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About Will Brink

Will Brink has over 15 years experience as a respected author, columnist and consultant, to the supplement, fitness, bodybuilding, and weight loss industry and has been extensively published.Will graduated from Harvard University with a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.

His often ground breaking articles can be found in publications such as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.

Will was a former high level trainer with a rep for getting Olympic athletes, bodybuilders and fitness stars into shape and has gained a reputation for being a no "BS" industry insider who's not afraid to reveal the lies and hype found in the fat loss , muscle building & supplement industry.

He has been co author of several studies relating to sports nutrition and health found in peer reviewed academic journals, as well as having commentary published in JAMA. William has been invited to lecture on the benefits of weight training and nutrition at conventions and symposiums around the U.S. and Canada, and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs.

He is the author, of Bodybuilding Revealed which teaches you how to gain solid muscle mass drug free and Fat Loss Revealed. which reveals exactly how to get lean , ripped and healthy completely naturally. Both e-books come with access to his private forums and numerous tools to aid you in either endevour.

Find out more at Bodybuilding Revealed or Fat Loss Revealed.

Added: May 2008
Question:What Do You Think Calorie Restriction & Life Extension?
What's your thoughts on the use of eating less to prolong life, I keep seeing loads of experts saying the same thing. - Mary Little

Calorie Restriction (CR) is getting a great deal of media attention due to studies that find animals raised on restricted calories live longer and suffer from fewer diseases. That advice may seem counter to the “bodybuilding/fitness lifestyle” we all follow. 
 
Sure, we all know excess calories—minus any exercise to counter those additional calories—represent a negative for general health and longevity, but should people be severely limiting their calories? 
 
As many of you know, studies have suggested that lower calorie intake translates into longer life spans in animals and—perhaps—people. However, this conclusion is controversial and far from conclusive in my view. For example, a recent study suggests that fat mass, not calorie intake, is what is responsible for longer life spans, at least in mice. (1) 
 
And what does the bodybuilding lifestyle strive for? More muscle and less body fat! Remember, as one would expect, caloric intake and low body fat (leanness) are directly interrelated, which makes it difficult to determine the relative importance of each (CR vs. bodyfat levels) and their contributions to longevity. Thus, researchers are now trying to separate the two issues. 
 
Recently, a Dr. Kahn and colleagues from Harvard Medical School created a strain of mice that lack insulin receptors in their fat cells.  As insulin is a primary hormonal mediator of body fat levels in response to caloric intakes, this lack of insulin receptors in the animals’ fat cells caused the mice to have reduced fat mass (less body fat)—and also protected them from age-related problems, such as obesity. However, their calorie intake remained normal and no restriction was required to get the effect that would normally be seen with CR! 
 
The researchers found that the experimental mice lacking insulin receptors in their fat cells had an approximately 18% increase in mean lifespan over their non-modified red eyed squeaky counterparts.
 
Studies like this one are helping to sort out the effects of leanness (body fat levels) and CR, and their respective effects on longevity and—perhaps—disease prevention. As we can’t all have our insulin receptors removed from our fat cells, researchers are looking to develop drugs to reduce—or block—insulin action in fat cells in humans. 
 
Although such drugs could potentially have side effects, they may also be able to prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic diseases related to body fat and excess calories, without having to use strict CR. Hey, we might even live longer!
 
Bottom line here is, I would not leap onto the CR bandwagon just yet, but would attempt to keep my body fat level low and under control via good nutrition and the bodybuilding lifestyle. 
 
People who allow themselves to get fat (“Dude, I am off season!”) may not be optimizing their longevity, but heck, the guy who actually invented the theory of CR and longevity—Dr. Roy Walford—who practiced CR, died at the very average age of 79, so take that for what it’s worth…

Added: April 2008
Question:What Do You Think About the anti-cholesterol medication
Pravastatin. Will. I have recently been put in an anti-cholesterol medication called Pravastatin. Although I am only 26, heart disease runs in my family and I have genetically high cholesterol levels, so my doc put me on this drug. Will it have any negative effects on my bodybuilding efforts?
Stan Harrow.

A: The drug your doc put you on is one of the statin drugs, hence the “statin” part of the drug’s name in Pravastatin. There has been quite a bit of controversy surrounding these drugs. Possible side effects include liver dysfunction, muscle weakness, and in rare but severe cases, an actual destruction of muscle cells called rhabdomyolysis. These side effects depend on both the dose and statin being used, it should be noted, and the supplement CoQ10 may be able to counter many of the side effects of these drugs (but that topic is for another time).
 
OK, so from that, anyone reading the above would have to think “these drugs look terrible for bodybuilders and other athletes looking to gain muscle—I better avoid them!” But here’s the rub: for some not well understood reason, statins combined with resistance training may actually enhance the effects of hitting the weights! A study called “Statins and dietary and serum cholesterol are associated with increased lean mass following resistance training” done by at the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Texas A&M University came to some interesting conclusions regarding the effects of statins combined with weight training. 
 
Interestingly, this group was looking at possible methods for countering age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) which affects millions of older adults and leads to disability and an increase in mortality. Strength training and improved diet are obvious strategies for preventing and or treating sarcopenia, yet those two interventions are not 100% successful—there is more to this age-related loss of muscle than simply a lack of exercise and poor nutrition. This is why researchers are looking at various drug, hormones, supplements, etc. to combat the condition. 
 
OK, getting back to your question… 
 
This study looked at forty nine men and women between the ages of 60–69 years old who were put through two weeks of nutrition education followed by weight training three times per week for twelve weeks. They even gave them a post-exercise protein drink! Some very interesting results were found:
 
There was a dose-response relationship between dietary cholesterol and increases in muscle mass.
 
Serum cholesterol—as well as the statin drug—were independently associated with greater increases in muscle mass.
 
Interestingly, increases in muscle mass were not affected by variability in protein intake in this study. It should also be noted that dietary cholesterol (e.g., the cholesterol they obtained from the foods they ate) was not associated with serum cholesterol. Translated, the cholesterol they ate did not appear to affect cholesterol in their blood, which is not an uncommon finding in nutritional research, actually.  
 
The basic conclusion of the researchers was that dietary and serum cholesterol both contribute to an increase in muscle mass in response to weight training, and statins may improve this response.
 
How the statin drug augmented the effects of weight training was unclear. We know, however, that statins have effects separate from their ability to lower cholesterol (such as anti-inflammatory effects), so perhaps it enhanced the effects of weight training via some other mechanism. 
 
Now, the participants in this study were older men and women, so it’s possible the effect will only be seen with this population group, but it bodes well, at least, for the many people on these drugs who also lift weights and are worried they may be harming their efforts in the gym.

Question : 30 Gram Protein Rule
Hey Will, I was told by a trainer in my gym that 30 grams of protein is the upper limit a person can digest, but he could not tell me where that rule comes from. He said it was a "known fact" and walked away when I questioned his source. So what is the deal with this 30 gram rule? Is this guy full of it or should I worry about it? My stats are: 5'9" and 220lbs with about 10% bodyfat. I lift weights (heavy!) 4 days per week and do aerobics 2-3 day per week. Thank you, Daniel Lopez

Answer
It has been a long debated topic how much protein a person can digest at any one time. Nutritionists and doctors have maintained for decades that "people can only digest 30 grams at a time of protein and any additional protein is wasted or converted to fat." So say the powers that be. Now, I wish I could examine the study or research they are basing this advice on so I could dispute it but I can't. Why you ask? Because in all my years of searching the medical data banks, talking to researchers, and falling asleep in the medical library after hours of reading, I have been unable to find exactly where this advice comes from or what it's based on. At one time, I went so far as to offer a reward to anyone who could show me a recent study that showed that 30 grams of protein was the upper limit anyone could digest, regardless of age, weight, and activity levels. Why is it 30 grams? Why not 28 or 35? Are we saying that the digestive and absorptive abilities of a 285 pound 23 year old football player is the same as a 50 year old 115 pound women? Now digestion is a very complex topic. Many people think you eat some protein, it mixes with some acid or something, gets broken down into amino acids, gets taken up into the body, and everyone is happy. I wish it were that simple. As with all foods, the breakdown of protein starts in the mouth with the simple chewing of food and the exposer to certain enzymes. In the stomach, food mixes with enzymes and other factors such as lipase, pepsin, intrinsic factor, and of course HCL (stomach acid). It moves onto the small intestine and then the large intestine.The small intestine is considered the major anatomical site of food digestion and nutrient absorption and is made up of section such as the duodenum, jejunum, and the ileum. Pancreatic enzymes (chymotrypsin, trypsin, etc.), bile salts, gastrin, cholecystokinin, pepidases, as well as many others factors are released here. The large intestine is composed of the ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, and the sigmoid colon, which all play a part in absorbing the nutrients we eat. Sound complicated? It is. Believe me, I am leaving out a great deal of information so you wont fall asleep reading my little column! Suffice it to say, digestion is a very complicated thing and there are many places along the chain of digestion that can both enhance and degrade a persons ability to absorb the foods we eat. There is no reason to think that among this complicated process that there are not wide individual differences in a persons ability to digest and absorb protein. For some person who is inactive, elderly, and for what ever reason lives with compromised digestion, 30 grams of protein at one sitting might very well be too much for them to handle. By the same token, assuming a 220lbs healthy athlete is unable to exceed 30 grams of protein in one sitting is neither proven by medial science or even logical in my view. So what if the 30 gram rule turns out to be true? If we examine some of the more recent studies on the protein requirements of athletes done by researchers from both the United Sates and Canada , we come to some recommended protein intakes that far exceed the RDAs, some times by as mush as 225%! These researchers came to the conclusion that protein intakes for athletes should range from approximately 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight for endurance athletes and up to 1.8g of protein per kg for strength training athletes. For a 200 pound bodybuilder-a strength training athlete-that would be approximately 164 grams of protein per day (most bodybuilders I know eat considerably more protein per day, but that's for another fight and another article...). Assuming that 30 grams of protein is the most anyone can digest, absorb, and utilize, this person would have to split his intake into about five meals (164 divided by 30 = 5.47). So, given the advice by many people that 30 grams is all anyone can digest at a single sitting, it appears a person can achieve the goal of 30 grams of protein per meal even with the higher intakes recommended in the modern research (assuming they are willing or able to eat five meals per day). However, if you happen to eat more than that per meal as a healthy athlete I don't think you have anything to worry about. I wont tell anyone. Me, I would suggest you stick to the one gram per pound of bodyweight rule, which often exceeds the research mentioned above. Also, read the "Protein Myth" article at the BrinkZone site for more info on this topic.

Question: Slow Thyroid
Dear Will. I have a slow thyroid that is not quite hypothyroidism according to my Dr. He says I am in the "low normal" range and therefore don't need thyroid replacement therapy. I also had elevated but normal TSH levels, what ever that is. I went to see him because I was feeling tired all the time and had put on some weight for no reason. My workouts were also suffering a little. The Dr, however still insisted I did not require any thyroid medications. What do you think I should do? What can I do? Your help would be much appreciated.

Answer:

For starters, get a new doctor! Seriously though, what you probably have is commonly called "sub clinical hypothyroidism" which means you have thyroid hormones in the low "normal" range. There has been an ongoing controversy for years as to whether or not people with sub clinical hypothyroidism should be treated. The fact of the matter is, studies suggest such people should be treated. People given thyroid medication with "normal" but low thyroid hormones have shown reductions in cholesterol, improvements in energy and general feelings of well being with no side effects.

One recent study (Sept. 1999 Ann. Intern. Med.) also found that people with hypothyroidism had higher levels of homocysteine which were brought down by thyroid medication. This may also be the case for people with sub clinical hypothyroidism as well. So, you need to find a doctor who does in fact treat people with sub clinical hypothyroidism rather than a doctor who tells you you don't need it. Your symptoms, along with what you are telling me about your tests, point to a need for treatment. Have the doctor run a full thyroid panel, including T4, T3, TSH, free T3 and reverse T3.

Secondly, make sure you are taking in all the nutrients needed for proper thyroid function, such as kelp (which contains iodine), tyrosine, zinc, B vitamins, vitamin C, minerals, essential fatty acids, adequate calories, etc. You might also consider trying the product Metabolic Thyrolean which contains a combination of nutrients that may increase thyroid output in some people. Try this strategy for a month or so and get retested. If that does not work, that is raise your T4 and T3 levels while lowering TSH, you will probably need to have a doctor prescribe a small dose of thyroid medication. Ok, what about the thyroid medication if you have to go that route?

That again has been something of an ongoing controversy in the medical community. There are two main thyroid hormones. Thyroxine (T4) and Tri-iodothyronine (T3). T3 posses about 5 times more activity than T4. The body converts T4 into the more active T3 as needed via an enzyme. So, the general logic by most medical professionals in the US has been to give people synthetic T4 (brand name Synthroid) and let the body convert it to T3 as needed. Most docs in the US don't use T3 while its more commonly prescribed in other countries. In the old days doctors prescribed natural desiccated thyroid (brand name Armour Thyroid) which is a mixture of T4 and T3 with other naturally occurring constituents found in thyroid such as a rarely talked about compound called T2.

Funny thing is, many doctors, especially alternative practitioners, have found the synthetic thyroid meds did not work as well as the natural Armour thyroid and continued to prescribe Armour rather than the synthetic T4. Thus a controversy arised as the majority of medical professionals feel the simple T4 is fine. Personally, I think the Armour thyroid is probably superior and some studies suggest that a mixture of T4 and T3 is superior to either alone. For example, a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM, 340: 424-429, 1999.) found that a combination of T4 and T3 was more effective than T4 alone for improving mood and neuropsychological functions of people with hypothyroidism. I can also tell you that people who have taken T4 and switched over to Armour have told me many times they feel much better and have more energy.

So, my recommendation to you if you end of needing thyroid medication is to demand the Armour product (note to readers: if you already take thyroid meds for some condition you might want to consider telling your doctor you wish to change over to Armour for the reasons I have listed) . With sub-clinical hypothyroidism, most docs will start a person off on a half to a whole grain of Armour thyroid, but that dose may be higher or lower depending on what the doctor feels is needed. Each half grain or Armour has approximately 19mcg of T4 and 4.5mcg of T3. So, there you have it. This information should go a long way to taking care of your thyroid problems and get your energy levels and workouts back on track.

Question : Fat & Hair Loss
Dear Will, I am a chemistry student who regularly reads your stuff and the "Intake Update column." I have noticed that fats and fatty acid metabolism seems like a particular interest of yours as you write so much about flax oil . My question is this, what effects does fat have on hair loss? I am doing research into this and I don't have a clue where to start but it is a topic that really interests me. Thanks for the help and you dont have to print this letter in the cloumn if you dont want to. Tod L. Hoibert

Answer:

What effect does fat have on hair loss? That's a tough one to answer with any certainty. It is known that extremely low fat diets (below 10%) can cause hair loss just as a lack of many nutrients can cause hair loss. There is no doubt in my mind that deficiencies in the essential fatty acids (Alpha-linolenic acid and Linoleic acid) in the diet will hinder optimal growth of hair or muscle for that matter, but research is hard to come by that unequivocally proves it.

There are some fats that have been shown to have 5 alpha reductase (5AR) inhibiting abilities. F.Y.I, 5AR is the enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which goes onto make your hair fall out. One study found that Gamma Linolenic acid had strong 5AR inhibiting properties in vitro. It is also interesting to note that they found certain phospho lipids actually stimulated 5AR! Because the various fatty acids they tested had 5AR inhibiting properties that ranged from strong to none at all, they theorized that "unsaturated fatty acids may play an important role in regulating androgen action in target cells (Biochem J.,285:557-562, 1992)."

Now before anyone reading this runs out to buy Gamma Linolenic acid, this research is far from proof that it would stop or influence hair loss in a positive or negative way. However, it is interesting research none the less and points to the fact that certain fats do play an essential role in every cell in our bodies, including hair growth and hair loss, so eat your flax oil! On a more theoretical note, being we know that hair loss is ultimately an auto immune reaction brought on by inflammatory processes, and we know that the intake of Omega-3 fatty acid rich oils (i.e. flax oil and fish oils) greatly reduces the production of pro inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes, maybe these fatty acids can help with hair loss if taken in large enough amounts for long enough periods of time. All this is conjecture on my part, but its a great place to start your research Tod.

Question : The Best Meal Replacement
Will, what is your favorite weight gainer and meal replacement? Which are the best? I find them all too expensive honestly.- Merideth Walburg

Answer:

The "best" MRP and weight gainer are the ones you make yourself. My favorite home made MRP goes like this: two scoops whey isolate, one cup water, half cup of favorite juice, handful of frozen strawberries, 5 grams glutamine, and one tablespoon of flax oil or Udo's Choice oil, blended in the old blender.

This MRP has approximately 370 calories, 36 grams of protein, 23 grams of carbs, and 15 grams of fat (or 40% calories from protein, 24% calories from carbs, and 36% calories as fat), making it a high protein, moderate fat, low carb MRP. As for a high quality weight gainer: one cup whole milk, one cup water, 2-3 scoops whey isolate, one frozen whole ripe banana, one scoop chocolate ice cream, 5 grams of creatine, and two tablespoons of flax or Udo's Choice oil mixed in a blender. Calories? Tons. Protein? Plenty. Fat? Enough. Carbs? Who cares?

This drink is better suited for the young guy with a super fast metabolism who really needs a lot of extra calories to gain any weight. Not recommended for people over say 25-30 years of age looking to keep the fat off, but when your are a 17 year old kid who can't gain anything, this drink is for you!

As for your cost comment, I don't agree with you. If you sit down and figure out all the things you get in a decent MRP today, combined with the ease of being able to mix it any time or place you want it (unlike the recipes I have listed above), you will find the commercial MRP is probably one of the better bang for the buck supplements out there. Just try and get 40 grams of protein, a days vitamins, glutamine, and other stuff often found in any good MRP, for around three bucks.

If you look at it that way, I think you will find most MRPs to be a great deal for the money. Of course they don't taste like Burger King Whopper...

Question: Udos Choice vs Flax
How does Udo's Choice compare to Flax Oil? - Dian Houghton

Answer:

Udo's Choice was developed by Dr Udo Erasmus. Dr Erasmus "wrote the book" so to speak on essential fatty acid metabolism. Long before the bodybuilding community became aware of the importance of the essential fatty acids (thanks in large part to yours truly), Dr Erasmus was exstolling the virtues of the essential fatty acids for health, fat loss, and performance. Anyway, to fully answer your question we will have to take a look at a few things first. For starters, flax oil is particularly rich in Omega-3 essential fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid=LNA) but is a poor source of the Omega-6 fatty acids (linoleic acid=LA). Flax is in a 4:1 ratio of O-3 to O-6. This makes flax oil "Omega-3 rich" and "Omega-six poor." Many writers on nutrition have made the mistake of telling people that flax oil "is a good source of the essential fatty acids," which is not true. It is a good source of the Omega-3 essential fatty acids but lacks adequate Omega-6 EFAS for long term use.

Though early research tells us we need a bit more LA than LNA, we find in practice that a diet higher in the Omega-3 oils gets better results. Problem is, a diet too high in either oil leads to an imbalance in fatty acid metabolism and some potential problems. Now there are two schools of thought on how to look at this problem as it relates to the essential fatty acids. One school of thought says that most people already eat far to much Omega-6 oils (which they do) and far to little Omega-3 oils (which they do), and taking flax oil will just bring you into balance. The other school of thought feels taking flax oil is too rich in Omega-3 essential fatty acids and taking it exclusively will lead to an Omega-6 deficiency. I know this is getting complicated Nancy but it will all come together in a minute. Where do I stand on this issue? I think both assumptions are correct depending on the population you are looking at. OK, enter into this picture Udo's Choice oil product. What Dr Erasmus has done is made an oil that is in a 2:1 ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6, as opposed to the 4:1 ratio of flax oil. What this does is bring the ratio closer to what is optimal (and avoids any imbalances) while keeping it an Omega-3 rich product that we find gets the best results. In addition, he has added other important and useful ingredients for health and fatty acid metabolism such as : lecithin, vitamin E, and a small amount of MCT oils.

As you can see from the above discussion, not only do we need to get adequate amounts of both the essential fatty acids (LNA and LA), but we need to take them in the proper ratios with respect to one another. Hence the invention of Udo's Choice oil. Now lately I have seen some of the companies that make these types of products producing oils in a 1:1 ratio of LNA to LA, but I definitely prefer a product with more emphasis on the Omega-3 essential fatty acids as I have seen much better results in health, fat loss, and muscle gains, from an Omega-3 rich product. One of the best ways of using such a product is to use Udo's Choice in the off season, throwing in a bottle of flax once in a while, then switching over to flax oil exclusively during precontest dieting. I consider this strategy the best of all possible worlds, and I have gotten some pretty impressive results with it. I hope this answers your questions Dian.

Question : Can Whey Help With Stress
Dear Will, I follow our articles and column every month. One article in particular I really enjoyed was about the many uses of whey, from depression to performance. It was very interesting. One thing I have suffered from is depression which seems to get worse if I am under stress, like studying for a test. Can whey also help me perform better on my school tests as well as being a great protein source for my bodybuilding efforts? Scott Wilson. Denver CO.

Answer:

Dear Scott, The answer is...drum roll...a big maybe. There was a recent study that looked at whey and cognitive performance that may of interest to you. As mentioned in my previous articles linked on the BrinkZone (see "The New Faces of Whey in the articles section), one recent study examined whether alpha-lactalbumin-a major sub fraction found in whey which has an especially high tryptophan content-would increase plasma tryptophan levels as well reduce depression and cortisol concentrations in subjects under acute stress considered to be vulnerable to stress.

The study found the ratio of plasma tryptophan to the other amino acids tested was 48% higher after the alpha-lactalbumin diet than control getting casein, another milk based protein. This was accompanied by a decrease in cortisol levels and higher prolactin concentration. The researchers concluded that the "Consumption of a dietary protein enriched in tryptophan increased the plasma Trp-LNAA ratio and, in stress-vulnerable subjects, improved coping ability, probably through alterations in brain serotonin."

This effect was not seen in the sodium-caseinate group. The study was in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2000 Jun;71(6):1536-1544).

Recently the same group of researchers examined if whey protein could improve cognitive performance under stress. Cognitive performance declines under chronic stress exposure and it's theorized that the effect of chronic stress on performance may be partially due to reduced brain serotonin levels. As the previous study found, whey can increase serotonin levels by dramatically increasing Tryptophan levels, an amino acid which is the direct precursor to seratonin production.

The study looked at twenty three "high stress-vulnerable" subjects and 29 "low stress-vulnerable" using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. After each group was given either whey or casein (used as control), all the subjects where given a memory-scanning task and blood samples were taken to measure the effect of dietary whey or casein on plasma levels of Tryptophan vs other large neutral amino acids (aka the Trp-LNAA ratio).

The plasma Trp-LNAA ratio is considered to be an indirect indication of increased brain serotonin levels.

Similar to the other study, they found a significantly greater increase in the plasma Trp-LNAA ratio after consumption of whey diet than after the control (casein) diet.

Most interesting was a significant improvement in the memory test was observed only in the high stress-vulnerable subjects and not the low stress vulnerable-subjects. These results are very interesting and telling, as they show that people who are not naturally inclined to be particularly vulnerable to stress, didn't have an improvement in memory tasks.

However, people who are particularly prone to stress and are put under stress, may benefit greatly from the use of whey and other nutrients known to improve seratonin levels. Because whey has so many other known benefits, such a possible cancer prevention, immune enhancement, and many others, whey should be a staple food supplement in any anti aging regimen, bodybuilding nutrition, or disease protocol.

The study was called "Whey protein rich in lactalbumin increases the ratio of plasma tryptophan to the sum of the other large neutral amino acids and improves cognitive performance in stress-vulnerable subjects" and was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 75, No. 6, 1051-1056, June 2002).

Question : Over Training Syndrome ?
Dear Will, I am often tired for days after I workout. I also notice my strength is down and I get sick more often than others. I am thinking I must be in an over trained state. I am a tri-athlete and it often comes with the territory, though I try to avoid it. What information do you have that would help me? By the way, your e-book was very helpful. - Jack.Wate.

Answer:

Recently I went to a symposium on Over Training Syndrome (OTS) that was put on by a panel of scientists who have looked at OTS is a variety of athletes, ranging from bodybuilders to runners. In many respects, truly defining OTS in athletes has been more difficult to do than expected. Athletes that suffer from OTS can have alterations in immunity, loss of strength and energy, reductions in testosterone with a rise in the muscle wasting hormone cortisol, and other negative effects. However, these physiological markers don't appear in all athletes suffering from OTS, so diagnoses is not always easy. Trends with athletes, especially endurance athletes, regarding OTS have been coming to light. The panel of scientists at this symposium had some interesting findings and comments to share with the audience.

Their findings show that many elite athletes experience viral infections and upper respiratory infections (URIs), chronic fatigue, and other problems. Runners who ran a marathon are up to six time more likely to get a URI than runners who trained for the race but did not run it. The researchers also found that the athletes immune systems had half the ability to kill invading organisms vs sedentary controls, showing how hard intense exercise can be on the immune system. They found cortisol and norepinephrine are elevated up to six hours after intense exercise vs non exercising controls. Relating directly to the immune system: they found a 38% drop in immune cells essential to fighting infection called lymphocytes (T-cells). T-Cells function tests showed the T-cells don't react properly to an immune challenge (e.g bacteria, viruses, etc) for up to 6 hours after exercise. Natural killer cells (NK cells) needed as a first line defense for immunity were down while pro-inflammitory products such as IL-6 are up 500%! Ouch! For up to a solid week after intense endurance exercise, they found various immune disturbances and other problems. Not good mojo.

The most obvious way to avoid OTS is to avoid overtraining in the first place by cycling intensity levels, ingesting adequate calories, and making sure to get plenty of sleep. Nutritionally speaking, it was found a carb drink immediately following the event helped to greatly reduce immune problems by increasing insulin levels which combat cortisol. Other nutrients that might help would be whey protein, anti oxidants, flax oil, glutamine, and possibly products like creatine and ZMA, but there is less data on those specifically for OTS. If you are tired all the time, get sick easily, or have a general loss of strength and endurance, you are probably suffering from OTS.

Good luck.

Question : How Do I Break A Chocolate Addiction?
Dear Will, I follow our articles and column every month. One article in particular I really enjoyed was about the many uses of whey, from depression to performance. It was very interesting. One thing I have suffered from is depression which seems to get worse if I am under stress, like studying for a test. Can whey also help me perform better on my school tests as well as being a great protein source for my bodybuilding efforts? Melissa Bradshaw, WI.

Answer:

Dear Melissa, Interesting you would refer to your monthly chocolate intake as a "habit" as some scientists have argued that chocolate is in fact addictive. In fact, recent studies have used chocolate as a model for addictive effects of drugs on their brain and one study found chocolate affected the same area of the brain as cocaine! Using a method known as "positron emission tomography" a team of U.S. and Canadian neuroscientists believe they have identified areas of the brain that may underlie addiction and eating disorders.

The research was carried out by Dana Small, assistant professor of neurology, and colleagues at Northwestern University Medical School and published September issue of the journal Brain. No surprise then that chocolate is often reported as the single most craved food when people are interviewed. Ok, so we know that chocolate has some interesting addictive effects not unlike some drugs, but does that make it bad for you per se? The answer is no.

Chocolate contains compounds called flavanoids, which are a large group of plant based compounds known to have a wide range of effects. Lignans and flavanoids are naturally-occurring diphenolic compounds found in high concentrations in whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables and chocolate! In fact, a small bar of dark chocolate contains as many flavonoids as six apples, 4.5 cups of tea, 28 glasses of white wine and two glasses of red wine!

Flavanoids are a large group of compounds including catechin, daidzein, equol, genistein, beta-naphthoflavone (BNF), quercetin, rutin, chrysin, and genistein, as well as many others. For example, the famed "Flavone-X" mentioned in Dan Duchain's articles (which I believe turned out to be chrysin) is a flavanoid as are the recent "methoxy" based products. Interestingly, recent research showed the consumption of chocolate can have positive cardiovascular effects and according to Carl Keen from the University of California, Davis, at a recent conference, chocolate actually increased antioxidant capacity after volunteers consumed chocolate consumption, as well as other positive effects on blood vessels. Now here is the interesting twist on all this; they found not all chocolate is created equal to get these positive effects. Apparently, depending on how the chocolate is made, it can contain vastly different amount of healthy flavanoids.

So, Melissa you are off the hook as an occasional chocolate intake may in fact be good for you! Unfortunately, we don't have a list of chocolate bars that tell us whether they have high or low levels of flavanoids but it is known that darker chocolates tend to have higher levels over light chocolate. As for me, I didn't feel bad about my one chocolate bar per week "habit" even before I learned this!

Question : Ginseng For Athletes
Hello Will, What is your opinion of ginseng for athletes? Some people make it out to be the best thing since human growth hormone while others say it's worthless. What do you think Will? Nancy Wilson

Answer

Ginseng is often called an "adaptogen" which basically means it helps the body adapt to higher levels of stress. Ginseng proponents claim is can cure just about everything ranging from nervous disorders, anemia, poor libido, wakefulness, forgetfulness and confusion, nausea, chronic fatigue, and angina, to name a just few. Exactly how ginseng supposedly accomplishes all this is unclear and still being investigated. In animals, ginseng appears to have positive effects on metabolism as well as the cardiovascular system, central nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system.

Does it do all this in humans? Several recent reviews that examined the data on ginseng concluded, that while studies with animals show that ginseng (or its active components) may have positive effects, there is generally a lack of controlled research showing it improves performance in humans. There is also some data that suggests ginseng may have estrogenic effects in men, which of course is not what a male athlete wants.

The general consensus regarding the effects of ginseng in humans is that most studies suffer from methodological problems such as inadequate sample size and lack of double-blind, control and placebo designs. Several recent studies have found no improvements in performance from ginseng.

The reason for the contradictory finding between humans and animals may be due in part to the type of ginseng being used, the quality of the ginseng being used, the amount of the ginseng used. For example, there is American ginseng, Indian Ginseng, Siberian ginseng, and Korean ginseng, all reported to have different effects. Also, many ginsengs on the market are known to be lacking in the active ingredient in ginseng, known as "ginsenosides."

One study found that over 85% of ginseng products on the shelves contained virtually no gensenosides. This makes ginseng something of a confusing supplement for athletes, but not a supplement without potential merit or health uses.

Some studies have found ginseng has powerful anti cancer and anti oxidants properties as well as an ability to improve blood sugar metabolism. One recent study found ginseng was able to treat some men with erectile dysfunction! This may be due to ginseng being possibly able to effect Nitric Oxide (NO) production in men, as NO is essential for obtaining an erection.

Clearly, there is a need for research dealing with the efficacy of ginseng, and this research needs to take into account basic, fundamental design considerations if there is to be any hope of establishing whether or not ginseng actually has a place in an athletes supplements regimen.

I have to admit, in the real world, that is reports from people and person use, I have never noticed any performance enhancement (i.e. increases in strength, etc.) from ginseng and I think there are probably better supplements to spend your money on.

Question : Does GHB Build Muscle?
Hello Will, What is your opinion of ginseng for athletes? Some people make it out to be the best thing since human growth hormone while others say it's worthless. What do you think Will? Art Fish Washington DC,

Answer

Dear Art, I can fully understand your confusion over GHB. I will attempt to clear it all up for you and MMI readers.

First things first. What is it? GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) is found naturally in every cell in the human body. It is in fact considered a nutrient not a drug. Of course the FDA and other government agencies have now listed it as a drug and banned its sale, but that is as much politically motivated as anything.

Truth be known GHB is a safer, less expensive, and very effective alternative to the multi billion dollar sleeping pills industry as L-tryptophan was, another safe and effective nutrient banned by the FDA.

To date, not one single study has found any toxic effects from GHB on either humans or animals. GHB is completely metabolized into carbon dioxide and water, leaving absolutely no residue or toxic metabolites. In fact metabolism is so efficient that GHB can no longer be detected in urine only five hours after it's taken.

What there has been are a handful of people winding up in emergency rooms after taking large doses of GHB and combining it with other drugs (most notably alcohol) and this is where GHB gets its bad rap and gave the FDA the excuse it needed to ban the sale of GHB (and its chemical cousin GBL).

As with all compounds both natural (i.e. booz, GHB, etc) and synthetic (various drugs, etc), the use of GHB requires it be used in the correct dose and with some common sense and respect for it's potential problems.

GHB has many potential therapeutic uses and is considered to have a very low toxicity profile. In some European countries, it's used as a general anesthetic, for sleep disorders, an aid to childbirth and a treatment for alcoholism. It also is reported to be a great aphrodisiac.

However, GHB does have a potential for abuse because it gives the user a feeling of euphoria not unlike having a few strong glasses of booz. Unlike booz however, it does not leave the person with a hangover the next day and does not appear to be toxic to the liver or any other organ.

Is it 100% safe? Of course not!

At very high doses, it can cause a rapid, rhythmic contraction and relaxation of muscles similar to muscle spasm or seizure. GHB can also cause intense drowsiness and deep sleep often mistaken as a coma due to the unarrousability of the person.

Other possible minor side effects are drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. At very high doses, there can be a rapid loss of consciousness and possible cardiac and respiratory depression can occur.

Back when GHB was legal, I had a medical doctor friend of mine take a huge dose by mistake only to wake up on the floor the next day feeling no worse for wear other than a slight headache!

It is not something a person should take, and go drive a car for example or ever mix with other tranquilizers (e.g. barbiturates, opiates, Valium, Xanax, Thorazine, ), or alcohol. Only a moron would do that right?

What does it do?

It appears to act as both a metabolite and precursor of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid, or gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA). GHB temporarily inhibits the release of dopamine in the brain which appears to cause increased dopamine storage.

When the effect of GHB wears off, there is a release of dopamine, which is why some people pop awake in the middle of the night after taking it for sleep.

Does it build muscle?

Bodybuilders and other athletes have used GHB because of its ability to stimulate the pituitary to release growth hormone (GH). One study found a nine to sixteen-fold increases in growth hormone 30 to 60 minutes after intravenous administration in men between twenty-five and forty years old.

But would that big spike in GH cause increased muscle growth? No one has looked at that issue directly with GHB, but if we go by other studies looking at drugs and nutrients that cause a large short lived spike in GH, the answer would appear to be no.

Short lived spikes of GH appear to have no effects on muscle mass, especially in young healthy athletes with normal GH production. For older people with sub normal GH production, it might have some uses but again, that has not been looked at in the research.

So what's the bottom line on GHB?

It is a safe and effective nutrient for uses such as insomnia and general relaxation, but it has abuse potential to the addictive personality and should be treated with caution, common sense, and respect.

It probably will not build any muscle on people, especially healthy athletes. In the US, GHB is not approved and has been banned from over-the-counter sale by the FDA as mentioned above for political and financial motivated reasons. GHB continues to be sold for research purposes, but selling it specifically for human consumption, is not legal, so I recommend staying away from GHB and GBL if you live in the US.

A lot of bodybuilders get it from the "gray market" but I don't recommend it due to the legality and questionable purity of such products. In other countries the laws vary so it may not be an issue.

That should answer all your major questions about GHB/GBL Art.

Question : Is high protein connected with heart disease
Dear Will, You and other sports nutrition authorities have always recommended increased protein intakes over the RDA for people trying to gain muscle and weight. I have always been told that higher protein intakes were associated with an increase in the rate of heart disease. Is this not exactly what we are trying to avoid by taking up the healthy life style of bodybuilding? Loran Segal, Fort Worth TX.

Loran, there are a few things you need to understand regarding that information on protein. For one thing, the studies you are referring to are correlational studies. This type of research is notorious for leading people to conclusions they should not reach. Correlation does not equal causation...ever.

Correlational studies are good for tipping off researchers as to where to look and what to look for but they should never be looked at as proof of cause and effect relationship. First few pages of any decent book on bio statistics will tell you this.

However, it does not seem to stop people from using correlational studies as proof of something, when it is not. There have been no real double blind studies that show a higher protein intake leads to increased rates of heart disease in humans. In fact, a recent study showed just the opposite. After controlling for age, a recent study done by the Harvard School of Public Health found that higher intakes of protein were associated with a reduced rate of ischemic heart disease!

The study was published in the August American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol 70: 221-227). Previous studies that found an increased risk of heart disease from protein were probably just being confounded by the fact that most high protein foods are high in fat, which shows the short comings of correlational studies. Of course the entire fat issue regarding heart disease is another fight altogether!

Don't get me started!

Question : Adolescent Weight Loss
Dear Will, I am the father of a 16-year-old boy who stared lifting weight and reading your magazine in the hope he would lose some weight. He has always had a weight problem and became very encouraged after reading your column. However, he has also started taking an ephedrine and caffeine-containing product to help him lose weight. He claims it is safe and effective for him to do so but I am worried at his age, it could be unhealthy. Your opinion would be much appreciated, as I know he looks to you for much of his information.

Answer

Dear Mr. Solmn, It's probably safe for your son to use such a product assuming he (a) does not have any pre existing medical issues such as high blood pressure, etc., and (b) he does not abuse (i.e. take the 'more is better' route favored by young people who don't know any better) the product. Although we have a great deal of research to date showing such products to be both safe and effective in the vast majority of people using them, we have very little research with adolescents such as your son. However, we do have a recent study that looked directly at this question. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders (2000 Dec; 24(12): 1573-8) called "Safety and efficacy of treatment with an ephedrine/caffeine mixture. The first double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study in adolescents." found ephedrine/caffeine to be both safe and effective in adolescents.

The study used both 16 male and 16 female obese kids (32 total). They were put on a diet calculated 500 calories below daily energy requirement and given either ephedrine/caffeine (EC) or placebo for 20 weeks. The study was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Those weighing less than 80 kg (less than 176lbs) took one tablet three times per day of a product containing 100 mg of caffeine and 10 mg of ephedrine. Those weighing more than 80 kg (above 176lbs) took two tablets three times per day of the same mixture. As expected, there was a significant drop in body weight in both groups getting the EC mixture vs. the placebo group with a relative body weight decrease by more than 5% in 81% of the EC group, out only in 31% of the Placebo group. Perhaps more important, adverse events (i.e. side effects) were either non-existent to very minor and in fact did not differ between the EC and placebo groups. According to the authors "Withdrawal symptoms were mild, transient and their frequency and severity were not different between the placebo and active groups. They concluded by saying "According to the present pilot study, EC can be a safe and effective compound for the treatment of obesity in adolescents."

So it would appear from the above study that the effect of EC based products for adolescents is the same as for adults, which is they are safe and effective for weight loss if used correctly and is safe doses. However, what does concern me is adolescents attempting to use such products rather than exercise and diet to lose weight. At that age, looking for short cuts rather than slow steady work is common, so that is something for you to consider with your son. Combined with a good diet and exercise, the judicious use of EC based products with adolescents appears safe and effective.

Question : Nizoral - Any Good For Hair Loss?
Dear Will. In you article "Hair today Gone Tomorrow" a while back you recommended Nizoral shampoo for people losing their hair. Do still recommend it and has any new information come to light about its effectiveness for hair loss? I am looking for something to help with hair loss. Your input would be much appreciated. Ted Clarkson, MA.

Answer

Question : Bodybuilding with Male Pattern Boldness
Hello Will, I am a bodybuilder who has been experiencing typical male pattern baldness for the past few years from a family history of hair loss and the use of steroids on and off over the years. Though I would like to follow your recommendations from your site, is there any single formula you could recommend that might include virtually everything? I know there are literally hundreds of new products out there claiming incredible results, but I don't know who to trust, which is why I come to you. Can you help me? Josh Brandies, London UK.

Dear Josh, In fact, there is a single formula for hair loss, or male pattern baldness (MPB) that has virtually everything I would recommend and them some! The product is called Proxiphen and is produced by a Dr. Proctor out of Texas. Dr. Proctor is probably one of the foremost experts on MPB and one of the good guys in an otherwise shady industry. If you read my book Priming the Anabolic Environment, you may recall I mention Dr. Proctor in the ?Avoiding Side Effects? chapter. Proxiphen contains minoxidil, as well as the prescription agents phenytoin and spironolactone (a topically-effective antiandrogen) SODs, copper peptides, TEMPO, PBN...over a dozen active ingredients in all. As far as I am concerned, Proxiphen will  grow significantly more hair on people than any other agent or formula currently available.

Another plus is that Dr. proctor never sits on his success with Proxiphen in that he is constantly adding new compounds to the formula if he feels they show promise for MPB. The only thing I would probably recommend in addition to Proxiphen would be 1mg per day of Finasteride (Proscar). The combo of Proxiphen and Finasteride should grow hair on just about anyone in my view.

Ok, now for the  bad news. Ok, it?s not really bad news but it s something you will have to take into consideration and deal with. Because it contains prescription agents, Proxiphen can only be dispensed on a physician's diagnosis of hair loss. This is not as big a deal as you may think, but you will have to see your doctor to get an official diagnoses of MPB. You do not have to travel to TX to get it, but your Doc will have to communicate with Dr Proctor for you to obtain Proxiphen. Dr, proctor does produce non prescription products that may also be worth a try, but none of them will be as effective as his prescription based product. Dr. proctor can be contacted at 800-926-1752 or 713-960-1616.

Question : High Fat or Low Fat Diets For Endurance
Will, as a competitive cyclist I am interested in the higher fat low fat debate for athletes like myself. In particular, I wonder if I should use a high carb low fat sports bar on long trips or one of the newer higher fat moderate carb bars. What do you recommend ? All the best, Robert Moore

Answer

Robert, I cant cover the entire debate over higher fat vs lower fat diets here in this QnA. I can however give you some insight into the debate by focusing briefly on a study that looked at exactly what you are asking regarding which bar an endurance athlete might want to use. Certainly the past year or so has seen a dramatic increase in the debate over whether a high carbohydrate/low fat diet versus a higher fat/lower carb approach is superior for athletic performance. As expected, various brands of sports bars that emphasize different ratios of fat, protein, and carbohydrates, have hit the market for a variety of uses.

Researchers from the Exercise and science Lab at Central Washington University (Medicine and science in Sports and Exercise, Vol. 29, No. 5, p[s]250, 1997) put some bars to the test containing different amounts of carbs, protein, and fats. Using well trained cyclists doing 60km time trials, the study found that bars containing the highest ratio of carbs to fats (76% carbohydrates, 15% protein, 8% fat) fared poorly against the bars containing more fats and proteins and less carbs in the times of these athletes. When the athletes were fed the bars containing at least 30% fat (or more), 40% carbohydrates, and 30% proteins, one hour before exercise, they finished 2-4 minutes faster on the 60km time trial than when they were fed the high carb/low fat bars. Something to consider on your next Tour de France.

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