Tag: food ingredients

B-vitamin discovery – Book Excerpt of the Week

B-vitamin discovery – Book Excerpt of the Week

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Vitamin B (singular) was discovered in 1897 as THE THING that prevented the disease Beriberi. It wasn’t until 1911 that someone discovered THE THING was not ONE vitamin, but a CLUSTER (or a “complex”) of vitamins.

The Book Excerpt of the Week comes from the “B-vitamins” chapter of Part Three: How Do They Work.

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The B-vitamins are similar in how they work: almost all off them help enzymes in our body, and those enzymes are like little machines that get important stuff done (like metabolizing things, building DNA, and much more).

In the coming weeks we’ll talk about what each of the B-vitamins do, and how much you should consume (versus how much is in sports supplements and energy drinks).

Stay tuned for next week’s book excerpt as we move page by page through my book on the science of energy drinks.

Get your copy of “Are You a Monster or a Rock Star: A Guide to Energy Drinks- How They Work, Why They Work, How to Use Them Safely” from Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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The Wand Chooses the Wizard: Energy Synergy versus Ingredient Quality and Composition – Book Excerpt of the Week

The Wand Chooses the Wizard: Energy Synergy versus Ingredient Quality and Composition – Book Excerpt of the Week

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The interaction between two ingredients reminds me of the relationship or “synergy” between a wizard and his wand in the world of Harry Potter. Synergy is when two things are stronger together than they are on their own. In other words, the same wizard might feel less powerful using a different wand: the combination of the two makes the difference.

I’ve been seeing a lot about ingredient interaction in the news lately, but this is only half the story. Behold, our Book Excerpt of the Week:

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In the world of Harry Potter, a cracked or damaged wand will not be as powerful, even if used by its rightful owner. The quality overrides the synergy or interaction.

In nature, a plant might have a high concentration of caffeine or some other nutrient, but how much of that nutrient survived when that plant was turned into a powder? Some ingredients are commonly adulterated (like ginseng and gingko), and some ingredients are hard to absorb (like quercetin and polyphenol antioxidants).

If someone is telling you two ingredients are powerful or dangerous when combined, they should also address ingredient quality and composition. Poor quality ingredients, poorly absorbed ingredients, or ingredients that have been adulterated will not have the same synergistic/combined effects on your body as they do in a test tube.

Related Reading:

 

Learn More: Get your copy of “Are You a Monster or a Rock Star: A Guide to Energy Drinks — How They Work, Why They Work, How to Use Them Safely” from Amazon, here. (Kindle, paperback, hardcover available).

Ingredient Focus: Citrulline Part 3 – How Much?

Ingredient Focus: Citrulline Part 3 – How Much?

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In Part 1, we learned citrulline is watermelon extract. In Part 2, we learned citrulline’s value is what it does once the body converts it to arginine. In Part 3, we discuss the optimal dosage.

So how much citrulline do we need?

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You may wonder, “If citrulline is so great because of how it turns into arginine, can’t I just take arginine?”

Citrulline is better absorbed than arginine. It’s also better tolerated. Doses over 10 grams of arginine can result in diarrhea and other gastrointestinal distress, but doses of citrulline up to 15 grams don’t cause these side effects according to this study.

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Citrulline Malate versus L-citrulline

One gram of L-citrulline equates to 1.76 grams of citrulline malate. Citrulline malate is citrulline attached to the natural fruit acid, malic acid. Research studies on citrulline for sports performance typically use citrulline malate more than L-citrulline, so that is the preferred form.

For circulatory health (via arginine and subsequent nitric oxide production), citrulline doses are typically 1 gram (1,000 milligrams) three times with meals.

Although citrulline is not proven to improve muscle soreness, creatine production, or muscle protein synthesis, 6-8 grams as citrulline malate is commonly taken before, and less commonly after, a workout.

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Supplements with Citrulline Malate

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

Citrulline is promoted with claims about improving muscle pump, and strength and power, but “this supplement has somewhat inconclusive findings,” according to Bodybuilding.com’s 2016 supplement guide. This sentiment is echoed by the in-depth assessment of citrulline research on Examine.com. The Bodybuilding.com guide’s rating continues, “…some studies report positive changes following use, while others report no change. The anecdotal evidence is favorable, and although more research is needed, it is still considered safe for use.”

References and Related Reading

Citrulline Part 1 (What It Is) and Part 2 (What It Does)

WTRMLN WTR – Energy Drink of the Month – June 2016

Citrulline on Examine.com (note – this site has HEAPS of information, but it may be a bit technical for some)

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