Do Myostatin Blocking Supplements Work?
November 18, 2008
Myostatin blocking supplements like Cystoseira Canariensis (a.k.a. Brown Seaweed) have been marketed with claims that it binds to myostatin genes and inhibits its role as a regulator of muscle mass. But top research scientist Dr. Darryn Willoughby at Baylor University examined 12 weeks of supplementation with Cystoseira Canariensis on myostatin, strength and muscle mass. Subjects were given 1,200 mg per day and trained 3 times per week. The results indicated that the myostatin blocker had no effect on blood myostation, muscle or strength!
According to Dr. Willoughby, “We can only conclude that at the recommended dosage of cystoseira canariensis the myostatin-binding supplement used in this study is ineffective at preferentially increasing muscle strength and mass and decreasing fat mass.”
In a recent interview with Michael Zumpano on No Bull Radio (an awesome podcast show worth listening to every week), Michael stated that the first supplements that could actually inhibit Myostatin are many years away. Michael is the former owner of Champion Nutrition, the co-author of the original Underground Steroid Handbook and is defintely one of the most knowledgeable experts in the supplement industry.
STUDY REFERENCE:
Willoughby DS. Effects of an alleged myostatin-binding supplement and heady resistance training on serum myostatin, muscle strength and mass, and body composition. Int J Sports Nutr Exerc Metab , 2004;14:461-472.
SOURCE: Muscular Development
Creatine Makes You Smarter
November 18, 2008
If you’re serious about your training, you should be using Creatine. It’s the single most proven natural performance-enhancing supplement in the history of ergogenetics. But new reserch indicates that it may also make you smarter! Dr. Caroline Rae and colleagues, found that Creatine improves brain performance on memory and intelligence tasks. This study gave subjects 5 mg of Creatine per day (yes, just milligrams not grams), and measured their ability to memorize a random series of numbers and a standard intelligence test. The participants taking Creatine performed significantly better on both tasks than those taking a placebo! For muscle building benefits, take 20 grams per day for the first 5 days, followed by 3 to 5 grams per day to maintain creatine stores.
SOURCE: McGill Daily
Does Glucomannan Work?
November 18, 2008
Several clinical trials have investigated the impact of Glucomannan (a.k.a. Konjac) on plasma lipids (fats), body weight and other health markers but have shown conflicting results. Many of the studies out there only included a small number of subjects thus increasing the risk of inaccuracies. So a group of researchers set out and did a full review of all the published research on Glucomannan to see if this special fiber is really “special” or really just a scam! Not to my surprise, researchers found that Glucomannan significantly lowered total cholesterol, LDL
cholesterol, triglyceride (blood fats), body weight, and blood glucose! For maximum weight loss, try to take 3 to 4 grams of this fiber per day. Be careful when swallowing Glucomannan capsules though as they’ve been known to cause choking! No kidding. Once they contact water they expand to about 20 times their normal size, which can cause you to get a capsule lodged in your throat. Another great fiber getting lots of press these days is Viscofiber click HERE to read ore about this.
SOURCE: American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition
Does Shut-Eye Work?
November 11, 2008
If you’re low in energy, sleep deprivation may be your problem. According to “the sleep doctor” Dr. Michael Breus, we should be getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. What’s worse is that we’re supposed to wake up each morning without an alarm clock! Ya, sure guys. Over the 20 years I’ve interviewed various athletes, the guys with the greatest difficulty in sleeping are pro bodybuilders dieting down for a show. When dieting these guys are hopped up on all kinds of stimulants. Some legal, some not! Underground drug cocktails are a whole separate topic but their favorite “legal” stimulants include: Ephedra, Caffeine, Alkyl Nitrites, Methyl Synepherine, BPHEA, Yohimbe and a few others. At night when (they now have to sleep) many use the recreational drug GHB to knock them out. “G” as it’s called on the streets and raves usually comes in a liquid form. For others that choose to go “the natural” route, they use some (or all) of the following: Melatonin, ZMA, Kava Kava, Magnolia Bark, Jujube Seed, Phenibut, 5-HTP and L-Tryptophan. Valerian Root, GABA, Inositol, Cis-9,10-Octadecenoamide, White Peony, Ashwaghanda, and Ocimum Sanctum.
Shut-Eye
Several months back Canadian supplement company Fusion Bodybuilding sent me a sample of their “Shut-Eye” sleep product to try out. The instructions on the box were a bit confusing but I eventually figured it out (hey I’m a “supplement genius” not a real genius). That night, I took my serving of Shut Eye about an hour before bed. I’ll be honest though, I doubled the serving size because I wanted to know for certain I was getting enough to knock my ass out! Heck, if it’s free, why not right? Truth be told, one serving has 2 mg of Melatonin which is enough for most people but not for me based on my previous experience with it.
Does Shut-Eye Work?
I slept better than usual and I did wake up without the need for an alarm clock! I also felt well rested which is what I took Shut-Eye to begin with. The formula is well thought out with Melatonin, Magnolia Bark, and Jujube as the main drivers for enhanced sleep. The only complaint I have with it is that I felt a bit groggy when I woke up. This could have been a placebo effect or simply from being a dumbass and taking twice the dose you’re supposed to!
Tylakoids Found In Spinach Reduce Appetite
November 10, 2008
Popeye was right to have reached for spinach! Researcher have found a new family of compounds found naturally in green spinach leaves called “Tylakoids .” Tylakoids can be sold as supplement since they’re derived from the green leaves of spinach. What’s interesting is that Tylakoids are what are called “lipase blockers”. Lipase is an enzyme responsible for the digestion of the fats that we eat. This is how the prescription weight-loss drug Alli works - if we inhibit fat from being absorbed, then it passes through our bodies unabsorbed and our friends start calling us “Poopy Pants “. Before you run out and start loading up on Spinach, understand that you must eat half a pound of spinach with each meal to inhibit fat absorption! Fortunately, researchers think they can replicate this effect with a concentrated supplement. Watch for Tylakoids to start appearing in weight-loss supplements in 2009.
SOURCE: Muscular Development Magazine
Vitamins For Healthy Hair
November 10, 2008
Don’t believe the lies that shampoo companies tell you when they say their shampoo “puts vitamins your hair needs back into your hair“. This is physiologically impossible as you cannot absorb vitamins through your hair shaft or into into your body through your scalp. The only way to “put vitamins into your hair” is to eat the vitamins your body needs to manufacture new hair. This all takes place where your hair grows which is inside your body below your scalp. Good nutrition is vital to healthy hair growth.
Healthy Hair Vitamins
Vitamin A - Antioxidant that helps produce healthy sebum in the scalp. Daily Dose: 5,000 IU. - Vitamin C - Antioxidant that helps maintain skin & hair health. Daily Dose: 60 mg.
- Vitamin E - Antioxidant that enhances scalp circulation. Daily dose: Up to 400 IU.
- Biotin - Helps produce keratin, may prevent graying and hair loss. Daily dose: 150-300 mcg.
- Inositol - Keeps hair follicles healthy at the cellular level. Daily Dose: Up to 600 mg.
- Niacin (Vitamin B3) - Promotes scalp circulation. Daily dose: 15 mg.
- Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) - Prevents graying and hair loss. Daily dose: 4-7 mg.
- Vitamin B6 - Helps prevent hair loss, helps create melanin, which gives hair its colour. Daily dose: 1.6 mg.
- Vitamin B12 - Helps prevent hair loss. Daily dose: 2 mg.
SOURCE: Doc1Vitamins
Flaxseed Oil Causes Premature Birth
November 9, 2008
A recent study has found that the risks of a premature birth quadruple if flaxseed oil is consumed in the last two trimesters of pregnancy. The correlation existed only with flaxseed oil. Women consuming the actual seed were unaffected.
"We believe these products to be safe because they are natural. But in reality, they are chemical products and we don’t know many of the risks and benefits of these products contrarily to medication," says Anick Bérard of the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Pharmacy.
The most consumed supplements pregnant women consumed were:
- Chamomile 19%
- Green Tea 17%
- Peppered Mint 12%
- Flaxseed Oil 12 %
SOURCE: Scientific Blogging
Pycnogenol Reduces Jetlag
November 5, 2008
Italian researchers have discovered that that Pycnogenol (a.k.a. French Maritime pine bark) not only increases Nitric Oxide but it also reduces jetlag! The study consisted of 133 passengers who took flights that were 7 to 9 hours in length. A 50 mg of dose of Pycnogenol was administered 3 times daily, for 7 days, starting two days prior to the flight. The study also showed that Pycnogenol reduced fatigue, headaches, insomnia and brain edema (swelling) in both healthy individuals and hypertensive patients. Pycnogenol has previously been shown to also reduce menstrual cramps!
SOURCE: PR Newswire
Does HMB Work?
October 27, 2008
I’ve had so many bodybuilders ask me the same question over the years when we’re on the topic of HMB: Does it REALLY work? Well researchers examined the effects of HMB on muscle damage and stress during high-intensity training. Twenty-six football players were randomly assigned to either an HMB group (3,000 mg per day) or a placebo group. Testing occurred before and at the end of 10 days of football camp. The results indicated that short-term HMB supplementation doesn’t improve anaerobic power or reduce muscle damage.
According to the authors, “The results of this study do not support previous research that have reported on the anti-catabolic properties and improved strength performance of HMB supplementation.”
But according to Michael Chernyak of CK Foods (one of the leading suppliers of raw herbs in Canada), there’s new research on HMB coming out that backs up this anticatabolic ingredient. Look for more supplements to start adding this back to their formula if this is true.
STUDY REFERENCE: Hoffman JR et al. Effects of b-hydroxy b-methylbutyrate on power performance and indices of muscle damage and stress during high-intensity training. J Strength Conditioning Res , 2004;18:747-752.
SOURCE: Muscular Development
Canadian Store Clerk Busted For Selling Illegal Supplements
October 21, 2008
Police have arrested an employee of ‘Your Vitamin Store’ in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada) for selling supplements that were actual steroids! The bust involved an employee selling an illegal supplement called "Methyl 1-Testosterone" (a.k.a. M1T). The employee was charged with 6 counts of trafficking in a controlled substance (anabolic steroids) and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking (anabolic steroids).
Legal Gear Introduced M1T
In the United States, the supplement company Legal Gear introduced M1T to the market in 2003. M1T was marketed as a “prohormone ” and legally sold in thousands of sports nutrition stores around the country as an over-the-counter “dietary supplement.” M1T and a variety of other prohormone products were banned in the U.S. in 2004 as the governemtn finally figured out that this and a host of other prohormones were actually steroids.
Steroid Law In Canada
In Canada, anabolic steroids and their derivatives are Schedule IV controlled substances under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act of Canada. Health Canada has issued warnings regarding the sale and purchase of M1T and other “unauthorized products containing anabolic steroids.” Health Canada blamed M1T for one reported adverse report of liver toxicity. Canadians are advised to contact the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate at 1-800-267-9675 if they find Anabolic Xtreme Superdrol, Methyl-1-P, 
Ergomax LMG, Prostanozol, FiniGenX Magnum Liquid, M1T (methyl-1-testosterone) Andro Technologies or any other products containing anabolic steroids on the Canadian market.
SOURCE: Mesomorphosis.com
FLASH NEWS UPDATED: Click HERE to see a new bust on this same supplement ingredient (and yes it’s in Vancouver again).