The Official Aminogen Blog

Weekend Reading: Are You Losing It?

Muscle, that is. 

The New York Times recently highlighted this study in which subjects were instructed to consume excess calories. (I'll have the molten chocolate lava cake with extra whipped cream please. It's for research purposes.) 

For two months, these men and women dutifully ate 40 percent more calories than needed to maintain their weight, while offering up, I'm sure, silent thank-yous that they had not been assigned to the corn-husk-and-hyperbaric-chamber-diet study down the hall. (Ok, I made that last part up.)

The subjects were randomly assigned to eat their excess calories within the context of a low, normal, or high protein diet. 

  

Here's what happened:

• All of the subjects eating a 40 percent excess of calories gained weight, around 71/2 pounds, on average 

• Men and women in the low protein group lost an average of 1 1/2 pounds of lean muscle

• Men and women in the normal protein group gained an average of 6.3 pounds of lean muscle

• Men and women in the high protein group gained an average of 7 pounds of lean muscle mass

 

So... consuming too many calories lead to weight gain. No suprise there.

 

That being said, which diet was best for preserving/building lean muscle?

• Too many calories + low protein led to weight gain + muscle loss

• Too many calories + a standard amount of protein led to some weight gain + increased lean muscle

• Too many calories + high protein increased lean muscle gain even more

  

And which of these dietary patterns most closely resembles the average American diet?

Sadly, it seems the excess calories are a given. Of course, you may or may not consume too many calories. We probably all do at some point, I'm sure.

The question is, are you losing lean muscle, too?  Can you afford to?

 

 

For more, read Cutting Back on Calories, Not Protein and Does More Protein Mean More Muscle

 

A New Year and A New Reason to Love Your Protein

Welcome back!

It has been a while since my last post, but what better way to begin the new year on the Aminogen blog than with some  truly exciting protein research, hot off the presses?

Let's get right to it. We know that in addition to being important for your muscles, bones and immune system, protein increases satiety and decreases hunger hormones. 

Now, a study in Neuron reveals that protein gives your body a boost in yet another way.  Turns out, the amino acids in protein stimulate orexin neurons.

As the name suggests, these cells produce the hormone orexin.  Orexin revs up your metabolism and makes you want to move. In other words, it energizes.

Orexin is also necessary for the development and regulation of brown fat- the body's thermogenic "good fat;" it actually burns calories.

Low levels of orexin have been found in people with conditions like obesity and narcolepsy, and the hormone is being investigated as a treatment for narcolepsy and other conditions that excessive sleepiness. Orexin seems to counteract the cognitive deficits caused by sleep deprivation.

Even if you've gotten a good night's sleep (can we talk?) orexin plays a definitive role in sleep/wake cylcles, daytime alertness, hunger and metobolic rate. And who couldn't use some help in one, ALL of these departments?

Check out Wired's Jonah Leher for more on how this works in Why Sugar Makes Us Sleepy and Protein Wakes Us Up.

What Works for Weight Loss: High Protein or High Fiber?

Maybe you don't aspire to be a bodybuilder.

But if you are like millions of other Americans, you do aspire to lose a few pounds, firm up, get a little stronger.

Is protein that big of a deal for someone who's not training for the Arnold?

If you want results, yes. Protein is still a big deal.

A new study published in the Nutrition Journal takes a look at how high protein compares to high carbohydrate ratios can impact weight loss. 

The researchers' thinking was this.  Yes, high protein diets have been shown to be great for weight loss and improving body composition (read: less fat, more muscle). But they felt that most of the studies they found on the topic involved what they dubbed the "wrong" kind of carbs (I'm guessing this means refined carbs, sugar, etc.) 

They wanted to see what would happen when women consumed a moderately high protein diet (30% protein/40% carb) compared with a high "healthy" carb diet (50% carb - 35 grams of which was fiber - 20% protein). Both diets contained moderate amounts the same fats and oils.

Both groups lost weight and improved on cardiovascular measures like LDL cholesterol, triglycerides,etc. But in the end, the high protein group lost more body weight and more bodyfat, and had greater decreases in blood pressure.

More on the power of protein for healthy weight management:

How's Your Diet Going?

Study Confirms More Protein, Fewer Carbs to Keep Weight Off

Protein, Leucine, and Losing Weight

 

Trends In Dairy Research

The Dairy Research Institute announced some of the most promising research on dairy over the last year and talks about what the organization plans to focus on in 2011.

Their statement highlights several studies that point to the benefits of whole-fat dairy. 

For example, this study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that intake of whole-fat dairy may help to reduce incidence of type 2 diabetes as it was strongly associated with:

 

Lower body mass index

Smaller waist circumference

Higher levels of HDL cholesterol

Lower triglycerides

Lower total cholesterol

Lower C-reactive protein*

Lower fasting insulin levels

 

The study measured blood levels of trans-palmitoleic acid in subjects and found that the higher the level, the less likely the subject was to develop diabetes.

 

Lead investigator Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian was quoted at heartWire saying, "Trans-palmitoleic acid is a fatty acid relatively unique to dairy foods. We don't make it in our bodies, so consuming it is the only way for it to enter the bloodstream."

 

Another study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found certain constituents of milk fat to lower the risk of heart attacks in men and especially in women. Researchers in this study looked specifically at the effects of pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid, saturated fatty acids found in milk fat.

In 2011, the Dairy Research Institute says it plans to focus on the effects of three dairy servings per day, how these may improve metabolic health, milk's role in muscle recovery, and translating research findings into practical advice that people can use in their own quest for health.

For more on dairy protein like whey, dairy fat, and all the latest research on the benefits of dairy, you can check the Institute's news site.

*You will probably remember that c-reactive protein levels were lowered in healthy males taking Aminogen with their whey protein more than healty males taking whey protein without Aminongen.

 

Why Timing Is Everything: Pre Exercise Protein Boosts Metabolism All Day Long

A study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that protein taken 30 minutes before resistance training gave the metabolism a boost that lasted long after the exercise was over- up to 24 hours later, in fact!

The study was small (eight subjects) but I like that it included both men and women in a double-blind two-trial crossover design. Compared with pre-exercise carbohydrate supplementation and heavy resistance training without supplementation, 20 grams of pre-exercise protein supplementation significantly increased metabolism, as measured by resting energy expenditure (REE).

Protein vs Carbs

Here's the difference: while pre-exercise carbohydrate supplementation raised metabolism as well, pre-exercise protein supplementation outperformed carbs at the 24 hour mark and continued to keep REE elevated.

So taking at least 20 grams of protein, 30 minutes before resistance training, just might keep keep you revved up all day long. 

And while we're talking about timing, make sure you are absorbing that supplemental protein properly. 

Read how gastrointestinal transit time (GTT) and the rate of protein digestion can affect absorption (hint: so does Aminogen) here. Don't let incomplete protein absorption slow you down!

 

Study Confirms More Protein, Fewer Carbs to Keep Weight Off

A large-scale study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine concludes that a "modest increase in protein content and a modest reduction in the glycemic index led to an improvement in study completion and maintenance of weight loss."

Researchers studied 773 European families during an eight week period of calorie constriction and found that people consuming slightly more protein, and fewer refined (high GI) carbs were more successful at maintaining their weight loss after the eighth week.

 

 Surprising?

 

It's not the first time we've heard bad news about refined carbs.

And it makes sense, since we know that amino acids found in protein like leucine and isoleucine help to inhibit fat accumulation , promote fat loss and lean muscle maintainence.

Protein also lowers levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) longer than fat or carbohydrates do.

Protein is so key to maintaining weight, in fact, that a lack of of it will drive you to overeat.

 

And Aminogen?

 

Adding Aminogen to protein increases the levels of fat-fighting branched-chain amino acids like leucine and isoleucine by 250 percent, so it makes sense for weight maintenance solutions.

Muscle Memory

Been a while since you hit the gym? 

The good news is that if you have done strength training in the past, even if that was long ago, you should be able to gain muscle more quickly than if you had never trained at all.

Scientists at the University of Oslo have demonstrated that strength training increases the number of muscle nuclei- the centers of muscle cells - and that these nuclei remain even long after exercise stops and muscles shrink.  This, in turn, makes it much easier to increase muscle size and strength when resuming a strength training program.

The researchers aren't sure exactly how long muscle nuclei hang around, but they think it could be years, even decades.  So the exercise you did for high school sports may serve you well late in life, even if it's been a while.

So what if you weren't an olympic hopeful in your youth?  What if the muscles of your youth don't recall hitting the gym, ever?

Don't be discouraged!  Yes, left unchecked, the aging process will naturally decrease your muscle mass and increase body fat.  When severe, this loss of muscle mass is called sarcopenia.

But exercise at any age has proven benefits, and can help turn the clock back a bit. Maintaining muscle mass becomes increasingly important as we age, becoming a matter of immunity, longevity and overall health. 

Protein, Leucine and Losing Weight

The July 2010 issue of Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care features a review of research on high protein diets and weight loss. 

Co-author Donald K Layman (who will sound familiar from this post on dietary guidelines), concludes that protein intake can protect against lean muscle loss during weight loss. 

He and coauthor Suzanne Devkota draw three conclusions:

1. Protein's ability to protect muscle is due, in part, to branched-chain amino acid leucine, which has been "characterized as a unique signal regulator of muscle protein synthesis."

2. When 2.5g of leucine was consumed, lean muscle was protected and fat loss was promoted.

3. Protein intake, especially as distributed throughout breakfast and lunch, can help preserve this metabolic pattern of muscle preservation and fat loss.

Earlier this year I reported on a Japanese study that found that isoleucine, another branched-chain amino acid, prevented a large percentage (45%) of fat accumulation in mice. Taken together with Layman's observations about leucine's ability to preserve muscle and promote fat loss, and you have a strong case for at least one of the mechanisms behind protein's amazing effects on body composition.

By the way, take a moment to check out the graph from the published clinical study on Aminogen and look at the increases of both leucine and isoleucine with Aminogen. The idea that adding Aminogen to whey protein enhances the building muscle/losing fat effects of protein is not new, and may be attributable to several mechanisms, including the leucine/isoleucine effects.

We know, for example, that not getting enough protein can trigger overeating, and conversely, getting healthy amounts of protein reduces your appetite, especially when compared to other macronutrients like carbohydrates and fat.  Additionally, preserving your lean muscle through diet and exercise improves other measures of metabolic health like insulin sensitivity, which makes your body more efficient at handling food - and that's something we can probably all appreciate!

 

Weekend Reading: Rethinking the Rules...

It can be frustrating when it seems like the rules keep changing on us. 

One day something is healthy, the next day it's not. 

But if we don't leave a little room in our thinking to accommodate scientific progress, we can get stuck in outmoded and perhaps, less-than-effective routines. 

If research tells us we can improve on something, why wouldn't we?

Turns out, the latest research has something to say about two long-standing health tenets: the eight glasses of water rule and how to calculate target heart rate in women (hint: you will actually feel better after reading this one!)  Both of these are worth the read.

Sometimes, though, science confirms that what we are doing is working. 

Since the Aminogen blog is all about the latest in protein nutrition, here's one more new study.  This one demonstrates, once again, whey protein's positive effects on blood pressure and vascular function. 

... Because it's nice when science confirms you're on the right track, too!

Weekend Reading: Another Reason to Enjoy Your Protein Shake

Building lean muscle, sculpting your figure, aging gracefully, taming your appetite and maintaning a healthy weight, all in just about any flavor you can dream of.

Chances are you don't really need another reason to drink your protein shake. But with all of the buzz about carbohydrates and cardiovascular health, you may just smile the next time you do.

This month's Scientific American rounds up some of the most convincing new research implicating refined carbohydrates. In some of these studies, subjects eating the most refined carbs had more heart and vascular disease.

Suprisingly for some, restricting refined carbohydrate intake produced better results than restricting dietary fat. For example, the article discusses one study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that found subjects on a low carb diet, unrestricted in fat, lost twice as much weight and ended up with a better HDL/LDL (good/bad) cholesterol ratio than those of the low fat diet.

The article explains these effects could result from the fluctuations in blood sugar that refined carbs can cause.  When blood sugar levels rise quickly and then plummet, this can trigger fat production and inflammation.

A recent New York Times article also reported the link between refined carbs and cholesterol, citing an April 2010 JAMA study which found a statistically significant increases in LDL in women consuming more refined carbs in the form of sugar.

Now, it is important to be clear these studies are looking at refined carbs, not complex carbs like those from whole wheat and vegetables. For a good overview of the difference, and how your body metabolizes them, and a list of examples, check out this page from The Franklin Institute.

As for your protein shake, the evidence for the cardiovascular health benefits of whey protein is impressive.  In fact, scientists are now exploring the role of specific whey protein bioactive peptides in applications such as immune and cardiovascular health.

Add that to what we know about the benefits of adding Aminogen to your whey protein-  and you've got one more reason to feel good about your protein.