Dr. Dwayne Jackson

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Body Shop: Be Healthier in No Time

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Be Healthier in No Time

 

Dwayne N. Jackson, PhD

 

Regardless of whether you train primarily for aesthetics, strength, sports performance, or health—with regular exercise, you will reap benefits in all areas of health and fitness. Take it one step further and combine your regular training regimen with a balanced diet and a well thought out supplement plan and you will look better, feel stronger, improve performance, and be healthier in no time.

 

 

Most of us in the 30+ age group tend to be at the crossroads in what motivates us to train. Where heavy training and strict diet were once a way to slay the competition and look good at the beach, they have now become ways to combat the negative effects of aging and increase lifespan. After all, as you get older, regular yearly check-ups at the doctors may surprise you and point out where your health maybe starting to slide—most commonly, disparities in blood lipids (like cholesterol) tend to show up without any symptoms.

 

Fear not! Like exercise, research has shown that some key supplements play roles in improving health, performance, and fitness. One such supplement is β-glucan, a thick soluble fiber found in barley and oats, which has been shown to support the immune system, reduce bad cholesterol levels, and protect against cardiovascular disease.  Based on recent interest in barley as a food supplement, researchers from Toronto (Canada) conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials investigating the cholesterol-lowering potential of barley β-glucan. The researchers systematically analyzed 14 trials involving 615 healthy participants (~20-60 years old) with high cholesterol and found that diets supplemented with 6.5 to 6.9 g/day of β-glucan decreased ‘bad cholesterol’ (LDL and non-HDL cholesterol) by 7%.

 

ACTION POINT: Keeping your blood lipids within healthy boundaries will maintain cardiovascular health and keep you training hard for years to come. Most people can benefit from taking a β-glucan supplement, especially those who are 30 + years old or have been told that their LDL or non-HDL cholesterol is slightly elevated. In order to take in 6.5-6.9 g of β-glucan per day, we suggest increasing your daily barley intake and using a β-glucan supplement. Of note, 1/4 cup of uncooked (1 cup cooked) pearl barley has about 193 calories and 3 g of β-glucan.

 

Reference:

Ho HV, Sievenpiper JL, Zurbau A, Mejia SB, Jovanovski E, Au-Yeung F, Jenkins AL, Vuksan V.  A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of the effect of barley β-glucan on LDL-C, non-HDL-C and apoB for cardiovascular disease risk reductioni-iv. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016 Jun 8. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2016.89. [Epub ahead of print]

 

 

 

Creatine monohydrate is one of the top studied and supported supplements of all time; however, most past creatine research has focused on its strength and muscle building benefits. Interestingly, recent work published in Amino Acids illustrates that creatine promotes greater glycogen loading in muscle after exhaustive endurance style training. In this study, 14 healthy male volunteers (in their mid-twenties) cycled to exhaustion at moderate intensity. Muscle biopsies were taken at rest, immediately post-exercise, and after 1, 3 and 6 days of recovery, during which Cr or placebo supplements (20 g/day) were taken in conjunction with a high carbohydrate diet. Above all, the researchers reported that creatine supplementation promoted 82% greater glycogen re-synthesis during the first 24 h of supplementation!

 

ACTION POINT: This study illustrates the utility of creatine monohydrate for athletes that compete in tournaments or have back-to-back performances— especially those who implement carbohydrate loading strategies prior to competition. In such cases, and following the methods used in the study, we suggest taking 20 g/day of creatine monohydrate (split into 4 doses of 5 g each) for the entire duration of your planned carbohydrate loading protocol.

 

Reference:

Roberts PA, Fox J, Peirce N, Jones SW, Casey A, Greenhaff PL. Creatine ingestion augments dietary carbohydrate mediated muscle glycogen supercompensation during the initial 24 h of recovery following prolonged exhaustive exercise in humans. Amino Acids. 2016 May 19. [Epub ahead of print]

 

 

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