Supplement Performance - Bodybuilding Supplements: Best of Research
Ephedrine and Athletic Performance
The purpose of the study by Dr. Douglass Bell and colleagues was
to investigate the effects of ingesting caffeine, ephedrine and their
combination on muscular endurance using double-blind, repeated
measures design. Ninety minutes after ingesting either caffeine (four
milligrams per kilogram bodyweight [mg/kg]), ephedrine (0.8 mg/kg), a
combination of caffeine plus ephedrine, or a placebo (fake supplement),
13 male subjects performed a weight training circuit consisting of three
supersets. Each superset consisted of leg press followed by bench press
with two minutes of rest between supersets.
The trials involving ephedrine ingestion, when compared with the
non-ephedrine trials (i.e., caffeine and placebo), showed ephedrine
caused significant increases in the mean number of repetitions completed
for both the leg press and bench press exercises, but only during the first
supersets. Results indicated that the total weight lifted during all three sets
was greater for the trials involving ephedrine ingestion. The performance
enhancement was attributed primarily to the effects of ephedrine, as there
was no evidence of an additive or synergistic interaction between the
caffeine and ephedrine. The magnitude of the effect is highly significant for
gym rats, considering it was induced only 90 minutes after ingesting
caffeine plus ephedrine. Normally, the 16 percent improvement in bench
press performance would be expected to require from four to about 12
weeks of strength training.
Creatine Loading Strategies
It’s been reported that creatine ingested in combination with simple
(high-glycemic) carbs substantially increases muscle creatine
accumulation compared with the ingestion of creatine alone. It’s very
likely that the stimulatory effect of carbs on muscle creatine accumulation
was due to insulin-enhancing muscle uptake. However, creatine
supplements would need to be ingested with very large quantities of
simple carbs to achieve an insulin-mediated stimulation of muscle creatine
transport. Fortunately, there’s some evidence suggesting that ingestion of
proteins in combination with carbs can result in a greater increase in blood
insulin concentrations than would be expected from the sum of their
individual responses.
So, the aim of a study by Dr. G.R. Steenge and co-workers was to
examine whether the ingestion of creatine in combination with a solution
containing about 50 grams of protein and about 50 grams of simple carbs
could increase blood insulin concentration to a level similar to that
observed after the ingestion of about 100 grams of simple carbohydrates.
The second aim was to determine whether this would facilitate creatine
retention toward that reported with large quantities of simple carbs.
The investigators concluded that the ingestion of creatine, in
conjunction with about 50 grams of protein and about 50 grams of carbs is
as effective in stimulating insulin release and whole body creatine
retention as ingesting creatine in combination with almost 100 grams of
carbohydrates.
According to Dr. Steenge and colleagues, “This information will be
useful to individuals aiming to elevate their muscle total creatine store by
supplementing with creatine, particularly those that regularly ingest CHOprotein
[carbohydrate-protein] supplements after exercise or several meal
replacement supplements per day...The potentiating effect of insulin on
creatine disposal was less marked after the fourth oral challenge
compared with the first. We would, therefore, propose that ingestion of
CHO alone, or in combination with protein, in an effort to augment muscle
creatine accumulation will probably only be highly effective on the first day
of supplementation.”
Amino Acid Supplementation: Timing Makes the Difference
Dr. Kevin Tipton and colleagues published a paper in the American
Journal of Physiology examining the response of net muscle protein
synthesis to ingestion of amino acids after a bout of resistance exercise.
Subjects consumed in random order one liter of a mixed amino acid (40
grams) solution, an essential amino acid (40 grams) solution, or a placebo
solution. The authors concluded that ingestion of oral essential amino
acids results in a change from net muscle protein degradation to net
muscle protein synthesis after heavy resistance exercise in humans
similar to that seen when the amino acids were infused.
In other words, these results suggest that hyperaminoacidemia
from ingestion of oral amino acids is an effective method of maximizing the
anabolic effect of resistance exercise. The investigators pointed out that it
doesn’t appear necessary to include nonessential amino acids in a
formulation designed to elicit an anabolic response from muscle after
exercise, because net balance was similar for mixed and essential amino
acids.
Another excellent study by Dr. Tipton and co-workers was designed
to determine whether consumption of an oral essential amino
acid/carbohydrate supplement before exercise results in a greater
anabolic response than supplementation after resistance exercise.
Interestingly enough, the response of net muscle protein synthesis to
consumption of an essential amino acid-carbohydrate solution immediately
before resistance exercise is greater than when the solution is consumed
after exercise. According to the authors of this study, it’s likely that the
greater delivery to the muscle during pre-exercise supplementation
accounts for the greater net uptake than during post-exercise
supplementation. Providing amino acids at a time when blood flow is
elevated (e.g., during an exercise bout) maximizes delivery to the muscle.
However, the question remained as to whether this acute response
reflected the response of muscle over a longer time period. So, a third
study by Dr. Tipton and colleagues was designed to determine if the
response of net muscle protein balance to resistance exercise and amino
acid ingestion, previously noted on an acute basis, reflects the response of
net muscle protein balance over an entire 24-hour period. This study
confirmed that muscle protein balance is increased, primarily because of
an increase in muscle protein synthesis (i.e., anabolism), when measured
acutely and found that this response is additive to the basal response over
a full 24-hour period.
Caffeine and Nicotine: The Super Thermogenic Stack?
It’s well established that nicotine replacement therapy limits weight
gain after smoking cessation. So, Dr. Anna Jessen and colleague
examined the acutethermogenic effects of chewing gum containing
different doses of nicotine and caffeine. This well-controlled study included
12 healthy, normal-weight men. Energy expenditure was measured with
indirect calorimetry before and 2.5 hours after subjects chewed the gum.
Interestingly enough, one milligram of nicotine had a pronounced
thermogenic effect, which was increased by about 100 percent when it
was combined with 100 milligrams of caffeine. Also, no side effects were
reported with the gum that contained one milligram of nicotine with 50 or
100 milligrams of caffeine. Nevertheless, if you want to give this stack a
try, talk with your doctor first.
Post-Exercise Recovery Drinks
In an excellent study by Dr. van Loon and co-workers, after an
overnight fast, eight male cyclists visited the laboratory on five occasions,
during which a control and two different beverage compositions in two
different doses were tested. After they performed a glycogen-depletion
exercise, subjects received a beverage (3.5 mL/kg) every 30 minutes to
ensure an intake of 1.2 g/kg/h carbohydrate and zero, 0.2 or 0.4 g/kg/h
protein hydrolysate and amino acid mixture.
After the insulin response was expressed as the area under curve,
only the ingestion of the beverages containing protein hydrolysate, leucine
and phenylalanine resulted in a marked increase in insulin response
compared with the carbohydrate-only trial. Further, a dose-related effect
existed because doubling the dose (0.2-0.4 g/kg/h) led to an additional rise
in insulin response. Blood leucine, phenylalanine and tyrosine
concentrations showed strong correlations with the insulin response.
In addition, blood amino acid concentrations were generally lower
after the ingestion of drinks containing protein hydrolysate plus
phenylalanine plus leucine compared with the control drinks, although in
the latter, a considerable amount of protein and amino acids were
ingested. This suggests that tissue amino acid uptake and post-exercise
muscle protein anabolism were increased after the ingestion of protein
hydrolysate-amino acid mixture.
Leucine and Post-exericise Muscle Anabolism
A study by Dr. Koopman and colleagues was designed to
determine post-exercise muscle protein anabolism following the combined
ingestion of carbs with or without protein and/or free leucine. Eight male
subjects were randomly assigned to three trials in which they consumed
drinks containing either 1) carbs alone, 2) carbs plus protein, or 3) carbs
plus protein plus leucine following 45 minutes of resistance exercise.
As expected, blood insulin response was higher in the carbs plus
protein plus leucine group compared with the other groups. In addition,
muscle protein synthesis rates were higher when protein and free leucine
were co-ingested compared with the ingestion of carbs only. Ingestion of
carbs and protein resulted in intermediate muscle protein synthesis rates,
so this study clearly shows that the combined ingestion of protein and
leucine with carbohydrate stimulates protein anabolism.
The authors concluded, “The present data indicate that the
additional ingestion of free leucine in combination with protein and
carbohydrate likely represents an effective strategy to increase muscle
anabolism following resistance exercise.”
GAKIC: The Ultimate Anti-Fatigue Agent
The purpose of the first GAKIC™ study by Dr. Bruce Stevens was
to quantify the effects of GAKIC supplementation on human muscle
dynamic performance (strength, work, fatigue) measured under conditions
of acute, exhaustive, high-intensity, anaerobic, isokinetic exercise.
Thirteen healthy men were orally administered 355 milliliters of low-calorie
cranberry juice containing either 11.20 grams of powdered GAKIC, or 9.46
grams of sugar isocaloric control. This was consumed in three equal
aliquots (parts of a whole) over 45 minutes.
The results demonstrated that GAKIC supplementation significantly
improved performance compared to control isocaloric sugar treatment.
The investigators summarized the salient findings as follows:
1. GAKIC increased the ability to sustain muscle force (concentric
torque) up to 28 percent during intense acute anaerobic muscle
exercise;
2. GAKIC increased the ability to sustain muscle total work up to
12 percent during intense anaerobic muscle exercise; and
3. GAKIC increased the overall muscle performance by delaying
muscle fatigue during the early phases of anaerobic exercise
through 15 minutes.
The purpose of the second GAKIC study by Drs. Britni Buford and
Alexander Koch at Truman State University was to determine the effects
of GAKIC supplementation on repeated bouts of anaerobic cycling
performance.
Again, subjects (10 healthy men) consumed the treatment
beverage (GAKIC or sugar) in three equal aliquots over a 45-minute
period. The dosing regimen employed was identical to the first study by
Dr. Stevens and co-workers.
The results of this second study indicated that GAKIC
supplementation significantly reduces the drop in mean power output
associated with repeated sprints of anaerobic cycling. The authors
concluded, “These findings reinforce the notion that GAKIC
supplementation may be a useful aid for strength-power athletes, similar to
creatine supplementation. Unlike creatine, which requires approximately
five days of loading to produce improvements in high-intensity work,
GAKIC appears to impart an ergogenic effect within minutes of
consumption.”
Forskolin Cuts Fat and Increases Free T
A recent study by Dr. Godard and co-workers examined the effect
of forskolin on body composition, testosterone, metabolic rate, and blood
pressure in overweight and obese men. Thirty subjects were studied in
this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study for 12 weeks. The
results indicated that forskolin supplementation (250 milligrams of 10
percent forskolin extract twice a day) significantly decreases body fat
percentage and fat mass while concurrently increasing bone mass.
Furthermore, the investigators noted that there was a trend toward a
significant increase for lean body mass in the forskolin group. Interestingly,
forskolin also increased free (biologically active) testosterone levels.
In summary, this product may be useful supplement for gym rats,
but well-controlled studies in healthy athletes are needed before firm
conclusions can be drawn.
