Nutrients for a Stronger Athletic Body

Lean Machine

Some of the most desired benefits of an active lifestyle are lean body mass, weight loss and stronger muscles. Chromium is also well-liked by athletes as it is thought to function as a thermogenic agent within the body. Because it regulates insulin-mediated glucose, amino acid and fat transport, chromium may help build muscle protein leading to muscle mass. Twenty overweight African-American women, engaged in a modest diet-exercise regimen, participated in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.¹⁷ They received a placebo three times a day during the control period and niacin-bound chromium, 200 mcg, during the verum period. In the first group of 10 women receiving niacin-bound chromium after the placebo period (group 1), body weight loss was essentially the same, but fat loss was significantly greater and non-fat body mass loss was significantly less with chromium intake. In contrast to the previous findings, there was a significantly greater loss of fat in the placebo compared to the verum period in the second group of eight women who received chromium first.

Chromium’s popularity in sports nutrition also stems from its alleged ergogenic (performance-boosting) qualities. Eight physically active men performed three exercise trials while ingesting 6 percent carbohydrate-electrolyte (CHO), CHO plus chromium picolinate (Cr+3), or a placebo using a double blind, counterbalanced design.¹⁸ During the standardized shuttle running, blood glucose was higher with both CHO and CHO + Cr+3 than the placebo. Plasma-free fatty acid was higher in the placebo group than both CHO and CHO + Cr+3 at 75 minutes of exercise and at fatigue. In the fatigue test, subjects ran longer with both CHO and CHO + Cr+3 than the placebo.

States of prolonged stress—including athletic endeavors, such as marathons—are associated with decreased hormone production, especially reduced secretion of human growth hormone (hGH) from the anterior pituitary. Alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine (A-GPC) is a is a naturally occurring phospholipid precursor and metabolite derived from soy lecithin and is known to potentate the effects of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and increase hGH. In a study from Z Sciences Inc. (submitted for publication), researchers examined the effects of a supplement containing primarily A-GPC (as AlphaSize®, from Chemi Nutra) on serum hGH levels, explosive performance, and post-exercise substrate oxidation.¹⁹ Compared to baseline values, peak hGH increased 44-fold during A-GPC, and peak bench press force was 14 percent greater in A-GPC. However, A-GPC had no statistically significant effect on peak power, rate of force development, RMR or cardiovascular hemodynamics (i.e., heart rate and blood pressure).