CLA

CLA Active Isomers of Conjugated Linoleic Acid

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is set to become a major sports nutrition supplement in the next decade. Since CLA was first identified as an anticarcinogen factor in ground beef (Pariza et al 1979). CLA has been found to have many useful properties that have been demonstrated in animal studies. Over the last few years many of the effects reported in animal studies have been replicated in human studies and CLA supplementation in humans is now an exciting area of research.

CLA has been shown to …

reduce body fat accretion and increase lean muscle mass

improve immune function

increase bone mineralisation

inhibit carcinogenesis

reduce athlerosclerosis

Since CLA has been shown to reduce body fat it is likely that this will be the main reason for supplementation. Human studies have supported evidence from animal studies to show that supplementation with as little as 3.2g of CLA per day can significantly reduce body fat mass in overweight and obese humans. (Blankson et al 2000) There is speculation that the low levels of CLA in a modern diet may be a contributory factor to high levels of obesity reported in Western Societies. It is easy to see that shortages of CLA may occur in a western diet when you consider the different CLA levels in the milk of cows that are intensively farmed as opposed to pasture fed. (see figure 1). It is important to recognise that CLA is the name for a group of compounds, not all CLA is the same. CLA consists of a group of dienoic isomers of linoleic acid not all of which have active properties. Studies have found large variations in the trans-isomer composition of CLA, the important cis-9, trans-11 isomer may be as little as 73 % to over 90% of the total CLA.

We think that studies of this type add to the debate about our farming practices and desire to produce cheaper products (especially since it is has been shown that it is not just what you feed the animals that counts but also environmental factors). So it is important to ask questions about the quality of the food in your regular diet. Given the massive health benefits reported with the use of CLA we feel that supplementation does have merit and certainly everyone in the Science in Sport Office is enthusiastic about its use. Other that the beneficial effect on lean muscle mass, athletes are likely to find the positive effect on the immune system useful. Athletes prone to stress fractures and women athletes with low body fat levels, who are at increased risk of osteoporosis, are likely to benefit from increased bone mineralisation. Science in Sport has recognised that all CLA is not the same and have therefore set about discovering a high quality CLA supplement that is high in the active isomers cis-9, trans-11 (c9,t11) and trans-10, cis12 (t-10,c-12).

For general health benefits CLA supplementation of 2-3g per day seems appropriate but those looking for a positive effect on body composition should take 3-6g daily. CLA is a natural food constituent, it is well tolerated and is not a stimulant.

References
Bauman DE; Baumgard LH; Corl BA; Griinari JM, Biosynthesis of conjugated linoleic acid in ruminants,
Proceedings of the American Society of Animal Science, 1999
Blankson H; Stakkestad JA; Fertun H; Thom E; Wadstein J; Gudmunsen O, Conjugated linoleic acid
reduces body fat mass in overweight and obese humans, J. Nutr. 130: 2943-2948, 2000
Dhinman TR; Anand GR; Slatter LD; Pariza MW, Conjugate Linoleic Acid content of milk from cows fed
different diets, J Dairy Sci, 82(10):2146-56 1999 Oct
Kritchevsky D, Antimutagenic and some other effects of conjugated linoleic acid, Br J Nutr, 83(5): 459-65
2000 May
MacDonald HB, Conjugated linoleic acid and disease prevention: a review of current knowledge, J Am Coll
Nutr, 19(2 Suppl): 111S-118S 2000 Apr
Pariza MW, Ashoor SH, Chu FS, Lund DB, Effects of temperature and time on mutagen formation in panfried
hamburger, Cancer Lett, Jul;7(2-3):63-9 1979
S'eb'edio JL; Gnaedig S; Chardigny JM, Recent advances in conjugated linoleic acid research, Curr Opin
Clin Nutr Metab Care, 2(6):499-506 1999 Nov

KR10 Creatine

Creatine appeared on the supplement market in the early 90’s and it has created unprecedented numbers of scientific studies.
Creatine has been used by many thousands of athletes and generated much media coverage.
Creatine supplementation does improve performance.
Science in Sport have been at the forefront of Creatine supplementation since the early 1990’s and their KR10 brand has been proven in many scientific studies and been used effectively by athletes and sports people at all levels of competition.
Science in Sport only use pharmaceutical grade European manufactured Creatine that is
then packed in their own drug free facility, it does not contravene any IOC regulations.
Science in Sport warranty that their products are free of contamination by banned
substances. Warranty is available here
Creatine supplementation should be considered by anyone serious about their sport.
Science in Sport Creatine is synthesized de novo from vegetarian ingredients and is therefore suitable for vegetarians.

What is Creatine?
Creatine is a natural constituent of a normal diet. Muscle foods such as steak and sushi are often quoted as being high in Creatine. However, vegetarian sources do exist, juniper berries being a particularly good example. Creatine is found in high concentrations in human muscle where it plays an important part in the energy production process. Normally this Creatine is provided from the diet but the body does have the ability to manufacture
Creatine from the amino acids Arginine, Glycine and Methionine.
It appears that because of the changes in people’s dietary habits they are receiving less Creatine in their diet and have a sub optimal store of Creatine in the muscle. This is
especially so for vegetarian athletes. By supplementing Creatine in the diet it is possible to increase the Creatine in muscle and improve performance.

What does Creatine do?
Athletes require a continual supply of energy for high performance activity. This energy is supplied to the muscle in the form of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). There is barely enough ATP to fuel more than a second of strenuous activity. The body manufactures ATP from carbohydrate, fat and protein in the diet. Fat can be used to make a lot of ATP but this is a slow process. The body can manufacture ATP from carbohydrate far more quickly but even the break down of carbohydrate by anaerobic glycolysis cannot provide ATP fast enough for very explosive events. When the body has a sudden increase in demand for energy it has to rely upon a bank of immediately available energy – the Creatine Phosphate Energy System.
Creatine Phosphate can “donate” phosphate groups in order to re-charge ATP. The use of Creatine Phosphate to recharge ATP during sudden increases in energy demand gives time for Carbohydrate metabolism to be “fired up”. Then during less intense periods the energy from carbohydrate metabolism can be used to pay back into the Creatine bank to recharge the Creatine Phosphate.
There is enough Creatine Phosphate to fuel about 5 seconds of a 100m sprint. As Creatine Phosphate can recycle ATP faster than Carbohydrate metabolism, the athlete can put out more power and accelerate faster when using Creatine Phosphate.

Creatine Supplementation
Extensive research has shown that by supplementing the natural intake of Creatine, the amount of Creatine in the body can be increased to about 5g per kilogram of muscle.
This increase results in an increase in athletic performance, particularly in repeated sprint type activities, interval training and weight training.

How much to use when?
Most research has been undertaken using 5g doses taken 4 times a day, 20g a day in total. Doses of 5g produce a large rise of Creatine in the blood that “pushes” the Creatine into the muscle. Taking a loading dose of 20g a day for 5 days produces a rapid rise in Creatine stores, and most athletes notice a difference immediately although some take a few days to “settle down”.

It is possible, and now generally recommended, to produce the same end result by taking a single 5g dose once a day for 4 or 5 weeks and slowly ramp up stores. Once Creatine stores are loaded athletes can maintain levels by taking 2-5g a day. Alternatively you can let your levels taper back down and re-load after 2 or 3 months.

Is there anything else I should consider?
It is important to keep hydrated and there is some evidence to suggest taking Creatine with Carbohydrate may improve the absorption. Many athletes obtain good results taking Creatine with GO Electrolyte sports fuel. Some individuals do not seem to respond to Creatine supplementation, it may be that they already have maximum stores so do not benefit from loading. Taking on board extra Creatine has been shown to significantly increase lean muscle mass, although this may be due to extra water retention during the loading phase and may settle down later on. In sports where weight is a factor athletes need to consider the advantages over the disadvantage of extra weight.

Glutamine

Amino Acid

Although glutamine is classified by nutritionists as a "non-essential amino acid", it is probable that no single amino acid has received as much attention in clinical nutrition research and increasingly this interest has spread to sports nutrition.

In order to understand how a "non-essential amino acid" can attract so much attention it is necessary to understand where the term "non-essential" comes from. An amino acid is only considered essential if it is not possible for the body to make the particular amino acid when there is adequate supply of other "essential" amino acids. Since it is possible to make glutamine from many different amino acids, including glutamic acid, valine and isoleucine, it is not considered essential however the fact that the body has a number of ways to produce glutamine may serve to illustrate its importance.

Glutamine is also a precursor for many other amino acids; an important fuel for the immune system, the brain and gut mucosal cells, and it is at the heart of a mechanism controlling acid:base balance. It may also be a direct regulator of protein synthesis and regulation, thus glutamine is at the heart of a metabolic cross roads and its adequate supply is thus crucial for optimal functioning of the body.

Glutamine has been used routinely in hospitals for the treatment of burn and other trauma patients where it has been shown to help improve immune function. Recently research has focused on the parallels between the trauma of "hospitalisation" and the trauma of exercise stress. Under these conditions the body's requirement for glutamine may exceed its capacity to produce it, and in these conditions glutamine may become "conditionally essential".

Glutamine is the largest store of amino acid in the body, with large amounts being stored in the muscle. Glutamine accounts for over 60% of the total intra-muscular amino acid pool. However, release rates are so high that even in resting muscle it is likely that all these stores would be used up within 7 hours if de-novo synthesis did not take place. During exercise release rates from muscle increase dramatically, leaving both muscle and plasma levels depleted for between hours and days depending on the duration and intensity of the exercise. Glutamine levels have been shown to be low in athletes with over training syndrome, and much recent research has focused on its role in the prevention of this syndrome.

Resistance to infection

Athletes in hard training are often prone to infections, particularly infections of the throat and the upper respiratory tract. There is mounting evidence that hard training can reduce immune function. Researchers have noted the parallels between the stress of hard training and the stress suffered by hospitalised trauma patients, particularly those suffering from burns. These patients are routinely given glutamine supplementation to protect glutamine status and this has been shown to improve immune function, similar benefits in athletic populations have been reported.

Optimal Muscle Growth

Glutamine is important for optimal muscle growth and adaptation. Animal studies suggest that glutamine stimulates protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown in muscles. In healthy subjects, infusing sufficient glutamine to double plasma glutamine concentrations has no effect on whole body proteolysis (protein breakdown), but slightly increases whole body synthesis. This may be due to the effect of glutamine on cell volume. Glutamine is taken up by the muscle cell thereby increasing the volume of the cell by drawing fluid into the cell due to the increase in intracellular osmolality. This may then promote muscle hypertrophy through the stimulation of Nitric-oxide Synthase in a similar way that a mechanical stretch influences gene expression. (Tidball et al 1999) Ensuring adequate muscle glycogen stores post exercise is another crucial factor in recovery and adaptation to exercise and glutamine has been shown to stimulate muscle glycogen synthesis from glucose.
Therefore ensuring adequate glutamine levels is essential in order to ensure optimal muscle function, muscle growth and resistance to infection.

How is it possible to maintain glutamine status?

Taking a protein supplement rich in glutamine in addition to carbohydrate, post exercise, may be sufficient to maintain glutamine status. (Van Hall et al 2000). Good products include Rego from Science in Sport who produce a version with a high concentration of glutamine peptide in addition to the standard soy protein isolate.
However, most post exercise protein carbohydrate products have a significant amount of calories, ideal in periods of hard training when it is crucial to maintain muscle glycogen stores, but there are times when it is useful to take glutamine in a less calorific form. This may include times after shorter intense workouts, during taper for competition and stressful situations not necessarily caused by training - e.g. injury and infection.
Glutamine is readily soluble in water and has a pleasant taste, so the easiest way to consume it is to dissolve a few grams of pure L-glutamine into water or your favourite cordial.
Many athletes have found it beneficial to use a 2-5g dose immediately after workouts and 2 hours post workout, with additional doses on an empty stomach either last thing at night or first thing in the morning in periods of heavy stress.

Who uses it?

Glutamine supplementation has found popularity with many top class swimmers, athletes and cyclists, in addition to body builders who have been fond of it for some time due to its positive effect on muscle volume.

Is it Vegetarian?

It is possible to obtain vegetarian L-glutamine. Glutamine usually manufactured by the controlled fermentation of glucose by a process involving the purification and crystalisation.

Glutamine as a marker of over training

Since maintaining adequate plasma glutamine levels is so important to optimal function, there has been much focus on using plasma glutamine levels as a marker of exercise stress and over training. Persons who are suspect or diagnosed with over training syndrome may benefit from monitoring plasma glutamine levels, particularly when training is being reintroduced.

Glutamine Testing as a marker of Over Training Syndrome

Some specialist Sport Clinics may undertake glutamine testing/screening try;

Dr Richard Higgins
Health South
Don Valley Stadium
Sheffield. Tel. 0114 261 9990

History of Glutamine

1866 Glutamic Acid discovered by Ritthausen.
1883 Glutamine described by Schultze and Bosshard.
1914 Glutamine presence and possible functions described in Human Body Thierfelder and Sherwen
1934 Krebs demonstrates in vitro glutamine synthesis
1974 First reliable data available on intra cellular amino acid pools
1980s Glutamine shown to be an important fuel for gastro-intestinal tract and rapidly proliferating cells of the immune system
1990s Glutamine linked with over training syndrome, regulation of protein synthesis. Supplementation of hospitalised trauma patients becomes common practice. Athletes and body builders experiment with glutamine supplementation with good results. Glutamine shows promise as a marker of training status.

The future: Glutamine use in athletes set to increase and novel glutamine compounds developed. Mechanism which glutamine increases protein synthesis uncovered.

References / Further reading

Hue and Gaussin 1995, Stimulation of Liver Glycogen Synthesis and Lipogenesis by Na+ Transported amino acids, in Cynober L Amino Acid Metabolism and Therapy in Health and Nutritional Disease pgs 179-187
Parry Billings et al (1992) Plasma Amino Acid concentrations in over training syndrome: possible effects on the immune system. Med Sci Sports Exerc., 24(12).,1353-1358
Rowebottom et al. (1996), The emerging role of glutamine as an indicator of exercise stress and overtraining. Sports Med, Feb 21 (2) 80-97
Tidball et al (1999)., Nitric-oxide Synthase Is a Mechanical Signal Transducer That Modulates Talin and Viculin Expression., J. Biol. Chem., 274(46)., 33155-33160
Van Hall et al (2000) The Effect of Free Glutamine and Peptide Ingestion on the Rate of Muscle Glycogen Resynthesis in Man, Int J Sports Med 21, 25-30
Well S., (1999) Human Protein Metabolism, Springer

 

All Science in Sport products are manufactured in-house and are drug-free.