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November
03, 2000 |
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Supplementing the Extreme Question:
A guy at
my gym told me about how great HMB is…that it’s a wonder
supplement, a potent anabolic muscle builder, and a compound
that’s as strong as the anabolic steroid nandrolone decanoate.
The problem is that this guy is really small and never seems
to make any gains. What’s
the deal with HMB? Answer: Your “friend” in the gym has obviously been reading old
literature which touts HMB as nearly the greatest muscle-building
compound ever developed. The
hype surrounding this compound culminated with the statement that
HMB makes a person feel as if he was taking the anabolic steroid
Deca Durabolin (nandrolone decanoate).
We now know that this is nonsense and that HMB does very
little in comparison to any anabolic steroid, including nandrolone
decanoate. To be fair,
HMB does have some research behind it which shows that it might be
effective in promoting a positive nitrogen balance (which, in turn,
may accelerate muscle growth).
The problem is that many compounds look good or even great on
paper—human growth hormone for example—but produce little or no
significant results in the real world.
This is exactly what we see with HMB!
Indeed, there are some studies showing promise but in the
real world this compound does nearly nothing for muscle growth.
Compounding the problem is the fact that large quantities
must be taken which also makes it very expensive.
My advice is to stay away from HMB and instead invest your
money into one of the highly effective steroidal nutrients such as
Isoinokosterone or Methoxivone.
Currently, our extensive research lab is working on some HMB
derivatives which we hope will solve many of the problems that
currently plague HMB. I
will keep you updated on this as we make progress.
I
strongly recommend to everyone to be smart when buying supplements.
Most companies just want to hype, and like and thus cheat you
out of your money. Be
smart! If a company
makes outrageous claims, you can be almost certain that they are
trying to rip you off. You’ve
heard it before…if it sounds too good to be true then it usually
is. In this industry,
it always is!!! Question:
I’m a
regional champion in powerlifting!
It is more than a hobby to me; it is a passion.
Simply, I love every aspect of the sport.
I’ve learned so much from Anabolic Extreme.
From training to nutrition advice to drug usage, AE has done
more for me than any other publication.
I’ve been enthralled with the many articles on
supplementation of late. I’ve
been using some of the new powerful supplements now available such
as Isoinokosterone and Ipriflavone and have made considerable gains
in my lifts such as the bench and squat.
The problem is that the extra poundage is causing some of my
joints to hurt. What
can I do to repair/alleviate my joint problems? Answer: Unfortunately, there is no single specific treatment that
will cure or even alleviate all joint problems.
There can be many causes for joint pain including tendon
inflammation, dry joints, calcified joints, and connective tissue
damage/inflammation. If
you have some simple and minor tendon inflammation, an NSAID such as
Ibuprofen might do the trick until your tendons develop and become
strong enough to handle the weight.
At best, this should only be a temporary treatment as long
term use of NSAIDs have been shown to worsen joint health.
I feel that the absolute best approach to maintaining utmost,
pain-free joint health is a multifaceted approach which has, at its
backbone, preventative care instead of therapeutic care.
Currently
in the U.S., the medical establishments’ approach of taking care
of your body is strictly therapeutic.
Their motto is to leave it alone unless some problem occurs.
Only at this point will they recommend a treatment—this
usually being only to deal with the symptoms and not the actual
problem. What I suggest
is to supplement your diet with many different compounds with
different modes of action that have been shown in medical studies to
not only alleviate joint pain but to actually build up and repair
the joints. Two
of the best compounds to take are glucosamine hydrochloride and
chondroiten sulfate. These
mucopolysaccharides have been studied extensively and have been
shown to not only alleviate joint pain but to also increase joint
health. Both of these
compounds help produce
substances needed for the formation of healthy connective tissue.
In particular, glucosamine is the critical building block of
proteoglycans. These
proteoglycans are large protein molecules that act like a sponge to
hold water—giving connective tissues elasticity and cushioning
effects which provide a buffering action to help protect against
impacts that could otherwise cause damage.
The proteoglycan stimulating effect also increases the amount
of protective lubricating substances like synovial fluid which
cushions and keeps our joints moving friction and pain free.
Finally, chondroiten, unlike glucosamine, has the ability to
protect existing cartilage from prematurely breaking down by
inhibiting enzymes that normally destroy cartilage.
I am a firm believer in taking these two compounds on a daily
basis as part of a rigorous program of maintaining good joint
health. Glucosamine
and chondroiten are incredibly effective compounds but really only
affect the actual joint unit. Although
they might help slightly, they are probably not going to be highly
efficacious for symptoms of tendon inflammation (tendonitis).
This is probably what happens when someone starts lifting
higher weights—a greater stress is placed on the tendons which
causes an inflammation. Sometimes
lifters experience this on a chronic basis even if they lift light
weights. To combat
this, an antiinflammatory compound should be used.
Again, an NSAID could be taken but this is at best ideal in
temporary situations. A
better approach is to supplement your diet with potent and naturally
occurring antiinflammatories like boswellic acid.
This compound is extracted from boswellia serrata, a tree
growing in India. In
studies, this compound has been shown to be just as effective as the
NSAIDs Ketoprofen and Phenylbutazone without the nasty side effects
such as gastrointestinal problems and joint deterioration. Boswellic acid is ideal for inflammatory conditions such as
tendonitis. It is also
ideal for other types of joint inflammation that might not be taken
care of with glucosamine and chondroiten. To
summarize, I recommend everyone to take glucosamine and chondroiten
(at the absolute minimum glucosamine) on a daily basis and to take a
natural antiinflammatory such as boswellic acid when direct
antiinflammation is needed such as in cases of tendonitis.
Again, compounds like Ibuprofen can be used but take these
sparingly and only temporarily.
Answer:
Actually, your question is right up my alley.
A pharmaceutical lab out of the middle east has been working
on a tanning product that will be truly revolutionary.
Basically, you will be able to get an extremely dark tan by
only tanning a few times. Until
this product comes out, I can only recommend a very healthy
supplement that will benefit you in many ways.
First, it will reduce the damage to your skin and second it
will make you look like you have a very nice tan…especially if you
already have a some natural color to your skin.
The only problem is it can make your palms look a little
orange if you take too much. For
your benefit, I have provided an article that I wrote a while ago on
this supplement. What
we need is a tanning hero--a compound that will not only protect the
skin from the damaging effects of the sun but will also give the
skin a beautiful bronze color and will significantly enhance the
appearance of any natural melanin pigmentation (i.e. a tan).
If you haven’t already guessed what the compound is then
please meet canthaxanthin. With
a name like canthaxanthin, you might inherently be a little
apprehensive about taking this compound but rest assured this
supplement is extremely safe and very beneficial to your overall
health. Please
allow me to properly introduce canthaxanthin by giving you a little
background information on this amazing supplement.
Canthaxanthin is a well-studied carotenoid widely distributed
throughout nature. In
order to understand the functions of canthaxanthin, a comprehension
of the group of molecules called the carotenoids is necessary.
Carotenoids are biological pigments that are both the
coloring of living organisms and the necessary molecules needed for
important metabolic reactions.
They are distributed ubiquitously in leaves, flowers, fruits
and roots of plants. Furthermore,
carotenoids are found in many animals, especially in marine
invertebrates and in the brightly colored feathers of tropical
birds. All carotenoids
that are found in animals are ultimately derived from plant or
algae. The
carotenoids are so widely distributed throughout nature because of
their efficiency at protecting cells from various types of
environmental damage. Carotenoids
are potent antioxidant molecules that protect plants from damage
caused by singlet and triplet oxygen produced by ultraviolet rays
and photosynthetic metabolism. They are also free radical scavengers that prevent harmful
uncontrolled oxidation chain reactions.
Finally, carotenoids protect plants from direct ultraviolet
damage by absorbing high-energy ultraviolet photons and dissipating
the energy along their hydrocarbon chains.
Mutant plants that contain no carotenoids soon die due to
ultraviolet induced damage to the chlorophyll.
A similar situation occurs with carotenoids in animals.
These potent, colorful molecules act as ultraviolet light
absorbers, antioxidants, and free radical scavengers thus protecting
the animal’s DNA from genetic damage.
The
carotenoids consist of two main groups:
the carotenes and the xanthophylls.
Beta-carotene, which nearly everyone is familiar with, is the
most common CAROTENE. On
the other hand, Canthaxanthin is a xanthophyll.
A difference worth noting is that beta carotene converts in
the mammalian system to Vitamin A.
Canthaxanthin, as well as all xanthophylls, do not convert to
any extent to Vitamin A. Specifically,
canthaxanthin is a naturally occurring carotenoid found in many
different plants and animals. It
is the red coloring of many fruits, vegetables, and flowers, as well
as some edible mushrooms. It
gives the pink hue of the feathers of brightly colored tropical
birds such as flamingos and roseate spoonbills.
A few species of pink shellfish and some ocean crustaceans
such as the red lobster contain this xanthophyll as does the pink
flesh of salmon and the red spots on the skin of trout.
Besides being a red pigment, canthaxanthin functions as an
ultraviolet photon absorber, a singlet and triplet oxygen quencher,
and a free radical deactivator.
The incredible endurance of pink salmon on their long
migrations to spawning grounds may be possibly due to the
antioxidant qualities of the canthaxanthin that saturates their
bodies. They swim for
thousands of miles in highly ionized oxygenated water without damage
or death (conditions which would normally be fatal to a fish). Now
that I’ve given you all of the background information on
carotenoids and canthaxanthin that you’ll ever want to know, I can
hear everyone screaming at me to tell them how this can give them
healthy, beautiful skin. To
answer this correctly, we must understand what happens to
carotenoids when ingested in large quantities.
I am sure everyone has heard that if a person eats too many
carrots their skin will turn yellow.
Indeed, this is true and the condition has been termed
carotenemia. Sometimes,
this can appear to be jaundice, however, with jaundice the whites of
the eyes become yellow, while carotenoids only color the skin and
not the eyes. Beta-carotene
does a fine job of coloring the skin (actually the fat under the
skin); however, the color is yellow--not very cosmetically pleasing!
A carotenoid that would color the skin a bronze color would
be ideal--both for health and cosmetic reasons. While
beta-carotene is a yellow orange carotenoid, canthaxanthin is a deep
red/brown. Thus, when
carotenemia occurs, a much darker, orange/red/brown color will
appear. On most parts
of the body (except perhaps the palms and soles of the feet where it
can appear orange) the coloring is very reminiscent of a tan.
Furthermore, I have found that canthaxanthin will enhance an
actual tan by 2-3 fold. Thus, one would have to lay in the sun or in a tanning booth
much less to get the required tan.
Finally, the time spent in the ultraviolet rays would be much
less harmful because the canthaxanthin would be quenching the free
radicals and absorbing the photons!
Pretty cool, huh? Are
there any side effects to using canthaxanthin?
Yes, but they are absolutely harmless!
Because the body expels excess amounts that are not
assimilated in the body, it can turn your stool a reddish color.
Since no one should be observing your stool anyway this
definitely should not present a problem!
The only other side effect is an orangey coloration to the
skin especially to the palms and soles of the feet.
This, however, can be controlled with dosage and by spending
some time in the sun (or other form of ultraviolet light).
First, let me say that the orangey color usually appears with
very excessive dosages and that cutting the dosage in half usually
controls the phenomenon. The
other very effective way to put an end to the oranginess is to
transform it to a nice bronze color.
The can be accomplished by the skin being exposed to
ultraviolet light. The
neat thing about canthaxanthin is that it not only makes your skin
appear tan when your skin has very little melanin in it but it
changes its color when ultraviolet light hits it.
Fortunately, the changed color is a darker, deeper bronze.
Some things like cheese and wine become better with age;
canthaxanthin becomes better with ultraviolet light! What
are the most common misconceptions about canthaxanthin?
1.
Canthaxanthin stimulates melanin in the skin.
This is a lie and any company making these claims is
defrauding the public. Canthaxanthin
has nothing to do with the skin's normal tanning process from
ultraviolet ray stimulation. 2.
Canthaxanthin will color the hair and eyes.
NOT TRUE! Canthaxanthin
only colors subcutaneous fat--thus giving the appearance of colored
skin. 3.
Canthaxanthin causes liver damage.
FALSE--canthaxanthin is non-toxic.
The confusion may come from any of the two following reasons:
a. Excessive Vitamin A can cause Vitamin A Toxicity which could
lead to liver damage. The
carotenoid beta-carotene is pro-Vitamin A and converts on demand
into Vitamin A as the body needs it.
Unlike beta-carotene, Canthaxanthin is not pro-Vitamin A.
b. Liver failure can cause jaundice. The coloration of the skin by carotenoids is not the same as
being jaundiced. If
this stuff is so good, why don't we hear more about it?
Basically, we have our most wonderful and beloved FDA to
thank! Only one company
in the U.S. manufacturers this compound and the FDA puts much
pressure on this company to restrict its sale.
The FDA will not allow it to be sold as a tanning agent.
Thus, it must be sold as a food colorant/dye (how it is used
in the food industry). It
is an arduous task to market such a compound and few companies are
willing to spend the time and effort in doing so.
Canthaxanthin can be bought through some mail order companies
in muscle magazines in the form of capsules--however it is usually
very expensive. The
only other option that I know of is to search the Internet in hopes
of a company that sells this compound cheaply.
Although it is expensive, canthaxanthin, in my opinion, is
well worth the money. It
will not only assist your skin in staying young, supple and wrinkle
free, but it will also make it very easy to achieve and maintain
that beautiful bronze tan that you always wanted. |
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