Are Vitamin Pills a False Hope?

A buddy of mine at work forwarded me this very interesting article on the effectiveness of vitamin supplements.

Ever since the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Linus Pauling first promoted “megadoses” of essential nutrients 40 years ago, Americans have been devoted to their vitamins. Today about half of all adults use some form of dietary supplement, at a cost of $23 billion a year.

But are vitamins worth it? In the past few years, several high-quality studies have failed to show that extra vitamins, at least in pill form, help prevent chronic disease or prolong life.

Continue reading...

I'm very curious to hear your thoughts on this.

How To Get Shredded In Only 5 Days

I found this interesting article on bodybuilding.com, discussing techniques to look shredded in a mere five days.

Read it. Let me know what you think.

How Does Creatine Work?

That question was posed to me this morning at work this morning, and I thought the short answer would make a good post here at The Men's Health Blog -- especially since I haven't posted in awhile.

The whole process comes down to ATP.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a multifunctional nucleotide, and the initial fuel for muscle contractions. For short-duration explosive sports, such as sprinting, weight lifting and other anaerobic exercises, ATP is the energy system used. Creatine increases energy of muscles by increasing the amount of ATP.

More specifically, ATP provides energy by releasing a phospate molecule, at which point it becomes ADP (adenosine diphosphate). The energy produced during this process lasts only seconds. Once the energy is used, more ATP must be produced. This is where creatine phosphate, or also called phosphocreatine (the form that creatine is stored in the body), comes into play. It gives its phosphate to the ADP making another ATP. This ATP again, is used as energy for a few seconds and then the process repeats. This process is called ATP regeneration.

Stay with me now.

ATP regeneration keeps your body from relying on glycolysis, which is a process where lactic acid is built up during your workout. Reduced lactic acid allows you to workout longer and harder, thus maximizing every muscle’s workout, and allows you to gain more muscle, strength and size. Your ability to generate ATP depends on your supply of creatine.

So basically, the more creatine you have, the more ATP you'll be able to produce. You will eventually lose energy molecules, however, so no matter how much creatine you have in your body it won't do any good without the presence of the energy molecules. And the production of these energy molecules depends heavily on ribose.

Ribose is another post in and of itself.

Whether or not creatine is right for you, is up to you. No studies that I know have shown creatine to have any serious adverse side effects. As expected, however, some studies have shown creatine to cause gas, bloating, and diarreah when used in excess.

If done properly, creatine can provide more energy, endurance, strength, and weight gain.

But do your homework.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Alternative Medicine

Just came across this interesting article in Newsweek by Barbara Kantrowitz and Pat Wingert: The Truth About Alternative Medicine.

Is natural better? Apparently, a lot of women think so. A survey released today by the National Institutes of Health found that 42.8 percent of American women use some form of complementary or alternative medicine, compared to 33.5 percent of men. That's similar to the gender difference in use of conventional medicine, says Richard Nahin, of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The most popular alternative remedies were nonvitamin and nonmineral products such as fish oil, omega-3 and glucosamine. Use of mind-body therapies such as deep breathing, meditation and yoga has also climbed since the last such poll in 2002. The report, which uses data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, also provides even more specific clues about the most likely consumers of these treatments: 50-somethings who have graduate degrees, are relatively well off financially, live in the West and have quit smoking.

That's a pretty desirable demographic, and marketing for natural products and supplements often aims squarely at the common ailments and anxieties of women in that target group, especially hot flashes, memory problems and arthritis. But by the time they reach a certain age, women should have learned a few things—like being wary of claims for miracle cures.

Continue reading...

Much like the Dr. Sheldon Marks article on which I posted last week, I like these kinds of articles that sift through misconceptions and take a look at the data.

Myths and Facts Surrounding Penis Enlargement

If you're a regular here at The Men's Health Blog, you might have noticed that I've added a link to Dr. Sheldon Marks' Men's Health Office under my blog roll.

I dig WebMD.

And I really dig this post on the myths and facts surrounding penis enlargement.

I don't know about you but I am fast growing tired of the dozens of spam e-mails I get every day about the magic new penis enlargement pill, cream or device. But it is not limited to these anonymous e-mails. Now I have to watch or listen to these same scams on major prime time TV shows and radio. What amazes me most is that these advertisements must be making money, or they wouldn't still be on the air week after week, month after month.

Here's the kicker - there is no truth or science behind any one of them. They are all pure and simple scams, designed to separate out the foolish from their money. Nothing more than snake oil salesmen, and sadly as educated as we are, we still remain gullible. Hey, if I could find a way to feel comfortable stealing money from people I might too jump in and offer "Sheldon's secret penile enlargement formula- but don't' wait, because organized medicine wants to shut me down, so order before midnight tonight and we'll throw in a free spray-on window tinter". And here is how they promote an age-old gimmick - now they call it male enhancement - kind of like a used car is now called pre-owned so they can charge more. If I sell my own secret formula, then I can lie but it is a new lie so it will take a few years for it to catch up to me and maybe by then I will have my millions hidden away in an off-shore Caribbean island. But my ethics gets in the way.

So many times people ask "why doesn't the government step in an stop these quacks from making outright lies and false claims?" The reason is simple - the supplement industry has worked very hard to keep the FDA out of the supplement market. This way, they can sell anything to anyone and they don't have to prove that it is effective, that it is even helpful or that it is even safe. So anyone with some money can create a fake treatment and sell it, making wild and extreme claims.

And what better way to trick people than playing to the secret wish of many men - to have a bigger penis? Because, after all, we know that men with bigger penises must be happier, more successful and have happier wives. And who will complain that his penis enlargement pill didn't work? I would guess very few men.

I like the good doctor's take on the subject, and will probably be linking to his work more often in the future.

If you've got a health blog and want me to add it to my blog roll, drop me a comment... unless you're trying to sell the sort of bogus supplements to which Dr. Marks was referring.

In that case, piss off.

Excuse my French.

N.O. Xplode Pre-Workout Supplement

A few weeks ago I finally caved and purchased a 1.8 lb. tub of N.O. Xplode from my local Vitamin Shoppe. I've heard and read quite a bit about this pre-performance igniter, and decided to check it out for myself.

My first impression? They weren't kidding when they dubbed this supplement a pre-performance igniter.

If you don't already know, N.O. Xplode is a Nitric Oxide supplement (hence "N.O.") that utilizes N.O. Meta-Fusion to open the door to vaso-muscular enlargement. The product claims to do so by immediately ramping up and sustaining Nitric Oxide levels. N.O. widens the blood vessel, which in turn accelerates blood flow to the muscle.

While it's too early to track any physical improvements (I'll post results if/when they emerge), I've certainly enjoyed the significant increase in focus and endurance throughout my workouts. If you're looking for a more explosive workout, this could certainly be the way to achieve it. It has been for me.

I've also taken heed to advice recommending you start with 1/2 scoop, and only increase as your tolerance for the supplement increases. Too many reviews that I have come across describe beginning with two or three scoops, and subsequently finding themselves unable to sleep or, worse, experiencing anxiety attacks.

But don't let that deter you, this is a great product when used properly.

Do your own research, there is a ton of information to find out if it's right for you. Should you decide to begin a N.O. Xplode regimen, my single point of advice is to START SLOW. Begin, as I did, with 1.2 of a scoop 30-60 minutes before your workout.

On a side note, one of the critiques that I came across time and time again is that the only flavor that tastes good is Fruit Punch. Well, I haven't tried Fruit Punch (yet), but the Blue Raspberry tastes just fine -- like a Blue Razzberry Blow Pop, actually.

Tasty and effective. Now that's my kind of supplement.

On Gaining Lean Muscle Mass

To be honest, I'm one of those guys that for a long time had trouble gaining weight. And by gaining weight, I'm of course referring to gaining proper, lean, muscle mass.

Over the last two years, however, I have been able to slowly pack on roughly 15 pounds -- a huge step for a moderately lanky guy like myself.

My secret? It's not a secret at all. Chances are, you've heard of a similar -- if not the same -- nutritional plan.

Generally speaking, I try to eat at least six times a day, or at least every three hours. I lift weights at lunch every weekday (and eat lunch as I work at my desk when I return). I attempt to consume one gram of protein per pound of body weight, and I enjoy a bowl of cereal before I go to bed.

That said, some of the guys at my office were aghast when they found out I consume -- although I don't always succeed -- around 170-190 grams of protein per day, about five days a week.

But in actuality, it's not that hard.

Here's how I accomplished consuming 189 grams of protein throughout my day today:

• 1 Detour Deluxe Whey Protein Energy Bar, lower sugar caramel peanut (30 grams)
• 2 turkey sandwiches with two slices each (22 grams total)
• 2 Optimum 100% Whey Protein shakes, one before and after my workout (96 grams total + at least 18 grams from the milk)
• 1 chicken breast (23 grams)

Bingo. 189 grams. Piece of cake.

Anyone on a similar plan? A better plan?