Archive for the ‘Recovery – Repair’ Category

CoQ10 – Reduce Muscle Injuries for Athletes?

performance, Recovery - Repair | Posted by admin January 5th, 2010

Marker levels associated with increased wear and tear in the muscle, like creatine kinase and lipid peroxide, were significantly lower in elite Japanese kendo athletes after consuming co-enzyme Q10 for 20 days, compared to placebo.

Researchers from University of Tsukuba, University of Tokyo, and Kobe Gakuin University report their findings in the British Journal of Nutrition.

The study adds to an ever growing body of studies supporting the benefits of the coenzyme for sports nutrition. Only recently, another Japanese group reported that CoQ10 supplements may boost physical performance and reduce feelings of tiredness associated with exercise (Nutrition, doi:10.1016/j.nut.2007.12.007).

CoQ10 has properties similar to vitamins, but since it is naturally synthesized in the body it is not classed as a vitamin. With chemical structure 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decaprenyl-1,4-benzoquinone, it is also known as ubiquinone because of its ‘ubiquitous’ distribution throughout the human body.

The level of CoQ10 produced by the body begins to drop after the age of about 20, and the coenzyme is concentrated in the mitochondria – the ‘power plant’ of body cells. It plays a vital role in the production of chemical energy by participating in the production of adenosince triphosphate (ATP), the body’s so-called ‘energy currency’.

Beyond it’s participation with mitochondria CoQ10 acts as a potent antioxidant. The coenzyme plays an important role in preserving levels of vitamin E and vitamin C.

kendo athletic study

Michihiro Kon and co-workers recruited 18 elite Japanese kendo student athletes and randomly assigned them to receive daily supplements of CoQ10 (300 mg) or placebo for 20 days. The study was double-blind, meaning neither volunteers nor researchers knew who was receiving the active or placebo dose. The volunteers had daily training sessions of five and a half hours per day for six days during the intervention period. At day three and five of the six day training period, the researchers report that both groups experienced increased in serum creatine kinase activity and the concentration of myoglobin, but these increases were significantly lower in the group receiving the CoQ10 supplements.

Creatine kinase is an enzyme that catalyses the conversion of creatine to phosphocreatine, in the process consuming adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and generating adenosine diphosphate (ADP). Elevated levels of the enzyme are indicative of muscle damage and injury. Moreover, levels of lipid peroxide, a marker of oxidative stress, were also lower in the CoQ10 group after three and five days of training, said the researchers.

“These results indicate that CoQ10 supplementation reduced exercise-induced muscular injury in athletes”

Mechanism

The underlying mechanism appears to be due to the antioxidant potential of the coenzyme, suggest the researchers, although further research is necessary to confirm these findings.

Source: British Journal of Nutrition
“Reducing exercise-induced muscular injury in kendo athletes with supplementation of coenzyme Q10”
Authors: M. Kon, K. Tanabe, T. Akimoto, F. Kimura, Y. Tanimura, K. Shimizu, T. Okamoto, I. Kono

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Nutrition – Athletic Performance – Enhances Injury Recovery

nutrition, performance, Recovery - Repair | Posted by admin December 7th, 2009

Scholastic, professional, and recreational athletes may be surprised to learn that nutrition can play a major role in enhancing both performance and the healing of sports injuries.

While ice packs, bandages, rest, and physical therapy are significant in both the short and long-term treatment of injuries such as sprains, strains, cuts and bruises, swelling, and broken bones, researchers are discovering that what an athlete consumes after injury and during the treatment phase can either promote recovery or sometimes delay healing.

The nutrition can not only affect injury rehabilitation positively or negatively, but also aid or hinder the recovery of general and / or chronic muscle or joint soreness following intense exercise workouts, practices, and games. Anti-inflammatory foods and beverages can contribute to the healing of sports injuries are also excellent for post workout / post practice / post game muscle and joint recovery.

The following foods and beverages that have anti-inflammatory qualities and may even accelerate recovery from sports-related or non-athletic injuries:

Grapes, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, kiwis, olive oil, celery, ginger, garlic, curry powder, eggplant, nuts, tuna, salmon, mackerel, black and green tea, and red wine and beer (only when consumed in moderation with food and no more than two alcoholic drinks per day).
Foods rich in vitamin C (citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwis, peppers) and vitamin E (nuts, olive oil) have anti-inflammatory effects. Omega-3 rich fish oil and fatty salt-water fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel) also fight inflammation, besides the wide-spread publicity in recent years of such fish benefiting both heart and brain health.

Another food that has been shown to reduce inflammation is the herb turmeric which is an even better anti-inflammatory than cortisone, one of the most powerful of the steroids.”

Curcumin is found in curry powder, another anti-inflammatory source. Athletes and non-athletes alike who experience chronic shoulder, back and knee pain, for example, may take note of curcumin’s powerful role in easing inflammation.

Another wonderful anti-inflammatory food is eggplant which “contains the important mineral potassium, as well as phytochemicals that have antihistaminic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities.”

To reduce inflammation, athletes and non-athletes must focus on the #1 beverage: drink ample amounts of plain water in practices and games, both in solid form (when ice packs are applied immediately following an injury to prevent inflammation such as swelling) and in liquid form to hasten recovery during injury rehabilitation as well as help heal chronic joint and back pain.

While water might be king beverage on and off the athletic field, athletes and non-athletes should take advantage of the possible anti-inflammatory capacity of another bodybuilding beverage: milk.
Athletes and non-athletes should also monitor their protein intake and note that high-protein diets boost inflammation.

Another area in which nutrition affects inflammation is overeating or consuming excess calories contributing to either obesity or simply becoming overweight with more body fat than lean muscle.
In general, what an athlete consumes in the hours, days and weeks following an injury may indeed determine how fast he or she returns to action. Some foods and beverages can prevent or reduce inflammation, thus speeding the healing process.

To help the athlete on a quicker road to recovery, some simple anti-inflammatory meals may be just what the doctor ordered.

We support Prevention vs Prescriptions:
GoTo: Prevention not Prescriptions

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Glutathione Considered – The Body’s Master Antioxidant

performance, Recovery - Repair | Posted by admin November 22nd, 2009

Antioxidants are intimately involved in the detoxification process and are a very important part of our defenses against environmental toxins and carcinogens. They protect our cells from oxidative stress which can come from our environment in a variety of ways. Because such damage plays a role in the weakening of the immune system that it should come as no surprise that antioxidant supplementation can benefit those with degenerative diseases such cardiovascular disease, cancer, arthritis, neurological diseases and viral infections for example.

Let’s look at one antioxidant –Glutathione- and how glutathione can affect the body. Glutathione is a small molecule made up of three amino acids, which exists in almost every cell of the body. The presence of glutathione is required to maintain the normal function of the immune system. It is known to play a critical role in the multiplication of lymphocytes (the cells that mediate specific immunity), which occurs in the development of an effective immune response. The cells of the immune system produce many oxygen radicals as a result of their normal functioning, resulting in a need for higher concentrations of antioxidants than most cells. Glutathione plays a crucial role in fulfilling this requirement.

Glutathione helps the body fight almost any disease, because it is a powerful antioxidant and helps maintain cellular health and there is a body of research on degenerative disease that has shown that people with degenerative disease are also experiencing low levels of glutathione. Glutathione acts as a detoxifying agent by combining with undesirable substances and ridding the body of them through urine and bile. Aside from being a powerful antioxidant and system detoxifier, it helps repair and protect DNA. Glutathione has been heavily researched and many researchers believe that the degenerative processes take place when the body is lacking the glutathione it needs to protect from degenerative damage.

Glutathione works in a protective role by boosting the immune system, thereby helping the body’s immune response and helps protect the body from oxidative stress – and oxidative stress is associated with aging. Thus, glutathione levels are correlated with aging and physical function. One way to drastically increase glutathione levels, aside from consuming glutathione precursors, is through the ingestion of ascorbic acid – vitamin C3 – and l-glutamine, vitamin E, ALA (Alpha Lipolic Acid), and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) which all help with glutathione synthesis.

Oxidation damage is now recognized as being the key feature of much of the aging processes that our bodies endure. It is known that as we age, there is a precipitous drop in GSH levels. Lower Glutathione levels are implicated in many diseases associated with aging, including Cataracts, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, arteriosclerosis and others.

The key to living better is to resist age related deterioration due to oxidation. Recent studies have shown that glutathione play a key role in reducing the oxidation process (antioxidant) and protecting our bodies against free radicals. Supplements that increase glutathione may be a way for us to protect our bodies against the aging process.

What can reducing the oxidative process on the body mean for the athlete?

Many world-class athletes are discovering the importance of glutathione, which when maintained, gives them the edge over the competition. Increased glutathione levels provides athletes with increased strength and endurance, decreased recovery time from injury, less pain and fatigue and possibly an increase in muscle-promoting activities.

During workouts, athletes generate free radicals which in turn lead to muscle fatigue and poorer performance. Glutathione neutralizes these radicals and allows our bodies to recover faster. Recent research indicates that the body has a natural tendency toward many degenerative diseases and aging itself. Some believe how well the body can protect itself from damage and recover from oxidative damage can be determined by measuring the intracellular stores of Glutathione.

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GoTo: Prevention not Prescriptions

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Manipulating The Glycemic Index Diet – The Winning Edge ???

Fitness, nutrition, performance, Recovery - Repair, strength | Posted by admin November 4th, 2009

A high-carbohydrate training diet is a must for optimum sports performance because it produces the biggest stores of muscle glycogen. Unlike the fat stores in the body, which can release almost unlimited amounts of fatty acids, the carbohydrate stores are small. They are fully depleted after two or three hours of strenuous exercise. This depletion of carbohydrate stores is called “hitting the wall.” The blood glucose concentration begins to decline at this point. If exercise continues as the same rate, blood glucose may drop to levels that interfere with brain function and cause disorientation and unconsciousness.

All else being equal, the eventual winner is the person with the largest stores of muscle glycogen. It is important to maximize your muscle glycogen stores by ingesting a high-carbohydrate training diet and by carb loading in the days prior to the competition.

There are times when low G.I. foods provide an advantage and times when high G.I. are better. For best performance a serious athlete needs to learn which foods have high and low G.I. factors and when to eat them. Understanding the glycemic index and making the best food choices can give you an advantage.

Low-GI Foods: Before the Event
Low-GI foods have been proven to extend endurance when eaten alone one or two hours before prolonged strenuous exercise. Low-GI foods are best eaten about two hours before the big event –so that the meal will have left the stomach but will remain in the small intestine, slowly releasing glucose energy, for hours afterwards. The slow rate and steady stream of glucose trickles into the bloodstream during the event. Most importantly, the extra glucose will still be available toward the end of the exercise, when muscle stores are running close to empty. In this way, low-GI foods increase endurance and prolong the time before exhaustion hits.

When a pre-event meal of lentils (low GI value) was compared with one of potatoes (high GI value), cyclists were able to continue cycling at high intensity (65 percent of their maximum capacity) for twenty minutes longer when the meal had a low G value. Their blood-glucose and insulin levels were still above fasting levels at the end of exercise, indicating that carbohydrates were continuing to be absorbed from the small intestine even after ninety minutes of strenuous exercise.

In any sport context, it’s critical to select low-GI foods that do not cause gastrointestinal discomfort (stomach cramps, etc.). Some low-GI foods, such as legumes that are high in fiber or ingestible sugars, may produce symptoms in people not use to eating large amounts of them. There are plenty of low-fiber, low-GI choices, including pasta, noodles, and Basmati rice.

High- GI Foods: During and After the Event
While the pre-event meal should have a low GI value, scientific evidence indicates that there are times when high-GI foods are preferable. This includes during the event, after the event, and after normal training sessions. This is because high-GI foods are absorbed faster and stimulate more insulin, the hormone responsible for getting glucose back into the muscles for either immediate or future use.

During the event
High-GI foods should be used during events lasting longer than ninety minutes. This form of carbohydrate is rapidly released into the bloodstream and ensures that glucose is available for oxidation in the muscle cells. Liquid foods are usually tolerated better than solid foods, for endurance racing for example, because they are emptied more quickly from the stomach. Sports drinks are ideal during the race because they replace water and electrolytes as well. If you feel hungry for something solid during a race, try jelly beans (GI value of 80) or another form of high-glucose candy. Consume 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour during the event.

After the event (recovery)
In some competitive sports, athletes compete on consecutive days, and glycogen stores need to be at their maximum each time. Here it is important to restock the glycogen store in the muscles as quickly as possible after each day’s events. High-GI foods are best in this situation. Muscles are more sensitive to glucose in the bloodstream in the first hour after exercise, so a concerted effort should be made to get as many high-GI foods in as soon as possible.

Suggested foods include most of the sports drinks which replace water and electrolyte losses, or high-GI rice (e.g., jasmine), breads, and breakfast cereals such as cornflakes or rice krispies. Potatoes cooked without fat are good choice too but their high satiety means it is hard to eat lots of them.

Carbohydrate Loading For Training & Understanding
Why This Is Important…

It’s not just your pre- and post-event meals that influence your performance. Very active people need to eat much larger amounts of carbohydrates than inactive people. Consuming a high-carbohydrate diet every day will help you reach peak performance. When athletes fail to consume adequate carbohydrates each day, muscle and liver glycogen stores eventually become depleted. Dr. Ted Costill at the University of Texas showed that the gradual and chronic depletion of stored glycogen may decrease endurance and exercise performance. Intense workouts two to three times a day draw heavily on the athlete’s muscle glycogen stores. Athletes on low-carbohydrate diet will not perform their best because muscle stores of fuel are low.
If the diet provides inadequate amounts of carbohydrate, the reduction in muscle glycogen will be critical. An athlete training heavily should consume about 500 to 800 grams of carbohydrate a day (about two to three times normal) to help prevent carbohydrate depletion. Typically, American adults consume between 200 to 250 grams of carbohydrates each day.

Could a High-GI Diet Be Harmful to Athletes?

By virtue of their high activity levels, athletes have optimal insulin sensitivity. When they eat high-carbohydrate, high-GI foods, blood glucose and insulin levels rise far less in them than in the average person. This also provides the athlete with a bonus by not exposing their bodies to dangerous levels of blood glucose which produce disease in sedentary, insulin resistant individuals.

Adapted from the Book: The New Glucose Revolution
Written by: Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD
Thomas M.S. Wolever, MD PhD
Stephen Colagiuri, MD
Kaye Foster-Powell, M Nutr & Diet

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Nutrition – Athletic Performance – Injury Recovery Without Rx

Recovery - Repair | Posted by admin October 26th, 2009

Scholastic, professional, and recreational athletes may be surprised to learn that nutrition can play a major role in enhancing both performance and the healing of sports injuries.

While ice packs, bandages, rest, and physical therapy are significant in both the short and long-term treatment of injuries such as sprains, strains, cuts and bruises, swelling, and broken bones, researchers are discovering that what an athlete consumes after injury and during the treatment phase can either promote recovery or sometimes delay healing.

The nutrition can not only affect injury rehabilitation positively or negatively, but also aid or hinder the recovery of general and / or chronic muscle or joint soreness following intense exercise workouts, practices, and games. Anti-inflammatory foods and beverages can contribute to the healing of sports injuries are also excellent for post workout / post practice / post game muscle and joint recovery.

The following foods and beverages that have anti-inflammatory qualities and may even accelerate recovery from sports-related or non-athletic injuries:

Grapes, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, kiwis, olive oil, celery, ginger, garlic, curry powder, eggplant, nuts, tuna, salmon, mackerel, black and green tea, and red wine and beer (only when consumed in moderation with food and no more than two alcoholic drinks per day).
Foods rich in vitamin C (citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwis, peppers) and vitamin E (nuts, olive oil) have anti-inflammatory effects. Omega-3 rich fish oil and fatty salt-water fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel) also fight inflammation, besides the wide-spread publicity in recent years of such fish benefiting both heart and brain health.

Another food that has been shown to reduce inflammation is the herb turmeric which is an even better anti-inflammatory than cortisone, one of the most powerful of the steroids.”

Curcumin is found in curry powder, another anti-inflammatory source. Athletes and non-athletes alike who experience chronic shoulder, back and knee pain, for example, may take note of curcumin’s powerful role in easing inflammation.

Another wonderful anti-inflammatory food is eggplant which “contains the important mineral potassium, as well as phytochemicals that have antihistaminic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities.”

To reduce inflammation, athletes and non-athletes must focus on the #1 beverage: drink ample amounts of plain water in practices and games, both in solid form (when ice packs are applied immediately following an injury to prevent inflammation such as swelling) and in liquid form to hasten recovery during injury rehabilitation as well as help heal chronic joint and back pain.

While water might be king beverage on and off the athletic field, athletes and non-athletes should take advantage of the possible anti-inflammatory capacity of another bodybuilding beverage: milk.
Athletes and non-athletes should also monitor their protein intake and note that high-protein diets boost inflammation.

Another area in which nutrition affects inflammation is overeating or consuming excess calories contributing to either obesity or simply becoming overweight with more body fat than lean muscle.
In general, what an athlete consumes in the hours, days and weeks following an injury may indeed determine how fast he or she returns to action. Some foods and beverages can prevent or reduce inflammation, thus speeding the healing process.

To help the athlete on a quicker road to recovery, some simple anti-inflammatory meals may be just what the doctor ordered.

GoTo: Prevention not Prescriptions

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1 Comment »

Natural Anti-Inflammatory – Cherries & Post-Exercise Muscle Pain

Recovery - Repair | Posted by admin October 11th, 2009

Drinking cherry juice could help ease the pain for people who run, according to new research from Oregon Health & Science University presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference in Seattle, Wash. The study showed people who drank tart cherry juice while training for a long distance run reported significantly less pain after exercise than those who didn’t. Post-exercise pain can often indicate muscle damage or debilitating injuries.

In the study of sixty healthy adults aged 18-50 years, those who drank 10.5 ounces cherry juice (100% tart cherry juice) twice a day for seven days prior to and on the day of a long-distance relay had significantly less muscle pain following the race than those who drank another fruit juice beverage. On a scale from 0 to 10, the runners who drank cherry juice as their “sports drink” had a 2 point lower self-reported pain level at the completion of the race, a clinically significant difference. While more research is needed to fully understand the effects of tart cherry juice, researchers say the early finding indicate cherries may work like common medications used by runners to alleviate post-exercise inflammation. “For most runners, post-race treatment consists of RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) and traditional NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs),” said Kerry Kuehl, M.D., a sports medicine physician and principal study investigator. “But NSAIDS can have adverse effects – negative effects you may be able to avoid by using a natural, whole food alternative, like cherry juice, to reduce muscle inflammation before exercise.”

The researchers suggest cherries’ post-exercise benefits are likely because of the fruit’s natural anti-inflammation power – attributed to antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins, which also give cherries their bright red color. Whether elite athletes or weekend warriors, this natural anti-inflammation power of cherry juice could have far-reaching benefits for the millions of active Americans currently taking over-the-counter pain medications to reduce muscle pain and beyond. A growing body of research suggests cherries could affect inflammation related to heart disease, arthritis and may even help maintain muscle strength for those suffering from fibromyalgia (a common, chronic widespread pain disorder), according to a second study presented by the same researchers at the ACSM conference.

It’s Easy to Enjoy “America’s Super Fruit” Cherries are not only good for you, but they’re also a homegrown “Super Fruit.” According to recent data, more than 9 out of 10 Americans want to know where their food comes from, nearly 80 percent say they’re purchasing
“locally produced” products, and the majority are defining “local” as made in America. This homegrown advantage, coupled with potential health benefits for athletes, make cherries “America’s Super Fruit.” Tart cherries come in dried, frozen and juice forms so they’re readily available to enjoy all year long.

Kuehl KS, Chestnutt J, Elliot DL, Lilley C. Efficacy of tart cherry juice in reducing muscle pain after strenuous exercise. American College of Sports Medicine. 851. May, 2009.

Jones KD, Elliot DL, Kuehl KS, Dulacki K. Tart cherry juice for fibromyalgia: new testing paradigm and subgroup benefits. American College of Sports Medicine. 852. May, 2009.

Surveys conducted IRI Data and The Hartman Group, 2008 Source:
Caitlin Solway
Weber Shandwick Worldwide

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Antioxidants for Athletes – Controls Oxidative Stress Damage

performance, Recovery - Repair | Posted by admin September 13th, 2009

Studies have shown that with vigorous exercise you body needs more antioxidant consumption to protect the body from free radical-induced oxidative stress & DNA damage. Endurance exercise can increase oxygen utilization from 10 to 20 times over the resting state. This greatly increases the generation of free radicals, prompting concern about enhanced damage to muscles and other tissues. The question that arises is how effectively can athletes defend against the increased free radicals resulting from exercise? Do athletes need to take extra antioxidants?

Free radical-induced oxidative stress is an inevitable consequence of prolonged exercise and results in tissue damage, excessive fatigue, delayed recovery and overtraining. On a microscopic level, oxidation generally entails molecules or atoms losing electrons. (Gaining electrons is called reduction.) The molecules or atoms that take these electrons are oxidizing agents. Free radicals are substances that can exist with missing electrons, making them readily able to donate or accept electrons and damage structures in cells. As such, they are highly reactive, binding with and destroying important cellular compounds. Most of the free radicals in your body are made during metabolic processes. More are added from the food you eat and environmental pollution.

Most of these free radicals contain oxygen molecules. As each cell makes energy in little structures called mitochondria, free radicals result. These oxidant by-products can damage DNA, proteins and lipids (fats). Consequently, toxic by-products of lipid peroxidation may cause cancer, inhibit enzyme activity and produce mutations in genetic material that make you age faster. Free radical damage to DNA can cause cells to mutate or die. Your body makes enzymes that can repair this damage and slow aging. But, over time, the amount of damage overwhelms the body’s ability to fix things. As cells grow older, their ability to patch up DNA diminishes and the rate of damage proceeds faster than repair. The result: We age and eventually die.

As an active athlete, your body is carrying out higher levels of oxidation to meet the extra energy requirement. This means that the coping strategies for minimizing the negative effects of free radicals will be taxed – sometimes beyond their limits. When this happens, large-scale muscle structures can be damaged; muscles can end up being overly contracted, sore, and less efficient at using energy. Red blood cells can become ‘leaky’, malformed and easily broken, which may lead to anemia.

To prevent free radical damage the body has a defense system of antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules which can safely interact with free radicals and terminate the chain reaction before vital molecules are damaged. A study, published in the European Journal of Physiology, suggest that taking antioxidants, such as a mixture of vitamins C and E and beta-carotene, provides extra protection during strenuous exercise, and that maintaining adequate levels of antioxidants could decrease the risk of infection. A number of clinical studies have shown that taking a wide range of antioxidants can help to counter free radical damage in endurance athletes. Other studies have shown that taking nutritional antioxidant supplements reduce the risk of developing upper respiratory infections after prolonged exercise, such as running a marathon.

Some well known dietary antioxidants are vitamins A, C, E; ß-carotene, selenium and plant based antioxidants such as curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol and rutin. For example, Curcumin helps control inflammation and speed performance recovery. In addition, melatonin, DHEA and the amino acid compound glutathione may also prove of benefit. Additionally, selenium, a trace metal that is required for proper function of one of the body’s antioxidant enzyme systems, is sometimes included in this category. The body cannot manufacture many of these micronutrients so they must be supplied in the diet.

Athletes need to understand that their body requires a wide variety of antioxidants to deal with the many different types of free radicals that are released during energy production. Athletes need to ensure that they have an adequate intake of a wide variety of effective antioxidants to compromise free radical production.

Free radical-induced oxidative stress is an inevitable consequence of prolonged exercise and results in tissue damage, excessive fatigue, delayed recovery and overtraining Trained athletes appear to require higher intakes of antioxidants to defend against increased oxidative stress during exercise, which can be met through a diet rich in high antioxidant foods Athletes who want to achieve good results can look to their diets and dietary supplements to maintain good health and to improve post-event recovery. In addition they improve post event recovery and accelerate muscle repair – this is especially important for older athletes.

Suggestion: Bio-available curcurmin with selenium http://tinyurl.com/mzf25d

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Glutathione – Athletes Competitive Edge ?

performance, Recovery - Repair | Posted by admin August 26th, 2009

What is Glutathione?

Glutathione simply put is the “Master Antioxidant” in your body. Increasing glutathione levels will naturally increase your energy, detoxify your body and strengthen your immune system.

Research has shown that individuals that have low glutathione levels are susceptible to chronic illness including heart conditions, cancers, diabetes, seizures disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease to name a few. Our glutathione levels begin to decline at the age of 20 and do so at a rate of 8%-12% per decade.

Anti-Aging

Aging is the accumulation of changes in an organism overtime. Oxidation damage is now recognized as being the key feature of much of the aging processes that our bodies endure. The key to living better is to resist age related deterioration due to oxidation. Recent studies have shown that glutathione play a key role in reducing the oxidation process (antioxidant) and protecting our bodies against free radicals. Supplements that increase glutathione, may be a way for us to protect our bodies against the aging process.

Sports Enhancement

Many world-class athletes are discovering the importance of glutathione, which when maintained, gives them the edge over the competition. Increased glutathione levels provides athletes with increased strength and endurance, decreased recovery time from injury, less pain and fatigue and possibly an increase in muscle-promoting activities.

Athletes use glutathione for sports performance and recovery from their strenuous workouts. Up until very recently there was not a efficient way to get glutathione into our bodies other than intravenous (IV).

During workouts, athletes generate free radicals which in turn lead to muscle fatigue and poorer performance. Glutathione neutralizes these radicals and allows our bodies to recover faster.

Sports

Should Glutathione be a part of our exercise routine?

Free radicals are produced during normal cellular metabolism and increase when we exercise. These free radicals react within the cells by a process called oxidation and can result in inflammation to accumulate with our bodies. Overtime this inflammation accumulates within the cell and decreases the function of the cell and eventually leads to cellular death unless we have a way of reversing the process. To fight this cellular destruction our body uses an antioxidant, and the “Master Antioxidant” in the body is Glutathione.

Several studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of glutathione in protecting our bodies tissues from free radicals and exercise induced stress. Increasing Glutathione can increase energy, decrease recovery time and provide our cells with the tools so that they can function at an optimal level.

Ref: asktheRN.com

Bioavailable glutathione supplement option link here:

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Probiotics Combat Fatigue Problems in Athletes

Fitness, performance, Recovery - Repair | Posted by admin August 19th, 2009

Many athletes suffering from fatigue have an immune defect that can be reversed by taking probiotic supplements (which are believed to help fight illness by improving the balance of bacteria in the gut).

That’s the implication of a new study from Australia, which examined 27 well-trained recreational athletes, nine of whom had referred themselves to a medical sports clinic omplaining of fatigue, recurrent sore throats and impaired performance. The remaining 18 athletes served as a healthy ‘control’ group.

The fatigued athletes showed signs of reactivated infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) – a very common virus that doesn’t normally cause symptoms. They also showed significant impairment in the function of their blood T-cells, which play an important role in the body’s immune decencies.

Review of the illness records of the fatigued athletes showed
features consistent with a syndrome of re-activated EBV infection compared with the healthy control athletes. The fatigued athletes had more frequent and protracted episodes of upper respiratory tract symptoms, usually linked to periods of intense training.

All the athletes took a four-week course of the probiotic supplement L acidophilus. At the end of the month the T-cell function of the fatigued athletes had climbed back up to the levels found in the healthy athletes. They also showed significantly reduced evidence of EBV infection. Encouragingly, the healthy athletes also showed signs of improved immune function after taking the probiotic supplement for a month.

The researchers have called for larger, more protracted studies to support their findings. But meanwhile they point out: ‘This is the first evidence of a T-cell defect in fatigued athletes, and of its reversal following probiotic therapy.’

Br J Sports Med 2006;40:351-354

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Resveratrol: A Key for High Performance: Health & Endurance . . .

Fitness, performance, Recovery - Repair | Posted by admin August 10th, 2009

A drug based on resveratrol, a phytonutrient found in red wine, may double exercise endurance, fight obesity and prolong life, according to a new study by French researchers.

Dr. Johan Auwerx and colleagues from the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France, recently conducted an animal study to test the effects of high doses of resveratrol on exercise endurance in mice.

A typical laboratory mouse can run roughly one kilometer on a treadmill before it collapses from exhaustion. Auwerx supplemented a group of mice with up to 400 mg of resveratrol per kilo of body weight, and found that the mice were then able to run twice as far as the mice that were not supplemented. The resveratrol mice were also found to have energy-charged muscles and a lower heart rate, much like trained athletes.

Resveratrol makes you look like a trained athlete without the training, Auwerx said.

Auwerx believes that the results of his animal study published online in the journal Cell could be replicated in humans, based on the results of a Finnish study that analyzed the gene that is influenced by the resveratrol drug. Previous studies of mice have indicated that moderate-to-high doses of resveratrol can activate a genetic mechanism that protects against the degenerative diseases of aging, as well as prolong life span by up to 30 percent.

Auwerx believes resveratrol can help offset the negative health effects of high-fat diets which can lead to the onset of metabolic disorder and diabetes by increasing the number of mitochondria in the body’s muscle cells. Extra mitochondria, organelles that generate energy, were found to help mice burn more fat and remodel muscle fibers to more closely resemble those of trained athletes.

Though resveratrol is present in red wine and some other foods, the concentrations used in Auwerx’ study were much higher than could ever be obtained through red wine consumption.

More research on resveratrol is needed before possible drug therapies to combat obesity and diabetes-related disorders can be developed.

Ref: (NaturalNews)

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