been pissed on by recent research studies conducted by Dr. Marc Tallon et al.
You’d even be surprised at what popular CEE products apparently are actually creatine monohydrate and have been “called out” in a recent class action lawsuit which I’ll leave nameless because I don’t need to be named in another federal lawsuit for merely stating the truth about some the scum in the supplement industry. They should have just called their product NO-CEE.
Fortunately, Dr. Roger Harris who is one of the world’s foremost respected beta-alanine researchers has stepped to the plate to let the truth be known about beta-alanine ethyl ester HCL (Ethyl 3-aminopropionate hydrochloride).
Beta-Alanine Ethyl Ester HCL
“Beta Alanine Ethyl Ester HCl
19 Nov 2007
Correctly named = Ethyl 3-aminopropionate hydrochloride
WARNING
We have seen a few alarming cases of beta alanine ethyl ester HCl advertised for sale on the internet. Whilst it may seem that this is a new form of beta alanine, we must draw your attention to the safety data of this unnatural product.
Sigma Aldrich, one of the major global pharmaceutical and chemical suppliers, states on its own website Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), the following:
Quote:
1 - Toxicological Information
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE
To the best of our knowledge, the chemical, physical, and toxicological properties have not been thoroughly investigated.
MSDS is the international data standard covering a wide range of safety information intended for research and industrial handling of products and complies with international treaties. As a major global pharmaceutical company Sigma Aldrich really are a company that have access to current safety information.
Here’s the link if you may want to go to and check for yourself.
Or alternatively you can go through the WWW to their site and do a search for the chemical and then click to see the MSDS page. The company is Sigma Aldrich.
Why you should be concerned.
This is not a natural chemical. It is not beta alanine. Whilst the name retains the words beta alanine it is not the same - it is chemically changed and the correct full name is ethyl 3-aminopropionate hydrochloride.
Without genuine clinical safety trials, which can take decades, to investigate safety for humans and possible long term side effects, it is not possible to say that this ethyl ester derivative is safe.
Technical
Part of the molecule has been covalently esterified (in this case to add on a -CH2CH3 or ethyl side chain). Esterifcation is a reaction between a carboxylic acid group -COOH with an alcohol group. Covalent bonds are chemically strong and do not simply dissolve or break down in the body unless they come under chemical attack or the body has a specific enzyme to perform this function.
HCl
The term hydrochloride is not part of the chemical structure. It is not covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule and only forms a weak ‘ionic’ association. The HCl is released as soon as it is mixed with water or when it enters the stomach for example, in contrast to the ethyl ester.
Chemically changing a molecule and toxicity.
Curiously there are two serious problems that are always overlooked (or deliberately avoided) when those sorts of products are marketed.
1. To be effective the ethyl side chain must be removed because it alters the chemical properties and prevents the specific enzymes from utilising the so-called beta alanine ‘part’ of the molecule.
2. The new ester chemical might be so close in shape to the original that not only does it find the necessary enzyme but it may also bind to it blocking the reaction site. If this happens permanently this is known as Non-competitive inhibition and this can be toxic.
Urban myth
The belief is that by altering the structure the chemical becomes more easily absorbed - however beta alanine (the real thing already is easily absorbed).
A similar myth has been created for creatine ethyl ester. Again, to be effective the ethyl ester side chain MUST be removed - otherwise you don’t have creatine you actually have (?-Methylguanido)-acetyl-ethyl ester. This could be removed by a blood plasma borne esterase enzyme - totally defeating the claimed benefits in the first place. Because as soon as the side chain is chemically removed all you have once again is creatine that still has to be transported into muscle cells via the transporter- Didn’t they tell you this bit? It would be interesting to see the results of a kinetics study of the effect of creatine ethyl ester upon Creatine Kinase (CK). CK is the body’s only enzyme that can utilise creatine by adding a phosphate group - ready then to be used to regenerate ATP. CK is found in 3 isoforms: muscle, blood and brain. Something to risk toxic effects with? We think not.”
Please note this is another win for the good guys based on sound scientific explanation and respect for supplement consumers. To the other guys, well…..
*This is a repost because the original post was altered somehow and not by me.
Posted in Advanced Supplement Discussion
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
It appears that ingesting carbohydrates along with electrolytes (sodium and potassium are also in SizeON) these negative physiological processes are attenuated (5). By drinking something like SizeON you most notably limit the effects of that 5-HT has on limiting dopamine production (6) by limiting tryptophan transport into the brain (7).
5. Winnick JJ, Davis JM, Welsh RS, Carmichael MD, Murphy EA, Blackmon JA.Carbohydrate feedings during team sport exercise preserve physical and CNS function. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005 Feb;37(2):306-15.
6. Fernstrom JD, Fernstrom MH. Exercise, serum free tryptophan, and central fatigue. J Nutr. 2006Feb;136(2):553S-559S.
7. Davis JM, Bailey SP, Woods JA, Galiano FJ, Hamilton MT, Bartoli WP. Effects of carbohydrate feedings on plasma free tryptophan and branched-chain amino acids during prolonged cycling. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1992;65(6):513-9.
Originally Posted by Peter LeDrew  I thought carbs increased Tryptophan availablility in the brain?
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Not during exercise, but in a resting state yes. Here is a great paper on the matter. I suggest anyone who considers dosages of intraworkout BCAA’s over 7 grams highly effective in improving performance versus carbs read this. I’m still playing devil’s advocate on the matter for what it’s worth.
Follow the debate on intra-workout nutrition here:
Posted in Advanced Supplement Discussion
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007
Methyltestosterone is very hepatoxic. However, dudes will do anything to get big including using this. I wonder if I shit in a bottle and call it FecalDrol or MethylTaint if it would sell well? I’m sure some of these no-ethic webtailers would surely sell it. Anyway, here is how to properly take this compound, in theory. I don’t endorse this at all but am also sick of getting questions about it.
Here’s a sample dosing protocol:
Week 1 - 5mg (per day)
Week 2 - 10mg
Week 3 - 10mg
Week 4 - 10mg
As far as a good OTC anti-e goes 6-OXO or Novedex XT would work fine. However, since you will experience shutdown you will need a SERM to kickstart your own test production. I recommend Toremifene for that as it is a step up from Nolva and well studied in men. Here’s a sample PCT dosing protocol:
Day 1: Toremifene 120mg, 600mg 6-OXO or 3-4 Novedex XT
Day 2: Toremifene 120mg, 600mg 6-OXO or 3-4 Novedex XT
Day 3-7: Toremifene 80, 600mg 6-OXO or 3-4 Novedex XT
Day 8-14: Toremifene 40mg, 400mg 6-OXO or 3-4 Novedex XT
Day 15-21: Toremifine 40mg, 400MG 6-OXO or 3-4 Novedex XT
Day 21-28: 200MG 6-OXO or 2 Novedex XT
Day 29-35: 200MG 6-OXO or 2 Novedex XT
*I’d also recommend running SAMe (400mg) and Silymarin (600mg) per day throughout. You could also use some 7-OXO-DHEA throughout as well.
Anyway, don’t be that guy who turns yellow because he was drinking on cycle or decided to stack methyls. Your liver will thank you.
Posted in Advanced Supplement Discussion
Thursday, November 1st, 2007
Quote:
Originally Posted by irvston  hey D
what do you think of 11 OXO?
Sam |
Adrenosterone aka 4-Androstene-3,11,17-trione is new to the market but not new to the steroid gurus out there. Essentially, at moderate doses it is an effectual cortisol reducer with some very mild anabolic properties and HPTA suppression. It does this by preventing the 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type1 reductase to act on cortisone to form cortisol.
Adrenosterone At low doses this is great, but at high doses I feel greatly reducing corticosteroids is foolish. As always, balance is key and throwing the tipping the scale too far one way will have negative consequences. I haven’t seen any reports of side effects of megadosing adrenosterone yet but I would guess some of the symptoms would be lowered immune response, attentuation of important inflammation responces, and electrolyte imbalances. I’m sure some of the characteristics would be similiar to the symptoms to Addison’s disease.
In a moderate dose seems to be the real beauty of this compound. Cortisol control is one aspect of fatloss or even bulking few bodybuilders realize can maxmize the actualization of their physique goals. Few realize that stress hormones greatly influence fat accumulation or make it more difficult to lose.
Another good cortisol reducer is 7-Keto-DHEA and it has no anabolic properties as it cannot be converted to any sex hormones. I usually recommend this just because of supporting research available and even natural athletes can use this without any HPTA suppression.
Posted in Advanced Supplement Discussion
Tuesday, October 30th, 2007
I received a request to design a hardcore non-stimulant cutting stack to last over the duration of 8 weeks. This goal of this stack is to keep thyroid levels at a high level, keep testosterone boosted while keeping estrogen low, and to flat out melt fat. I think it will do the trick.
Week 1: 3 Lean Xtreme 2.0*
Day 8-9: 1 Novedex XT**, 3 Lean Xtreme 2.0*+
Day 10-11: 2 Novedex XT**, 3 Lean Xtreme 2.0*+
Day 12-21: 3 Novedex XT**, 3 Lean Xtreme 2.0*+
Day 22-23: 1 Thyrotab*, 3 Novedex XT**, 3 Lean Xtreme 2.0*+
Day 24-25: 2 Thyrotabs*, 3 Novedex XT**, 3 Lean Xtreme 2.0*+
Day: 26-28: 3 Thyotabs*, 3 Novedex XT**, 3 Lean Xtreme 2.0*+
Week 5: 3 Thyrotabs*, 3 Novedex XT**
Week 6: 3 Thyrotabs*, 3 Novedex XT**
Week 7: 2 Thyotabs*, 3 Novedex XT**
Week 8: 1 Thyrotab*, 2 Novedex XT**
Throughout this time I also recommend taking in about 5-10 grams of BCAA’s during your workouts and about 3 grams of creatine monohydrate or some other form per training day. Off days are unnecessary as creatine turnover is much slower.
*Dose spread evenly throughout the day 30 minutes before meals
** Taken Before Bed
+ Subtract one dose on non-workout days
Posted in Training, Advanced Supplement Discussion
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
Quote:
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Originally Posted by B P Spin
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Agreed. I think one thing that will be overlooked in this study is the age range of the group (26.6 +/- 4.9 years). I do feel this study would have certainly had much more dramatic results in an older with possible increases in mass having a linear relationship with increasing age.
Like the Novedex XT study I really would have liked to see the diets of these individuals because as we all know, gains, fat loss, etc are based on diet. My ideal study would include similiar protocols, but would actually include hypercaloric diets relative to maintenance diets with macronutrients adjusted for LBM. The control group would also have the same dietary protocol.
Now I know some are saying, “Wow, 6-OXO doesn’t build muscle” but this isn’t entirely true. While raising free test levels isn’t going to put on a lot of mass if any, as the Novedex XT showed study, it is still best to keep your test levels and your T/E ratio at optimal levels, especially while cutting or going into PCT. 6-OXO does this well. This a huge factor few people realize.
Actually, I am VERY tempted to hand a certain editor his ass on this matter because his recent criticisms regarding this study are unfounded and downright ignorant. A low T/E ratio is not a good physiological state for men, especially bodybuilders. While 6-OXO isn’t a mass builder per se (we all knew this) it will certainly keep your T/E ratio optimal.
As mentioned raising free test certainly isn’t like injecting test as some would like you to think. However, the benefits are certainly there and have been observed. Here is a great study to read on the matter and let me know if any of you have any questions:
Roy TA, Blackman MR, Harman SM, Tobin JD, Schrager M, Metter EJ. Interrelationships of serum testosterone and free testosterone index with FFM and strength in aging men.Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Aug;283(2):E284-94.
http://ajpendo.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/283/2/E284
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dr.P
the question is: does an elevation of testosterone levels and an increase of the T:E ratio above normal values affect body parameters, yes or no?
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I’m not sure, but there is a correlation of higher testosterone to how much you will get laid (in college) and how many women you can string along. I might have to recommend this claim for future marketing in both Halodrol Liquigels and Novedex XT. 
Bogaert A. F., & Fisher W. A. (1995). Predictors of university men’s number of sexual partners. Journal of Sex Research, 32, 119-130
Anders S, Hamilton L, Watson N. Multiple partners are associated with higher testosterone in North American men and women. Hormones and Behavior. Volume 51, Issue 3, March 2007, Pages 454-459
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dr.P
haha, interesting stuff. but nonetheless, you are again speaking about variations of test levels within a normal range. what you get from ATD / 6-oxo are however supraphysiological levels, twice (6-oxo) or even severalfold (ATD) higher than already normal baseline levels of testosterone.
If one could translate the correlations between high normal-range test levels and sexual activity from the study you have cited to the supraphysiologically high test levels after the use of aromatase inhibitors, then people who are on ATD should become real sex-monsters. however, many users report rather reduced libido while on ATD.
So, IMHO, supraphysiological test-levels are a different animal than normal test levels and therefore variations of test levels within normal ranges appear to show different effects than variations of test levels which are substantially beyond and above the normal range. |
Honestly, I think those that suffer loss of libido are actually taking too much ATD. Now this is highly speculative but if you lower estrogen too much could that an effect on lowering serotonin transporter activity which could have a negative impact on postsynaptic serotonin receptors the same way SSRI’s do? They kill libido as well. I’m curious to hear you thoughts on this.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=5186713
Posted in Advanced Supplement Discussion
Thursday, October 18th, 2007
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Elderlandwurm
for every study debunking (or fortifying) a supplement, there will be two studies debunking those studies, and four studies debunking those studies, and so on and so on…
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There isn’t a single study study supporting the efficacy of CEE in humans, rats, or the good bros. As a matter of fact, the University of Nebraska applied for a patent and even cited this study:
 Creatine Ethyl Ether James D. Mold, Robert C. Gore, Joseph M. Lynch, E. J. Schantz. J. Am. Chem. Soc.; 1955; 77(1); 178-180. The patent officer reviewing the application then asked why they would use this to support its efficacy when it clearly shows CEE will result in a high amount of creatinine in vivo. The U of Nebraska couldn’t prove its safety and thus the application was denied, but it does look like they are trying again  . However, the hype of this hit the supp industry like a tidal wave and thus everyone began marketing it. Talk about one of the biggest scams ever.
It would be unfair just lambast those marketing CEE because those marketing CM were at fault as well. They fed the hype machine of CEE because they didn’t bother to dose CM correctly either. “The World 1# Selling Creatine Product” calls for a 30 gram x 7 day loading period and then 10 gram maintenance dose which is over 3x higher than what is required in the average sized male. This is why we hear about the dreaded bloat etc. If you dose creatine correctly this won’t happen whether you are a responder or not. Talk about BackFireTech.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used CEE, thaought it was decent, but it took twice amount to give me the same results of CM. PLacebo is a powerful effect which most don’t understand unless they have done a fair amount of clinical research.
Regardless, Uncle Sam might not be too happy about this just like they weren’t with recent FCC fines handed down to Cytodyne, Trimspa, etc for false claims and sinous research claims which clearly break every truth in advertising law in existence. Frankly, I hope they fine the living shit out of of the heavy hitters pimping CEE products with their BS claims.
__________________
Posted in Advanced Supplement Discussion
Sunday, October 14th, 2007
For the record, "popular" BCAA dosing protocols are rediculous and foolish. They are designed so the consumer will use more product quicker. Even worse, some of those pimping this protocol are on gear which I have to laugh at as well. "Megedose your BCAA’s and use this diet for great results." We’ll leave out the winnie, deca, and g-d knows what else from the bottom line. Gluconeogenesis doesn’t give you those results and if it did we’d all be shooting dextrose.
Don’t get me wrong, I like BCAA’s. To me, a small dose intraworkout goes a long ways and there is no need to megadose. I’m basing my own opinion on the understand that I have a higher rate of gastric emptying then most people. I eat numerous small meals a day and leave a larger window between meal frequency around workout times. This study here definately highlights the Catch 22 of BCAA’s in the conclusion:
Quote:
| Although in many human exercise studies, a dose of >5 g of BCAA was used as a supplement, the minimum dose to produce the beneficial effects of BCAA supplementation remains to be established. Furthermore, the most effective ratio of the three BCAAs is unclear. Toxicity studies of BCAAs using animals showed that BCAAs are quite safe amino acids when the three BCAAs are provided in a ratio similar to that of animal protein (e.g., a 2:1:1 leucine:isoleucine:valine ratio). Although leucine is the most potent amino acid among the BCAAs for stimulating protein synthesis, supplementation of leucine alone may cause BCAA imbalance via the activating effect of its keto acid on the BCKDH complex. A number of research groups examined whether BCAA supplementation might have a beneficial effect on endurance performance (32–36), but the results are inconsistent. Additional studies are required to clarify the appropriate amount of BCAA supplementation for beneficial effects and the responsible mechanisms. |
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/134/6/1583S
Since exercise causes BCAA oxidation I do feel that injestion of small amount of free form BCAA’s decrease BCKDH complex activity. This is why some like myself don’t experience a high degree of DOMS while using BCAA’s. I also feel that on a hypercaloric diet, this benefit is certainly decreased. However, I do feel there is some benefit eitherway, whether small while hypercaloric, or much grander while hyporcaloric.
I do also feel there is something to be said about leucine. Some are avoiding the fact that free form leucine does have a effect nutrient signalling and down regulation of catabolic pathways. Is some supplemental free form leucine beneficial in temporarily tricking the body into thinking it’s in a fed state? It’s possible. Will adding a bunch in with your shakes or PWO impact your physique? Probably not. Obviously when combine this with carbs you can’t pinpoint the effect because carbs themselves are obviously insulinotopropic (to a much greater degree then leucine).
However, those of you who are saying you get plenty of leucine in your diet do have a point. Anyone meeting their protien requirements does. You cannot argue there is a chance of going catabolic while working out, doing double sessions of cardio, etc. To me, the small investment of flavored BCAA’s helps me to stay out of this state and can mildly help with my recovery. If it’s just placebo, then so be it, because I feel and look a lot better when I use them. I’d much rather be drinking some flavored BCAA’s that turn my water pink than sipping on pureed steak or chicken at the gym. Call me fashionable.
Posted in Advanced Supplement Discussion
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