Effects of 28 days of resistance exercise and consuming a commercially available pre-workout supplement, NO-Shotgun®, on body composition, muscle strength and mass, markers of satellite cell activation, and clinical safety markers in males

This study determined the effects of 28 days of heavy resistance exercise combined with the nutritional supplement, NO-Shotgun(R) on body composition, muscle strength and mass, markers of satellite cell activation, and clinical safety markers

A Review of Weight Control Strategies and Their Effects on the Regulation of Hormonal Balance

The estimated prevalence of obesity in the USA is 72.5 million adults with costs attributed to obesity more than 147 billion dollars per year. Though caloric restriction has been used extensively in weight control studies, short-term success has been difficult to achieve, with long-term success of weight control being even more elusive. Therefore, novel approaches are needed to control the rates of obesity that are occurring globally. The purpose of this paper is to provide a synopsis of how exercise, sleep, psychological stress, and meal frequency and composition affect levels of ghrelin, cortisol, insulin GLP-1, and leptin and weight control. We will provide information regarding how hormones respond to various lifestyle factors which may affect appetite control, hunger, satiety, and weight control

Ingestion of 10 grams of whey protein prior to a single bout of resistance exercise does not augment Akt/mTOR pathway signaling compared to carbohydrate

Background: This study examined the effects of a whey protein supplement in conjunction with an acute bout of lower body resistance exercise, in recreationally-active males, on serum insulin and insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and Akt/mTOR signaling markers indicative of muscle protein synthesis: insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), AKT, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), p70S6 kinase (p70S6K) and 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1).Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, cross-over design, 10 males ingested 1 week apart, either 10 g of whey protein (5.25 g EAAs) or carbohydrate (maltodextrose), 30 min prior to a lower-body resistance exercise bout. The resistance exercise bout consisted of 4 sets of 8-10 reps at 80% of the one repetition maximum (RM) on the angled leg press and knee extension exercises. Blood and muscle samples were obtained prior to, and 30 min following supplement ingestion and 15 min and 120 min post-exercise. Serum and muscle data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA.Results: No significant differences were observed for IGF-1 (p > 0.05). A significant main effect for Test was observed for serum insulin (p 0.05). For the Akt/MTOR signaling intermediates, no significant Supplement × Test interactions were observed (p > 0.05). However, significant main effects for Test were observed for phosphorylated concentrations of IRS, mTOR, and p70S6K, as all were elevated at 15 min post-exercise (p < 0.05). Additionally, a significant main effect for Test was noted for 4E-BP1 (p < 0.05), as it was decreased at 15 min post-exercise.Conclusion: Ingestion of 10 g of whey protein prior to an acute bout of lower body resistance exercise had no significant preferential effect compared to carbohydrate on systemic and cellular signaling markers indicative of muscle protein synthesis in untrained individuals

The acute effects of Pterocarpus Marsupium supplementation on insulin-dependent and insulin-independent signaling pathways at rest, after an oral glucose tolerance test and after intense exercise in overweight pre-diabetic females.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).Increasing physical activity and modifying diet to incorporate more phytonutrients has been suggested as a way to prevent the progression of insulin resistance (IR) into cardiometabolic disease. Pterocarpus Marsupium (PM), a phytonutrient compound shown to improve hyperglycemia, could potentially improve IR. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of PM on insulin sensitivity and blood lipids in overweight and obese, sedentary women classified as prediabetic. Further, to examine the effects of acute ingestion of PM on insulin- and exercise-mediated glucose disposal following an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and aerobic exercise bout, and to understand the mechanisms by which PM supplementation may affect specific muscle gene expression. A double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled study was conducted. Participants consumed 250 mg of either PM (n=8) or placebo (PL, n=8) twice daily for 6 days. Blood and muscle samples were obtained prior to supplementation, prior to and following OGTT, and prior to and following an exercise bout. Following OGTT, plasma glucose levels were higher at 30 minutes (p<0.001) and 1 hour post-OGTT (p=0.001) in both PM and PL groups. Similarly, plasma insulin levels were higher 30 minutes (p=0.023), 1 hour (p=0.023), and 2 hours post-OGTT (p=0.003) in both PM and PL groups. Additionally, serum glucose levels decreased from 30 minutes to 1 hour postexercise (p = 0.011), and from 30 minutes to 2 hours postexercise (p = 0.013) in both PM and PL groups. A significant increase in mRNA expression of Akt2 (p = 0.001), AMPK (p = 0.001), AS160 (p = 0.02), and PPARα (p = 0.025) was observed one hour after OGTT. The findings suggest that 250 mg of PM twice daily does not improve insulin sensitivity or fasting lipid levels in this population. However, this is the first study to report the novel finding of an increase in skeletal muscle mRNA expression of Akt2, AMPK, AS160, and PPARα in response to an OGTT. The observed increase, and subsequent decrease, in serum glucose levels after brief, maximal exertion exercise was also novel.by Brian Shelmadine.Ph.D

Effects of Eccentric Treadmill Exercise on Inflammatory Gene Expression in Human Skeletal Muscle

The present study examined the skeletal muscle expression of several genes related to the inflammatory process before and after a bout of downhill running. Twenty-nine males between the ages of 18 and 35 years performed a 45-min downhill (–17.5%) treadmill protocol at 60% of maximal oxygen consumption. Venous bloods samples and muscle biopsy samples from the vastus lateralis were donated prior to and at 3-h and 24-h postexercise, along with ratings of perceived muscle soreness. Serum creatine kinase (CK) was determined, as was skeletal muscle gene expression of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-12 (p35), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), IL-1b, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), and nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB) (p105/p50). Gene expression was analyzed using RT-PCR and compared with a standard housekeeping gene (b-actin). Data were analyzed for statistical differences using multivariate analysis of variance with univariate follow-up. In addition, Pearson correlations were conducted to determine if any significant relationship exists between any of these transcripts and both CK and muscle soreness. Significant (p < 0.05) up-regulations in IL-6, IL-8, and COX2 mRNA expression were observed compared with baseline, whereas no significant changes for IL-12, IL-1b, TNF-a, or NFkB were noted. Significant increases in IL-6 mRNA were observed at 3 h (p < 0.001) and 24 h (p = 0.043), whereas significant increases in IL-8 (p = 0.001) and COX2 (p = 0.046) mRNA were observed at 3-h postexercise. In addition, muscle soreness was significantly correlated with IL-8 at 24 h (r = –0.370; p = 0.048), whereas CK was significantly related to NFkB at baseline (r = –0.460; p = 0.012). These data indicate that increases in the mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-8, and COX2 occur in the vastus lateralis as a result of damaging eccentric exercise in young, recreationally trained males. Further, it appears that IL-8 transcription may play some role in inhibiting postexercise muscle soreness, possibly through regulation of angiogenesis