Purported Ergogenic Aids

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Purported Ergogenic Aids

• Pharmacologic and Chemical Ergogenic Aids
  Evaluated

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An area of increasing complexity and controversy

• In use since antiquity
• Greece, Rome, Victorian Era
• Not without risk
• A need to critically evaluate
• placebo effect improve performance b/c of the
  psychological factors (suggestive power)
• Five areas for questioning the validity of
  research claims
• Justification subjects research sample,
  subjects, and design conclusions dissemination
  of findings

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Supplement Use and Abuse Among Athletes

• Broad categories encomapassing substances and
  methods banned by the IOC as of 2005
• Stimulants
• Narcotic analgesics
• Androgenic anabolic steroids
• ß-blockers and alcohol
• ß-2 agonists
• Diuretics and other masking agents
• Agents with anti-estrogenic activity
• Peptide hormones and analogues
• Substances that alter the integrity of urine
  samples
• Enhancers of O2 transport, chemical and physical
  manipulation, and gene doping
• Glucocorticosteroids

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Mechanism for how purported ergogenic aids might
work

• Act as central or peripheral nervous system
  stimulant (e.g. caffeine, choline, amphetamines,
  alcohol)
• Increase storage and/or availability of a
  limiting substrate (e.g carbohydrate, creatine,
  carnitine, chromium)
• Act as supplemental fuel source (e.g. glucose,
  medium chain TGs)
• Reduce or neutralize performance-inhibiting
  metabolic byproducts (e.g. sodium bicarbonate or
  sodium citrate, pangamic acid, phosphate)
• Facilitate recovery (e.g. high-glycemic
  carbohdrates, water)

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Ergogenic Aids

• Anabolic steroids function similarly to the
  hormone testosterone
• ß2-adrenergic agonists clenbuterol and albuterol
  increase skeletal muscle mass and slow fat gain
  in animals to counter the effects of aging,
  immobilization, malnutrition, and tissue-wasting
  pathology. A negative finding showed hastened
  fatigue during short-term, intense muscle actions
• Debate exists as to whether administration of
  exogenous GH to normal, healthy people augments
  increases in mm when combined with resistance
  training

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Ergogenic Aids

• DHEA levels decrease steadily throughout
  adulthood, prompting many individuals to
  supplement with this hormone.
• Claims Protects against cancer, heart disease,
  diabetes enhances sex drive, mood and memory
  boosts immunity
• No data support the ergogenic effects of DHEA on
  young adult men and women
• Research findings generally indicate no effect of
  androstenedione supplementation on concentrations
  of T or training response in terms of muscle size
  and strength and body comp
• Andro negative effects of a lowered HDL on
  overall CV disease risk elevated estrogen levels
  (gynecomastia) increases likelihood of testing
  for steroid use

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Ergogenic Aids

• Little credible evidence exists that amphetamines
  (pep pills) aid exercise performance or
  psychomotor skills any better than a placebo.
• Side effects include drug dependency, headache,
  dizziness, confusion, and upset stomach
• Caffeine less apparent in individuals who
  maintain a high-carb diet or habitually use
  caffeine
• No compelling scientific evidence exists to
  conclude that ginseng supplementation offers
  benefit for physiologic performance.
• Accumulating evidence indicates significant
  health risk accompany ephedrine use

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Ergogenic Aids

• Consuming alchohol produces an acute anxiolytic
  effect b/c it temporarily reduces tension and
  anxiety, enhances self-confidence, and promotes
  aggression.
• It conveys no ergogenic benefits and likely
  impairs overall athletic performance
• Increasing the bodys alkaline reserve before
  anaerobic exercise by ingesting buffering
  solutions of sodium bicarbonate or sodium citrate
  improves performance has no effect on aerobic
  performance (b/c pH and lactate remain near
  resting levels)
• Abdominal cramps and diarrhea 1 hr after
  ingestion
• Buffer dosage and the cumulative anaerobic nature
  of the exercise interact to influence the
  ergogenic effect of bicarbonate (or citrate)
  loading

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Ergogenic Aids

• Little scientific evidence exists to recommend
  exogenous phosphates or pangamic acid as
  ergogenic aids
• An objective decision about the potential
  benefits and risks of glutamine,
  phosphatidylserine, and ß-hydroxyl-ß-methyl
  butyrate to provide a natural anabolic boost
  with resistance training for healthy individuals
  awaits further research
• EPO (hormone produced by the kidneys) increases
  hemoglobin and hematocrit to improve endurance
  performance. Significant risks accompany its
  unsupervised use

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Purported Ergogenic Aids

• Nutritional Ergogenic Aids Evaluated

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Ergogenic Aids

• Long-term exercise or heavy training does not
  adversely affect intracellular carnitine levels.
  This explains why most research with carnitine
  supplementation fails to show an ergogenic
  effect, positive metabolic alterations, or body
  fat reductions
• Bee pollen contains many important nutrients but
  it does not provide ergogenic effects compared
  with a well-balanced diet
• Boron, a trace mineral, increases T levels in
  boron-deprived, postmenopausal women. Boron
  supplements have no effect on anabolic hormone
  levels in individuals with adequate boron intake

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Ergogenic Aids

• For individuals with adequate dietary chromium
  intakes, research fails to show any beneficial
  effect in muscular strength, physique, FFM, or mm
• Excess chromium can adversely affect iron
  transport and distribution in the body
• Because of it role in the ETC-OP, athletes
  supplement with CoQ10 to improve aerobic capacity
  and CV dynamics
• CoQ10 supplements in healthy individuals provide
  no ergogenic effect on aerobic capacity,
  endurance or lactate levels.

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Ergogenic Aids

• Consuming creatine with a glucose-containing
  drink increases creatine uptake and storage in
  skeletal muscle.
• This results from insulin-mediated glucose uptake
  by skeletal muscle, which facilitates creatine
  uptake
• Limited research indicates no effect of inosine
  supplement on physiologic or performance measures
  during aerobic or anaerobic exercise.
• A negative effect includes an increase in uric
  acid levels after only 5 days of supplementation

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Ergogenic Aids

• Choline forms part of the cells phospholipid
  plasma membrane it is also a constituent of the
  neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Reserch does not
  enhance fat metabolism to achieve the cut look
• Consuming medium-chain TGs (86g) enhances fat
  metabolism and conserves glycogen during
  endurance exercise enhancing performance by an
  additional 2.5
• The trace mineral vanadium exerts insulin-like
  properties in humans. No research documents an
  ergogenic effect, and extreme intake produces
  toxic effects.

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Ergogenic Aids

• Pyruvate supplementation purportedly augments
  endurance performance and promotes fat loss.
• Its endurance effect appears to lie in enhanced
  pre-exercise glycogen storage and facilitated
  glucose transport into active muscles.
• Body fat loss is attributed to its small effect
  on increasing metabolic rate.
• A definitive conclusion concerning pyruvates
  effectiveness requires verification by other
  investigators
• Preexercise glycerol ingestion promotes
  hyperhydration, which supposedly protects the
  individual from heat stress and heat injury
  during high-intensity exercise.

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Nutrition Strategies to counter-stress the immune
system

• After a single bout of an intense or long
  training session, the immune defense system is
  weakened.
• Similar to infection (bacterial or viral) or
  injury (muscle damage or tear)
• stress ? increase in blood leucocytes,
  lymphocytes and stress hormones
• The 24-48 h following a stressful workout has
  been associated with increased risk for URTI and
  greater susceptibility to viral infections

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Nutrition Strategies to counter-stress the immune
system

• Fuel your workouts appropriately
• 30-60 g CHO/hr of exercise
• Eat regularly timed meals with emphasis on
  antioxidant rich foods
• Tomatoes, spinach, squash, V8 Fusion, fruit
  smoothie made with low fat milk, yogurt and
  frozen berries
• Eat a low fat diet, but make sure you consume
  omega 3-FA
• Soy, canola oil, flaxseed, walnuts and fatty fish
• Dont skimp on protein, especially when you are
  not feeling well

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Nutrition Strategies to counter-stress the immune
system

• Inconsistent eating habits? Take a one-a-day
  multivitamin and mineral preparation providing
  100 to 200 of the RDA
• Will not prevent you from getting sick, but may
  lessen the symptoms and decrese the duration of
  illness
• Avoid the little is good, more is better
  philosophy excess can weaken the immune system
• Immune boosting foods blueberries, beans/legumes
  (Soy), almond butter, lean beef, whole grains

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Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy
food-Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine