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Beta-Alanine: The Basics

One of the hottest nutritional supplements to hit the market recently has been beta-alanine.  Basically, beta-alanine is a precursor to the compound carnosine which works by “quenching” the acidic environment created by working muscles.  If the cellular environment within the muscle becomes to acidic then the muscle stops working; the theory is that carnosine attenuates the onset of an acidic environment allowing you to do more work (lift more weights, run faster, etc).  As you can imagine the has gotten a lot of people in the fitness and performance industry excited as the more work you can do and weights you can lift the biggest, faster, and stronger you can become.

You may be wondering “Why supplement with beta-alanine?  Why not supplement with carnosine?”  Carnosine is made up of beta-alanine and histidine (an amino acid).  In the gut carnosine is split into beta-alanine and histidine and then re-assembled back to carnosine in muscle or other cells in the body.  Since histidine is already very abundant in the body and food supply the limiting factor with carnosine synthesis is beta-alanine.  Supplementing beta-alanine has been show in studies to increase intramuscular carnosine concentrations.  That is why people supplement with beta-alanine and not carnosine.

As you can probably tell from a performance perspective carnosine and beta-alanine have the potential to make a huge impact.  But what may be even more interesting is the role that carnosine may place in slowing the aging process.

Tomorrow we’ll look at how carnosine can prevent aging (and potential the onset of some diseases).

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down – Beef Jerky

Getting good protein when you are on the move can be very tough, carbs are easy as they are everywhere but the nonexistent shelf life of a cooked chicken breast or steak can make quick on the go protein hard to find.

On of the solutions is beef jerky. When in a pinch beef jerky can provide a nice infusion of amino acids to your system. However there are a couple problems with beef jerky. the first is salt. One bag of beef jerky can contain up to 1.5 grams of salt! The second is preservatives – ugh. Some beef jerky products are so loaded with preservatives you wonder if it was ever real beef.

Here’s the thumbs up/thumbs down for beef jerky
Thumbs Down – Oberto: I wasn’t convinced this was actually real meat. The texture is funny and I think they may have added some sort of coloring to the meat. the taste was too “chemically”. Definitely not my first choice.

Thumbs Up – Damn Good Beef Jerky: This is definitely my first choice for beef jerky (unless I can get homemade stuff). The meat texture and taste is great. You feel like you are eating real meat. The sodium content varies between flavor (teriyaki is the highest if I remember correctly). I have found it is available at most convenience stores (in the Northeast at least).

The Magic of Ginger

Ginger Rules!

From a purely taste driven perspective you should incorporate fresh ginger into your cooking as it easily turns dishes from boring to tasty. But aside from the great taste ginger has remarkable health benefits.

The effects of ginger are two-fold. The first is in the easement of an upset stomach. Ginger (namely ginger tea) has been used for thousands of years for the treatment of upset stomach. If you are currently starting a nutrition plan that is causing some GI upset (this is common symptom when new foods are introduced to ones diet) then ginger tea during and after a meal can help relieve symptoms.

Ginger also have anti-inflammatory properties with a mechanism similar to that of fish oil (however not as powerful).  Below is a great summary of Ginger courtesy of  The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

——–

Introduction

This fact sheet provides basic information about the herb. A plant or part of a plant used for its flavor, scent, or potential therapeutic properties. Includes flowers, leaves, bark, fruit, seeds, stems, and roots. ginger–uses, potential side effects, and resources for more information. Ginger is a tropical plant that has green-purple flowers and an aromatic underground stem (called a rhizome). It is commonly used for cooking and medicinal purposes.

Common Names–ginger

Latin Names–Zingiber officinale

What It Is Used For

• Ginger is used in Asian medicine to treat stomach aches, nausea, and diarrhea.
• Many digestive, antinausea, and cold and flu dietary supplements sold in the United States contain ginger extract as an ingredient.
• Ginger is used to alleviate postsurgery nausea as well as nausea caused by motion, chemotherapy, and pregnancy.
• Ginger has been used for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and joint and muscle pain.

How It Is Used

The underground stems of the ginger plant are used in cooking, baking, and for health purposes. Common forms of ginger include fresh or dried root, tablets, capsules, liquid extracts (tinctures), and teas.

What the Science Says

• Studies suggest that the short-term use of ginger can safely relieve pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting.
• Studies are mixed on whether ginger is effective for nausea caused by motion, chemotherapy, or surgery.
• It is unclear whether ginger is effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or joint and muscle pain.
• NCCAM-funded investigators are studying:
  • Whether ginger interacts with drugs, such as those used to suppress the immune system.
  • Ginger’s effect on reducing nausea in patients on chemotherapy.
  • The general safety and effectiveness of ginger’s use for health purposes, as well as its active components and effects on inflammation.

Side Effects and Cautions

• Few side effects are linked to ginger when it is taken in small doses.
• Side effects most often reported are gas, bloating, heartburn, and nausea. These effects are most often associated with powdered ginger.
• Tell your health care providers about any herb or dietary supplementA product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs. you are using, including ginger. This helps to ensure safe and coordinated care.

Sources

Ginger. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Web site. Accessed May 1, 2006.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe). Natural Standard Database Web site. Accessed a May 1, 2006.

Ginger root. In: Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckman J, eds. Herbal Medicine Expanded Commission E Monographs. Newton, MA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000:153-159.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale). In: Coates P, Blackman M, Cragg G, et al., eds. Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker; 2005:241-248.

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down – Tuna Fish

I have written extensively about the dangers of consuming too much tuna fish.  Here’s the low down with this week’s Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Thumbs Down – Chunk White Tuna: The danger with consuming too much tuna fish is mercury toxicity.  Chunk white tuna is not only more expensive than other types of canned tuna it contains the highest mercury levels.

Thumbs Up – Chunk Lite Tuna: Chunk lite canned tuna is cheaper and contains significantly less mercury than chunk white tuna fish.

Workout Nutrition On the Go

I was recently at a fitness conference and got into a conversation with a friend of mine regarding workout nutrition when traveling as it can be tricky since airport security isn’t too keen on people boarding planes with ziploc bags full of a nondescript white powders.

My friend said that he usually just brings along a prepackaged MRP like Met-Rx, MyoPlex, or Nytro-Pro40.  That got me thinking as while those probably would do the trick there must be a better option.  Here are two that I came up with.

 Vitamin Water- Energy + 6 Biotest BCAA tabs - The vitamin water flavor Energy contains 125mg of caffeine and almost 40 grams of carbohydrates combine that with rapidly digesting BCAAs and you have an awesome workout drink.

 Chocolate Milk – I call this the poor man’s workout shake as it contains a blend of whey and casein proteins along with a heap of sugar.  There have actually been studies that have found benefit to consume milk/chocolate milk post workout.  The great thing about using chocolate milk as your workout shake when traveling is that you don’t need to bring it with you as you can find it just about anywhere.

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