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
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
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
Supplement Genius On Cover Of Natural Muscle
November 17, 2009
Well it seems like the hard work is finally starting to pay off! As some of you know, I’m a columnist for the magazine Natural Muscle where I write the column “Ask The Supplement Genius“. In this section, I answer the tough supplement questions many people throw my way.
Baking Soda For Stamina?
In the upcoming issue, I reveal a cheap but VERY effective “supplement” that will drastically increase stamina during training. But this supplement can’t be bought at any GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Popeye’s, Reflex, or any of the other top health-food stores. But you’ve likely got this “supplement” right in your own kitchen right now. The supplement I’m referring to is not a supplement at all, it’s baking soda! Yes, if you take ordinary baking soda the right way, you can drastically buffer lactic acid build up in muscle tissue. This “buffering” effect prevents the “burn” you feel with high-rep training. The editorial team at Natural Muscle liked this trick so much they even gave it a cover blurb (see magazine cover on left). Look for this issue in December.
Do Carb Gels Upset Your Stomach?
October 14, 2009
In a recent set of studies, the effects of carbohydrate gels on gastrointestinal tolerance during a 16-km run was tested. The first study investigated tolerance of a carb gel delivering glucose plus fructose at different rates. The second study investigated tolerance of high intakes of glucose vs. glucose + fructose gel. Both studies used endurance-trained men and women. Both studies had subjects fill out a post-exercise questionnaire assessed 17 symptoms on a 10-point scale. For all treatments, GI complaints were mainly scored at the low end of the scale. Gut symptoms were grouped into upper abdominal, lower abdominal, and systemic problems.
CONCLUSION
There were no significant treatment differences in these categories in either study and both scores were at the low end of the scale, indicating predominantly good tolerance during a 16-km run. Nevertheless, roughly 10–20% of runners experienced serious problems.
SOURCE: Sports Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism
Energy Drink Sales In The U.K.
October 13, 2009
According to a recent British study, UK consumers view energy drinks as value for their money rather than a luxury, with sales for the products expected to soar over the next five years. The market for sports and energy drinks increased by 10 per cent in 2007. Estimates for 2009 see the category breaking the 1 billion pound mark.
“Unlike other markets such as smoothies, which were seeing impressive growth until the recession arrived, sports and energy drinks have continued to grow their value,” said Jonny Forsyth, senior drinks analyst at Mintel. “Cash-squeezed consumers are viewing these products as value for money rather than a luxury, which stands in contrast to smoothies and bottled water, both of which have suddenly seen growth reverse.”
Limited Appeal
However, the growth of the category has been limited by an inability to penetrate beyond a core consumer base. Currently, energy and sports drinks only appeal to one third of the UK population, a figure that has remained static over the past five years.
“There has been a distinct failure to grow penetration of sports and energy drinks in the UK. Instead, the market has succeeded by increasing frequency of drinking amongst young men.” said Mintel.
SOURCE: Nutraingredients.com
Caffeine, Capsaicin, Bioperine, and Niacin Do NOT Improve Strength or Endurance
July 14, 2009
A recent study funded by GNC set out to measure the effects of a thermogenic nutritional supplement containing caffeine, capsaicin, bioperine, and niacin on muscular strength and endurance performance. The supplement contained 200 mg caffeine, 33.34 mg capsaicin, 5 mg bioperine, and 20 mg niacin. Testing included a time-to-exhaustion (TTE) ride on a cycle ergometer at 80% of the previously-determined power output at VO2PEAK followed by 1-RM LP and BP tests.
Disappointing Results
At the end of the study, the researchers concluded that the supplement did not alter muscular strength or cycling endurance. The lack of increases in performance may have been related to the relatively small dose of caffeine, the high intensity of exercise, the untrained status of the participants, and/or the potential for caffeine and capsaicin to increase carbohydrate oxidation.
Final Words
Although the results didn’t turn out in support of this supplement stack, at least GNC is funding research which is something 95% of the supplement companies in the industry are NOT willing to do. It also shows you just how focussed GNC is with putting out products backed by science which is something that should be applauded.
SOURCE: JISSN
Sports Drinks Boost Performance Through Taste Buds
April 28, 2009
It has long been known that carb drinks can significantly improve athletes’ performance. But the question is how? The new breed of intra-workout drinks like adreNOline, Mass Xxplosion and Volumaize all contain carbs but this alone is not enough to explain the boost. What’s fascinating is that researchers have now seen performance increases with sports drinks even when athletes spat them out rather than swallowing them!
Sports Drinks Can Boost Performance Without Being Swallowed
According to The Journal of Physiology, researchers not only showed that sugary drinks can significantly boost performance in an endurance event without being ingested, but so can a tasteless carbohydrate – and they do so in unexpected ways.
Study Method
The researchers prepared drinks that contained either glucose, maltodextrin or neither, then carefully laced them with artificial sweeteners until they tasted identical. They asked endurance-trained athletes to complete a challenging time-trial, during which they rinsed their mouths with one of the three concoctions. The results were striking. Athletes given the glucose or maltodextrin drinks outperformed those on ‘disguised’ water by 2-3% and sustained a higher average power output and pulse rate, even though didn’t feel they were working any harder.
Taste Buds Are Stimulated By Carbs
The authors conclude that as-yet unidentified receptors in the mouth independent from the usual ’sweet’ taste buds must be responsible.
“Much of the benefit from carbohydrate in sports drinks is provided by signalling directly from mouth to brain rather than providing energy for the working muscles,” explained Dr Chambers.
Carbs Put In Your Mouth Stimulate Your Brain
The team then used a neuro-imaging technique to monitor the athletes’ brain activity shortly after giving them one of the three compounds. They found that both glucose and maltodextrin triggered specific areas of the brain associated with reward or pleasure, while the artificial sweetener did not. This acts to reduce the athletes’ perception of their workload, and hence enables them to sustain a higher average output.
SOURCE: Scientific Blogging
Redline Proven To Increase Reaction Time But Not Power
March 4, 2009
In a recent study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2009, the effects VPX’s Redline drink on reaction time, feelings of fatigue, focus and anaerobic power were tested. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve no doubt tried Redline. In this study, test subjects were provided with either Redline or a placebo that was similar in taste and appearance but contained no active ingredients. Following consumption of Redline or a placebo subjects rested quietly for 10-minutes prior to completing a survey and commencing exercise. The survey consisted of 4 questions asking each subject to describe their feelings of energy, fatigue, alertness and focus for that moment. Following the completion of the questionnaire, subjects performed a 2-minute quickness and reaction test and a 20-second Wingate Anaerobic Power test. They repeated the testing several more times and then results were tabulated.
Redline Improves Reaction Time But Not Power
Significant improvements in reaction performance, feelings of energy and focus were seen in those drinking Redline vs. those not. However, there were no significant differences seen in any anaerobic power measure.
SOURCE: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2009, 6:2doi:10.1186/1550-2783-6-2
Clinically Proven MRP
March 2, 2009
Oklahoma University has tested the Meal Replacement Powder called “Full Strength” which is developed by one of the true supplement experts of the last 20 years. The expert I’m referring to is a man names Shawn Phillips.
Who Is Shawn Phillips?
Shawn Phillips (pictured on the left with the killer physique) was always known in the supplement industry as the older brother of famed fitness icon Bill Phillips, but what many don’t know is that he was also one of the people that helped out with the launch of MET-Rx, and Myoplex which spawned the whole MRP category. Over the years, Shawn has moved into many different areas in the health and fitness industry but one thing has held constant and that’s his desire to deliver real results to people looking to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength.
What’s Inside Full Strength?
From looking at the Full Strength formula, I’d say that Shawn has put together a solid formula. Each serving contains 300 calories of which, includes 40 grams a combination of whey isolate, whey concentrate and milk protein, 25 g of carbs (which includes 6 g of fiber), EFAs and all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
Full Strength Is Clinically Proven
As readers of SupplementGenius.com know, more than 95% of all the supplements lining store shelves have not been put through any university testing. So when a company comes along that steps up to the plate and funds a clinical, I have to applaud them on their efforts. The Oklahoma University study showed Full Strength increased energy levels, lowered cholesterol levels and greatly improved weight loss and fat loss all while adding lean muscle. Test subjects were told to eat “whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted.” The only nutrition intervention was to add one to two Full Strength nutrition shakes each day. Adding the MRP shake the diet yielded some of the most significant findings Jeffery Stout, PhD, the lead researcher designing and overseeing the study, has seen in over 20 years of research.
According to Dr. Stout, “the results suggest that sedentary adult men and women adhering to the American College of Sports Medicine exercise guidelines with an ad libitum diet and Full Strength for 10 weeks can significantly reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors and improve all factors measured for physical fitness and health.”
Participants consumed one Full Strength nutrition shake for the first 2 weeks and two Full Strength shakes for remainder of the 10 week study. Just like the rest of their diet, the Full Strength shakes were enjoyed whenever the participants wanted them. Click HERE to read the study.
SOURCE: Full Strength