Glycerol: Diuretic or Hydration Nutrient?
March 3, 2010
Question: I’ve noticed that many endurance athletes use glycerol to hydrate themselves for a race. I’ve also read that some bodybuilders use it as a diuretic. How can it be used for two completely different uses?
Answer: Very good question! Loading with glycerol will maintain fluid levels in various cells in your body. In fact, there have been cases of various endurance athletes actually dying because their blood became too thick from dehydration (and from taking EPO of course). Glycerol may help reduce the chance of dehydration. It may surprise you but Glycerol is actually banned in the Olympicas! Competitive bodybuilders use glycerol as a diuretic by simply mixing it in a 10% solution with water. That is, about 50 grams of glycerol with 500 ml of water. Once glycerol is in the blood, water is temporarily pulled from the extracellular spaces into the bloodstream. This can increase vascularity and thin the appearance of skin, as well as dry out and help striate muscle tissue if you’re very lean enough. Some pros I’ve interviewed have admitted to taking glycerol 90 minutes before their pre-judging. Lately, Glycerol and deriviative like Glycerol Monstearate have been been marketed as cell volumizers. Are they effective? Well if you’re eating a high-fat diet and are carrying excessive bodyfat, you will get nothing from Glycerol or it’s analogs. Glycerol is a component of all structured fats that you eat. If you’re diet’s high in fat, you’ll have plenty of glycerol floating through your bloodstream. Adding extra Glycerol will not enhance performance in that instance. If you’re lean, give it a shot at your next photo shoot or night out at the clubs when you’re looking to stun the ladies!
GAME TIME Clinical Study
February 28, 2010
A recent study was done to examine the effects of a pre-workout supplement combined with three weeks of high-intensity interval training on aerobic and anaerobic running performance, training volume, and body composition. Twenty-four moderately-trained athletes were assigned to either take GAME TIME or a placebo. GAME TIME is made by “Corr-Jensen Laboratories Inc.” an Aurora, Colorado company.) It contains 40 calories, consisting of a proprietary blend including whey protein, cordyceps sinensis (which is derived from a fungus that grows on caterpillars), creatine, citrulline, ginseng, and caffeine. The PL was also 18g of powder, 40 kcals, and consisted of only maltodextrin, natural and artificial flavors and colors. Thirty minutes prior to all testing and training sessions, participants consumed their respective supplements mixed with 8-10 oz of water. Both groups participated in a three-week program three days per week, and testing was conducted before and after the training.
Results
Athletes taking GAME TIME and the placebo demonstrated a significant increase in VO2max resulting in a 10.3% and 2.9% improvement. However, Anaerobic Running Capacity (ARC) increased for the PL group by 22.9% which was twice as high as those taking GAME TIME (22.9% vs. 10.6%.). Training volume was 11.6% higher for the athletes taking GAME TIME. Bodyfat decreased by 3.2% for those taking GAME TIME while the placebo decreased by by just 1.2%. The most shocking part of this study took place when they measured Lean Body Mass changes. Those drinking GAME TIME increased their lean mass by 1.2 kg whereas those taking maltodextrin decreased their lean mass by 0.5 kg. They should have just stayed home and not trained or drank the placebo! Does this mean that Maltodextrin + training causes muscle loss?
SOURCE: JISSN
BSN Donates 132,000 Bottles of SYNTHA-6
February 11, 2010
The earthquake that struck Haiti was a catastrophic event that’s taken a disastrous toll on the people of Haiti and whose long-term consequences will be felt for years. The heartfelt response this tragic event has elicited has been overwhelming, and everyone who has contributed on any level deserves to be commended for their efforts. For its part, BSN® has announced that they are deeply saddened by the suffering of the Haitian people, and they’re donating its own unique and creative contribution to the country’s relief efforts. BSN® will be sending 132,000 bottles of its ready-to-drink high-protein beverage SYNTHA-6™ RTD to the people of Haiti, as well as the doctors and nurses working around the clock to save lives who barely have a chance to eat! BSN®’s hope is that the RTDs will be a small blessing to those in need, from the victims themselves to the relief workers sacrificing to ensure Haiti’s survival. Great job BSN!
Will Other Supplement Companies Join BSN?
It will be interesting to see if CYTOSPORT, EAS, VPX, ABB, WORLDWIDE, MET-Rx, LABRADA, ISS RESEARCH or ALL MAX step up and send some of their RTDs to this cause? And while you’re at it guys, send a palate of chocolate to my doorstep as I’m catabolic as I write this! In all seriousness, congratulations to BSN for selflessly giving to a cause that may not improve their bottom line but that will enrich other peoples lives.
SOURCE: BSN
SUSTAMINE Increases Stamina
February 10, 2010
By: Scott Welch BASc (Nutrition) CAAP (Advertising)
If you’ve been reading Supplement Genius for for a while then you’ll remember that I told the world about SUSTAMINE on September 25th, 2008. Well more research has come in to support this ingredient. The effect of supplementing with L-alanyl-L-glutamine (brand name: SUSTAMINE) on performance changes and markers of fluid regulation, immune, inflammatory, oxidative stress, and recovery was examined in response to endurance exercise. Ten dudes volunteered to participate in this study. When the results were tabulated, SUSTAMINE supplementation provided a significant ergogenic benefit by increasing time to exhaustion during a mild hydration stress. This ergogenic effect was likely mediated by an enhanced fluid and electrolyte uptake. At this past year’s “SupplySideWest” trade show, I had the opportunity to meet up with Karen Todd who’s the Marketing Director at the company KYOWA HAKKO which is the company that actually makes SUSTAMINE. She gave be a new portable “powder stick” versions of this product to try. This stuff is not commercially available yet so it was cool to be one of the first to try it (one of the perks to my job). The taste was good and mixing was decent. If you’re into endurance sports, MMA or working out in a gym with no damn air conditioning, this would be a good product worth trying out! It would be interesting to see the effects of this stuff stacked with Glycerine and Pedialyte before an 10K run.
SOURCE: ISSN
Blueberries Boost Memory
January 27, 2010
QUESTION: I party a great deal and do “E” once a month. I’m in college and can really notice that every time I drop “E” I seem to get stupid the next day! What do you think of smart drugs like Modafinil?
ANSWER: Dude I think you have to STOP doing drugs if you ever want to graduate! Modafinil has been used to increase productivity but its long-term effects have not been assessed in healthy individuals. Stimulants such as methylphenidate and atomoxetine are being used on college campuses, and by an increasingly younger group. One survey found that 7% of students had used stimulants for a cognitive edge in the past year, and on some campuses the number is as high as 25%. I prefer a natural approach. According to a recent study, a daily drink of about 500 mL of blueberry juice was associated with improved learning and word list recall.
“These preliminary memory findings are encouraging and suggest that consistent supplementation with blueberries may offer an approach to forestall or mitigate neurodegeneration,” wrote the researchers. “Interpretation of our findings should be tempered because of the relatively small sample size and the absence of a blueberry-specific control, although comparison with the analogous placebo beverage data provides some assurance that the observed changes in memory performance were not attributable to practice effects,” they added.
The beneficial effects are thought to be linked to their flavonoid content (anthocyanins and flavanols). The exact way in which flavonoids affect the brain are unknown, but they have previously been shown to cross the blood brain barrier after you eat them. Maybe they exert their effects on learning and memory by enhancing existing neuronal connections, improving cellular communications and stimulating neuronal regeneration. Nobody knows for sure but it’s worth a try. I would also recommend that you stop taking Ecstacy of course, but I don’t want to sound like your mom!
SOURCE: Nutringredients
Liver Care
January 13, 2010
By: Duane Keizs
QUESTION: Do liver detox products have any place within the sports nutrition world? If so, what reputable products and brands can I trust?
ANSWER: Herbal detox supplements definitely have a place in the world of creatine, protein, nitrates, aminos etc. You’ve all heard of the expression, you can’t build a house unless you have a foundation? Well, 
many herbs as well as vitamin and minerals, are part of that foundation. In this instance, herbs that help cleanse and keep the liver healthy. Your liver performs a multitude of functions including the creation of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Everything we consume must bypass the liver, so it’s critical we keep it healthy. When it comes to athletes, especially body builders, we consume up to 5 times more protein than the average person. So you need a clean liver - know what I mean? Most people know about Milk Thistle, but talk to pro bodybuilders who’ve used “prohormones” and you’ll see them later use liver detoxifying supplements to help them clean their liver up! One very popular liver detoxifying supplement is called LiverCare (a.k.a. Liv.52) by Himalaya Herbal HealthCare. This is a bit more expensive but with supplements, you always get what you pay for. What I like most about this product is that it has over 198 published clinical trials backing it’s ingredient profile which is extremely rare for a product in our industry. In terms of brands, I always prefer to go with companies that have the science backing their products, those that manufacturer their own products and they must always have a solid name in the industry. Ask around and you’ll quickly get a snapshot on them. Himalaya has over 1,200 published clinical trials, own 700 acres of organic farmland and have been in the herbal business for 80 years! They also have an 80,000 sq ft in-house research facility that employ over 100 physicians and scientists. It’s hard to argue with that track record.
Ginkgo Biloba Does NOT Prevent Memory Loss
January 11, 2010
The Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) study examined whether a twice-daily 120-mg dose of the supplement affected the rate of cognitive change over time in older adults. U.S. researchers conducted randomized clinical trials of 3,069 participants aged 72 to 96 years, between 2000 and 2008. They found no evidence that Ginkgo Biloba might slow mental decline in healthy, aging individuals, or in people already showing the first signs of cognitive impairment. The researchers found that the results remained the same regardless of sex, age, race or education. The study, led by Dr. Steven T. DeKosky, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, was published last week on The Journal of the American Medical Association.
SOURCE: Winnipeg Free Press & The Canadian Press
How Is Honey Made?
January 11, 2010
Last week I heard a trainer at my gym touting all the benefits of honey and recommending it to be added to protein shakes, cereal, pasta, tuna - you name it, she’d put the sweet stuff on it! So it got me thinking, how the hell is honey made anyway? Like you, I remember my grade 1 teacher me that bees don’t just sting your sorry ass when you piss them off, they actually make honey which is good for you and tastes great etc. But have you ever wondered how the stuff is actually made by the bees? And when it’s in their bodies, do they shit it out or spit it out into the honeycomb? Ya, it’s disgusting to think about and that’s why your teacher never mentioned that part of making honey did they! So here goes:
Honeybees Collect Nectar
Honeybees need nectar to make honey. Nectar is almost 80% water with some complex carbs. In North America, bees get nectar from flowers, dandelions, berry bushes and fruit trees. They use their long, tubelike tongues like straws to suck the nectar out of the flowers and they store it in their second stomach which I’m told is actually called a “honey stomach”. The honey stomach holds almost 70 mg of nectar and when full, it weighs almost as much as the bee! When they’ve gathered a full load of nectar, the bees flap their wings and return to the hive and prepare for the gross part of making honey…
How The Bees Transfer Nectar Out Of Their Body
Like good friends, the bees help each other out by once again using their long, tubelike tongues like straws to suck the nectar right out from each others stomachs! The bees keep the nectar in their mouths and chew it for about half an hour. During this time, enzymes in their mouths break the nectar down into simple sugars which makes it more digestible for the bees and less likely to rot while stored within the beehive. The bees then spit the sugary liquid out of their mouths and then spread it throughout the honeycombs with their feet where water evaporates from it, making it a thicker syrup that we refer to as “honey”. The bees help the honey dry by fanning it with their wings! Once the honey is gooey enough, the bees use their feet to seal off the cell of the honeycomb with a plug of wax. The honey is stored until it’s eaten by the bees or stolen by the honey farmer!
Should I Stop Drinking?
December 12, 2009
By: Scott Welch BASc (Nutrition) CAAP (Advertising)
QUESTION: I love drinking beers on the weekends with the boys and picking up the ladies! I train all week for the ladies. Work my ass off doing a stupid job for the ladies. Go through traffic jams to work every morning for the ladies. Spend money on expensive clothes for the ladies. When Friday night comes, I can’t wait to go chase the ladies for phone numbers and panties. The weekend is my time to take it to the max but I’ve heard that alcohol lowers testosterone levels which has me worried. Should I stop drinking?
ANSWER: It sounds like you could use a lower testosterone level dude! In fact, I think if you stopped drinking your testosterone levels would rise a bit too high and you’d end up getting locked up for being such a sexual deviant on the loose! Just kidding. It turns out that there actually may be some good that comes with drinking beer! A natural compound derived from hops called “Xanthohumol” may have longevity effects in men. It actually may block the effects of the male hormone testosterone and demonstrate the potential for it to be used for the prevention of prostate cancer!
“We hope that one day we can demonstrate that xanthohumol prevents prostate cancer development, first in animal models and then in humans, but we are just at the beginning,” said Clarissa Gerhauser, Ph.D. at the German Cancer Research Center, in Heidelberg, Germany.
For the study, the researchers stimulated hormone-dependent prostate cancer cells with testosterone, which led to a massive secretion of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Cells were then treated with testosterone and xanthohumol, and the effects were examined.
“Xanthohumol prevented the receptor from translocating to the cell nucleus, thus inhibiting its potential to stimulate the secretion of PSA and other hormone-dependent effects,” Gerhauser said.
So to answer your question, NO! I would not stop drinking if I were you. The ladies love guys who drink, act wild and are the life of the party! But seriously now, if you drink too much you’ll make no progress in the gym, get fat and mess up your liver. You could also get way too drunk and pick up a girl that’s not up to your standards! But then again as an old friend once said, if they don’t meet your standards, just lower them!
SOURCE: Food Product Design
Is Beta Alanine Safe?
December 8, 2009
QUESTION: Hi Scott, my question is on Beta Alanine safety. My coach is always running his mouth and saying shit’s not safe and to stay clear of all supplements. He doesn’t even want us using vitamins! I’ve been stacking Creatine with Beta Alanine because I read it’s a great combo for power and energy. I’ve been on this for almost 6 months now and love it. What’s your take on Beta Alanine?
ANSWER: Creatine and Beta Alanine is a great stack! Beta Alanine hit the market 4 years ago but never really lived up to the sales expectation supplement companies predicted for it. The very first company to use Beta Alanine in a pre-workout formula was iSatori Technologies with their H Blocker product (pictured above). If you’ve tried it you’ll agree it definitely does enhance stamina! Although Beta Alanine is widely used in pre-workout supplements, Dr. Mark Tallon stated recently on a fantastic website called “BRINKZONE” that one issues that still concerns him is the safety of the nutrient over long term use. Mark States:
“To date we have data showing that Beta-alanine when given for up to 12 weeks does not cause any measured change in those clinical blood markers widely used to show safety…”
Food Sources Of Beta Alanine
Beta Alanine is abundant in meat, especially in mammals that live underwater. To get Beta Alanine from the food we eat to a level of 3.2 g per day (which is the required dose) we would need to eat 400 g of whale beef per day! It is also available in ordinary meat source but in lower concentrations.
Dangers Of Beta Alanine?
Studies show that Beta Alanine supplementation can deplete levels of the amino acids Taurine. This amino is involved in heart muscle contractions and significant depletion could impair heart function. The problem with these studies is that they use a dose around 25x that used in human studies and over short period of time. What happens with long-term beta alanine supplementation, that is usage past 12 weeks? Researchers simply don’t know! For short term use (<12 weeks), it appears to be perfectly safe in healthy individuals.
Cycle Your Beta Alanine
Researches have shown that once you stop using Beta Alanine for 3 weeks, your muscle cell levels of Carnosine return to where they originally were. Sorry I should have mentioned that when you take Beta Alanine, your levels of Carnosine rise in your muscle cells. This rise in Carnosine levels enhances stamina. So we can “de-load” from Beta Alanine in just 3 weeks. If you’re coming off beta alanine, add a high-dose of taurine (with food or other insulin spiking macronutrients) to help bring levels of this important amino back up. Until further research comes out on the long-term safety of it, you may want to use it for 12 weeks, then get off it for 6 weeks then try it again.
SOURCE: BRINKZONE