Supplement Zone - Issue 16

HMB AND YOU

HMB is arguably one of the world’s best ergogenic aids. It’s been
used extensively among bodybuilders and athletes alike for its exercise- and performance-enhancing properties; among these are improved body composition, improved aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance, and even potential improvements in hormonal profiles. HMB stands for beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate and is a metabolite of leucine, a branched-chain amino acid. That should already tell you that it plays a significant role in muscle hypertrophy. In a study done looking at body composition changes in untrained males taking HMB, researchers found staggering results. The participants took zero, 1.5, or 3 grams of HMB daily while weight lifting 3 days per week for 3 weeks. The scientists found that HMB decreased markers in the blood specific to muscle damage and protein breakdown (the higher the dosage, the more significant the decrease). The subjects’ weights in the gym also increased respective to their dose of HMB, and lastly, lean body mass increased with each subsequent escalation of HMB ingestion (the zero-, 1.5-, and 3.0-gram groups gained 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 kilograms of lean body mass, respectively).

BOOST YOUR FAT BURNING THROUGH SUPPLEMENTATION

Two’s a couple, but three’s a crowd when it comes to weight loss. The International Journal of Obesity is publishing a research paper that will demonstrate how taking epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the lipolytic catechin and antioxidant found in abundance in green tea, and resveratrol, a natural phenol produced by plants and found in red wine, led to weight loss in untrained subjects. Researchers gave subjects 282 milligrams of EGCG and 200 milligrams of resveratrol split into 2 doses, for a period of 3 days. They also gave subjects both the EGCG and resveratrol, plus a dose of soy isofl avones. On the third day, researchers measured circulating metabolic concentrations and energy expenditure after both fasted and postprandial (6 hours after a meal) conditions. They noticed that the short-term EGCG and resveratrol supplementation increased resting and postprandial energy expenditure (this wasn’t the case, however, in the EGCG + resveratrol + soy group). They also noted that the EGCG + resveratrol subjects had improved metabolic flexibility, meaning the ability to switch from using carbs as fuel to fat, and vice versa. This is helpful, as it’s hard to lose fat if you can’t burn it! EGCG and resveratrol had decreased insulin levels and increased uptake of glucose in the muscles. The two supplements boosted the rate of fat burning, as well as the activity of the AMPK enzyme. AMPK is the enzyme responsible for the stimulation of fatty acid oxidation, lipogenesis (converting simple sugars to fatty acids), and stimulation of skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation and muscle glucose uptake—all of which contribute to fat loss.