One of the most controversial supplements on the market is chromium. In the body, its natural functions consist of potentiating the activity of insulin and influencing lipid and protein metabolism. It may also be involved in the formation of glycogen in muscle tissue and facilitate the transport of amino acids to the muscles. Chromium can also affect cholesterol metabolism (Williams, 262). There are different claims to this mineral’s benefits, but the most common ones are muscle building, and fat burning. Although it is a big seller in the industry, does it really work?
The main users of chromium at one point were body builders. chromium was marketed at first with the promise of building more muscle mass. Unfortunately, it failed to produce results as a muscle builder, and then was introduced as a fat burner. Those who were dieting and some long distance runners interested in holding low weights began to use the supplement and still do today.
Although it is advertised as a fat burner, an article in a 1995 issue of the Journal of Sports Medicine and Fitness described an experiment that proved otherwise. A double blind study was conducted among healthy Navy personnel (79 men, 16 women). Participants took one capsule of either chromium picolinate or a placebo per day during a 16-week experiment. Subjects met for a minimum of 3 times/week for 30 minutes of aerobic exercise. The chromium group failed to show any greater reduction in body fat, or gains in muscle mass than that of the placebo group. Therefore, the results showed chromium supplements to be “ineffective in enhancing body fat reduction” (Trent, Linda K., 273).
Trent’s experiment was not the only one to prove Chromium’s inadequacies. In 1993, Melissa A. Hallmark et al proved Chromium to be a useless supplement that was only excreted when ingested in excess. In Hallmark’s experiment, sixteen untrained males (23 years old +/- 4) were studied to examine the effects of Chromium supplementation when used during a 12-week training schedule of resistance exercise. The men trained 3 times/week and food records were kept. The results showed that there was no significant difference in muscle gain or weight loss between the placebo group and those who ingested chromium with their diets other than the amount of Chromium excreted. Lacking results have proven chromium as a fat burner to be yet another wait loss quackery
Dr. John Vincent at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa has also proven that chromium supplements such as chromium picolinate may even cause cancer.
...ces in any of the blood variables measured nor in body weight or organ weight over the three different time periods. This finding led Anderson et. al. to conclude that chromium picolinate is not toxic at levels on a per kilogram basis even at several times the upper limit of estimated safe intake for humans (Anderson 273-9). On the other hand, a more recent study conducted by Speetjens et. al. in 1999 showed the chromium picolinate cleaves DNA. Chromium picolinate, if it is incorporated directly into a cell, is reduced by ascorbate and thiols into a hydroxyl radical that quite readily cleaves DNA – indicating that further research on the dangerous side effects of chromium picolinate are necessary to ensure its safe usage (Speetjens 483-7). Once again, it is evident that Stimulife 750 is not as harmless as it purports to be based on its ingredients.
Creatine provides additional energy for the body, and increases muscle volume. Most of the size and strength gains are during the first month of use. It gets rid of lactic acid, and improves exercise recovery time. Creatine enhances protein synthesis, and also delays the onset of fatigue.
3. Effects of resistance training and Chromioum Picolinate on body composition and skelatal muscle in older men by, Campbell WW., Joseph LJ., Davey SL., Cyr-Campbell D., Anderson RA., and Evans WJ.. JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY. 86(1): 29-39,1999 January.
Creatine was not a vitamin, however, but a synthesized blend of certain amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. The benefit creatine provides is increased energy for quick, anaerobic bursts of activity, such as are required in weightlifting. Athletes taking creatine can do more repetitions and sets of exercises than they could without it. Essentially, it speeds up the process of adding strength and size to the muscles by intensifying the workout. It has been compared to the way a marathon runner might saturate his muscles with carbohydrates before a race to provide endurance except that creatine strictly helps in anaerobic activities like muscle contractions.
Interestingly enough, not a single one of these ingredients actually has anything to do with weight loss. Instead, many of them function solely as stimulants. 137 Trimethylxanthine, for example, is nothing more than simple caffeine, included to potentially boost the speed of users’
For many years people all over the world have struggled to regulate weight loss and weight gain. Through research and experimentation, doctors can now provide people with methods of doing this. One widely used weight loss product is chromium picolinate. This is the main ingredient in capsules that are designed to reduce appetite and cravings and help convert fat to lean body tissue. Although there is no proven evidence that is one hundred percent accurate, the general opinion of consumers nationwide is that chromium picolinate is effective in aiding weight loss. The general opinion of doctors and scientists, however, is that chromium picolinate does not effectively aid weight loss, and may be harmful due to side effects. This serves as a forewarning to consumers that advertisements may be false, and caution is necessary.
Controversy has surrounded creatine every since it has hit the shelves. Creatine is already produced by our bodies in the liver and kidneys. However, a frequently asked question is: why do we need to take more? The purpose of creatine is to add water weight. When taking the supplement it takes away the water absorbed by our muscles which makes us have to drink even more water. However, when an individual is taking creatine it has to be regulated properly. If too much of the supplement is taken more harm can be done than good. According to Stuart Young, an individual needs to drink a bare minimum of a gallon of water per day to avoid adding harm to our bodies. Young also mentions how too much
Creatine is produced by the body and stored in all kinds of muscles such as the heart, diaphragm, and all visible muscles. Creatine’s role is to
Creatine serves as an energy reserve in muscle cells. Muscular contraction is powered by the breakdown of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to ADP (adenosinediphosphate). When all the ATP is broken down, creatine phosphate in the muscle donates a phosphate group to ADP, and further energy reactions can occur. Creatine monohydrate is a precursor to creatine phosphate. By supplementing with CM, CP levels in muscle apparently are maximized, and more muscular work can occur, since there are greater energy reserves to use.
In order to understand how creatine works, we must discover what creatine is. Creatine is an energy producing nutrient found in our bodies. It is synthesized from three amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. These amino acids are primarily found in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys. It is also consumed in our everyday diets from fish, meat and other animal products. Creatine is not considered an essential nutrient in our diets.
It increases the rate at which the body converts the food that you eat and the stored body fats into usable energy in the body. If you reduce the amount of stored fat in the body, then by default that translates into a significant weight loss result; and the good thing about this dietary supplement is that it allows you to make use of other supplements in conjunction.
Creatine supplementation is now being linked to several hazardous side effects in the body, and even its effectiveness has come into question. The use of creatine supplements by athletes is a dangerous way to enhance performance and should be regulated or banned. Creatine is a nitrogenous compound that is found naturally in meats and is synthesized by the body and stored in the muscles where it can be used for rapid energy during anaerobic exercise (exercise which does not need oxygen in order to supply energy) (Lowengrub 16).... ... middle of paper ...
Selenium is often used in the production of stainless steel, energy converters, photo copy machines and surprisingly, medical use. In fact, selenium is very beneficial to the human body and is essential to our everyday lives. It is a mineral that protects the elasticity in body tissues, decreases/slows down the aging process, and as well as enhances the flow of oxygen to the heart. In addition, selenium aids the body with producing special proteins called antioxidant enzymes which decrease and/or prevent cell damage.
Every day people are becoming more and more concerned with their health and their appearance. Thanks to scientific research there are many remedies to improve the human body. As far as weight loss there is exercise, diets, pills, and different surgical procedures. Diet pills have become a very popular supplement to assist in weight loss, but with diet pills come many questions; are they safe, do they really work, and mainly if they are a good product or not. In order to know whether or not something a quality product, is to know how it works. The ingredients are very important and unfortunately not every diet pill has the same ingredients. There are multiple types of pills, with different effects, and conditions. There are three popular types of pills. There are appetite suppressors, metabolism regulators, and fat absorbing pills. Combining these effects into one pill with the correct usage creates positive results.