Cumin: Six health benefits

Cumin is a spice that comes from the Cuminum cyminum plant. It is native to Asia, Africa, and Europe, but it is widely used in cooking throughout the world. It is the second most popular spice after black pepper.

Cumin is usually purchased in the form of whole dried seeds or as ground powder. It is a typical ingredient in many spice blends, such as curry powder. Cumin is a staple spice in many cuisines, especially Mexican, Indian, African, and Asian.

Aside from cooking, cumin has also been used medicinally in many parts of the world for some years.

In some Southeast Asian countries, it is used to help with digestion, coughs, pain, and liver health. In Iran, people use cumin to treat seizures, while people in Tunisia use it to help fight infections and lower blood pressure.

Interest in cumin has been growing as newer research supports some of its acclaimed health benefits. Read on to learn more about the potential health benefits and risks associated with cumin, as well as how to add cumin to your diet.

Contents of this article:

1. Six possible health benefits
2. Nutrition facts
3. Possible risks and side effects
4. Ways to incorporate cumin into your diet
5. Outlook

Six possible health benefits

1. Weight loss

Recent studies indicate cumin may be effective in lowering cholesterol and in weight loss.

Cumin may be helpful for people trying to lose weight. A study involving overweight adults compared the effects of cumin with a weight-loss medication and a placebo on weight.

After 8 weeks, the researchers found that the cumin and weight-loss medication groups both lost significant amounts of weight. People in the cumin group also experienced a decrease in their insulin levels.

Another study found that overweight and obese women who consumed 3 grams (g) of cumin powder in yogurt daily for 3 months had significant decreases in body weight, waist size, and body fat.

2. Cholesterol

The previously mentioned study in overweight and obese women also found that consuming 3 g of cumin powder per day resulted in lower total cholesterol, LDL or "bad" cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

The women who consumed the cumin powder also had higher HDL or "good" cholesterol levels.

3. Diabetes

A study in adults with type 2 diabetes looked at the effects of cumin essential oil on blood sugar. Study participants received either 100 milligrams (mg) of cumin oil per day, 50 mg of cumin oil per day, or a placebo.

After 8 weeks, both cumin-oil groups had significantly lower blood sugar, insulin, and hemoglobin A1c levels.

The cumin-oil groups also saw improvements in the signs of insulin resistance and inflammation. Other studies in humans have shown mixed results with cumin and blood sugar levels.

4. Irritable bowel syndrome

A small pilot study looked at the effect of consuming cumin essential-oil drops on symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

After 4 weeks, study participants noted improvements in many symptoms, such as stomach pain and bloating.

At the end of the study, those with IBS who had mainly experienced constipation as a symptom had more frequent bowel movements. Those who had mainly experienced diarrhea as a symptom had fewer bowel movements.

5. Stress

Cumin may play a role in helping the body handle stress. A study in rats looked at the effect of cumin extract on signs of stress.

When the animals received cumin extract before a stressful activity, their bodies had significantly less of a stress response than when they did not receive the treatment.

Cumin may help fight the effects of stress by working as an antioxidant. The same researchers found that cumin was a more effective antioxidant than vitamin C in the rats they studied.

6. Memory loss

The same study in rats also looked at the impact of cumin extract on memory. The study found that the animals that had received cumin extract had better and faster recall.

Nutrition facts

According to the United States Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database, 1 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds contains:

• 8 kilocalories
• 0.37 g of protein
• 0.47 g of fat
• 0.93 g of carbohydrate

The same amount of cumin seeds also provides 20 mg of calcium, 1.39 mg of iron, and 8 mg of magnesium.

Additionally, cumin contains antioxidants, which may be responsible for some of its associated health benefits.

Possible risks and side effects

Further research is required before cumin can be recommended as a supplement.

Consuming foods that are cooked with cumin is likely safe for most people. Some people may have an allergy to cumin, in which case they should avoid it.

More research is needed before supplemental doses of cumin are recommended. In one study, some people experienced nausea, dizziness, and stomach pain after consuming cumin extract.

As with all supplements, people should tell their healthcare provider what they are taking. Many supplements may impact how certain prescription medications work. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do not monitor supplements for quality or purity. Do your research on different brands.

Research in rats found that products from cumin seeds interacted with a medication and increased blood levels of an antibiotic used to treat TB.

People with diabetes, especially those who take medication for diabetes, should use cumin with caution since it may change their blood sugar levels.

Ways to incorporate cumin into your diet

Cumin is a common ingredient in many savory ethnic dishes. It adds a warm flavor and works especially well in soups, stews, and curries.

This spice can also be used to season vegetables or meats before roasting.

See below for links to tasty recipes that contain cumin:

• healthful two-grain southwest salad
• heart-healthy chipotle chili
• six-layer tempeh taco dip
• spicy coconut curry with sweet jasmine rice
• chicken shawarma pita pitza

Outlook

Cumin may have the potential for use in addressing a variety of health conditions.

Research has shown that cumin may boost the immune system and help fight certain types of bacterial and fungal infections. Animal studies have also suggested cumin may help prevent some types of cancer.

More research is needed, especially in humans, but cumin seems to have promise in the medical world. The best supplement form and dose is currently unknown.

For now, cumin is likely best enjoyed in food instead of as a supplement.

Pancreatic cancer could be treated with a Parkinson's drug

A new study shows that a common drug for Parkinson's disease has anti-cancer effects in mice and human pancreatic cells.

The new research suggests that carbidopa, which is a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and widely used to treat Parkinson's disease, has significant anti-cancer properties.

Carbidopa is typically used in conjunction with levodopa (L-Dopa) to treat Parkinson's disease. And previous studies have shown that patients with Parkinson's tend to have a lower incidence of cancer.

In older research, scientists investigated whether or not it was the drug L-Dopa that yielded the anti-cancer effect, but they did not find any significant results.

So now, a team led by Dr. Yangzom Bhutia - from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) in Lubbock - hypothesized that carbidopa alone could have anti-cancer properties.

Commenting on the motivation for the research, Dr. Bhutia says, "Interestingly, no one has previously suspected carbidopa as a potential player in this phenomenon."

"Carbidopa is never used by itself as a drug for any disease," she adds. "But [...] we believe that the reduced incidence of most cancers in Parkinson's disease patients is due to carbidopa."

The first author of the study is Jiro Ogura, of the Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry at TTUHSC, and the findings were published in the Biochemical Journal.

Carbidopa stops tumor growth in mice 

Dr. Bhutia and team chose to focus on pancreatic cancer as it has one of the poorest survival rates, and because treatment options for this cancer type are scarce.

The researchers tested the effect of carbidopa both in vitro, in human pancreatic cell cultures, and in vivo, in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer. The mice were 4 weeks old, and the team divided them into two groups: a treatment group and a control group.

Each mouse in the treatment group received 1 milligram of carbidopa daily, which is the equivalent of a human dose of less than 400 milligrams per day. Such a dose is still safe for humans, even though the recommended dose for treating Parkinson's disease is 200 milligrams per day.

For the cell cultures, the researchers used two human pancreatic cell lines to conduct a colony formation assay.

In cell cultures, carbidopa "significantly reduced the number of colonies in both the cell lines compared with the untreated controls." Xenograft studies of the mice confirmed the in vitro findings, as carbidopa "significantly reduced the tumor volume compared with untreated controls."

Additionally, the weight of the tumors was considerably reduced in the treatment group.

Carbidopa activates cancer-fighting protein

The researchers also monitored the activity of a protein called aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which has been shown in previous studies to play a key role in cancer cell formation in various cancer types, including breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer.

Activating this protein has been shown to have an anti-cancer effect.

The study conducted by Dr. Bhutia and team also revealed that therapeutic concentrations of carbidopa activate the AhR protein. In both pancreatic and liver cancer cell lines, the drug acted as an AhR agonist.

"Hence," the authors explain, "carbidopa could potentially be repurposed to treat pancreatic cancer and possibly other cancers as well." However, further investigations are needed.

Dr. Bhutia comments on the significance of the study, saying, "Pancreatic cancer, especially the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, is the most lethal of all cancers with a dismal survival rate."

"Carbidopa as an anti-cancer agent to treat pancreatic cancer would be something truly amazing. Given the fact that it is an FDA-approved drug, repurposing the same drug for cancer treatment would be tremendously cost- and time-saving."

Dr. Yangzom Bhutia

"Our laboratory," she concludes, "is actively working to determine if there are additional targets for this drug related to its potency as an anti-cancer drug."

Post heart attack: How can scar tissue be turned back into healthy heart muscle?

Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death worldwide, partly due to limited therapeutic options and the heart's inability to regenerate healthy cells called cardiomyocytes after heart attacks. Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and elsewhere are exploring ways to reprogram scar tissue cells into healthy heart muscle cells, and now UNC researchers have published the first scientific paper to compare in great detail the two leading reprogramming techniques.

Led by Yang Zhou, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Li Qian, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at UNC, research published in Cell Reports suggests that one method leads to the creation of cardiomyocytes with genetic signatures that closely mimic those found in healthy adult heart muscle cells. The other reprogramming approach leads to the creation of cardiomyocytes with more embryonic cell signatures.

"The differences in the cardiomyocytes generated using these two methods are striking," said Qian, who is also a member of the UNC McAllister Heart Institute. "Researchers can choose one or the other method based on the specific type of cardiac disease they are interested in studying, while clinicians could carefully select which method is best, considering the pros and cons of each approach."

Cardiomyocytes, the cells responsible for the beating of the heart, are essential to repairing the heart after injury. But after injury, such as a heart attack, many of these cells are irreversibly lost; they've been turned into scar tissue cells. The replacement of these lost cells with patient-specific cardiomyocytes has gained attention as a potential therapy because existing healthy heart tissue better accepts these cells and because of increased recovery rates. Patient-specific cardiomyocytes also offer unique advantages for drug screens to help doctors identify each patient's tailored drug type and dosage.

There are presently two widely practiced approaches to generate patient-specific cardiomyocytes.

In the first approach, an adult connective cell called a fibroblast is reprogrammed back into a naïve embryonic stem cell-like state. Once in this naïve state, the cell has the potential to develop into any cell type in the body, but researchers direct it to develop into a cardiomyocyte. These newly created cardiomyocytes are called induced pluripotent stem cell cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CM).

In the second approach called direct cardiac reprogramming, a fibroblast is directly converted into a cardiomyocyte, without having to first be reprogrammed into a naïve embryonic stem cell. These new cardiomyocytes are called induced cardiomyocytes (iCM).

Qian lab's compared cardiomyocytes generated using these two approaches to the original starting cell type (cardiac fibroblasts) and to true cardiomyocytes. The researchers found that both methods resulted in cells with classic cardiomyocyte molecular features. However, by comparing the unique set of genes activated or not activated in each group of cells, the researchers found that iPSC-CMs more closely resembled embryonic cardiomyocytes, while iCMs more closely resembled adult cardiomyocytes.

"This is crucial knowledge," Qian said. "When developing research projects or creating new therapies, we need to know these sorts of genetic features to best help patients."

Researchers also found that iPSC-CMs feature more active genes and a higher number of genes poised to be either activated or repressed (known as "epigenetically hyperdynamic"), a trait more commonly found in potent cells.

Metabolically, iPSC-CMs had a higher expression of glycolytic genes while iCMs had a higher expression of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, the primary means of energy production in adult hearts.

In iPSC-CMs, heart muscle cells called sarcomeres, which give the heart a striated look, were less organized than in iCMs. The contractibility of cardiomyocytes as measured by the intake and removal of calcium was also greater in iCMs, again suggesting that iCM cells are more mature than iPSC-CM cells.

Next, the researchers investigated if allowing iPSC-CMs to grow longer would increase their maturation. iPSC-CMs were collected at various time points and analyzed. Longer culture times increased the number of mature cardiomyocyte genes but did not decrease the number of embryonic cardiomyocyte genes. The sarcomere structure of iPSC-CM cells also improved with increased culture time but did not match the organization of iCM cells. This indicated that iPSC-CMs and iCMs take different routes to maturation.

"Although each method has pros and cons," Qian said, "for congenital heart disease, iPSC-CMs might be ideal for the study of mechanism and for performing drug screens."Surprisingly, one such reprogramming route may be dependent on cell-cycle status.

Adult cardiomyocytes do not enter the cell cycle, meaning they cannot replicate and produce more cells. This partly explains their inability to replenish the heart after injury. Fewer cell cycle genes were active in iCMs. Additionally, the researchers found that reduced expression of a common cell cycle gene in iPSC-CMs resulted in sarcomere organization more similar to adult hearts.

This study highlights the importance of considering various reprogramming techniques used when generating patient-specific cardiomyocytes. The chosen technique may affect the molecular characteristic of the cardiomyocytes generated. The best approach is likely dependent on the desired outcomes of each individual study.

Qian said, "Our research lays the foundation for understanding the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches for generating patient-specific heart muscle cells for clinical implications, such as disease modeling, drug screening, and ultimately repairing human heart muscle after injuries, such as heart attacks."

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Materials provided by University of North Carolina Health Care System. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Yang Zhou, Li Wang, Ziqing Liu, Sahar Alimohamadi, Chaoying Yin, Jiandong Liu, Li Qian. Comparative Gene Expression Analyses Reveal Distinct Molecular Signatures between Differentially Reprogrammed Cardiomyocytes. Cell Reports, 2017; 20 (13): 3014 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.09.005

Brain cells that control appetite identified for first time

Dieting could be revolutionised, thanks to the ground-breaking discovery by the University of Warwick of the key brain cells which control our appetite.

Professor Nicholas Dale in the School of Life Sciences has identified for the first time that tanycytes -- cells found in part of the brain that controls energy levels -- detect nutrients in food and tell the brain directly about the food we have eaten.

According to the new research, tanycytes in the brain respond to amino acids found in foods, via the same receptors that sense the flavour of amino acids ("umami" taste), which are found in the taste buds of the tongue.

Two amino acids that react most with tanycytes -- and therefore are likely to make you feel fuller -- are arginine and lysine.

These amino acids are found in high concentration in foods such as pork shoulder, beef sirloin steak, chicken, mackerel, plums, apricots, avocadoes, lentils and almonds -- so eating those foods will activate the tanycytes and make you feel less hungry quicker.

The researchers made their discovery by adding concentrated amounts of arginine and lysine into brain cells, which were made fluorescent so that any microscopic reactions would be visible. They observed that within thirty seconds, the tanycytes detected and responded to the amino acids, releasing information to the part of the brain that controls appetite and body weight.

They found that signals from amino acids are directly detected by the umami taste receptors by removing or blocking these receptors and observing that the amino acids no longer reacted with tanycytes.

Nicholas Dale, who is Ted Pridgeon Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Warwick, commented:

"Amino acid levels in blood and brain following a meal are a very important signal that imparts the sensation of feeling full. Finding that tanycytes, located at the centre of the brain region that controls body weight, directly sense amino acids has very significant implications for coming up with new ways to help people to control their body weight within healthy bounds."

This major discovery opens up new possibilities for creating more effective diets -- and even future treatments to suppress one's appetite by directly activating the brain's tanycytes, bypassing food and the digestive system.

Nearly two thirds of the UK population is overweight or obese. This excess weight elevates the risk of premature death and a range of illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke, which greatly reduce quality of life. A new understanding of how appetite functions could curb the growing obesity crisis.

The research, 'Amino Acid Sensing in Hypothalamic Tanycytes via Umami Taste Receptors', will be published in Molecular Metabolism.

It is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Greta Lazutkaite, Alice Soldà, Kristina Lossow, Wolfgang Meyerhof, Nicholas Dale. Amino acid sensing in hypothalamic tanycytes via umami taste receptors. Molecular Metabolism, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2017.08.015

Umbilical cord stem cells show promise as heart failure treatment

A heart failure treatment using umbilical cord-derived stem cells may lead to notable improvements in heart muscle function and quality of life, according to a new study published in Circulation Research, an American Heart Association journal.

"We are encouraged by our findings because they could pave the way to a non-invasive, promising new therapy for a group of patients who face grim odds," said study corresponding author Fernando Figueroa, M.D., professor of medicine at the Universidad de los Andes in Chile.

In this trial, 30 patients, ages 18 to 75, with stable heart failure receiving optimal drug therapy underwent intravenous infusions with either umbilical cord-derived stem cells or placebo. The umbilical cords were obtained from full-term human placentas from healthy donors by caesarean section after informed consent.

Compared to the placebo treatment, the stem cell therapy:

• showed sustained and "significant" improvement in the hearts' ability to pump blood in the year following treatment;
• resulted in greater improvements on measures of daily functional status and quality of life; and
• was safe with no adverse effects or development of alloantibodies, a common immune complication in patients receiving organ transplants or blood transfusions.

Researchers have previously assessed the potential of bone marrow-derived stem cells as treatment; however, intravenous umbilical cord-derived stem cells have never been evaluated. The latter type has been particularly appealing because they are easily accessible, widely available, unlikely to cause immune complications and free of the ethical concerns that surround embryonic stem cells, the researchers noted.

"Standard drug-based regimens can be suboptimal in controlling heart failure, and patients often have to progress to more invasive therapies such as mechanical ventricular assist devices and heart transplantation," said lead study author Jorge Bartolucci M.D., a cardiologist from Cells for Cells and professor at the Universidad de los Andes.

Heart failure, marked by the heart muscle's inability to pump blood efficiently, affects some 37 million people worldwide. Despite medical advances, half of patients diagnosed with heart failure will die within five years of diagnosis, according to Figueroa. If affirmed in larger studies, these findings could provide a promising new treatment option for a condition that currently has few.

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Materials provided by American Heart Association. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Jorge G Bartolucci, Fernando J Verdugo, Paz L González, Ricardo E Larrea, Ema Abarzua, Carlos Goset, Pamela G Rojo, Ivan Palma, Ruben Lamich, Pablo A Pedreros, Gloria Valdivia, Valentina M Lopez, Carolina Nazzal, Francisca Alcayaga, Jimena Cuenca, Matthew J Brobeck, Amit N Patel, Fernando E Figueroa, Maroun Khoury. Safety and Efficacy of the Intravenous Infusion of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Patients With Heart Failure: A Phase 1/2 Randomized Controlled Trial (RIMECARD Trial). Circulation Research, 2017 DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.117.310712

Middle age fattens you up if you do not increase your physical activity

the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä has examined how changes in the daily step count are related to changes in the body mass index (BMI).

During the four-year follow-up period, especially women increased their daily step count significantly. Approximately 25% of the research participants increased their step count with more than 2,000 steps, whereas approximately 19% decreased their step count during the follow-up.

The participants were grouped into increasers, decreasers and maintainers according to the total of their steps. The changes in the groups' BMI were compared to the changes in their step count, and the comparison of the step counts was proportioned to the time the step counter had been kept on.

During the research period, there was growth in both the women's and the men's BMI. Almost half of the participants maintained the amount of their daily aerobic steps at the same level and approximately one-fourth increased their daily step count with over 1,000 steps during the research period.

The test participants whose total step count grew by more than 2,000 steps during the follow-up period, maintained their BMI at the same level throughout the years. In contrast, BMI increased for those whose step count stayed at the same level or decreased.

- The trend in physical activity looks good. International studies have shown that physical activity generally decreases along with age, but here it increased, Professor Mirja Hirvensalo states. Even though step counts in general look good, it should be noted that the amount of passive people who take less than 5,000 steps per day did not change significantly during the research period.

The researchers remind everyone about the significance of incidental activity.

- The steps accumulate on many instances during the day, if you give it a chance. One does not necessarily need to go for a walk every day to increase the daily step count. Instead, attention should be paid to choices in everyday life. Does every trip need to be made by car or could some of them be done by foot, or could the stairs be taken instead of the elevator, Postdoctoral Researcher Kasper Salin reminds us.

The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study has been monitoring over 3,000 Finns regularly from 1980 onwards. One part of the study considers physical activity, and during the last two measurings it was monitored with step counters. During the four-year follow-up period, the step count data and the required background variables were gathered from a total of 1,033 participants. During the follow-up period, the examinees were from 34 to 49 years of age. The recommended daily step count for adults is 10,000 steps.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Kasper Salin, Mirja Hirvensalo, Costan Magnussen, Risto Telama, Nina Hutri-Kähönen, Jorma Viikari, Olli Raitakari, Tuija Tammelin. Changes in Daily Steps and Body Mass Index and Waist to Height Ratio during Four Year Follow-Up in Adults: Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017; 14 (9): 1015 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14091015

Train Low, Compete High? Fasting before exercise ?

While high-intensity interval training has long been considered a proven strategy to improve both aerobic and anaerobic endurance, emerging evidence suggests that fasting before activity may be one way to make sure you are getting the most out of your workout. The findings in a number of studies contradict traditional wisdom that training is best completed with normal to high carbohydrate levels. According to a review by Pim Knuiman and colleagues of the research published in Nutrition & Metabolism, engaging in high-intensity workouts while glycogen levels are low may enhance the capacity for muscles to oxidize fat and generate energy. While it is widely known and accepted that carbohydrates are the fuel for a single, prolonged workout or endurance activity, research is beginning to show that withholding carbohydrates in advance of training sessions may not affect performance and help to burn fat more efficiently. And some studies do not rule out the possibility that it may actually improve performance over time. “Indeed, several studies have reported that endurance exercise with low glycogen Train Low, Compete High? Fasting Before Exercise May Be Good availability may be a strategy to augment the response in exercise-induced signaling associated with improved oxidative capacity . . . and potentially enhance exercise performance,” according to the review authored by Pim Knuiman, Maria T. Hopman, and Marco Mensink of Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Here’s what some of those studies have shown: • In one study, 14 well-trained cyclists performed nine high-intensity training sessions and nine aerobic training sessions—some with high-glycogen levels at the time of the workouts and others with depleted glycogen levels. During the study period, time trial performance improved by about 10 percent for both groups, and fat oxidation increased in the low-glycogen group, “which may have been due to the enhanced metabolic adaptations in skeletal muscle,” according to the study’s authors. • In another study, 23 “recreationally active men” in three groups completed a 24-week training regimen of high-intensity running. Two groups started training sessions with glycogen levels depleted by 35 to 40 percent after consuming a low-carb lunch, but one of those groups consumed a glucose supplement immediately before and during exercise. The third group completed training under normal conditions, and all three groups reverted to their habitual diet on nonactivity days. The lowglycogen group that did not receive a supplement showed increases as high as 70 to 76 percent in oxidative activity in their leg and thigh muscles following the training regimen, whereas the other groups showed gains between 17 and 53 percent— although the increased oxidative activity did not translate to better performance. • In a third study, 20 young men took up cycling for six weeks; half of them worked out after missing breakfast, and the other half worked out 90 minutes after eating a carbohydraterich breakfast. Gains in performance were nearly identical in the two groups after the training regimen, Patrick Wade, KT Staff Write Page 18 Kinesiology Today Winter 2017 Volume 10, No. 1 www.americankinesiology.org Continue on Page 21 and the ability to oxidize fat was nearly 21 percent higher in the lowcarb group. But again, the difference did not translate to enhanced performance; the study’s authors suggest that the reason may be that the training itself did not subject the athletes to the intensity of a real-life competition. The authors of the review say there are still some unknowns. For example, the body of research is not clear on how glycogen levels affect fat oxidation or energy levels in highly trained athletes versus novices, and in different kinds of exercise. Training parameters like time, intensity, and frequency varied widely from study to study. Notably, the majority of the research shows no difference in performance gains between low- or high-glycogen training regimens. In some, performance gains were less pronounced in the low-glycogen groups compared to those training under normal conditions. While further research certainly is needed, the authors say there may be something there. “[T]he low glycogen approach seems promising with regard to the adaptive response following exercise,” the authors write. “Therefore, low glycogen training may be useful as part of a well-thought out program.