Health
In his book "Vitamin C and the common cold", two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling Vitamin C for the treatment and prevention of the common cold. He claimed that taking 1,000mg of vitamin C reduces the risk of catching a cold by 45 percent. Since then, a number of studies have found that vitamin C does not prevent colds, but may reduce their severity.
Scientists at the University of Helsinki in Finland collected data from 30 studies with a total of more than 11,000 participants who took at least 200mg of vitamin C per day. Vitamin C had no effect on the incidence of colds, but it reduced the length and severity of colds by 8 percent. Vitamin C reduced the risk of colds by 50% in people exposed to high levels of stress, such as soldiers training in the cold or marathon runners. Although vitamin C did not reduce the risk of colds in inactive people, it did have its benefits in intensively training athletes. High doses of vitamin C cause few or no side effects.
(The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 3: CD000980, 2007)
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) have been called nutritional optimizers or "fat-free fat" because, like all fats, they provide high energy at low volume, yet are quickly absorbed and used in a way that is usually only the case with carbohydrates. They could also reduce body fat, improve the metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins, increase the absorption of essential minerals and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering blood lipid levels.
Researchers at Sun-Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China, found that MCT supplements (18 grams per day for 90 days) reduced appetite, body fat percentage, waist circumference, total cholesterol and insulin resistance in 46 obese subjects suffering from type 2 diabetes (eight men and 38 women aged 45 to 65 years).
MCT supplements promote weight loss and help reduce other risk factors associated with heart disease and stroke.
(Metabolism Clinical Experimental, 56: 985-991, 2007)
Some of the simplest foods are sometimes the healthiest. Cinnamon is a popular kitchen spice used to add flavor to oatmeal, desserts, coffee and hot chocolate. It also promotes insulin metabolism and improves blood sugar control. The active ingredient is cinnamic acid, which is also found in fruit, vegetables and flowers.
Thai scientists have discovered that the addition of cinnamic acid to pancreatic cells (the pancreas secretes insulin) can increase insulin secretion by up to 200 percent.
Swedish scientists found that adding 6 grams of cinnamon to rice pudding reduced blood sugar levels in humans and prolonged the time the pudding remained in the stomach without affecting hunger. Cinnamon contains antioxidants called phenols that reduce inflammation and improve blood vessel health.
Even small amounts of cinnamon were helpful. People who consumed 1 gram of cinnamon per day, which is about half a teaspoon, over a 40-day period showed reduced blood sugar levels, lower LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), lower total cholesterol levels and lower triglyceride (blood fat) levels.
Including cinnamon in the diet could reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Bodybuilders may benefit from sprinkling a teaspoon of cinnamon over their oatmeal.
(Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry, 56: 7838-7844; American Journal Clinical Nutrition, 85: 1552-1556, 2007)
Pycnogenol is a plant extract from the bark of maritime pine trees that grow in the southwest of France. It suppresses inflammation, strengthens connective tissue and increases the release of nitric oxide - an important chemical for regulating blood circulation. Studies conducted with Pycnogenol show that this supplement can be helpful in the treatment of menstrual cramps, erectile dysfunction and muscle spasms.
Peter Cisar and colleagues from the Comenius University School of Medicine in Bratislav, Slovakia, found that Pycnogenol reduced pain in people suffering from arthritis of the knees. 100 subjects were given 150 milligrams of Pycnogenol or a placebo per day for a period of three months. Over the course of the study, the pain gradually decreased without any side effects occurring. At the end of the study, pain was reduced by 40 percent, 38 percent of subjects were able to reduce their dose of anti-inflammatory medication (e.g. Advil), 38 percent reported less stiffness and 52 percent reported improved physical function.
Pycnogenol appears to be a safe supplement. Side effects included nausea, drowsiness and allergic reactions. In diabetics, it could at least theoretically affect blood sugar control, but this side effect is not reported in the scientific literature. Pycnogenol appears to be a helpful and safe supplement for bodybuilders.
(Phytotherapy Research, 22: 1087-1092, 2008)
Green tea extract is a popular supplement for weight loss and also improves vascular health and blood sugar regulation. It's not a magic bullet that improves metabolic health in one fell swoop, but it does help.
Scientists speculate that chemicals called catechins - specifically epigallocatechin-3-gallate - found in this supplement help improve metabolic health, fight free radical formation and reduce body fat. Green tea extract improves the health of the endothelium (the inner lining of the veins), reducing resistance to blood flow and therefore blood pressure.
A study conducted at the University of Padova in Italy, led by Italia Papparella, showed that green tea extract reduced blood pressure and prevented heart enlargement in rats by reducing free radical metabolism. Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that are naturally produced during metabolic processes in the body and have been linked to the aging process, immune system breakdown, heart disease and cancer.
Other studies found that green tea extract slowed cell death in cell cultures and promoted recovery after a heart attack or stroke. An 11-year study of more than 40,000 Japanese adults found that people who drank the most green tea had a reduced mortality rate from all causes of death and cardiovascular disease compared to people who did not drink green tea. Green tea extract appears to be an excellent supplement for promoting metabolic health that also accelerates weight loss.
(Journal Nutrition, 138: 1596-1601, 2008; American Journal Clinical Nutrition, 87: 778-784, 2008)
