The Quest

Do real men eat soy? Perhaps. But if they want to become fathers, they may want to limit their tofu intake. A new study shows that downing soy products may lower sperm count. The reason, according to the research published in the journal Human Reproduction (pdf): soy beans contain high amounts of phytoestrogens, organic compounds that mimic the female hormone estrogen in the human body and, in animal studies, have been shown to reduce testosterone levels. Lead study author Jorge Chavarro, a research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health,and his colleagues found that men who ate at least half a serving a day of soy had, on average, 34 million fewer sperm per milliliter than those who skipped it. But Chavarro doesn’t recommend you give up the soy burgers—at least not yet. He notes that the study was limited (99 men) and that more research is needed to prove that tofu actually reduces male fertility.

Snap-happy dieters reap benefits

•                   05 September 2008
• From New Scientist Print Edition. Subscribe and get 4 free issues.       

  WATCHING what you eat really does help, at least if you do it through a camera lens. That’s the conclusion of a study of dieters’ eating habits comparing the effect of written food diaries with taking a snapshot of each meal.

Food diaries track food consumption during weight loss programmes, but now taking a snapshot of each meal is replacing the laborious task of writing down everything you eat. To see if photos might also prompt healthier eating, Lydia Zepeda and David Deal at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told 43 people to record what they ate for one week in words and as pictures.

When they quizzed the volunteers, photo diaries seemed to be the most effective. Not only did they provide powerful visual documentation of snack binges, they also triggered critical evaluation at just the right time - before the food was eaten (International Journal of Consumer Studies, DOI: 10.1111/j.1470-6431.2008.00725.x). "I had to think more carefully about what I was going to eat because I had to take a picture of it," was a typical response.

In contrast, written diaries are often completed long after the meal and do not create as powerful a reminder of the quantity and quality of the food that was eaten.

"Nutritionists see diaries as recording tools. Now they should explore the role of photo diaries as intervention tools," says Zepeda.

From the Scientific American:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=experts-organic-milk-lasts-longer&sc=DD_20080606 

Why does organic milk last so much longer than regular milk?

Craig Baumrucker, professor of animal nutrition and physiology at Pennsylvania State University, pours out an answer:

So what is it about organic milk that makes it stay fresh so long?

Actually, it turns out that it has nothing to do with the milk being organic. All “organic” means is that the farm the milk comes from does not use antibiotics to fight infections in cows or hormones to stimulate more milk production.

Organic milk lasts longer because producers use a different process to preserve it. According to the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, the milk needs to stay fresh longer because organic products often have to travel farther to reach store shelves since its not produced throughout the country.

The process that gives the milk a longer shelf life is called ultrahigh temperature (UHT) processing or treatment, in which milk is heated to 280 degrees Fahrenheit (138 degrees Celsius) for two to four seconds, killing any bacteria in it.

Compare that to pasteurization, the standard preservation process. There are two types of pasteurization: “low temperature, long time,” in which milk is heated to 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) for at least 30 minutes*, or the more common “high temperature, short time,” in which milk is heated to roughly 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) for at least 15 seconds.

The different temperatures hint at why UHT-treated milk lasts longer: Pasteurization doesn’t kill all bacteria in the milk, just enough so that you don’t get a disease with your milk mustache. UHT, on the other hand, kills everything.

Retailers typically give pasteurized milk an expiration date of four to six days. Ahead of that, however, was up to six days of processing and shipping, so total shelf life after pasteurization is probably up to two weeks. Milk that undergoes UHT doesn’t need to be refrigerated and can sit on the shelf for up to six months.

Regular milk can undergo UHT, too. The process is used for the room-temperature Parmalat milk found outside the refrigerator case and for most milk sold in Europe.

So why isn’t all milk produced using UHT?

One reason is that UHT-treated milk tastes different. UHT sweetens the flavor of milk by burning some of its sugars (caramelization). A lot of Americans find this offensive—just as they are leery of buying nonrefrigerated milk. Europeans, however, don’t seem to mind.

UHT also destroys some of the milk’s vitamin content—not a significant amount—and affects some proteins, making it unusable for cheese.

There are, of course, lots of reasons people buy organic milk. But if it’s the long shelf life you’re after, I would recommend you buy nonorganic UHT milk and avoid being charged double.

 

*Correction (6/6/08): This sentence originally said “milk is heated to 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) for at least 30 seconds.” (The error occurred during editing by the staff of ScientificAmerican.com and is not the fault of  the expert.)

Has anyone tried the new Muscle Tech Anabolic Halo?  If so what did you think of it?

Well its time to get started !

Whew glad that is OVER.  The contest was fun but tough as all of them are.  I was pretty exhausted to be honested and wished that we only had to do the mandatory posing and then they judge and give the awards (I think everyone was too tired to do the posing routines LOL).  Anyway I earned 2nd place and I am happy but I want to win the title….so on to the gym (after a few days off of course).  I think that sometimes we forget that the competitors may take a few days to recover, get their head sorted, get back to work and THEN they finally make all the phone calls and internet posts to tell people the result of their event.  Most times the athletes are far too tired mentally and possibly physically, to jump online or ring everyone who will listen to tell of their result ….even if they win.

 I also wonder about recovery after a contest.  What or how should a person treat their body for a smooth or optimal recovery?  I know that many competitors when they are done for the season go out and have "junky" types of foods and they all know what happens when they do that…..

The next big contest is the IFBB NPC Nationals to be held in October.  Our guest poser is Dennis Wolf so of course I dont want to miss that!

Well the weigh in was yesterday (Sat.) and the IFBB NPC Australasia is today (Sun.)  I am up very early.  We have  prejudging at 9am but I woke up at like 5 am. I suppose its just the nerves and checking on my conditioning.  All day Sat. I have had carbohydrates, rice and sweet potato and a few pieces of fruit (pears and banana). I did not have much protein or fat because I am have been on a low carb diet and I am SO over having fat and protein also I found that I got bloated when I had carbs and protein together.  I suspect that my digestive system has adjusted to not having carbs.

My flight was at 6am into Sydney on Saturday. It was not much problem getting upat 4:30 am to get to the airport. Keep in mind I have been getting up at 5am for the past few months so I can do cardio and some weights before work. So I am fairly adjusted to getting up like this and being active. My hotel is great. Its in downtown Sydney so all I have to do is take the train direct from the airport to the CBD train stop and then walk 2 blocks to my hotel.  I have one mate here who is taking me to the weigh in on Sat. and prelims. on Sunday.

I find weigh ins very intimidating.  EVERYONE looks so good !  Also you have the onlookers who are not competing who are on the sidelines making  comments and taking notes on your physique for next season.  Sure they talk crap about how BIG they will be at the next contest and about how they will beat you.  In fact I had someone approach me in that manner.  They made comment on my size and stated how they will be 240 lbs at Nationals and how I never have been that big. So, I simply said to them, not to worry…I have had to punish many guys up at 240lbs when I beat them by focusing on my strengths. I think what these guys forget is that it is bodybuilding…not weight gaining compeition.  There is a combination of size, symmetry, muscularity and density that is important as well as just sheer size.

Well…lets see if I can put this all to use.  This morning I am going to have some eggs and banana from breakfast.  Then 2 hours before going onstage I will have some ice cream. I will also have some NO Xplode just before pump up. What do you think about this final nutrition prep?
Wish me luck !

Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2008 Apr;291(4):448- 55.
Melatonin is as effective as testosterone in the prevention of soleus muscle atrophy induced by castration in rats.

Oner J, Oner H, Sahin Z, Demir R, Ustünel I.
The purpose of this experiment was to compare the weight, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) expression, and ultrastructure of the soleus muscle in growing castrated rats treated with testosterone or melatonin. In this study, adult male Wistar albino rats were used. The groups were arranged as sham, castrated, and testosterone- or melatonin-injected groups after castration. The soleus muscle samples were fixed in Bouin’s solution for immunohistochemistr y, and in 2.5% gluteraldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). Whereas castration reduced the soleus weight and fiber diameter, testosterone and melatonin administration increased them. IGF-I immunostaining observed in the satellite cells and periphery of the myofibers was least intense in the castrated group. Strong staining of IGF-I was observed in the testosterone- and melatonin-administe red groups. The ultrastructure of the soleus muscle in castrated animals showed the important ultrastructural modifications related to degeneration. In these groups, degenerative mitochondria, glycogen clusters under the sarcolemma, irregular Z lines, and loss of lamina externa were observed. The ultrastructure of myofibrils in the testosterone- and melatonin-injected groups was similar to that in sham groups in view of structure. In conclusion, we suggest that melatonin is as effective as testosterone in the prevention of atrophy induced by castration through the IGF-I axis. 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc

It seems that any time anyone develops a supplement or drug that actually helps with performance or anti ageing its immediately banned by the various sports authorities…(usually without consultation or review from the public)  So if this study posted here has merit, what next? ban Tylenol from the Olympics? ban all over the counter pain medications?

ScienceDaily (Apr. 7, 2008) — Taking daily recommended dosages of
ibuprofen and acetaminophen caused a substantially greater increase
over placebo in the amount of quadriceps muscle mass and muscle
strength gained during three months of regular weight lifting, in a
study by physiologists at the Human Performance Laboratory, Ball
State University.

Dr. Chad Carroll, a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Todd Trappe,
reported study results at Experimental Biology 2008 in San Diego on
April 6.*

Thirty-six men and women, between 60 and 78 years of age (average age
65), were randomly assigned to daily dosages of either ibuprofen
(such as that in Advil), acetaminophen (such as that in Tylenol), or
a placebo. The dosages were identical to those recommended by the
manufacturers and were selected to most closely mimic what chronic
users of these medicines were likely to be taking. Neither the
volunteers nor the scientists knew who was receiving which treatment
until the end of the study.

All subjects participated in three months of weight training, 15-20
minute sessions conducted in the Human Performance Laboratory three
times per week. The researchers knew from their own and other studies
that training at this intensity and for this time period would
significantly increase muscle mass and strength. They expected the
placebo group to show such increases, as its members did, but they
were surprised to find that the groups using either ibuprofen or
acetaminophen did even better.

An earlier study from the laboratory, measuring muscle metabolism (or
more precisely, muscle protein synthesis, the mechanism through which
new protein is added to muscle), had looked at changes over a 24 hour
period. This "acute" study found that both ibuprofen and
acetaminophen had a negative impact, by blocking a specific enzyme
cyclooxygenase, commonly referred to as COX.

But that study looked at only one day. Over three months, says Dr.
Trappe, the chronic consumption of ibuprofen or acetaminophen during
resistance training appears to have induced intramuscular changes
that enhance the metabolic response to resistance exercise, allowing
the body to add substantially more new protein to muscle.

The amount of change was measured in quadricep muscles using Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (MRI), the gold standard for determining muscle
mass. The researchers now are conducting assays of muscle biopsies
taken before and after the three-month period of resistance training,
in order to understand the metabolic mechanism of the positive
effects of ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

One of the foci of Ball State’s Human Performance Laboratory is the
adaptation of the elderly to exercise. Another is the loss of muscle
mass that takes place when astronauts are exposed to long-term
weightlessness. This work has implications for both groups, says Dr.
Trappe.

*This presentation was part of the scientific program of the American
Physiological Society (APS). In addition to Dr. Carroll and Dr.
Trappe, co-authors of the Experimental Biology presentation are Jared
Dickinson, Jennifer Lemoine, Jacob Haus, and Eileen Weinheimer,
graduate students working with Dr. Trappe, and study physician Dr.
Christopher Hollon.

Funding for the research came from the National Institutes of Health
and a postdoctoral initiative award from APS.

Joy L Frestedt , John L Zenk , Michael A Kuskowski , Loren S Ward  and Eric D Bastian

Nutrition & Metabolism 2008, 5:8doi:10.1186/ 1743-7075- 5-8

Published: 27 March 2008

Abstract (provisional)

Background
This study evaluated a specialized whey fraction (Prolibra, high in leucine, bioactive peptides and milk calcium) for use as a dietary supplement to enhance weight loss.

Methods
This was a randomized, double-blind, parallel-arm, 12-week study. Caloric intake was reduced 500 calories per day. Subjects consumed Prolibra or an isocaloric ready-to-mix beverage 20 minutes before breakfast and 20 minutes before dinner. Body fat and lean muscle tissue were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Body weight and anthropometric measurements were recorded every 4 weeks. Blood samples were taken at the beginning and end of the study. Statistical analyses were performed on all subjects that completed (completer analysis) and all subjects that lost at least 2.25 kg of body weight (responder analysis). Within group significance was determined at P<0.05 using a two-tailed paired t-test and between group significance was determined using one way analysis of covariance with baseline data as a covariate.

Results
Both groups lost a significant amount of weight and the Prolibra group tended to lose more weight than the control group; however the amount of weight loss was not significantly different between groups after 12 weeks. Prolibra subjects lost significantly more body fat compared to control subjects for both the completer (2.81 vs. 1.62 kg P=0.03) and responder (3.63 vs. 2.11 kg, P=0.01) groups. Prolibra subjects lost significantly less lean muscle mass in the responder group (1.07 vs. 2.41 kg, P=0.02). The ratio of fat to lean loss (kg fat lost/kg lean lost) was much larger for Prolibra subjects for both completer (3.75 vs. 1.05) and responder (3.39 vs. 0.88) groups.

Conclusions
Subjects in both the control and treatment group lost a significant amount of weight with a 500 calorie reduced diet. Subjects taking Prolibra lost significantly more body fat and showed a greater preservation of lean muscle compared to subjects consuming the control beverage. Because subjects taking Prolibra lost 6.1% of their body fat mass, and because a 5% reduction of body fat mass has been shown to reduce the risk of obesity related disease, the results have practical significance.

Well for the most part all is well…haha the only thing is, I want to drop another 5 kg or 10 lbs (of fat of course) while retaining my muscle mass. I started loading up on Scivation Xtend…I have read that BCAA helps retain lean tissue during extreme dieting.  The Scivation makes it easy to take the BCAA because you can pretend you are having cordial (Kool Aid) hahaha.  I am also using Fusion Sub Q for my fat burner.

This week I am suppose to squat for 6 min. I will post on that AFTER I accomplish it.  But I started using the Smith Machine or the Hammer Strength V Squat machine for this workout because I found that free squatting at such high repetitions is exhausting of course but I also become disoriented (I sometimes close my eyes or wobble with the weight) Therefore to provide some support and avoid injury…I chose to switch to the machines. What do you think?