This is where you will get some very useful information from different aspect Fitness and Nutrition. You May had some of the same questions formed in mind. If you have any question
feel free to contact me!!!



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

A: 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…


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


A: 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.


A: 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.




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,

A: 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.

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.