supplements

[willc]

ive heard alot about both but wnat to hear what other people think.  xyience or noxplode?  i know xyience is usually more expensive but which is overall better.  also what type of supplements should we avoid so that the gyn does not come back?  im guessing growth hormones but im not sure.

[fiXXXer]

How much weight are you trying to lose?

[willc]

im trying to tone and get my strenght back from my time off after surgery.  why does that matter?

[yorkshirelad_1979]

ive heard alot about both but wnat to hear what other people think.  xyience or noxplode?  i know xyience is usually more expensive but which is overall better.  also what type of supplements should we avoid so that the gyn does not come back?  im guessing growth hormones but im not sure.

 Hi mate, Sups that will help you out are things like, a good protein powder (stay away from bars as they contain shit loads of sugar), creatine, Glucosamine for the joints, a product called pure ALA (alpha lionic acid), experiment with ALA, creatine and protein and you,ve made your very own cyclone by maximuscle but at a fraction of the cost.  
 Stay away from HGH and Steroids unless you know what you are doing, if you need anymore help, give me a shout.  Hope this helps mate

[Bakajin]

all the pro-athlete trainers I've talked to about xyience say the any training benefits are pretty minor and definitely not worth the cost involved.  as for what supplements you should take, if your diet is healthy and balanced then supplements won't really do anything for you.  Unfortunetly though for many of us its difficult to maintain a healthy diet 100% of the time so of course supplements can make for useful gap-fillers.  

for myself I usually use protein powder, and a multivitamin and ZMA (Zinc/magnesium stack) daily.  A lot of people  suffer from zinc/magnesium deficiencies and ZMA can improve sleep quality and boost test levels.  I've never heard any cases where the test boosts from ZMA caused any problems with estrogen levels but that may be something to be careful of if you are currently suffering from such problems.

I'm not a fan of creatine and I wouldn't bother using that unless your body has already come close to peaking on its natural gains.growth hormones and steroids should not even be considered, especially for anyone or has or has had gyno problems.

[moobius]

i disagree on the creatine issue.

Creatine and Protein are two supplments that work, and work well.

[InKubus]

yeah but with creatine you are rotting yourself on the inside.

hormones and steroids should never be played around with (lazy mans way out if you ask me)

my advce: get a protein isolate *not a complex* and pack in as much protein as you can get to build that muscle. you should shoot for 1g of protein per pound of body mass.

also get a trainer to make you up a program to help you build muscle or do whatever you want.

[moobius]

yeah but with creatine you are rotting yourself on the inside.

LMAO! where in the world do you clowns get this stuff?

creatine has benefits beyond even just the performance enhancing aspects. even if you didnt' work out, creatine would be a good supp for health and longevity

[Bakajin]

the problem with creatine is a lot of the evidence supporting the long term benefits comes from studies sponsered by the same companies selling the stuff.  Its not easy to find reliable independant research that conclusively shows exactly what creatine can do for people.

I'm not saying creatine is a bad supplement (most of the claims against creatine also tend to be on the dodgy side), I just don't think its worthwhile for someone to use who isn't already a serious lifter.  The reasons being that its expensive and only provides a small amount of long term strength and size gains.  For a hardgainer looking to break through a plateu, creatine can be quite useful.  However that gains a newer lifter will make naturally will far exceed the small benefit creatine provides.

[moobius]

Creatine 'boosts brain power'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3145223.stm

The dietary supplement creatine - known to improve athletic performance - can also boost memory and intelligence, researchers claim.

The supplement is favoured by some athletes
Creatine is a natural compound found in muscle tissue, and has been popular with athletes looking for ways to increase fitness.

However, experts say that it has a role in maintaining energy levels to the brain, and have the theory that taking more creatine might actually improve mental performance.

Researchers from the University of Sydney and Macquarie University, both in Australia, tested this by giving creatine supplements to 45 young adult volunteers.

Vegetarians were used for the tests, mainly because meat in the diet is in itself a source of creatine, and it would be difficult to gauge exactly how much an individual had consumed.

 Creatine supplementation gave a significant measurable boost to brain power

Dr Caroline Rae, University of Sydney  
The volunteers were split up and given either creatine or a "dummy" pill for periods of six weeks.

Their ability to repeat back from memory long sequences of numbers was tested, and a general IQ test also given to the volunteers.

The researchers, led by Dr Caroline Rae, found that the creatine supplements - at least in the short term - seemed to have a positive effect.

She said: "Both of these tests require fast brain power and the IQ test was conducted under time pressure.

"The results were clear with both our experimental groups and in both test scenarios.

"Creatine supplementation gave a significant measurable boost to brain power."

The researchers found that subjects' ability to remember long numbers improved from a number length of approximately seven digits, to an average of 8.5.

Dr Rae believes that the creatine increases the amount of energy available to the brain for computational tasks, improving general mental ability.

Health risks?

Little is known about the long-term effects of taking creatine - there are reports of effects on blood sugar balance.

The supplement is also notorious for creating an unpleasant odour in the vicinity of the taker.

There is no evidence that the mental boost would continue over time, even if the patient carried on taking creatine for months rather than weeks.

Dr Rae said: "Creatine supplementation may be of use to those requiring boosted mental performance in the short term - for example university students."

The study was published in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B.

[moobius]

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/72/81723.htm

[moobius]

Study: Dietary supplement may protect against brain injury
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/alternative/11/02/creatine.study.ap/
November 2, 2000
Web posted at: 10:27 AM EST (1527 GMT)


LEXINGTON, Kentucky (AP) -- Researchers say a common food supplement used by athletes to increase strength and muscle mass may prevent brain damage after traumatic head injuries.

A University of Kentucky study shows that use of creatine, an amino acid produced naturally in the liver, kidney and pancreas, could help the brain recover from concussions and other injuries commonly suffered by professional and amateur athletes. The study was published in the November issue of Annals of Neurology.

"We believe this is a highly significant finding in the field of neurotrauma," said Stephen Scheff, a professor in the College of Medicine's department of anatomy and neurobiology. "We know of nothing to date that has shown this type of benefit in preventing serious neurotrauma."

Every year, more than 7 million people in North America suffer brain injuries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta says more than 300,000 of those injuries happen to people participating in sports or recreational activities.

Scheff's research team demonstrated that brain damage was reduced 21 percent when creatine was given to mice three days before injury and 36 percent when given five days ahead of time. In rats fed a diet supplemented with creatine for up to four weeks before injury, brain damage was reduced 50 percent, compared with rats fed a regular diet.

Many athletes already use creatine as a way to store energy and aid in muscle recovery time between bursts of activity.

Dr. Gregory J. O'Shanick, national medical director for the Alexandria, Virginia-based Brain Injury Association, said further research needs to be done before creatine can be considered a definitive method for limiting brain damage.

"It's something that sounds extremely interesting and tantalizing," O'Shanick said. "But there are two real questions here. First, is animal study sufficient enough to tell every athlete at risk of a head injury to start loading up on creatine? Probably not. Is it encouraging and worth more detailed research in strictly controlled clinical trials? Absolutely."

Dr. M. Flint Beal, chairman of the department of neurology and neuroscience at Cornell University's Weill Medical College, said further study may prove that creatine could be helpful in treating other neurological disorders as well.

"But human clinical trials are absolutely critical in determining whether creatine or any other drug or hormone therapy would be effective in treating human subjects with such disorders or traumas," he said.

Scheff said more research will need to be done to determine the exact benefit to humans, including a specific dosage to maximize the benefit. Until that time, researchers are not likely to promote the use of creatine for athletes under the age of 16, whose young brains are still developing.

"But I will tell you that I start taking creatine before I go skiing," he said.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.