Supplement Strategy

Let’s face it, maintaining a high caliber of fitness takes a lot of work and organization. When you consider how much time you spend preparing meals, training, eating and sleeping, it’s amazing that you have any time (or energy) left to get anything else done!

So how can you maximize your efforts to get the biggest gains?

The answer is simple: Take a systematic and coordinated approach to your daily supplementation regimen. If you are currently following a random schedule for supplementation, then you are not maximizing your fitness efforts; exercise biochemistry is not a random science, and your supplement regimen shouldn’t be either. We present a science-backed and affordable supplement strategy, coordinated with five key times of the day that are perfect for optimizing gains.

Morning: Wake Up, Shake Up!

After a solid eight- to 10-hour sleep, your body is in a fasted state and is breaking down your hard-earned muscles to be used as nourishment. Before you even wipe the sleep from your eyes, get some amino acids into your body to shut down catabolism and prime the day for growth.

Whey Protein Isolate: Whey protein isolate is one of the purest protein supplements available, it has high bioavailability, naturally contains the highest levels of branched-chain amino acids, and has a complete amino-acid profile.

Recommendation: Males and females, mix 0.2 grams of high-quality whey protein isolate per pound of bodyweight into 16 ounces of water (for example, if you weigh 175 pounds: 0.2 x 175 = 35 grams of whey isolate).

Branched-Chain Amino Acids: Named as such due to their unique branched-chain structure, the essential amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine have been used in bodybuilding and power sports for decades. BCAAs turn on “molecular switches,” which increase protein synthesis and recovery, and boost the immune system.

Recommendation: Although whey protein contains a robust BCAA complement, we suggest adding 3-5 grams of BCAAs to your morning shake to ensure your BCAA reserves are topped up for the hard day ahead. Make sure the product you choose has at least twice the leucine as isoleucine and valine.

Mealtime: Absorb and Catalyze!

Multivitamin: Vitamins support overall health by catalyzing vital processes in the body. For example, vitamin C acts as a potent antioxidant, the B vitamins are essential for the energy-producing (metabolic) pathways and repair/regeneration of cells, and minerals maintain normal cellular function. Since athletes tend to follow strict diets, taking a daily multivitamin will make up for any lacking micronutrients. In addition, intense training calls for more vitamins and minerals to catalyze metabolic reactions. Be sure to buy a product that is formulated for athletes because it will contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals balanced for the stresses of training. Some vitamin requirements differ between the sexes, so buying a product specifically formulated for men or women may provide additional advantages.

Recommendation: Because formulations vary, take as directed with breakfast.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium in the body, keeping bones strong. It also helps reduce body fat, increases muscle strength and promotes muscular development. Vitamin D binds to receptors on muscle cells to enhance muscle contraction and promote increased protein synthesis. Recent studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency is common in North Americans, and exacerbated in athletes. The body can make vitamin D when the skin is exposed to sunlight (by converting cholesterol to vitamin D); however, this mechanism of vitamin D “intake” depends greatly on the season and your sun-worshiping habits.

Recommendation: Vitamin D is fat soluble, so you can choose to take your daily amount in one shot or split it up among the day’s meals. We suggest taking a total (including what is in your multivitamin) of 2,000 to 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 (the active form of vitamin D) daily.

Fish Oil: The omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish have been shown to reduce inflammation, increase cardiovascular health, increase the efficiency of the heart during exercise, maintain healthy blood lipid profiles, and increase fat metabolism and lean mass gain.

Recommendation: Take 1 to 3 grams of fish oil high in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Preworkout: Prime the Pump!

This is the optimal time to prime the body for performance. Taking the right supplements at the right time will ensure you have set up a perfect internal environment for an intense workout from start to finish; hence the longstanding success of preworkout formulations. In fact, the top preworkout formulations provide everything you need in one product.

If you are already using a preworkout formula, excellent! But be sure it contains most (if not all) of what we recommend in this section. The following supplements will provide an abundance of energy and metabolic support to fuel your workout.

Betaine: Betaine (aka trimethylglycine) is a methylated derivative of the amino acid glycine and exists in foods such as wheat, beets, spinach and shellfish. In the body, it serves as a methyl donor. Studies simulating methyl-deficient diets report disorders in protein synthesis, as well as muscle disturbances. Overall, betaine has been shown to improve muscular endurance at high power output, hydrate cells, reduce inflammation, maintain intestinal function, protect DNA, and lower homocysteine levels (which promotes cardiovascular health). In a paper published in the Journal of the International Society for Sports Nutrition, resistance-trained men who received a betaine supplement for six weeks saw improved body composition, muscle size, work capacity and improved power versus placebo.

Recommendation: Take 1.5 to 2.5 grams of betaine 30 to 60 minutes before training. If you plan on using a preworkout formulation, then be sure it contains at least 1.5 grams of betaine.

Caffeine: Although caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, its effects on energy levels go far beyond its energetic buzz. Many studies show that preworkout caffeine supplementation dampens perceived exertion and muscle pain during exercise and into recovery. As such, many find that preworkout caffeine promotes higher workout intensity and volume, resulting in greater gains in a shorter time.

Recommendation: Take 200 to 400 milligrams of caffeine 30 to 60 minutes prior to training. Caffeine is a common ingredient in preworkout formulations.

BCAAs: Preworkout BCAA supplementation tops off blood amino acids, which will get consumed in your upcoming workout. Taking BCAAs before training also delays fatigue, so you can perform equally as hard at the end of your workout as the start.

Recommendation: Take 3 to 5 grams of BCAAs, 30 to 60 minutes before training. If you are using a preworkout formulation, confirm that it has at least 3 grams of BCAAs (containing approximately twice as much leucine as isoleucine and valine).

Creatine: The research supporting creatine as a strength- and muscle-builder is indisputable. Creatine is rapidly taken up and stored in skeletal muscle where it provides much-needed high-energy creatine phosphate to supply muscles with the substrates to quickly make ATP (energy for contraction). In the end, having elevated creatine stores in muscle promotes dramatic increases in strength and power during explosive and extended performances with less time needed for rest.

Recommendation: Take 2 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate 30 to 60 minutes prior to training.

Beta-Alanine: Beta-alanine supplementation boosts muscle carnosine levels over several weeks. Elevated muscle carnosine levels increase muscle energy/endurance by buffering skeletal muscle acidity that accumulates during prolonged high-intensity exercise. This simply means that preworkout beta-alanine can help you push harder for longer during your workouts.

Recommendation: The research suggests that you can reap the benefits of beta-alanine with as little as 1.6 grams per day. However, it will take longer for muscle carnosine levels to peak. For optimal results, take 3 to 5 grams of beta-alanine, 30 minutes prior to training. If you are taking a preworkout formula, be sure it contains at least 1.6 grams of beta-alanine per serving.

Postworkout: Rest, Replenish, Recover!

You are exhausted, your muscles are screaming for nourishment and are primed for nutrient delivery and absorption. The postworkout period is one of the most crucial opportunities for maximizing growth and recovery.

Whey Protein Isolate: Whey is the ideal postworkout protein source because it absorbs at a moderate 8 to 10 grams per hour, so a 20- to 40-gram shake will raise amino acids quickly and keep them elevated for about two to four hours. Whey boosts anabolic insulin better than any other protein source, this enables greater shuttling of glycogen and nutrients into fatigued muscle, promoting faster and greater recovery.

Recommendation: Males and females, immediately postworkout, mix approximately 0.2 grams of high-quality whey protein isolate per pound of bodyweight into 16 ounces of water (for example, if you weigh 175 pounds: 0.2 x 175 = 35 grams of whey isolate).

Creatine: When taken after exercise, creatine monohydrate can replenish and boost muscle creatine stores. Having extra creatine around after training not only provides energy substrates for future exercise bouts, but also promotes greater protein synthesis in recovery by physical and hormonal mechanisms. First, it increases the amount of water taken up by muscle cells, which swells the muscle and signals for increased repair (it also makes your muscles look bigger). Second, it increases the release of the anabolic hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1, and decreases myostatin levels (the “anabolic brakes”) during recovery from heavy training.

Recommendation: Mix 2 to 5 grams of creatine into your postworkout whey protein isolate shake.

Beta-Alanine: Because beta-alanine supplementation builds muscle carnosine levels over time, then you must replenish beta-alanine postworkout. This strategy will ensure that your muscle carnosine levels remain topped up for the next workout.

Recommendation: For optimal results, mix 1.6 to 5 grams of beta-alanine in your postworkout whey protein isolate shake.

Betaine: Because betaine is lost during sweating and it supports anabolism, it’s a good idea to replenish it after training.

Recommendation: Take 1.5 to 2.5 grams of betaine with your postworkout whey protein isolate shake.

Before bed: Nocturnal Nourishment!

Micellar Casein: Casein is the most abundant protein found in cow’s milk. Micellar casein has the unique ability to form a gel in the stomach, slowing absorption and making it a sustained supplier of amino acids. Past research illustrates that a single serving of micellar casein can sustain blood amino levels for up to seven hours. This unique feature of micellar casein makes it an excellent anti-catabolic supplement, which provides muscle-building amino acids, all night, while you sleep.

Recommendation: Mix 20 to 40 grams of micellar casein in 16 ounces of water and drink immediately before hitting the sack.

Anorexia nervosa has a genetic basis

A large-scale, international whole-genome analysis has now revealed for the first time that anorexia nervosa is associated with genetic anomalies on chromosome 12. This finding might lead to new, interdisciplinary approaches to its treatment. The study was led by the University of North Carolina and has been published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Child and adolescent psychiatrist Andreas Karwautz from MedUni Vienna's Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry was responsible for the Austrian contribution.

There are currently around 7,500 adolescents in Austria suffering from anorexia nervosa. Girls make up around 95% of those suffering from this serious and protracted disease, which leads to serious health problems due to excessive weight loss. The disease is currently curable in 80% of cases but is still associated with an annual mortality rate of 0.5%. At the present time, the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at MedUni Vienna is treating around 70 seriously ill adolescents, both as in-patients and out-patients.

Although we already knew from genetic tests on monozygotic twins that genes are approximately 60% responsible for the development of anorexia nervosa, we did not know with any certainty which gene loci were involved. A study initiated by the US University of North Carolina has now been conducted worldwide, involving 220 researchers in international medical centres analysing the genetic material of 3,500 anorexics. It was found that, compared with the control group of 11,000 people, anorexics had a significant locus on chromosome 12 that contributes towards an elevated risk of developing anorexia nervosa.

The researchers also explored whether there was any correlation with other disorders. This revealed that the significant locus lies on chromosome 12, in a region associated with Type I diabetes and autoimmune disorders, as well as insulin metabolism. Moreover, genetic correlations were found between anorexia nervosa, neuroticism and schizophrenia, supporting the idea that anorexia is a psychiatric illness.

Child and adolescent psychiatrist Karwautz regards the findings of this study as significant proof that, in addition to the psychosocial component, biological factors also play an extremely important role in the onset of anorexia nervosa. This has huge implications in terms of improving treatment. Says Karwautz: "Such studies form a basis for providing patients and their relatives with a logical and realistic explanation for this persistent disorder, which is the third commonest disorder in this adolescent age group. Prevention programmes will also benefit from these new findings."

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Materials provided by Medical University of Vienna. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Cynthia M. Bulik et al. Significant Locus and Metabolic Genetic Correlations Revealed in Genome-Wide Association Study of Anorexia Nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 2017; appi.ajp.2017.1 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16121402

More than 2 billion people overweight or obese, new study finds

Globally, more than 2 billion children and adults suffer from health problems related to being overweight or obese, and an increasing percentage of people die from these health conditions, according to a new study.

They are dying even though they are not technically considered obese, researchers found. Of the 4.0 million deaths attributed to excess body weight in 2015, nearly 40% occurred among people whose body mass index (BMI) fell below the threshold considered "obese."

The findings represent "a growing and disturbing global public health crisis," according to the authors of the paper published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

"People who shrug off weight gain do so at their own risk -- risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and other life-threatening conditions," said Dr. Christopher Murray, an author on the study and Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. "Those half-serious New Year's resolutions to lose weight should become year-round commitments to lose weight and prevent future weight gain."

The study, which spans 195 countries and territories from 1980 through 2015, was released today at the annual EAT Stockholm Food Forum, which aims to create a healthier, more sustainable food system. It is based on data from the most recent Global Burden of Disease study (GBD), a systematic, scientific effort to quantify the magnitude of health loss from all major diseases, injuries, and risk factors by age, sex, and population. With more than 2,300 collaborators in 133 countries, the GBD study examines 300-plus diseases and injuries.

The paper includes analyses of other studies on the effects of excess weight and potential links between high BMI and cancers of the esophagus, colon and rectum, liver, gallbladder and biliary tract, pancreas, breast, uterus, ovary, kidney, and thyroid, as well as leukemia. IHME is committed to producing more in-depth studies on the implications of obesity and overweight, including through a new partnership with the United Nations, according to Dr. Murray.

He announced at the forum a new agreement between IHME and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to exchange data, knowledge, and expertise. The goal is to elevate the world's collective understanding of what is driving "the current global epidemic of disease" related to high body weight.

The United Nations "Decade of Action on Nutrition" is an initiative covering 2016-2025 to eradicate hunger, end malnutrition in all its forms (undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight or obesity), and reduce the burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases in all age groups.

In 2015, excess weight affected 2.2 billion children and adults worldwide, or 30% of all people. This includes nearly 108 million children and more than 600 million adults with BMI exceeding 30, the threshold for obesity, according to the study. The prevalence of obesity has doubled since 1980 in more than 70 countries and has continuously increased in most other nations. Although the prevalence of obesity among children has been lower than among adults, the rate of increase in childhood obesity in many countries was greater than that of adults.

Among the 20 most populous countries, the highest level of obesity among children and young adults was in the United States at nearly 13%; Egypt topped the list for adult obesity at about 35%. Lowest rates were in Bangladesh and Vietnam, respectively, at 1%. China with 15.3 million and India with 14.4 million had the highest numbers of obese children; the United States with 79.4 million and China with 57.3 million had the highest numbers of obese adults in 2015.

"Excess body weight is one of the most challenging public health problems of our time, affecting nearly one in every three people," said Dr. Ashkan Afshin, the paper's lead author and an Assistant Professor of Global Health at IHME. "Over the past decade, numerous interventions have been evaluated, but very little evidence exists about their long-term effectiveness. Over the next 10 years, we will closely with the FAO in monitoring and evaluating the progress of countries in controlling overweight and obesity. Moreover, we will share data and findings with scientists, policymakers, and other stakeholders seeking evidence-based strategies to address this problem."

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Vegetarian diets almost twice as effective in reducing body weight, study finds

Dieters who go vegetarian not only lose weight more effectively than those on conventional low-calorie diets but also improve their metabolism by reducing muscle fat, a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition has found.

Losing muscle fat improves glucose and lipid metabolism so this finding is particularly important for people with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, says lead author, Dr. Hana Kahleová, Director of Clinical Research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC.

Seventy-four subjects with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to follow either a vegetarian diet or a conventional anti-diabetic diet. The vegetarian diet consisted of vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits and nuts, with animal products limited to a maximum of one portion of low-fat yoghurt per day; the conventional diabetic diet followed the official recommendations of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Both diets were restricted by 500 kilocalories per day compared to an isocaloric intake for each individual.

The vegetarian diet was found to be almost twice as effective in reducing body weight, resulting in an average loss of 6.2kg compared to 3.2kg for the conventional diet.

Using magnetic resonance imaging, Dr. Kahleová and colleagues then studied adipose (fat-storage) tissue in the subjects' thighs to see how the two different diets had affected subcutaneous, subfascial and intramuscular fat (that is, fat under the skin, on the surface of muscles and inside muscles).

They found that both diets caused a similar reduction in subcutaneous fat. However, subfascial fat was only reduced in response to the vegetarian diet, and intramuscular fat was more greatly reduced by the vegetarian diet.

This is important as increased subfascial fat in patients with type 2 diabetes has been associated with insulin resistance, so reducing it could have a beneficial effect on glucose metabolism. In addition, reducing intramuscular fat could help improve muscular strength and mobility, particularly in older people with diabetes.

Dr. Kahleová said: "Vegetarian diets proved to be the most effective diets for weight loss. However, we also showed that a vegetarian diet is much more effective at reducing muscle fat, thus improving metabolism. This finding is important for people who are trying to lose weight, including those suffering from metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes. But it is also relevant to anyone who takes their weight management seriously and wants to stay lean and healthy."

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Journal Reference:

1. Hana Kahleova, Marta Klementova, Vit Herynek, Antonin Skoch, Stepan Herynek, Martin Hill, Andrea Mari, Terezie Pelikanova. The Effect of a Vegetarian vs Conventional Hypocaloric Diabetic Diet on Thigh Adipose Tissue Distribution in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Study. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2017; 1 DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2017.1302367

Is white or whole wheat bread 'healthier?' Depends on the person

Despite many studies looking at which bread is the healthiest, it is still not clear what effect bread and differences among bread types have on clinically relevant parameters and on the microbiome. In the journal Cell Metabolism on June 6, Weizmann Institute researchers report the results of a comprehensive, randomized trial in 20 healthy subjects comparing differences in how processed white bread and artisanal whole wheat sourdough affect the body.

Surprisingly, the investigators found the bread itself didn't greatly affect the participants and that different people reacted differently to the bread. The research team then devised an algorithm to help predict how individuals may respond to the bread in their diets.

All of the participants in the study normally consumed about 10% of their calories from bread. Half were assigned to consume an increased amount of processed, packaged white bread for a week -- around 25% of their calories -- and half to consume an increased amount of whole wheat sourdough, which was baked especially for the study and delivered fresh to the participants. After a 2-week period without bread, the diets for the two groups were reversed.

Before the study and throughout the time it was ongoing, many health effects were monitored. These included wakeup glucose levels; levels of the essential minerals calcium, iron, and magnesium; fat and cholesterol levels; kidney and liver enzymes; and several markers for inflammation and tissue damage. The investigators also measured the makeup of the participants' microbiomes before, during, and after the study.

"The initial finding, and this was very much contrary to our expectation, was that there were no clinically significant differences between the effects of these two types of bread on any of the parameters that we measured," says Eran Segal, a computational biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science and one of the study's senior authors. "We looked at a number of markers, and there was no measurable difference in the effect that this type of dietary intervention had."

Based on some of their earlier work, however, which found that different people have different glycemic responses to the same diet, the investigators suspected that something more complicated may be going on: perhaps the glycemic response of some of the people in the study was better to one type of bread, and some better to the other type. A closer look indicated that this was indeed the case. About half the people had a better response to the processed, white flour bread, and the other half had a better response to the whole wheat sourdough. The lack of differences were only seen when all findings were averaged together.

"The findings for this study are not only fascinating but potentially very important, because they point toward a new paradigm: different people react differently, even to the same foods," says Eran Elinav (@EranElinav), a researcher in the Department of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute and another of the study's senior authors. "To date, the nutritional values assigned to food have been based on minimal science, and one-size-fits-all diets have failed miserably."

He adds: "These findings could lead to a more rational approach for telling people which foods are a better fit for them, based on their microbiomes."

Avraham Levy, a professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and another coauthor, adds a caveat to the study: "These experiments looked at everyone eating the same amounts of carbohydrates from both bread types, which means that they ate more whole wheat bread because it contains less available carbohydrates. Moreover, we know that because of its high fiber content, people generally eat less whole wheat bread. We didn't take into consideration how much you would eat based on how full you felt. So the story must go on."

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Materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Korem et al. Bread affects clinical parameters and induces gut microbiome-associated personal glycemic responses. Cell Metabolism, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.05.002

Tackling infectious disease, one protein at a time

Garry Buchko and his colleagues are at the front line battling some of the most fearsome enemies that humanity has ever known: Tuberculosis. Pneumonia. Ebola. Plague. Botulism.

But he is not in a hospital or field tent, taking vital signs or administering medications. Instead, Buchko the biochemist is in the laboratory, where the front line is the world of proteins -- the molecular workhorses that keep all organisms functioning properly and make life possible. Using some of the highest-tech approaches available, he works with scientists in the Pacific Northwest to uncover crucial information needed to develop better treatments or vaccines against a host of nasty agents that can cause body aches, nausea, fatigue, food poisoning, diarrhea, ulcers, difficulty breathing, and death.

Buchko does such work as part of the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease, one of two centers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases tasked with solving the structure of proteins that enable pathogens to live, thrive, and infect people. Scientists from four institutions partner in the effort: The Center for Infectious Disease Research, Beryllium Discovery Corp., the University of Washington, and the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where Buchko does his research.

This week the team reached a milestone, announcing that its scientists have solved the 3-D structure of the 1,000th protein from more than 70 organisms that cause infectious disease in people. The proteins the team has studied come from microbes that cause several serious diseases, including tuberculosis, Listeria, Giardia, Ebola, anthrax, Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection, Legionella, Lyme, chlamydia and the flu.

While the proteins isolated for study are not pathogenic, the structural information provides scientists the opportunity to design molecules that will knock out an essential process in such microbes.

It is challenging work. Protein shapes are very complex -- many look a lot like convoluted roller coasters with multiple twists, turns, and loops, all squeezed into a tiny space just one ten-thousandth the width of a human hair. The arrangement and lengths of these features give each protein its specific biochemical properties -- what other molecules they will interact with and precisely what they will do in the body. Knowing the precise shape of proteins provides a blueprint for scientists searching for new ways to disable the pathogens and stop the diseases they can cause.

Buchko's expertise is with nuclear magnetic resonance or NMR, which is very similar to the magnetic resonance imaging technique widely used by physicians to diagnose all manner of medical conditions. Buchko scrutinizes proteins from pathogens drawing upon the NMR technology at EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a DOE Office of Science user facility at PNNL.

While the end result is an atomic-level picture, it's not as simple as snapping a photograph. Instead, Buchko places the protein inside an NMR spectrometer and records information about the orientation, energy and other properties of all the atomic nuclei in the molecule. Then he interprets the information and feeds the thousands of pieces of data into a computer program to calculate the position of every atom, resulting in a complete 3-D reconstruction of the protein. Data analysis is crucial to getting the structures correct.

Buchko has been an author on more than 20 of the team's studies in the last 10 years. Among his targets are pathogens that cause tuberculosis, malaria, cat scratch fever, and hemorrhagic fevers, as well as water-based parasites that cause severe diarrhea and abdominal pain.

SSGCID scientists have published more than 100 manuscripts detailing their findings. In addition, all the structures are immediately shared with the scientific community through a public database called the Protein Data Bank. As a result, the structures have been used in nearly 600 scientific papers from other laboratories in academia, research institutes, and pharmaceutical companies around the world that are working on human pathogens. Sharing its findings so that scientists worldwide can make further discoveries is at the heart of SSGCID's mission.

The Seattle-based center is one of two centers funded by NIAID (contract # HHSN272201200025C). The other, based in Chicago, is the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases and includes another DOE laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, among its participants. The SSGCID is led by Peter Myler, professor and director of core services at the Center for Infectious Disease Research.

"When the SSGCID solves protein structures, it lays the foundation for researchers at CID Research and around the world to find new drugs, therapies and vaccine candidates for diseases that kill thousands each year," said Myler. "I'm very proud of the hard work carried out by our team and our dedicated partners."

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Daily Caffeine Boosts Performance

Caffeine is a favorite training partner for millions of lifters, because a daily cup of java improves exercise performance. But will too much coffee send you flying around the gym, and make your head spin like Linda Blair in “The Exorcist”? Not according to a new study published in The Journal of Applied Physiology. The study refutes previous advice from some scientists and coaches that in order to gain any performance boost from taking caffeine before a workout, you have to abstain from coffee for a few days or weeks.

Taken an hour before exercise, caffeine increases alertness, which can make exercise feel less strenuous and enables most athletes to perform better. Because there are concerns that caffeine users become habituated to its effects— and one cup in the morning turns to three cups by the end of the day— athletes have typically been advised to stop drinking coffee or anything containing caffeine for about a week before competition. But Bruno Gualano, a professor of physiology and nutrition at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, found that regardless of habitual caffeine intake in one’s diet, acute caffeine supplementation can improve performance.

In Gualano’s study, competitive male cyclists consumed 400 milligrams of caffeine one hour before a ride, which is equivalent to the amount of caffeine in four cups of coffee. The subjects also received a placebo before another ride. Almost all of the riders were able to pedal harder and faster after swallowing the caffeine pill— 3.3 percent faster on average compared to when they had no pill, and 2.2 percent faster than when they took a placebo. Cyclists who usually drank large amounts of coffee or caffeine drinks every day received the same boost from caffeine as light coffee drinkers. (Journal of Applied Physiology, May 2017)