Is There Any Supplements Research To Look Forward To?

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Article Title:

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Is There Any Supplements Research To Look Forward To?

Article Description:

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It does seem like there has been a lull in new and useful

research looking at building muscle, but it does exist. Research

looking into fat loss has been a lot more interesting and there

may be some very interesting natural and pharmaceutical drugs

coming out in the very near future.

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1226 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2006-05-19 11:24:00

Written By: Will Brink

Copyright: 2006

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Is There Any Supplements Research To Look Forward To?

Copyright © 2006 Will Brink

Brink Zone

http://www.brinkzone.com

Q: Dear Will, I have noticed there has not been much for

breakthroughs on the supplement front as far as weight loss of

supplements for gaining muscle. Is there anything on the research

front that we have to look forward to that may be the next big

break through?

Stan Wesson, Jersey City, NJ

A: Dear Stan, It does seem like there has been a lull in new and

useful research looking at building muscle, but it does exist.

Research looking into fat loss has been a lot more interesting

and there may be some very interesting natural and pharmaceutical

drugs coming out in the very near future. For example, a new

compound called oleylethanolamide or OEA for short looks

promising. A recent study published in the journal Nature

(2001;414:209-212) looked at OEA, which is a compound produced in

the small intestine in response to food and may be a key to

permanent fat loss and appetite control

As expected, researchers are looking to produce synthetic

versions to mimic OEA that may be more potent and resist being

broken down by the body which would give them a longer biological

activity. Most interesting perhaps, the effects of OEA appear to

be quite different from other appetite suppressants.

Most natural and pharmaceutical made appetite suppressants work

at the level of the brain. However, and most interesting, OEA did

not have the same effect on appetite when injected into the rats

brains, which suggests that OEA acts on the brain indirectly.

This is important as it may be yet another pathway to explore in

appetite suppression and may have less side effects than many

drugs that work directly via the brain.

The recent study in Nature found rats injected with OEA ate

significantly less food and gain weight at a slower pace than

rats not given OEA. It also appears OEA is regulated by food

intake as rats that were given less food had lower levels of OEA.

This lead the researchers to conclude that OEA is involved in

appetite control and satiety (i.e., feelings of fullness).

Further studies will now investigate exactly how OEA works and of

course see if OEA works as well in humans.

Another one is the recent discovery that the gene PPAR-gamma,

when activated, appears to be the final stage of fat production.

The work was done by Bruce Spiegelman, a professor of cell

biology at Harvard Medical School, and was published in a recent

issue of the journal Genes and Development. According to Dr.

Spiegelman in a recent interview for Harvard Magazine, " Although

many factors affect fat genesis, it ultimately comes down to the

amount and activity of PPAR-gamma. You can call it the master

regulator of turning uncommitted or unspecialized cells into fat

cells. " Could a magic pill be developed to block the activity of

PPAR-gamma and render all diets and exercise obsolete? According

to Dr. Spiegalman, the answer is probably no.

Again, human metabolism is far more complicated than that, and in

truth, the production of fat is ultimately an issue of energy

balance not just fat storage. Also, many people are under the

false impression that fat, in particular fat cells, are just dead

weight and play no role in human health and metabolism. People

think of they could just get rid of all their fat cells, life

would be great. Wrong. Recent research is finding that fat cells

directly regulate-in conjunction with an incredibly complex

feedback mechanism-our entire metabolisms.

Humans born without fat cells suffer from swollen, diseased

livers, and Spiegelman's lab has made genetically engineered

mice that lacked fat cells. They turn out to be very sick animals

with fat filled organs, especially the liver. Dr. Speiegelman

points out that if there are not enough fat cells available for

energy storage, the fat simply accumulates somewhere else. It can

damage organs by building up in the liver, blood vessels, or

pancreas.

So, it appears blocking PPAR-gamma, via some drug or what ever,

may be a bad idea. However, some partial block may prove to be

both safe and effective, and you can be sure researchers are

looking for that golden goose as we speak. How does one naturally

down regulate PPAR-gamma? I don't know if any supplements at

this time that will have that effect (though I suspect Omega-3

lipids may do it), I suspect the answer to naturally down

regulating PPAR-gamma will be the same answer under everyone's

nose as it always has: don't eat so freakin much food and get

off the couch!

On the health front, PPAR-gamma may also have direct connections

to diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

Recent research reveals that PPAR-gamma is the target of drugs

currently given to more than a million diabetics, but the role of

PPAR-gamma in insulin sensitivity, has not been fully elucidated.

Interestingly the anti-diabetes drug rosiglitazone is being tried

on prostate cancer patients to see if it can prevent progression

of the disease. Scientists have found that switching PPAR-gamma

production off stops fat cell production, but switching

PPAR-gamma on reduces tumor growth in several different cancers

including prostate cancer. Could drugs that all ready appear to

affect PPAR-gamma, such as rosiglitazone, be the next big find in

bodybuilding and longevity? The answer is far from known, but it

should turn out to be very interesting research in the next few

years.

Let's not forget leptin, which continues to be a hormone of

great interest to researchers regarding its many effects on the

metabolism. Another hormone that is getting a great deal of

attention right now, and rightly so, is Ghrelin. Ghrelin may

prove to be a most interesting hormone and a true anabolic

hormone, but it will take some time to sort it all out. One

recent study called " Ghrelin---not just another stomach

hormone " (Wang G, Lee HM, Englander E, Greeley GH. " Regul Pept

2002 May 15;105(2):75-81) suggests Ghrelin has effects on GH.

Below is the abstract:

" Growth hormone (GH) secretagogues (GHSs) are non-natural,

synthetic substances that stimulate GH secretion via a

G-protein-coupled receptor called the GHS-receptor (GHS-R). The

natural ligand for the GHS-R has been identified recently; it is

called ghrelin. Ghrelin and its receptor show a widespread

distribution in the body; the greatest expression of ghrelin is

in stomach endocrine cells. Administration of exogenous ghrelin

has been shown to stimulate pituitary GH secretion, appetite,

body growth and fat deposition.

Ghrelin was probably designed to be a major anabolic hormone.

Ghrelin also exerts several other activities in the stomach. The

findings that ghrelin is produced in mucosal endocrine cells of

the stomach and intestine, and that ghrelin is measurable in the

general circulation indicate its hormonal nature. A maximal

expression of ghrelin in the stomach suggests that there is a

gastrointestinal hypothalamic-pituitary axis that influences GH

secretion, body growth and appetite that is responsive to

nutritional and caloric intakes. "

That's just the tip of the iceberg looking at a wide range of

hormones that may turn out to build muscle, take off bodyfat,

prevent various diseases, etc. However, we have all seen the news

over some big discovery over the latest greatest hormone, only to

have it be a big bust when they try it out on humans. Though I am

sure some day that magic pill everyone wants will be a reality,

it will probably be further in the future than we would like.

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Will Brink writes for numerous health, fitness, medical, and

bodybuilding publications. His articles can be found in Life

Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise

For Men Only, Oxygen, Women's World, The Townsend Letter For

Doctors and many more. His website is http://www.brinkzone.com

Muscle Building Nutrition

http://musclebuildingnutrition.com

A complete guide bodybuilding supplements and eating to gain

lean muscle

Diet Supplements Revealed

http://aboutsupplements.com

A review of diet supplements and guide to eating for maximum

fat loss