Nutrition

Capsinoids (e.g. capsiate and capsaicin) - the active ingredients in cayenne pepper - are promising thermogenic chemicals that could promote fat loss. They produce a burning sensation when they touch the skin and are used in heat wraps and pain-relieving ointments.
A study conducted under the direction of Stuart Phillips at Canada's McMaster University found that capsinoids (10 milligrams) increased metabolic rate, adrenaline levels and fat burning at rest when consumed 30 minutes before exercise, but had no further effects during exercise. These supplements were well tolerated and had few side effects.
Other studies found that capsinoids inhibited the growth of fat cells, promoted thermogenesis, reduced hunger, stimulated the breakdown of body fat and had a minor effect on fat loss.
Capsinoids could be a useful ingredient for fat loss supplements.
(Nutrition & Metabolism, 7: 65, 2010)

It's the time of year when the winter weather starts to set in. Due to this
weather change, many people are catching a cold. In addition, many people catch the cold from other "sick" people at
.
As athletes can very often be affected by this problem (colds), it is advisable to supplement the amino acid L-glutamine at
this time of year, as this can strengthen the immune system, among other things
. It is important to understand that the immune system can be affected by high-intensity training
. Therefore, an additional supply of glutamine is of great benefit to a compromised
immune system.

Many people are now convinced of the immune benefits of glutamine. For them, this
amino acid is a must-have supplement.

But what exactly is L-glutamine?
L-glutamine is a non-essential amino acid (i.e. the body can produce it itself from essential
amino acids) that is mainly found in the skeletal muscles. However, Lglutamine
is also present in the lungs and plays an important role in
protein synthesis (= the body's own protein is formed from supplied protein ).
Although the body can produce this amino acid itself, it
is not able to produce sufficient quantities of this amino acid under high levels of stress. For this reason,
there is a glutamine deficiency which manifests itself, for example, in poorer regeneration or poorer
immune defense.

But how exactly does L-glutamine help to strengthen the immune system?
1) L-glutamine supplements have a positive effect after a stressful situation: In the
USA, L-glutamine has long been used in hospitals to "pep up" weak patients
. Studies have also shown that this supplement can strengthen the immune system
after an operation.
2) Hardcore training depletes the body's glutamine stores: It is no
secret that regular long-term overload (e.g. due to too many and too long
training sessions) weakens the immune system. The first signs of a weakened
immune system are mainly sluggishness and tiredness or general listlessness. If
you have these symptoms, it may also be because your "glutamine stores"
are depleted or your body cannot produce enough glutamine for regeneration.
With such symptoms, targeted glutamine supplementation can often work wonders
.
3) Dieting can weaken the immune system: If you are currently interested
in noticeably improving your figure and are therefore following a calorie-reduced diet,
this can weaken your immune system. This is because many athletes
do not consume enough vitamins, minerals or glutamine in their diet. For this reason,
a calorie-reduced diet should ensure an adequate intake of glutamine and vitamins or
minerals, otherwise your body will be in top condition - but
not your immune system.

Further tips to prevent colds:

• Wash your hands regularly! Especially before touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Don't sneeze or cough into your hands, but into your elbow!
• If your colleagues are very ill, hand sanitizer can be an advantage!
• If you are ill, stay at home. It makes no sense to go to work sick and infect your colleagues! In addition, your condition may deteriorate even further.

How much glutamine should I take per day?
We recommend 0.1 - 0.3gr / kg body weight. For an 80kg man this would be 8 - 24gr /
day!

Conclusion:
Glutamine can not only help build new muscle tissue. It can also help
to maintain a good immune system during acute stress.
And a good immune system is always an advantage!

Let's take a look at the amino acid L-arginine today.
This amino acid has many advantages: for example, L-arginine ensures better
blood circulation and therefore a better pump during training. In addition,
it is assumed that L-arginine stimulates the release of growth hormone, which ultimately leads to
improved muscle growth and simultaneous fat loss.

Arguments in favor of arginine
In the late 1990s it was discovered that nitric oxide (NO) plays a very important role
in various physical processes. Scientists also discovered that the
body produces nitric oxide (NO) from arginine. Today's NO or training boosters
are quite often based on the effect of arginine, which is also the reason why these
training boosters are very popular today;- they provide a better pump during
training, which ensures greater motivation and more fun during training. It is also
assumed that the muscles are better supplied with oxygen, nutrients,
water and anabolic hormones due to the dilated blood vessels. Thanks to the improved
oxygen transport, you also have considerably more energy during training and can therefore train much
more intensively.

Timing
In order to fully exploit the effect of L-arginine, it is first of all very important to choose the
correct time to take it. This should be done 30-60 minutes before training, preferably
on an empty stomach. On an empty stomach because amino acids generally only develop their
full effect when they are taken individually. You do not have to take L-arginine on
an empty stomach, only the effect is much weaker. The second portion should be taken after
training to ensure a longer-lasting blood flow after training
. The main advantage of this is that the nutrients after training (e.g. protein shake)
can reach the muscle cells better. In this way, you regenerate much
faster and can therefore tackle the muscle group you have just trained more quickly.
To stimulate growth hormone levels overnight, it makes sense to take arginine on an empty stomach (if possible)
30 minutes before going to bed. Avoid carbohydrates before
going to sleep, as this leads to a rise in insulin. With a high insulin rise, the
growth hormone level drops.
Imagine (simplified) a seesaw:

• For a high growth hormone level, the insulin level must be low!
• If the insulin level is high, the growth hormone level drops!

Form
The most common forms of L-arginine are "L-arginine" (usually in HCL form), "arginine alpha
ketogluterate" and "arginine ethyl ester". It has been reported that the simplest form of LArginine
is less easily absorbed by the body. For this reason, new forms
have been developed. Arginine alpha ketogluterate consists of two arginine molecules attached to a keto-
gluterate molecule. In this form, the amino acid arginine can be absorbed much better
via the intestine. The "alpha-ketogluterate molecule" is a precursor
of L-glutamine. (Note: L-glutamine has many positive effects on the intestine). Arginine
ethyl ester is a relatively new form of arginine. Through esterification, the amino acid is much
better absorbed by the body and transferred to the appropriate tissue. The advantage of
ethyl ester is that the dosage does not have to be so high to achieve the desired effect
.

Dosage
To increase the NO level before training, you should take 4-6 grams of L-arginine or arginine keto-
gluterate. For the ethyl ester form, 2-3 grams is sufficient.
If you intend to increase your growth hormone (GH) level, you should take approx. 9 g of L-arginine or arginine ethyl ester in
form. For the ethyl ester form, 6 grams is sufficient.
This is necessary because too little L-arginine "only" leads to improved blood circulation
, but not to an increased release of growth hormone.

Possible combinations
If you read the list of ingredients of most NO boosters, you will probably notice
that several ingredients are included in addition to arginine. These are added to improve the
effect of arginine. One very effective combination is the addition
of citrulline. Citrulline is a precursor of L-arginine which improves
and prolongs the effect of L-arginine.

In addition, you can benefit from the addition of 100-200mg of standardized American ginseng
. This ensures even better blood circulation. You can also choose to combine 500-1,000
mg of vitamin C together with the arginine supplements, as vitamin C acts as an anti
oxidant and thus leads to a slower decrease in NO levels. This
prolongs the improved circulatory effect of L-arginine.

*Author's note: The combination of vitamin C and arginine (unfortunately) also leads to a reduction in tryptophan levels.
increases the tryptophan level. This can lead to tiredness. This can be remedied by the
amino acid thyrosine can help here, as thyrosine competes with tryptophan. Tryptophan makes you tired;
Tyrosine wakes you up!