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Post by Ivan Drago - aka Arny/Dolph/AM on Dec 27, 2009 21:43:20 GMT -5
I don't know if I am going to train today, because its Christmas Eve and I have some PS3 Modern Warfare 2 to pla.... errrrr, I mean, some books to read and articles to write! You have a disease forming bro...  [glow=red,2,300]T[/glow] Forming? Don't you mean highly advanced stage-3? LOL! Wait, is my disease Modern Warfare 2, because I only play that twice a week....... until 4am. |
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Post by Ivan Drago - aka Arny/Dolph/AM on Jan 8, 2010 12:36:44 GMT -5
I have been reading research conducted on Cinnamon and the health benefits regarding blood sugar control, normalization, and increased insulin sensitivity SPECIFIC to muscle tissues receptors; VERY interesting and applicable to those of us who use cinnamon (personally in copious amounts in oatmeal) as part of our nutrition.The lay version can be found here: www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68All of the cited seemingly too-good-to-be-true facts and percentiles strewn about within the reading is born from this Journal entry: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17556692&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumTo save my fellow PRRS confidants time, I am going to rehash some of the amazing documented effects of actual HUMAN/animal/in vitro (test tube) studies conducted recently ( 2003-present) and outlined within the texts: - "Both test tube and animal studies have shown that compounds in cinnamon not only stimulate insulin receptors, but also inhibit an enzyme that inactivates them, thus significantly increasing cells' ability to use glucose." Now this is intriguing, because Cinnamon can actually slow the gastric emptying of the stomach, which also adds to the glucose normalizing effect, but it does this without creating a heightened sense of satiety which is referenced throughout both articles. This is pertinent to our approach toward anabolism, because we rely on large and frequent portions of food throughout the day - avoiding the side-effect of decreased appetite all while stimulating your body's ability to utilize ingested carbohydrates is paramount. - "Subjects were divided into six groups. For 40 days, groups 1, 2 and 3 were given 1, 3, or 6 grams per day of cinnamon while groups 4, 5 and 6 received placebo capsules. Even the lowest amount of cinnamon, 1 gram per day (approximately ¼ to ½ teasthingy), produced an approximately 20% drop in blood sugar; cholesterol and triglycerides were lowered as well. When daily cinnamon was stopped, blood sugar levels began to increase." These human subjects create a very important benchmark in the ongoing dissection of this easily available herb, because it was done in a strict control setting, funded by a government, and also included volunteers in a substantial amount (60) to avoid any red-herrings. The most exciting and promising aspect uncovered during these investigations was the drastic stark drop in blood sugar, 20% AVERAGE - and one subject experienced a 29% DROP! A relatively inexpensive additive that can be found at virtually any corner store, has the ability to modulate and regulate blood sugar and even stimulate receptors for optimal utilization - I'm not getting tingles up my leg like Chris Matthews, but wow that is some good stuff. Another note-worthy study finding was that blood sugar levels NORMALIZED after cessation of the Cinnamon... which suggests and proves an overt and direct correlation of the positive efficacy. - "December 2003 issue of Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. In this study, when rats were given a daily dose of cinnamon (300 mg per kilogram of body weight) for a 3 week period, their skeletal muscle was able to absorb 17% more blood sugar per minute compared to that of control rats, which had not received cinnamon, an increase researchers attributed to cinnamon's enhancement of the muscle cells' insulin-signaling pathway." WHOA MOMMA! So we're not just talking about boring lecture hall black-and-white lab coat wearing jargon here... we're talking about the recorded effects of Cinnamon on MUSCLE CELL insulin activity and up-regulation, and it even staves off the adaptation mechanism, in effect creating a perpetual reliable method to incorporate Cinnamon into our daily diets, and not notice any measurable point of diminishing return; even doses as low as 1g (1/4 tea sthingy - barely noticeable in food) offered up powerful results. - Lastly... I found this glaring quote that just beckons to be copy/pasted here for your higher education (and muscle accrual hopefully!) "By enhancing insulin signaling, cinnamon can prevent insulin resistance even in animals fed a high-fructose diet! A study published in Hormone Metabolism Research showed that when rats fed a high-fructose diet were also given cinnamon extract, their ability to respond to and utilize glucose (blood sugar) was improved so much that it was the same as that of rats on a normal (control) diet." Well HOT DOG, a bona-fide prevention of insulin resistance, even when being fed fructose - even I am weary to accept the finding that when being fed insulin in a weight dependent manner, the rats on a fructose diet displayed insulin markers similar to those of the rats on a low-glucose diet. I would never take this research to mean that along with a jug of Cinnamon, we can all go have some Dairy Queen during contest prep, but the compounding and constantly reinforced literature and science based research continues to pile up. In closing... I am left with a bit of a conundrum here; but my confusion does not outweigh my belief that Cinnamon can and should be used in a consistent fashion for anyone who wants fuller muscles and less body-fat as a resultant effect of high carbohydrate intake (read: every human). My perplexity exists in the realm of post-workout supplementation, because one study vows the extreme 20-fold increase in glucose normalization, while another cites its ability to stimulate muscle cells and receptors to utilize glucose at a heightened rate - so...... would Cinnamon be good when included in a post workout shake, when the primary impetus is to RAISE blood sugar and elicit an insulin spike, or would Cinnamon actually counteract this intended plan, and keep lifters from initiating the highest possible insulin response from ingested HIGH-GI carbohydrates after intense resistance training? -Aray |
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Post by themagician on Jan 13, 2010 3:51:36 GMT -5
I'm no Scientist or Formulator for any top notch Supplement Company... but I would venture to say that if we haven't seen ' Cinnamon' in ANY of these superb POST WO shake mixes so far, then it probably doesn't have the effect that you are leaning toward in terms of the insulin response. I'm surprised that the Major Companies (Muscle-Tech, VPX, etc) haven't put forth major research into this herb if this research is true... to further increase their products effectiveness?? But then again, I'm just saying?!?? What do I know... right?  Perhaps they have and its a dead end??? Does your cure all product 'Stealth' have it? hehe jk bro! [glow=red,2,300]T[/glow] |
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Post by Ivan Drago - aka Arny/Dolph/AM on Jan 13, 2010 23:28:32 GMT -5
I'm no Scientist or Formulator for any top notch Supplement Company... but I would venture to say that if we haven't seen ' Cinnamon' in ANY of these superb POST WO shake mixes so far, then it probably doesn't have the effect that you are leaning toward in terms of the insulin response. I'm surprised that the Major Companies (Muscle-Tech, VPX, etc) haven't put forth major research into this herb if this research is true... to further increase their products effectiveness?? But then again, I'm just saying?!?? What do I know... right? Perhaps they have and its a dead end??? Does your cure all product 'Stealth' have it? hehe jk bro! [glow=red,2,300]T[/glow] For quite a long time, I didn't even investigate the labeled ingredients within Stealth man, because it was such a new found and welcomed ongoing sigh of relief when I actually FELT a product work - I literally had no interest of deeply rooted concern about what was in Stealth. To answer your question, no it does not have any cinnamon, or the usual extracts many supplement companies use (paired with chromium, ala, etc). VPX used Vanadium instead, although I am a little confused why they have relied upon and touted the science backed effects of the bis-oxo vanadium version and do not list that specific variety in Stealth. At any rate... Cinnamon is actually used at a pretty high and ubiquitous extent throughout the supplement spectrum, it is almost an expected hallmark within any 'blood sugar control' product on the market, which has a huge following and user base in the homeopathic or anti-aging consumer crowd. I feel that it is very effective, and I have used cinnamon in my oatmeal and on other foods for years, after hearing these claims long ago near the beginning of my fitness quest. I believe bodybuilding-specific companies don't heavily rely upon it or include it in their so-called proprietary blends for a few reasons, but one of the principle reasons would be it doesn't "sound" super-dee-duper enough; as we've seen for years now, far too often a label reads like a publication of ivy academia rather than a bottle of capsules. Anyway - I mentioned in my long winded post above that I do not completely buy into all the findings enumerated in the several clinical investigations of Cinnamon, because I am a skeptic by nature, and my roots are grounded in "Eat clean, work extremely hard, and be always vigilant and consistent," is the epitome of guaranteed anabolism, and some bark (Cinnamon) can't truly offer all those advantages; but that's just the doubter in me. |
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Post by "The Freak on Wheels" on Mar 19, 2010 17:31:16 GMT -5
Why the delay? Is this done by deliberate design, or due to a commute back home from the gym? I take a few supplements immediately after training which I want hitting me on an empty stomach and somewhat absorbed before I introduce "whole foods" into my system. DIDO, I am and do the same thing, and it has worked good for me. |
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Post by underdog on Mar 24, 2010 9:42:42 GMT -5
Great answers guys, thanks for the advice. Gives me good info to work with as I revamp my diet and exercise plan/goals for these upcoming months, especially that cinnamon article.
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Perhaps they have and its a dead end???
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