DNA Supplements - The Next Trend?
September 11, 2008
Breakthroughs in DNA sequencing are beginning to influence how supplements are being made. Aside from the old Myostatin Inhibitor scam supplements put out anout 8 years ago, the first two companies to actually take DNA into consideration when formulating supplements are GeneWize Life Sciences and another company called Nu Bound (pictured on left).
The Genewize Approach
Unlike Nu Bound, clients using Genewize supplements swab their cheeks for DNA and mail it to a testing laboratory, where their genetic makeup is examined to determine what optimal supplement treatments should be. Some of that DNA is examined, in particular 12 of the 25,000 genes that make up the long DNA molecule. Analysts search for breaks in the normal genetic pattern in certain genes that are connected to health and disease. The base pairs on the gene of the double-helix-shaped DNA send signals to amino acids to build proteins. If the base pairs are out of sequence just a little bit on certain genes, it could foul things up - not necessarily a great deal, but enough to make the person more vulnerable to certain diseases. An abnormal pattern in a person’s gene, called a polymorphism, might be shared by 1 percent or 2 percent or 5 percent of the rest of the population. In those cases, the gene can signal the body to make too much, or too little, or the wrong kind of a protein that is key to promoting or protecting against a malady. Once this data has been analyzed, the appropriate adjustments to daily supplement intake can be adjusted.
Last Word On DNA Supplements
You may have seen the editorial write up on Nu Bound in Muscle & Fitness but if not, I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of this product in the coming months. With all the hype over gene doping at the Olympics this past year, innovative companies will hop on this DNA supplement boat. As WWE star commentator Jesse “The Body” Ventura used to say “Don’t forget where you heard it first!”
SOURCE: Genewize
Athletes Using Viagra For Competitive Edge!
July 5, 2008
Athletes looking for performance boosts are increasingly turning to Viagra – the little blue pill usually only taken for the ladies! Some sports authorities say the drug is now finding a following amongst athletes. It isn’t clear how many might be taking it to improve athletic performance, but stashes of the drug have reportedly been found among some professional athletes.
What Exactly Is Viagra?
Viagra, also known as “Sildenafil”, is manufactured by Pfizer Inc. It was originally developed as a heart drug; its use as a treatment for erectile dysfunction was only “accidentally” discovered. I’m not sure what the “accident” was that showed doctors that this stuff improves erections but if any of you know, please post! The drug works by increasing the effects of Nitric Oxide (NO), which makes blood vessels expand. That allows blood cells to travel to the lungs more efficiently and to also receive more oxygen. It may also improve heart function. Viagra is also approved to treat pulmonary hypertension, a condition where the lungs’ blood vessels tighten. Doctors have used the drug experimentally to treat pregnant women with high blood pressure and to ward off jet lag! Jet lag? Well I guess I now have a good excuse for carrying this stuff through customs! But whether Viagra makes athletes faster, jump higher or get stronger is uncertain.
What Does The Research Say?
The World Anti-Doping Agency is currently studying Viagra’s effects in athletes, but hasn’t yet banned it. Experts are divided over whether it actually offers athletes an edge. “It’s possible,” said Anthony Butch, director of the Olympic Analytical laboratory. Preliminary studies have shown that cyclists taking Viagra improved their performances by up to 40 per cent!
“If you have more oxygen going to your muscles, that’s more energy and that makes you a better athlete … even if it only gives you a 10 per cent increase, in peak athletes, that is enough to win,” said Dr. Andrew McCullough. McCullough said Viagra is only likely to help athletes like runners, cyclists or skiers, sports where endurance and speed are key.
Mark Gilbert, noted sport nutrition expert (and an overall ladies man who needs no Viagra to get his mojo in order), had this to say on the topic: “It may be elucidated in the future that Nitric Oxide products could be more effectively used as POST-workout supplements, as opposed to PRE-workout or PRE-competition. No one knows for sure yet though as the research hasn’t been done. It could be that older athletes or people with poor blood vessel health could improve performance but “younger” athletes may not? Not enough research has been done yet. At least we DO know that Nitric Oxide itself helps increase muscle mass, insulin, IGF-1, testosterone, and muscle torque.”
Pfizer - Official Sponsor of The 2008 Olympics?
Well not likely but if Viagra does give athletes an unfair advantage, there is nothing stopping them from using it at the upcoming Beijing Olympics since as it’s not on the prohibited list of medicines.