One of the most complex biological processes that human biology is privy to is inflammation. Given how important muscle is for our health, wellbeing, longevity, and quality of life, it’s impressive that inflammation was initially a background concern for people in the health, nutrition, and bodybuilding industry.

This is changing now, as many veteran athletes and coaches have begun to develop a holistic, fact-based understanding of their bodies, as well as of the underlying physiological processes that enable muscle growth. In the past, people even tried to “treat” it by taking anti-inflammatory medicine, but now we know better, as this can actually prevent the natural development of lean tissue.

The amount of available literature on the topic is enough to draw several important conclusions that will help you in your quest to attain your much-desired figure. Without a doubt, medical research has uncovered and tested enough of the inner-workings of inflammation to help coaches give sound advice to their clients.

However, particularly with veteran athletes, inflammation can become a source of concern. As you may already know, there are two types of inflammation, acute and chronic. The first is good, while the second is bad.¹ It’s more than bad; it’s downright dangerous, but more on that later.

What most of us don’t know is what each of the two kinds of inflammation does to the body, how to tell the difference between them, as well as what to do to manage the first and prevent the second.

Inflammation Is Necessary for Muscle Growth

Pain, redness, swelling, heat, and loss of function are the hallmarks of the inflammatory process.

As an immune response, inflammation is supposed to protect us from hostile microorganisms, while enabling our body to heal and repair damaged tissue. First, let’s take a look at how this process is helping us stay in good shape.

Acute inflammation, the good kind, is generally short lived. It comes on in a flash and its first job is to destroy any foreign bodies. Once this is achieved, the antibodies switch gears and start carrying away any residue, while repairing damaged cells.

Depending on several factors, including the size and gravity of the lesion and whether the damage is purely physical or an immune response is also necessary, this beneficial cycle of cleansing and mending can take minutes, hours or, at most, several days.

You’ve doubtless experienced this sort of inflammation when you accidentally cut yourself, bruised a part of your body, were stung by an insect, but also after a hard workout. For me, supersets trigger acute inflammation like nothing else does.

Three main processes occur in acute inflammation. These are increased blood flow, increased permeability, and the migration of neutrophils and macrophages.

The amplified blood flow happens due to to the dilatation of the blood vessels, the smallest of which also become more permeable so as to allow blood fluid and vital proteins to move into the interstitial space. The latter, which is also referred to as the interstitial compartment, is like a bath where your tissue cells are permanently immersed.

According to their needs, the cells can exchange water and nutrients with the space around them.

Together, the larger categories of neutrophils and macrophages represent the intervention team responsible for the protection and rejuvenation of the broken tissue.

The squad arrives at the site of inflammation both through blood, as well as from fibers that are adjacent to the broken ones. This is the place where your body decides whether to enter an anabolic or catabolic state.

As a trainer, this is the part that has attracted my undivided attention, particularly from the point of view of what I can do to prevent the latter process and encourage the former.

I’ve come to the conclusion that, in general, building muscle in a healthy, sustainable, and evidence-based way is the coaching of the future.

At a molecular level, it seems that anabolic signals during inflammation are activated by hormones such as insulin, IGF-1, human growth hormone, and various androgens,¹ which tell the muscle to start using myosatellite cells (stem cells) in order to regenerate. The process is also referred to as myogenesis.

The field of molecular biology has focused a good deal of its research potential on reverting muscular dystrophy and combatting chronic muscle diseases by means of stem cell therapy. In addition, this is the reason why taking hormones helps build muscle mass very fast, as it drives your anabolic state in overdrive.

However, as I am sure you already know, the introduction of outside hormones for the sole purpose of building mass can have a serious and substantial health impact on human physiology.

Too Much Inflammation Is Bad

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, leads to muscle breakdown. Although it starts in the same way as its better half, instead of switching gears to regeneration and then gradually shutting down, it morphs into an enduring state.

Chronic inflammation, also called chronic systemic inflammation (SI) or low-grade inflammation, can persist for months and even years on end without an appropriate immune response to shut it down or when the source that triggered it in the first place is not dealt with appropriately.

As a result, the white blood cells that flood the area (the neutrophils and macrophages we discussed earlier) eventually end up attacking good, friendly tissue.

Chronic inflammation was found to be a significant contributor to a variety of diseases,³ including asthma, sarcopenia, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, peptic ulcer, Crohn’s disease, some cancers, and many others.

In recent times, an increasing number of elderly people are trying to address sarcopenia, which is the loss of muscle mass, quality, and strength associated with aging, by paying more attention to their physical activity.

We know that, for instance, physical activity can actually help the body manage inflammation better,⁴ whereas obesity, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle tend to exacerbate it.

At the opposite end of the spectrum from IGF-1, which is the main regulator of muscle hypertrophy, we have myostatin. Also known as growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF-8), myostatin is a protein whose main role is to inhibit myogenesis.

In humans, when someone is born with a defect in the myostatin-producing gene, their muscle mass is considerably bigger and stronger than that of their peers.⁵

Currently, there’s no research to indicate the long-term effect that myostatin inhibitors would have on healthy subjects or on people suffering from muscular dystrophy.

However, several myostatin drugs are being developed, and one has been commercially available for at least three years. The fact that the latter has only four reviews does not inspire confidence to me, however.

A not-so-clinical observational study on recreational gym goers found that the group on the commercially available myostatin blocker did increase their lean mass as compared to the control group (almost three times more),⁶ but the authors acknowledged that the neural adaptation might have played a significant part in this result.

They effectively did not keep track of a host of variables that apply to recreational training, and not accounting for the initial adaptation (newbie gains as we refer to them) was a big drawback of their research.

A more potent clinical trial performed on mice found enough evidence to suggest that the anabolic impact of myostatin inhibition can actually lead to more muscle damage in healthy subjects. Despite this, the adverse effects of myostatin inhibition in subjects that suffered from any form muscle dystrophy were not as great.⁶

This suggests that myostatin blockers will likely be recommended for those who suffer from muscle diseases that gradually weakens and breaks down their lean tissue.

As is the case with hormones, messing with our physiology to such an extent without good reason is likely to have a bad outcome in the long run.

One interesting finding that I’ve come across is that creatine supplementation is actually a healthy, albeit not as effective (when compared to drugs that are designed for this purpose alone) way to decrease myostatin levels.⁷

Unlike myostatin blockers, creatine is not banned by WADA or other anti-doping agencies, which speaks volumes for its safety.

Stay Away from NSAIDs and Other Anti-Inflammatories

Ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, and even aspirin can be lifesavers for professional bodybuilders and athletes alike. They don’t usually resort to them just for muscle soreness, but also for other big culprits like elbow, knee, or shoulder pain. In my experience with heavy lifters and veteran bodybuilders, these pains can be as common as a sneeze.

Some don’t mind giving up on a week’s worth of training, but most people would rather take a pill and get their work done. While this may be necessary in remote cases, research shows that NSAIDs (non-steroidal inflammatory drugs that include the ones I’ve previously mentioned) actually prevent muscle synthesis.⁸

The main purpose of NSAIDs is to reduce the production of inflammatory and pain-signaling cells.

As you may have already surmised from knowing that inflammation is a double-edged sword, these drugs work to cancel out both the good and the bad.

Some studies of elderly populations showed that these OTC medications were beneficial towards preventing muscle loss. Luckily, however, the former study performed by the Karolinska Institutet also dealt with this hypothesis.

Their conclusion was that, in cases of chronic inflammation, NSAIDs will quite often prevent age-related muscle loss, since the latter mainly happens due to inflammation gone haywire.

This will not be the case when chronic inflammation is not present, though. Some even take anti-inflams prior to exercise. Needless to say that this practice is very dangerous.

When chronic SI is not present, taking pills often means inhibiting the very means that will help you achieve lean tissue growth. NSAIDs are actually cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors.

Some of them are quite long-lasting, with effects lingering for up to 12 hours from just one dose. The problem is that COX enzymes are conductive to muscle growth, so much so that administration of COX inhibitors is detrimental to myofiber rehabilitation even after atrophy.⁹

These recent findings have determined many physicians to re-examine patients’ post-intervention treatment. The fact is that, if you can work through the pain and the latter is not chronic, there’s a good chance that you should do so despite the discomfort.

More importantly for all of you athletes and go-getters, using these medications to train through the pain will worsen your condition.¹⁰

And you don’t even need to be a doctor to realize what’s going on—you take a pill and push to get through whatever it is that you’re doing, but the very drug you’re taking for a short-term benefit is stopping the process that’s supposed to heal the damaged tissue. At the end of the day, instead of being able to recover in a few days, the aggravated injury will bench you for a week or more.

Opiods (such as codeine, morphine, fentanyl, methadone, oxycodone, etc.), albeit unconnected to any of the drawbacks that are associated with lack of good inflammation, can be much worse. Excessive use of the latter is significantly linked to addiction, which tends to happen in 2 out of 3 cases, as was shown by a survey of over 600 former NFL players.¹¹

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t risk my physical and mental health on 30% odds, not if I have anything to say in the decision at hand.

Treat Inflammation Naturally

Body pain, constant fatigue and insomnia, weight gain, frequent infections, and gastrointestinal problems such as acid reflux and diarrhoea are common signs of chronic inflammation.

If you have these symptoms, it may be a good idea to undergo some blood tests to see if you can get a better picture of what’s going on.

Although there are no highly effective lab measures for chronic SI, there are two relatively inexpensive blood markers that will show some signs if this is the case.

These are high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and fibrinogen. Another common examination you can perform is serum protein electrophoresis (SPE), which is still affordable.

You can try to detect specific pro-inflammatory cytokines, like IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha and IL-1bet, but these are not standardized and they won’t come cheap.

Still, if you’re suffering from chronic inflammation, they might be worth it as the cytokines will give your more specific information about what’s causing the inflammation.

For me, the best part about inflammation is that it can be managed and reversed with diet and lifestyle changes. A meta-analysis of 40 case-controls, clinical trials, and cross-sectional studies has definitively confirmed that dietary patterns are intrinsically linked to inflammatory biomarkers.¹²

The foods that were found to elicit inflammation responses from our bodies are meat, dairy, eggs, alcohol, and processed, fried foods. Generally, it was those foods that had high amounts of sugar, fat, and salt that were positively associated with inflammation. On the other hand, diets that were rich in fruits and vegetables considerably reduced oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation markers.

The Mediterranean eating pattern, the DASH (dietary approach to stop hypertension) eating regime, as well as the whole-foods, plant based (WFPB) diet were the most successful at combating inflammation.

This is a major reason why many athletes have switched to plant-based diets, as they were shown even by the most rigorous studies to significantly reduce systemic inflammation.¹³

There’s enough evidence to warrant each and every one of us to give the WFPB a try, as it has been linked to improved mood, overall health, training, recovery, and even athletic performance for a number of professional athletes.¹⁴

Do What’s Best for You

Throughout this article, we’ve uncovered some of the more complex aspects of inflammation and its crucial role in muscle building.

We’ve seen how it helps to have it, how it can be detrimental to continue having it after a certain amount of time, as well as what you can do to deal with persistent, low-grade inflammation in a healthy and effective way.

An often exaggerated aspect of medicine is to treat symptomatically, an approach which continues to be prevalent in many medical systems. This means that, if something hurts, you’ll most likely take something to get you through the pain.

What we haven’t really been paying attention to and has been recently proven right is that some pain is instrumental towards proper healing. This is not to be confused with medical advice, although I do believe it is not only healthy, but necessary to question why we take certain medications in the same way I often question why we eat certain things because we think it helps with building lean tissue.

At the end of the day, it seems that some of the diet and lifestyle changes can go a long way towards dealing with the feared inflammation biomarkers, while enabling us to train better overall.

References:

1. “Understanding Inflammation, Harvard Medical School Guides”
2. “Role of Inflammation in Muscle Homeostasis and Myogenesis”
3. “The inflammation theory of disease. The growing realization that chronic inflammation is crucial in many diseases opens new avenues for treatment”
4. “Strength Training Decreases Inflammation and Increases Cognition and Physical Fitness in Older Women with Cognitive Impairment”
5. “A Very Muscular Baby Offers Hope Against Diseases”
6. “Muscle hypertrophy induced by myostatin inhibition accelerates degeneration in dysferlinopathy”
7. “Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on serum myostatin and GASP-1”
8. “Anti-inflammatory drugs can inhibit muscle growth”
9. “The COX-2 pathway regulates growth of atrophied muscle via multiple mechanisms”
10. “Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for athletes: An update”
11. “Injury, pain, and prescription opioid use among former National Football League (NFL) players”
12. “Dietary Pattern and Macronutrients Profile on the Variation of Inflammatory Biomarkers: Scientific Update”
13. “Anti-inflammatory Effect of Whole-Food Plant-Based Vegan Diet vs the American Heart Association – Recommended Diet in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: The Randomized EVADE CAD Trial”
14. “Six Reasons Athletes Are Running Toward a Vegan Diet“

The post Muscle Growth and Inflammation: How Much Is Too Much? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Not surprisingly, everyone quickly found out that replacing all of your food with Master Cleanse, grapefruit, or by breathing in plain air is not a healthy way towards sustainable fitness. On the other hand, the particularly attractive element of eating schedules is their intrinsic loop-hole of not-giving-up-on-anything, but rather eating it all in a small timeframe during the day. Does the diet that “lets you eat all you want half the time” sound familiar? Of course it does. It’s viral. Well, that is not intermittent fasting (IF).

The Notion of Intermittent Fasting

Although the very notion of IF may imply adjusting one’s eating according to a pre-determined timetable, it does not come with an “everything-you-nom-is-OK-in-the-afternoon” card. In fact, these misconceptions and misunderstandings of what IF actually is have led to numerous health concerns and risks being erroneously associated with it as a result of uninformed, medically unsound practices.

You will often find articles about how IF causes stress, headaches, results in binge eating or other eating disorders, causes rebound weight, muscle loss, and so on. When you come across such an article, verify its claims. Is it based on a clinical investigation or is it just a review? Is the study rigorous—did it involve a control group, monitor participants via blood tests, and use a body composition examination? How old is it? Were newer studies published since? And, last but not least, are there declared or potentially undeclared conflicts of interests?

Throughout this article, I will scrutinize a particular IF (the 16/8) program more carefully in order to outlay its benefits, risks, and how to use the program. I will attempt to rely on as little speculation as possible, and include scientific information, while also giving my personal account. I wholeheartedly invite you to step up and conduct your own nutritional experiment with IF. Afterwards, share your story with us!

The Faces of Intermittent Fasting

As I’ve mentioned in the beginning, there are quite a few interpretations of what IF means. Some people refer to the 5:2 as an IF. The 5:2 program is actually an example of modified fasting regimen (MFR), wherein for five days you consume foods and beverages as usual, while in the remaining two you restrict yourself to around 500 calories, or 25% of your total energy needs. Energy restriction has always been a common way of getting things done in terms of overall weight goals. As expected, a maximum of 14% and an average of around 3-5% reduction in weight was reported after 24 weeks on a MFR when physical exercises were also involved.¹ The studies, however, did not identify other metabolic changes and the weight loss efficiency is significantly lower without physical activities.

Objectively speaking, modified fasting regimens are not the best way to lose weight or improve your fitness, although they may show promising results terms of the former. Personally, I have never consciously employed a modified fasting regimen, nor do I believe, as a seasoned coach with a great deal of personal experience in nutrition, that deliberately alternating between eating very large and very small quantities of food will help out in the long run. Your ultimate goal should be ensuring that you lose excess fat, rather than a combination of water, fat, and muscle.

Next up is alternate day fasting, or ADF. This could be described as the “eating everything you want every other day” concept. The same synthesis of research I referenced above found even less clinical evidence to suggest that alternate day fasting promotes sustainable, long-term weight management in humans—although moderate weight loss is often reported alongside marginally improved cholesterol and inflammatory markers. In terms of a diet change with the purpose of weight management, you’d be better off eating less meat and sugar and increasing your intake of vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

In obese individuals, ADF had “minimal adverse outcomes.”² Take a look at the study results: when they say minimal, they mean it. More importantly, ADF can lead to several unhealthy eating habits, irritability, and deprivation of essential nutrients, which is why the Harvard Health Blog referred to it as a “fad diet.”³ I’d go with them on this one. I never bought into the nothing today, everything tomorrow philosophy.

Last, but not least, there is time-restricted feeding (TRF). This is what I will be focusing on, as it seems to have the most scientific data coming from research conducted both on animals and on humans. I have also attempted a TRF experiment in my personal diet over the past several weeks, partly because of the evidence that I am about to present and partly because I was curious what it would do to my body and mind.

Less a diet and more of an eating schedule, TRF means that you restrict your eating to a daily timeframe. In some places, it is known as the Leangains method, first promoted by the Swedish trainer and nutrition expert Martin Berkhan. It does not, in any way, mean restricting your daily calories, eating only a certain type of food, or eating less, for that matter. Obviously, maintaining an adequate balance of proteins, good fats, and carbohydrates from healthy, unprocessed foods continues to be a top priority. TRF programs often vary from 12 to 20 hours, while some advocate for just one meal per day, as in the case of the Warrior diet.

While I did not manage to find evidence for other TRFs, eating my daily caloric needs as a regular weightlifter with the 16 hour fast, 8 hour eating frame was stress-free. In fact, the 16/8 does not vary much from our everyday routine, except for no breakfast, nor late snacks. You can easily have three healthy meals, at 1:00, 5:00, and 8:00pm. It works similarly to a ketogenic diet, in that it forces your body to tap into those stubborn fat reserves, but it differs in that it does not come with the necessity to abide by a high-fat, low-carb eating configuration.

There are numerous theoretical benefits of having an established eating pattern as a result of maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm. These advantages include lower risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neurodegenerative illnesses.⁴

The Benefits of 16/8 TRF

In overweight and obese patients, the above mentioned study, led by a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, found that TRF significantly improved the effectiveness of weight loss therapy. A particular concern for me, as a trainer, was whether the 16/8 might negatively impact endurance, vigor, or strength. Two, separate randomized control trials, one employing resistance, the other weight training, showed that TRF was not associated with lower muscular mass, endurance or strength.^5,6 In both TRF trials, active individuals gained slightly more lean mass, while losing more fat. IGF-1 and testosterone were a bit lower, which would normally suggest an adverse effect on hypertrophy—in reality they did not, in any way, impact the ability to maintain lean body mass during TRF. This means that the relationship we commonly entertain between certain hormones and muscle gain is not as simple as we envision it.

In addition, the study found that insulin resistance, blood glucose, bad cholesterol, and several other health markers greatly improved with the 16/8 TRF, leading all of the involved researchers to unequivocally support that these eating schedules may be an important concern for public health and that more research is needed in terms of assessing their long-term impact. Moreover, the underlying metabolic changes that come with a ketogenic diet made epilepsy much easier to control. For instance, IF promotes autophagy, the cleansing and detoxification of damaged cells within our system in order to make room for new, healthy ones. Besides epilepsy, IF was associated with better management of chemotherapy side-effects⁴, as a result of a stronger, more responsive immune system. In addition, autophagy-related benefits led researchers to hypothesize that this eating schedule might actually better protect lean mass in the long run.

My interest was piqued. Does this mean that we are far better off eating according to a more or less fixed schedule, during a specific timeframe, rather than whenever we feel like it? The Johns Hopkins paper, directly, and the two studies on active individuals, indirectly, certainly affirmed so.

In an attempt to find similarly rigorous research on women, I came across a trial conducted at the University of Ontario. Despite their overall scarcity, this pilot study found that active women experienced substantial fat loss on the 16/8 schedule, one of them 3.2 kg (7 pounds) in just four weeks.⁷ In all trials, the program seems to work better if no calories whatsoever are ingested during the fasting period (from 8:00pm to noon the next day), although the Ontario study had permitted zero-calorie drinks, like coffee and diet sodas.

The extended fasting period allows the body to enter that golden ketogenic state when fat is the primary target for more energy, damaged cells are no longer fed by a steady supply of nutrients and energy, but cleansed and replenished instead. It is extremely important that individuals maintain adequate levels of hydration, since there is arguably less food for the body to rely upon to secure its much needed fluids. Given this, don’t be afraid to drink more water than usual, sugar-free tea, or an occasional black coffee.

Using 16/8 TRF

To experiment with time-restricted eating, keeping a food and exercise diary, as well as measurements of your body mass and composition will greatly help out. In my instance, three weeks into the 16/8 I experienced visible contouring around my abdomen and obliques, where I personally get the most headache from stubborn fat. From my measurements, I had managed to lose around 0.7 to 0.9 kg of fat, without trying anything special. Although I did not strictly abide by the fasting period (sometimes I had late workouts and delayed protein shakes), my stress levels and my overall mood experienced a noticeable boost. I did, however, consult with my general practitioner (family doctor for some of you) before trying any of this. If you decide to try a TRF, it is crucial that you do the same.

Because I didn’t have to worry about eating, I could dedicate the morning entirely to the work that I had planned to get done throughout the day. Just something to keep my mind off those alluring, luscious pastry fragrances. In the first few days, I admit that it was quite difficult to get my mind off of food, especially with everyone around me generously offering the odd glazed donut, buttery croissant, or freshly squeezed fruit juice—my particular weakness. A neat trick that I developed was to keep some of these generous contributions for later.

The Risks of 16/8 TRF

The most important aspect about trying out the 16/8 TRF, or any other plan, for that matter, is that you consult with your medical practitioner beforehand. As it currently stands, more medical data is needed to confirm the long-term impact of IF on various clinical outcomes like diabetes or cardiovascular diseases. The data currently available is promising, but not enough. This is normal for a phenomenon that has recently caught the attention of medical research and is just now being given the importance it deserves.

Many individuals have reported increased levels of stress as a result of trying one type of IF or another. In a sense, the 16/8 TRF is a minor stressor on the human organism. Instead of giving it what it’s used to, when it’s used to, you are trying to get it accustomed to a more or less rigorous eating schedule. Moderate amounts of stress are good for us⁸, and they are the cause of positive developments within our bodies. Whether 16/8 represents too much stress, ultimately, is a matter for you and your GP to decide.

Intermittent Fasting May Be Worthwhile

Medical research has shown that IF programs, like the 16/8 eating schedule, hold numerous benefits for our health, mainly because they help align our eating with the natural, circadian rhythms of the human body. Everything you would have to worry about while trying TRF would be losing fat and staying hydrated, as the 16/8 showed that endurance, strength, and overall muscle mass will grow at a slightly better rhythm than eating from 9am to 10pm.

Before conducting your own diet experiment, check in with your family doctor to ensure that your personal trial is medically approved. This step is vital towards ensuring your own health, as well as your credibility when asserting the benefits of TRF to others.

References:

1. Ruth Patterson et al, “Intermittent Fasting and Human Metabolic Health”, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, no. 115(8):1203-1212, accessed April 27, 2018.

2. Kirstin Hoddy et al, “Safety of alternate day fasting and effect on disordered eating behaviors”, Nutrition Journal, no.14 (44), accessed April 27, 2018.

3. Monique Tello, “Eat only every other day and lose weight?”, Harvard Health Blog, 31 May 2017, accessed April 27, 2018.

4. Mark Mattson et al, “Meal frequency and timing in health and disease”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, accessed April 27, 2018.

5. Grant Tinsley et al, “Time-restricted feeding in young men performing resistance training: A randomized controlled trial”, European Journal of Sport Science, no. 17 (2):200-207, accessed April 27, 2018.

6. Tatiana Moro et al, “Effects of eight weeks of time-restricted feeding (16/8) on basal metabolism, maximal strength, body composition, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk factors in resistance-trained males”, Journal of Translational Medicine, no. 14 (290), accessed April 27, 2018.

7. Siobhan Smith, Jordan LeSarge and Peter Lemon, “Time-Restricted Eating in Women – A Pilot Study”, Western Undergraduate Research Journal, no. 8(1):1-6, accessed April 27, 2018.

8. Mark Patterson, “Hormesis Defined”, Ageing Research Reviews, no. 7(1):1-7, accessed April 27, 2018.

The post The Benefits and Risks of Intermittent Fasting appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Given the level of advancement that medical technology enjoys in 2018, this situation is thoroughly unacceptable. Even the American Heart Association (AHA), the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) can’t seem to agree on it.¹ Are we supposed to look at dietary reference intakes (DRIs), estimated average requirements (EARs), or recommended dietary allowances (RDAs)?

The Trouble with Observational Studies

The balanced, reasonable answer is to be simultaneously looking at all and at neither of them, in the sense that you should try to critically engage with the data and the results of as many of these official standards, but not trust any of them blindly. The main reason for this is that the majority of nutritional guidelines come from observational studies, rather than interventional ones, where establishing and mapping a cause-effect relationship is the primary goal. The latter usually involves keeping people in labs (hence the term “feeding studies”), so that the only sources of nutrition are given by the researchers themselves. This is not only unfeasible on a large scale, but it is also impossible for a long period of time, both of which are essential elements in order to ascertain the proper impact of certain food items or behaviors.

In the scientific world, observational studies are the most cost-effective way to obtain a big enough sample size in order to issue statements for a general population. Their conclusions are always labeled as associations, rather than being framed as rapports of cause and effect, mainly because they admit that not all dietary variables have been under close scrutiny. However, media outlets rarely frame these findings according to the scientific wording of the study. You’ll mostly read or hear “Bacon Is Good/Terrible for You”, “Alcohol Helps/Prevents Weight Loss,” “Kale Is SuperBad for Your Health”, or “6x Chocolate Bars a Week for a Stronger Heart”—you get the idea.

Commonly, observational studies rely on memory-based dietary assessment methods, meaning that they will often ask participants to recall what they ate, when, and in what amount. Needless to say, this approach is fundamentally flawed, given that so many individuals consciously (or unconsciously) deliver biased and inaccurate information. I mean, I love my peanut butter thickly laid out on as tiny a slice of bread as possible—it still counts as one slice, right?

Unsurprisingly, as much as 63% of the data that the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) relied on for its four-decade study on nutrition was found to be “not physiologically plausible” precisely because of this memory factor.² Needless to say that my love for peanut butter, guacamole, and white wine should not be a decisive part of any scientific data with a claim to objectivity.³ It doesn’t help if there are another two million opinions spanning over 40 years. Each and every one of us has their mouthwatering, tantalizing treat that we just can’t seem to help ourselves from having a bit more than we ought to.

Study Yourself: Be Your Own Scientist

As it turns out, many of these contradictory health claims can be simultaneously valid, just not that one about the chocolate bars. Odds are you are eating too much chocolate, like me, and guac toast. My precious. The general nutritional paradox we currently find ourselves in is caused by the variety in the target population of each study.⁴

Some were done on people with specific issues, such as an elderly population with elevated blood cholesterol, adults with moderate physical activity, or obese teens, while others welcome a great diversity of patients. From these claims, a number of diets with cult-like followers have emerged, but their claims to be the best way of eating are just as tenuous as the nutritional studies that support them. I too was a low-carb evangelist until I gradually included whole foods in my diet. For me, this translated in a visible boost to my energy levels. For instance, I could do anywhere from 10 to 20% more sets and reps with the same weights.

The only way to reconcile all of this information about nutrition is to run your own diet experiments. A comprehensive study of 800 people eating almost 47,000 meals that were published in the Cell journal just several years back indicated that “universal dietary recommendations have limited utility.”⁵ Given that each and every one of our bodies responds to the same meal differently, it becomes next to impossible to figure out more general guidelines for one’s nutrition. However, by using a thorough approach, you can discover the effect that certain food items and food behaviors have upon your own constitution.

First of all, it is important for you to get some measurements before you begin your experiment. These will constitute your starting point, and the more measurements you make, the more will be revealed about how your body reacted to the experiment you’ve performed. My analysis, although reductive in some aspects, gives you the building blocks to generate your own investigation of your corporeal self. In order to validate your findings, consulting a couple of physicians and a nutritionist will give you the much-needed second opinion on what has changed in your body and what it means.

It is important for you to get accustomed with these aspects of human physiology, in case you haven’t already, as they will facilitate a more insightful understanding of your health and potential in the long run. Testing will cost a little, but the results are literally invaluable since they will reveal personalized data about your own body that you can use in order to formulate both health and nutritional hypotheses, assuming that you’re past your growth phase (around 18 to 22 years, on average).

Personally, I see my metabolism, cardiovascular health and body composition as the baseline indicators of my current health. These are also the bare minimum elements you should follow as part of your diet experiment. For the first two, gathering information could not be easier, since they come via blood tests. The best part about this testing is that your insurance will cover most (if not all, in some cases) of the costs, so you can talk to your general practitioner (or family doctor for some) in order to see what you can benefit from. They will be happy to see you take an active interest in your health and the way in which food items and behaviors impact your body.

The Puzzle That Is Your Body

Metabolism is commonly tested for by means of blood ketones, blood glucose, and the glucose-ketone index. For a comprehensive investigation, metabolic testing, specifically your resting metabolic rate (RMR), will speak volumes about your body. If you can afford a full analysis of your aerobic threshold, VO2 max, and DHEA hormone during a stress and resilience challenge, testing methods which are currently implemented outside laboratories in several fitness franchises around the world, do not hesitate to do it.

There is just no replacement for an accurate read of how your body consumes calories both in a resting state, as well as during physical activity. It may cost you a bit, but it will give you a glimpse within yourself and your health, which is invaluable for anyone looking to improve their fitness, performance, or general aspect. Alternatively, certain hand-held devices might provide you with some interesting readings, but you should always take these results with a pinch of salt as they are not very accurate.

For a comprehensive study of your cardiovascular system, your blood panel needs to include total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (known in folklore as the “evil” fat, LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL, the superhero fat), and triglycerides. Last, but not least, another common test you can bleed a few drops for is the C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a marker for inflammation commonly used to assess cardiovascular risks.⁶ It’s nice to check on your ticker once in a while. After all, it does keep you alive.

Lastly, body composition is also important for a diet endeavor. Any changes in your eating patterns will most likely reflect in your weight. But if you don’t track your composition, particularly your muscle mass, percentage of fat, and water, you won’t know how things changed. The “calculator” version of the body mass index (BMI), the one that uses your height and weight to give you a number, is renowned for not being able to distinguish between a couch potato and an athletic runner of the same height and weight. The good part is that if you perform a comprehensive metabolic assessment, you’ll likely get your BMI, too.

How to Conduct Your Experiment

The experimentation cycle will help you with the investigation per se. You will need a hypothesis (i.e. does a low-fat diet help me more than my current low-carb one) which is then followed by extant literature on the topic. Always go to the studies referenced by media, check their approach, their target population, who funded it, and the overall thoroughness. Are they just observational? How reliable is their data? Then compile your findings.

Next up is to settle on your case design. Ideally, you would change just one factor. For instance, I performed a similar investigation when I gave up processed sugar and it did wonders to my fat percentage and mood. Another example is when a close friend of mine tried intermittent fasting and achieved his fantasy washboard abs. You can also adopt a more complex behavior, such as a vegetarian/vegan diet, but the more variables you work with, the less likely it becomes for you to distinguish a cause and effect relationship between certain food items and behaviors. You want to maintain the said behavior/change for at least 30 days (ideally 45) before moving on to the next stage.

Throughout this timeframe, you need to keep track of what is going on. Use a research diary where you can jot down your initial measurements and your weight as you go through your trial (measure no more than twice a week). Note the areas around your body where you’d like to see changes, such as waist or hips (same frequency). Write down these measurements, along with what you eat, as precisely as you can. You can keep everything in a folder, on your laptop, or even make a neat table with your numbers for easier percentages, ratios, and bottom lines.

Most importantly, always take a photo of your meals. Since they have a time and date, these will be your hard evidence when trying to make odds and ends of your calorie measurements. Calorie-counting is just unfeasible, so this will help you better gauge appropriate food quantities. Your body weight will fluctuate over the timeframe of your experiment, which is why these numbers are helpful at the end.

At the end of your diet experiment case study, the data you have gathered will hopefully either validate or invalidate your hypothesis. Sometimes the improvements are visible without any additional testing, such as in the case of improved performance, visible weight loss, or muscle gain. However, to make sure that you’re not hurting yourself in the long-run with the behavior you’ve chosen to adopt, the safest route would be to repeat the same battery of tests you started with. This will quantify just how much has changed and help you better understand the progress you’ve made. It will also provide an appropriate conclusion to your scientific investigation and help you better understand your own body.

Take Control of Your Nutrition

It has become imperative for each of us to experiment with the diets or nutritional principles we choose to abide by. There are just so many diverging opinions and personalized responses to what is currently out there that the only way to be sure is to take matters into your own hands. By using the methodological structure presented by this article, you can test for yourself what seems right and gather every bit of information on how you react to it before deciding on whether to become an evangelist of something that may not be worth preaching.

Whether you are a scientist already or not, today’s access to information combined with readily available and affordable medical testing makes it possible for anyone to become as thorough as a researcher would be when trying to determine what is the most reasonable nutritional advice for your own body. Just remember that certain changes often take serious amounts of time and adherence to the behavior(s) to accurately reflect on your physical, emotional, and mental states.

We already know that certain fat deposits can take months, or even years, to break down, depending on your body, nutrition, and level of activity. Some of the chemicals released into your bloodstream by the weight loss process might initially make you feel bad before making you feel overall amazing.⁷ Especially in these cases, knowing what has triggered your condition and/or feelings is vital.

Ultimately, after several of these diet experiments, you will not only become your own nutritional expert, but you will also know your body well enough to understand what eating certain new foods will do to you based on their macronutrients. For example, if you are aware of the fact that sugary drinks will mess up your insulin resistance and, therefore, weight loss efficiency, then you’ll be less tempted to crave them.

References:

1. American Diabetes Association, “So Many Nutrition Recommendations—Contradictory or Compatible?”, Diabetes.org, January 2003, accessed March 31, 2018.

2. Edward Archer, Gregory Pavela, and Carl Lavie, “The Inadmissibility of What We Eat in America and NHANES Dietary Data in Nutrition and Obesity Research and the Scientific Formulation of National Dietary Guidelines“, mayoclinicproceedings.org, July 2015, accessed March 31, 2018.

3. Julia Belluz, “I asked 8 researchers why the science of nutrition is so messy. Here’s what they said”, August 2016, accessed March 31, 2018.

4. Christopher Gardner and Michael Stanton, “Digesting Dietary Data: Why are there so many contradictory nutrition studies, and how can they be improved?”, June 2014, accessed March 31, 2018.

5. Zeevi et al, “Personalized Nutrition by Prediction of Glycemic Responses”, November 2015, accessed March 31, 2018.

6. Jesse Adams and Fred Apple, “New Blood Tests for Detecting Heart Disease”, January 2004, accessed March 31, 2018.

7. Michele Le Merrill et al, “Toxicological Function of Adipose Tissue: Focus on Persistent Organic Pollutants”, February 2013, accessed March 31, 2018.

The post How to Conduct Your Own Diet Experiments Like a Scientist appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

In the U.S. alone, one in 10 people were suffering from diabetes in the year 2015, whereas prediabetics constituted roughly one quarter of the nation’s entire population aged 18 and older.¹ Such worrisome statistics reveal to us that certain illnesses, like diabetes or cardiovascular problems, are not only the result of diet choices, but a variety of lifestyle choices. Genetics also play a role and, in certain instances, may even be the sole cause of a diabetes diagnosis. But most importantly, over 90% of cases are due to environmental, rather than hereditary, factors. This is good news for the majority of the population and means diabetes triggers can be controlled and eliminated, thereby avoiding the onset of the disease, preventing further complications related to it, or greatly improving one’s health as a diabetic.

Some go as far as to claim that they have “cured” themselves of diabetes through proper lifestyle management, mostly by eating right and exercising often. While this is theoretically possible for the majority of metabolic disorders commonly referred to as diabetes mellitus, completely treating this ailment is a bit more complicated, and may not even be a possibility for some type 1 cases (T1D). For this reason, it is important that you verify the claims I’m about to make against your own particular case, with the help of at least one physician. This guide is intended to use as general advice for those dealing with insulin deficiency or insulin-receptor insensitivity. Even if you have not been diagnosed with this condition, low-levels of activity combined with high levels of fat, stress, and high waist/hip ratios may be indicators that you are already prediabetic, that is, likely to develop diabetes.

Testing for Knowledge

You may feel miles away from such medical issues, but screening yourself by means of a simple HbA1c test can potentially save you from a lot of heartache, not to mention from having to spend anywhere between two and three times more on your medication.² The HbA1c is considered a more reliable indicator of diabetes-related problems than oral tolerance tests, since it reveals how your body has been dealing with blood sugar in the past two months. It’s also quite cheap and, if you’re fortunate to benefit from one, ofte completely covered by medical insurance. Given the substantial number of adults, both in the U.S. and in Europe, who are undiagnosed or prediabetic already, pre-emptive testing should become a common-sense practice. Putting it another way, it’s very little blood for a lot of knowledge.

The Role of Nutrition

There are many myths about diabetics and gaining muscle. Some are conjectures, others may simply be individual cases. The reasonable, verified facts are as follows: gaining muscle as a diabetic is more difficult. You will need to closely monitor your blood-sugar levels while training and make important adjustments to your lifestyle.³

Eating right is a decisive aspect of any attempt to tone, gain muscle, or even trim down a little. However, when you are also dealing with diabetes, it becomes a more delicate matter. A slight caloric surplus will actually be needed while you are active, since you are aiming at creating new tissue, which requires additional calories and nutrients. It’s important not to bank on this too much, however. Anywhere between 5% and 10% excess of your daily calorie requirements should be your target when doing three or more sessions of resistance training per week.

The best dietary options for controlling your blood sugar while gaining muscle actually embody the staple, correct diet. Your carbohydrates must come from high-fiber, slow-release sources, so as to not peak your blood glucose too much, too fast. You want to completely eliminate any white flour products, particularly since their consumption is directly linked to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes⁴, and replace them with whole wheat flour like buckwheat, rye, amaranth, quinoa, chickpea, or brown rice alternatives (all of which are also gluten-free).

Protein is the most important aspect of your diet and where you get it matters even more when you are a diabetic. Fish, poultry, and any lean meat cuts should be your go-to options. According to the University of California’s Diabetes Teaching Center, low-calorie, low-fat sources are preferred.⁵ This means that any dairy products should be low-fat or non-fat, which also goes for any cheeses. It’s actually advised that you eliminate cheeses as much as possible. Plant-based sources of protein come highly recommended for diabetics. This means beans (pinto, lima, black, kidney), chickpeas, tofu, soy, seitan, lentils, quinoa, nuts, and seeds. Substituting some of your animal protein with plant-based protein will also reduce your risk of dying because of cardiovascular disease, according to a 2016 Harvard study.⁶ If you also want to supplement, there are plenty of soy, hemp, rice, or pea protein isolate products out there that will spare you the headache of having to find a whey product with low contents of fat and/or sugar.

Last, but not least, you need to keep a very close eye on your fats. There are good ones (mono and polyunsaturated) that actually help your cardiovascular system maintain itself, and bad ones (saturated, hydrogenated, or trans fats), that clog it beyond anything imaginable. The latter, usually found in meats, cheese, butter, cream, chicken skin, lard, margarine and most processed food items are to be avoided at all costs. Great choices of dietary fat are nuts and avocados, sunflower, soy, peanut, olive, canola, flaxseed, or safflower oil.

Generally, you want to follow a 40% carb, 40% protein, 20% fat ratio while being active. Nonetheless, the amount of carbohydrates should always be dictated by your blood sugar levels. If you find that you’re spiking most of the time, lower it accordingly. Don’t force yourself to eat, especially if you’re a T1D. Blood sugar management comes first, then the food you’ve planned for the day.

How to Train

Why would you want to gain muscle as a diabetic? Because it’s literally the best thing to do for your body to help it manage insulin. Increases in muscle mass have been shown to prevent the on-set of insulin resistance, as well as glucose tolerance.⁷ Partial or even full remission was attained for T2D in significant percentages following an overall increase in physical activity, as well as dietary changes, to the point where the two became a habit.⁸ The mechanics behind muscle activation, muscle growth and diabetes are simple: if you have too much glucose in your blood, physical activity will help you lower it naturally, since your muscles will be screaming for glucose in order to keep going. There’s also good news for those who are insulin resistant, since exercise makes muscle fibers more sensitive to the pancreatic hormone, which means that your body will need less insulin to stabilize itself.

Perhaps the most important aspect about physical activity is that it will help you strengthen your cardiovascular system, which is a sensitive spot for those suffering from diabetes. Regular training will lower your blood pressure, help build stronger muscles and bones, improve your mood, and offer one of the best natural discharge of stress. This is important since stress is all too well-known for its blood-sugar bullying. Perhaps more vital is the fact that exercise tolerance, i.e. your levels of fitness and percentage of muscle mass, are actually the strongest scientific predictor of your risk of dying.⁹

As a diabetic, it is key for your health that you monitor your blood-sugar levels before, after, and even during your training. This is a major reason why diabetics are deterred from or even medically advised to avoid gyms. If, at any point, you are below 100 md/dl, you should stop and eat a couple of glucose tablets, followed by a light protein bar around 8 minutes later. Always keep a snack handy in case you feel some of the symptoms of low blood sugar, such as light-headedness, irritability, hunger, or shakiness. After your snack, it’s advised you rest for around 15 minutes—browse some catalogs or check out some routines online and then re-test to see if you’re between 100 and 120. Hypoglicemia will ruin your training experience. If there’s just no way to bring it into a safe 115, it’s best to find something else to do.

Staying hydrated is extremely important, as this will help your system manage your body temperature. Too high of a temperature will result in glucose fluctuations. And speaking of degrees, you should not be exercising under any extreme environmental temperature, as this is another way to destabilize your system.

Post-workout meals or consistent protein shakes are a must. The glycogen stores that have been tapped to keep you going need to be replenished, and your muscles require it for repair, recovery, and growth. Diabetes basically makes this post-workout snack mandatory, so as to balance the low-blood sugar caused by exercising. There’s no point in fearing carbs or purposefully restricting them in order to get the body you want, especially since they play such a big role in our health.

Wearing a bracelet or letting your trainers know about your condition is also advised, as they will be prepared to help out in case something goes south. Better to be safe than sorry. Other than this, a healthy mix of cardio, flexibility, and strength should be your mantra. Obviously, gaining muscle can be your priority, but there’s only so much powerlifting that your body will respond to in a week. Instead of pushing yourself beyond what you can handle, variation is highly recommended. Sores and injuries will take longer to heal and might bring about unwanted complications. After all, the ultimate goal is to increase muscle mass while lowering percentages of fat.

Necessary Lifestyle Changes

Absolutely no smoking. This goes even if you are not a diabetic. There are so many reasons smoking is bad for you that we’d need another op-ed to properly list them all. Blood sugar management is the best way you will ensure that your life and training are as enjoyable as possible. Incorporate monitoring into your habits and it will become so automatic that you won’t even remember doing it. Check your blood sugars before and after exercising. If you feel it to be necessary, check it during, too.

Sleep is monumental. I cannot overstate the importance of rest for your well-being. Your muscles are regenerating and growing while you slumber, which is why sleep is an intrinsic part of improving your health. For diabetics especially, deprivation can be exponentially more harmful. The previously quoted study by the Endocrine Society showed that healthy, young adults subjected to just one week of sleep deprivation were brought into prediabetes numbers. For T1Ds, insulin will be incredibly more effective at lower doses up to seven hours after your routine. Despite this, there is a staggering gap in medical research in terms of how T1Ds should administer insulin to manage post-exercise hypoglycaemia.

It may be tempting to think that the bigger the drop in blood sugar, the better it is, but exercising in a hypoglycemic state will trigger a series of unwanted effects, the first of which is actually burning protein and muscle tissue for energy, not to mention fatigue, dehydration, or worse. If you haven’t been too active, it’s important to take it slow to begin with and understand how your body reacts to physical activity. Obviously, big muscle groups such as your quadriceps, deltoids, pectorals, and shoulders should give you the best results to begin with.

You Can Do This

Bodybuilding with diabetes is medically recommended. The benefits of exercise and muscle growth in terms of dealing with T2D and greatly improving T1D are proven beyond any doubt. With this in mind, there are numerous variations of diabetes and they all impact each body in a slightly different way, even though there are some rules that generally apply to everyone.

Training while also dealing with this ailment won’t be easy, but it’s far from impossible. Ben Tzeel is just one T1D diagnosed individual who would not let his illness define who he is.¹⁰ The portal where his article is published is a major source of information for a healthy, active lifestyle with diabetes. There are many like him who succeeded despite having adverse conditions by means of diet and overall lifestyle improvements. Cardio routines are amazing for losing weight right away, whereas resistance training is meant to help you manage your weight and insulin sensitivity long-term by creating lean muscle tissue. This new tissue will burn more calories in the future, helping you maintain your weight and blood sugar. If you’re afraid of getting bulky, know that this requires many hours and really heavy weights, so there’s no need to fear it.

While there’s no telling what the next medical study will say about diabetes, the fact that we must be active and fit to increase our well-being, fight off diseases, and improve our odds of surviving longer is incontestable.

References:

1. American Diabetes Association, “Statistics About Diabetes”, Diabetes.org, 19 July 2017, accessed February 24, 2018.

2. American Diabetes Association, “Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2012“, Diabetes.org, 23 April 2013, accessed February 24, 2018.

3. Diabetes.co.uk, “Building Muscle with Diabetes”, January 2018, accessed February 24, 2018.

4. Lindsay Oberst, “Make Better Choices: Healthy Alternatives to White Flour”, OneGreenPlanet.org, 14 July 2017, accessed February 24, 2018.

5. Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California, “Understanding Protein”, dtc.ucsf.edu, accessed February 24, 2018.

6. Mingyang Song, Teresa Fung, Frank Hu et al, “Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality”, JAMA International Medicine, no. 176 (10):1453-1463, accessed February 24, 2018.

7. P. Srikanthan, A. S. Karlamangla, “Relative Muscle Mass Is Inversely Associated with Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes. Findings from The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey”, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, no. 96 (9):2898-2903, accessed February 24, 2018.

8. John Buse, Sonia Caprio, William Cefalu et al, “How Do We Define Cure of Diabetes?” Diabetes Care, no. 32(11):2133-2135, accessed February 24, 2018.

9. Miho Nishitani, Kazunori Shimada, Santoshi Sunayama et al, “Impact of diabetes on muscle mass, muscle strength, and exercise tolerance in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting”, Journal of Cardiology, no. 58(2):173-180, accessed February 24, 2018.

10. Ben Tzeel, “Gaining Muscle with Type 1 Diabetes: An Intro Guide”, DiabetesStrong.com, 9 September 2017, accessed February 24, 2018.

The post Training, Diabetes and Muscle Growth appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

For many in this situation, the answer lies in a better understanding of their metabolism. Indeed, while trending training routines and dietary plans may work for some, they are usually extremely generic in the sense that they target only those people with a specific metabolic configuration. Naturally, they will not advertise this fact in headline font. In fact, they will commonly omit it altogether. So you pick up a popular set of reps and you religiously follow through with it. You eat a champion’s breakfast and concoct a nutrition-bomb smoothie before and after your workout sessions. You count every calorie you ingest. You do this for several weeks and, when you notice no progress, you understandably feel like throwing in the towel.

What I’m here to say, though, is that all hope is not lost.

Yes, training and physical exercise, together with a healthy diet, are essential for any increase in physical performance. However, metabolism is, in this case, the single most important process taking place in your body. Knowing your metabolism, therefore, is key to achieving more through your workout, regardless of whether you’re building muscle, training for a marathon or just staying fit. Following are the basics.

Metabolism and Physical Performance

Metabolism is so closely connected with both muscle growth and physical performance that they are virtually synonymous. In short, metabolism represents the sum of all chemical reactions taking place throughout the body, at a cellular level, for the purpose of providing energy and synthesizing new organic material. In the absence of metabolic processes, the body has no energy to sustain vital functions, let alone sustain physical activity. Furthermore, without metabolic processes, the synthesis of muscle tissue does not take place.¹ It really is this simple.

But it does get more complicated from here. The human body relies on three main macronutrients for energy, and these are fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Of these, carbohydrates represent the body’s favorite source of fuel, which is to say that the body first turns to carbs in order to meet its energy needs. Once ingested, carbohydrates are broken down into basic components, such as glucose, galactose, and fructose. Glucose can be used as a fuel source for the brain and muscle tissue immediately, whereas the remaining two must first be metabolized into glucose by the liver. When sufficient carbs are ingested to create an excess of energy, the energy is stored as glycogen. If glycogen stores are also full, excess glucose is oxidized and stored as fat.

So what exactly happens when you work out? During physical exercise, the body first calls on any glucose present in the bloodstream for energy. In sessions that last more than one or two hours, glucose is depleted and the body begins to use up its stores of glycogen. At most, however, the latter will provide the equivalent of 2000 calories, so what happens when glycogen is also depleted? This is the moment when the body shifts towards protein catabolism to sustain continued effort. In other words, it begins to break down muscle tissue for amino acids, which are, in turn, oxidized for fuel. Protein is directed away from its primary task, building muscle and connective tissue, and the long-term result is the loss of muscle mass. Obviously, this is bad.

Derived from this are two basic principles that you can take into account when analyzing the relation between your metabolism and physical performance:

1. If your intake of carbohydrates is poor or insufficient and your body is not properly stacked on glycogen, protein catabolism will likely occur during extensive workout sessions.² You may think and feel that you’re exhausting yourself each time, and your routine may be an excellent one for muscle growth, but the results will ultimately disappoint you. Not only will your body lack the necessary resources to build new muscle, but it will actually be forced to break down some of the existing muscle tissue in order to meet its own energy needs.
2. In order to increase your lean body mass, your body requires protein, of course, but it also requires more energy than your daily energy expenditure.³ The latter varies greatly from person to person, and is derived from the sum of your resting metabolic rate (RMR or the energy your body consumes while idle, for vital functions) and your exercise energy expenditure. Once you have assessed both and calculated your 24-hour energy expenditure, you can devise a nutritional plan that either matches the total amount, if you are training for an endurance event, or that exceeds the total amount, if you intend to increase lean body mass.

For each metabolism, there are both exercise and dietary requirements that, when fulfilled, can help an athlete achieve better performances. For the purpose of this discussion, I will focus only on the relationship between diet, different metabolic rates, and physical performance. To see the above principles in action, we will first look at an average metabolic rate, followed by a slow metabolic rate and, finally, by a fast metabolism. In each case, I will also present several suggestions for an appropriate, performance-enhancing nutritional plan.

Nutritional Needs for the Average Metabolism

Once you’ve completed your metabolic assessment at a nearby clinic, a specialist will be able to indicate whether your metabolic rate or, more likely, your resting metabolic rate falls within average parameters. If so, that is great news. Most workout routines and diets should show results in your case, but even so, you should be aware of some general principles of nutrition, metabolism and performance.

Broadly speaking, in order to achieve optimal results from your workouts, your nutrition should include⁴:

Complex Carbohydrates

Carbs that rank low on the GI (glycemic index) and will provide you with sustained energy, rather than a quick burst. Your aim, as an active individual with an average RMR, is to consume 40% of your total calorie intake as carbohydrates. Some examples include raw fruits and vegetables, whole-wheat breads, and high-fiber cereals.

Protein

An absolutely essential component for repairing and building muscle tissue. Your goal is to consume an average of 30% of your total calorie intake as protein. Some examples include turkey, chicken breast, and salmon or, for vegans and vegetarians, seitan products, tofu, lentils, chickpeas, and most varieties of beans.

Good Fats

Intake mono and poly-unsaturated fats, as opposed to saturated and trans fats. Ideally, you should consume an average of 20-30% of your total calorie intake as fats. Some examples of foods containing good fats are vegetable oils (olive or canola, for instance), a variety of nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews), avocados, and peanut butter.

Plenty of Water

The importance of water cannot be overstated. Intensive workouts, unusual heat, and fluid loss through sweat all deplete the body of water. Without water, a number of vital functions can no longer be fulfilled correctly, which translates into inefficient training and a lesser athletic performance. Under normal circumstances, it is recommended that an adult drinks at least 8 glasses of water per day (about 2 liters). In addition to this, consider drinking 0.5 liters (2-3 glasses) one or two hours prior to your workout, as well as at least another 0.5 liters during workout.

Another thing to consider is the timing of your meals in relation to your workout sessions. Ideally, this involves three meals, one before, one during, and one post-workout, each with different roles in enhancing your performance.

Your pre-workout meal (2-3 hours prior) is designed to provide energy for your body, hydrate you, and help you preserve muscle mass. In other words, you’re looking to include a moderate amount of protein, a good handful of your favorite complex carb food, and a small amount of fat.

Your during-workout meal needs to keep you hydrated, provide your body with substances that can be used for immediate fuel, and help you prevent muscle loss. For obvious reasons, this meal is best served as a drink, which should include, per hour of exercise, 15 grams of protein and 30-45 grams of carbs, avoiding fat altogether. A good idea is to prepare a during-workout smoothie, using half a scoop of protein powder and your preferred source of carbs (ranging from sports drinks to bananas, oats, quinoa, blueberries, beetroot, or even beans). Don’t forget to also drink enough water in addition to consuming your shake.

Your post-workout meal (0-2 hours after) is meant to help you recover, rehydrate, and build muscle mass. As such, it should include a good amount of protein, a moderate amount of carbs, and a small amount of fat. Although some prefer to prepare a post-workout shake that they can consume immediately after exercise, it is debatable whether or not this is actually necessary. In fact, so long as you eat your meal no longer than two hours post-workout, this should prevent any unwanted muscle breakdown.

Bear in mind that all the figures above are essentially designed to support an average resting metabolic rate, as well as an average workout routine. Athletes and bodybuilders have somewhat different nutritional needs and require further personalized dietary plans. An endurance athlete, for instance, has much higher calorie and carbohydrates needs, while a bodybuilder requires additional protein in order to facilitate major muscle growth.

And what about those with metabolic rates that fall below or above the average? Read on.

If Your Metabolism Is Slow

If your metabolic rate was assessed below average, it’s important for you to understand that this is not necessarily bad news. In fact, metabolic rate alone is never the culprit for weight gain, and it certainly doesn’t represent an obstacle in terms of physical performance.5 Rather, it simply means that your body uses up fewer calories in order to maintain vital functions. Having this awareness and knowing exactly how much you need to eat is all you need to keep unwanted weight gain at bay and to become, or stay, fit.

In terms of what your nutrition should include, as well as your three workout meals, you must bear in mind that your body finds it more difficult to process carbs and that, in addition to this, you have lesser energy needs. Of course, if you’re looking to build muscle mass or increase endurance, you too will need to consume more calories than your total 24-hour energy expenditure, but unlike other metabolic types, you should only exceed the latter by a small amount.

More specifically, it’s a good idea to lower your intake of carbs to about 25% of your total calorie consumption and to eat most of your carbs after working out. In your case, it is all the more important to consume complex carbs that do not immediately spike your blood sugar, since, due to your slow metabolism, you are prone to a poor insulin sensitivity.

You’ll want to up your protein intake to about 35% of total calorie consumption, which you can distribute evenly throughout the three meals. This is important not only because protein is the building block for muscle tissue, but also due to its ability to temporarily boost the metabolism.

Don’t be afraid of fat, so long as it comes in mono and poly-unsaturated types. People with slow metabolic rates showed best results on a high protein and fat diet, so up your fat intake to about 30-40% of your total calorie consumption.

Finally, there are a few nutritional tricks you might consider in terms of speeding up your metabolism. For instance, did you know that water has been shown to temporarily increase metabolism by 24-30%? This is partly due to the fact that calories are immediately used in order to heat the water to body temperature. Drinking enough water is a great way to stay hydrated in the first place, and this makes it even better for those with lagging metabolisms. Coconut oil, cocoa, as well as tea and coffee in moderate amounts have also displayed metabolism-boosting properties.

Metabolism on the Fast Track to Nowhere?

Most people tend to think that a fast metabolism is a free ticket to a life without fitness-related worries. While it is true that, if your metabolic rate was assessed above average, you naturally consume more calories in a day and you rarely put on weight, this fact is a double-edged sword. Gaining muscle mass is precisely that—putting on a specific type of weight, and it can be difficult to do with a fast metabolism.⁶ Nevertheless, this is not an impossible task. As usual, it begins with a metabolic assessment and the knowledge of exactly how many calories your body uses per day for vital functions, as well as for physical effort.

The trick, in terms of your nutrition plan, is to eat well above your total 24-hour energy expenditure. In addition, since your body can easily manage carbohydrates, while carbs, in turn, can help you build up your energy reserves, these should take up the better part of your meals. As such, your carbs intake should measure up to 55% of your total calorie consumption.

When it comes to protein, a moderate 25% of your total calorie consumption is ideal. Of course, if your focus is to significantly accelerate muscle growth, you can and should increase your protein consumption to 30-35%.

As always, healthy fat is not something to be ignored in a comprehensive diet. Nevertheless, if your metabolism is fast, you’ll want to keep your fat intake low, at about 20% of your total calorie intake.

Finally, pre, during, and post-workout meals are all the more essential for you, especially when it comes to your carbohydrate consumption. Remember that if your body cannot support its own energy requirements with glucose and glycogen, it will resort to breaking down muscle tissue for protein. Since you are prone to consuming lots of energy, you are particularly vulnerable to protein catabolism. In fact, it may be the reason why you haven’t noticed any improvements in your muscle mass in spite of working out consistently.

As the possessor of a quick metabolic rate, you’ll soon notice that muscle growth and especially endurance training require you to do a lot of eating. In fact, it is generally recommended that you eat as many as five meals per day, which may, at first, seem daunting. You’ll also have to be extra-diligent with your gym sessions, as building muscle will require you to train with weights intensely and consistently. On the other hand, there is, of course, the bright side, for when others will be terrified of carbohydrate-dense foods, you will casually produce a cookie from your bag, eat it with satisfaction, and then return to your multi-joint compound mass building reps.

The Ultimate Takeaway

There is an indisputable link between your metabolism and your physical performance, which you may be able to mediate through an appropriate nutritional plan. If you have struggled to increase your muscle mass, lose weight, or improve your endurance in spite of eating “right” and working out consistently, then metabolism might be the answer to your problem. There is only one way to find out, and that is undergoing a metabolic assessment at a nearby clinic or gym.

As you’ll notice while further researching the process, there are a number of online calculators that claim to be able to produce your RMR or your 24-hour energy expenditure with only a few details about your body. The issue with these, however, is that, like trending workout routines and dietary plans, they are designed with the average metabolic rate and body type in mind. Chances are, the results will not apply to your particular situation, which is why, if you’re serious about increasing your athletic performance, you should find out your RMR from a reliable source.

With the metabolic assessment out of the way, you’ll be able to tailor both your workout routines and your nutrition to fit your personal needs for much more effective training.

References:

1. Hans Kornberg, “Metabolism,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 22 November 2017, accessed January 26, 2018.

2. Michael J. Rennie and Kevin D. Tipton, “Protein and Amino Acid Metabolism during and after Exercise abd the Effects of Nutrition“, Annual Review of Nutrition, vol. 20 (2000), accessed January 26, 2018.

3. NSCA Kinetic Select, “Sport Performance and Metabolic Rate“, National Strength and Conditioning Association, 2015, accessed January 25, 2018.

4. American Dietetic Association, “American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Nutrition and athletic performance“. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, vol. 31, no. 3 (2009), accessed January 25, 2018.

5. Harvard Medical School, “Does Metabolism Matter in Weight Loss?” Harvard Health Publishing, July 2015, accessed January 26, 2018.

6. K. D. Tipton and R. R. Wolfe, “Exercise, protein metabolism, and muscle growth“, International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, vol. 11, no. 1 (2001), accessed January 26, 2018.

The post Nutrition that Drives Performance for Every Metabolism appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The plateau is, without a doubt, the most exasperating part of physical exercise. It’s like the pain you push through to finish a marathon. Whether you want to gain muscle, lose fat, or improve your performance, the plateau is the most frequently encountered barrier throughout the world of fitness and training. Some of you have already conquered your flatlines. Whatever you do, never cease to tell your story and help others do the same.

Others, however, have not reached the end of the plateau. This is where I’m coming from. In my case, it was a halt in weight progression. I had been adding 5lb on average to my deadlift and bench press every week, but had found myself struggling to maintain the same weight on a week-to-week basis. Neither my eating habits nor my overall level of activity had changed, yet whatever I did, I couldn’t move forward, much like jogging in place.

The truly frustrating part is that sometimes, the harder you train, the more you widen your plateau. There you are juggling cardio routines, high-intensity interval programs, picking up oddly shaped weights (kettlebells), or sitting at machines you’ve always been enemies with, but nothing seems to work. It happens to athletes as often as those who just want to maintain an appealing shape, and while this may not be comforting to know, there is something you can do—know thyself.

I know, your eyes are burning from the platitude. But you’ll pardon the triteness if it means you get to know your active and resting metabolism. Having this self-knowledge will help you train smarter, not harder, and push through your plateau. You won’t be following a training program anymore, but your training program. Something made specifically to break and make me? Yes, please.

The Rundown on Metabolism and Metabolic Rate

Widely speaking, metabolism¹ is an umbrella term that encapsulates all the chemical reactions involved in keeping you alive. The kernel of metabolism is the organism’s ability to transform food into vital nutrients and energy. For this reason, nutrition and the availability of certain substances (or lack thereof) is closely linked to the current state of an individual’s health and metabolic processes.

The two major sources of energy are carbohydrates and fats. The third type is protein, which can supply energy in extreme cases, but whose main function is as building blocks for an organism’s cells. That’s why we supplement with protein when we want to gain muscle. Although minerals and vitamins are not direct contributors to energy production, some are critical to our wellbeing. Without sufficient resources of calcium, iron, or vitamins C, A, or B2, for instance, we can get into serious trouble, which is why it is important to keep this group of nutrients in check.

The rate and efficiency with which we convert raw food into these three major types of nutrients depends on our metabolism. Some individuals have a fast metabolism to begin with. Even when they watch Netflix, their body burns significant amounts of calories, making it very hard for them to gain weight. The agony. On the other hand, some have a slow metabolic rate. Their body has a low caloric need and stores the excess energy, making them prone to becoming overweight. Others fall somewhere between these two extremes.

For this discussion, I will be dealing specifically with the idea of resting metabolic rate (RMR), or how much we burn when in a steady state of relaxation, and active metabolic rate (AMR), or how much we burn when engaged in physical activities.

When stuck in a plateau, something’s not right. To determine the cause of the stagnation, you must understand your personal RMR and AMR. With professional guidance, you can find out what goes on in your body when you exercise and when you rest. Are you consuming too little or too much of something? Does your body have difficulties properly recovering after a training session? Are your energy needs higher than what you currently give your body? Such questions and much, much more can be revealed by performing a complete metabolic assessment.

The results may fall short of our expectations, as they did in my case. But I learned that you shouldn’t view them as either “bad” or “good,” but rather as the characteristics of your metabolism at this particular point in your life. Knowing your RMR and AMR will give you the missing pieces of the puzzle for breaking that disheartening plateau.

Settle in. The next part might hurt.

Resting Metabolic Assessment

Resting metabolic rate accounts for around 60-70% of the total amount² of calories you burn throughout the day. This is why it matters if your metabolism is slow, average, or fast. If 70% of the time you are storing calories instead of burning them, burning protein instead of using it to build muscle, or tapping into carbohydrates instead of fat, you may be trapped in a plateau. And this is where it starts to hurt, because the majority of our RMR is dictated by things we cannot tweak, like age, sex, height, hormones, genetics, and physiological functions. Hormonal medical problems can further complicate this equation. If this is the case for you, you should also seek a physician’s advice in addition to the metabolic evaluations you perform.

The one aspect of the RMR equation we can control is our muscle mass. Whether lean or massive, this is one area where change is possible. Who says pain can’t be constructive? Finally, a win.

Where did the remainder 30% of calorie consumption go? Well, a maximum of a third of your metabolic rate is physical activity. Eating also takes up some energy, but it’s usually around 10 percent of the total RMR. There are office-based systems that can help you figure out your resting metabolism with less time and fewer expenses, but they will not be as exact or thorough as the hospital-based equipment that is now making its way into public use via fitness organizations.

The RMR test is usually quite simple, except for a slightly funny mask you have to wear. Sensors in the mask carefully read the composition each breath you exhale. The process is called indirect calorimetry, and it is considered to be a fairly accurate read of the type and quantity of fuel employed by your body. The Weir equation is typically used afterwards to extrapolate the number of calories burned per minute and then, per day.³ Recently, the mask has been adapted to be less complicated and more appealing than what was commonly used in physiology labs, which is always nice.

But before anything happens, you will need to fast for a good nine hours, at least. Some other restrictions may also be advised for the timeframe leading up to your appointment, such as avoiding alcohol consumption. Needless to say, most people prefer to perform their assessment in the morning.

You will sit in a comfortable position, in an environment with a neutral temperature, and odd as it may sound, you will attempt to relax and breathe steadily without falling asleep. Thinking about a future activity you’re looking forward to usually does the trick. Something along the lines of a bohemian weekend picnic by the lake, a couple of hearty days out camping deep in the woods, or a quiet, stout, early-fishing session at dawn.

The output data should reflect your body’s calorie consumption while resting, thus a good contextual reading of your RMR. The higher portion of muscle mass you have compared to your total weight, the better your readings should be. Body fat is also known to negatively impact RMR, so individuals with lower percentages, but same amount of muscle, will have even better readings.⁴ The RMR test shouldn’t take more than 25-30min.

Active Metabolic Assessment

The strain comes during the active metabolic assessment (AMA). While the name did give me an idea of what was to follow, I would be lying if I said I was completely prepared. The mask returns for the second part of your metabolic evaluation, but instead of sitting down and thinking about the good life, you’ll be on a treadmill.

The good news is that the AMA starts off easily, with a mild and manageable intensity. The not-so-good news is that it’s supposed to work its way up to an intensity of 7-8 on a scale from 1-10, up to your anaerobic threshold and then a little past it. You need to maintain that intensity for several minutes. Overall, it was manageable, albeit a little strenuous.

After everything was done, I found out that this part is also referred to as the “stress and resilience” test. Wish I’d have known that before. They also measure your levels of DHEA, the hormonal marker of your individual resilience, and cortisol, the not-so-good hormone that immediately follows DHEA. For once, pushing myself yielded concrete, visible results.

In one sitting, I found out my aerobic threshold (the intensity at which I could exercise for a couple of hours), how and when I efficiently burn fat for calories (zone 1 and 2 for me), along with my VO2 max. The latter is widely considered a good predictor of individual fitness, since it basically gauges your body’s ability to convert the air you breathe into oxygen, and then deliver it to your muscle fibers. To a lesser extent, VO2 max is also used to predict athletic performance, since higher VO2 max numbers increase the odds for successful physical activities.⁵ Last, but not least, I became aware of the boundary beyond which exercises become detrimental to my organism, due to significant increases in cortisol.

For me, my plateau was a combination of not providing enough rest for recovery, eating too little calories and over-exerting myself into zone 3 and 4 on a constant basis. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would have never believed that less lifting can actually lead me to better growth, given my circumstances. As a result, I settled on one zone 4 training per week, while incorporating one zone 3 and a session where I would alternate between zone 1 and 2. I’ve also made some changes to my diet, which, to my pleasure, brought in some more fat; not the bad kind, but rather the fats you’ll find in olive oil, avocadoes, flaxseeds, walnuts, salmon, or peanut butter. PB! Heavens, yes.

Unexpected and Actionable Results

If done by a professional, metabolic testing will almost always indicate underlying health issues, where this is the case. The most frequent issues that metabolic testing highlights are insulin resistance, anemia (related to your ability to deliver oxygen), or hormonal problems related to cortisol and thyroid function.

Should there be any, the red flags will prompt your assessor to refer you to a doctor for further investigations. The most common concerns seem to be very low metabolic rates, which may be an indication of a sluggish thyroid, and an inability to burn fat despite being very healthy, which usually prompts diabetes-related investigations. For men, low testosterone has great impact on their ability to burn calories and fat.⁶ In this case, there may be several natural ways to increase testosterone without the numerous side-effects of testosterone replacement theory (TRT).

Either way, knowing your RMA and AMA will give you more information about your inner self. It’s important that you keep in mind that these characteristics do not reflect badly upon you, since most of the variables are inherited, as I’ve mentioned before. The results just indicate what you have to deal with, which makes it possible to determine the best way to break your plateau.

More often than not, this personalized assessment is concluded with a definite “you’re working out too hard.” Most people who’ve reached a plateau usually do, whether it’s the cortisol from killer routines, the sheer intensity of their training triggering more carbohydrates, rather than fat, to be transformed into energy, or a combination of both.

The Metabolic Assessment Take-Away

Whether you’re a seasoned athlete looking for an edge, just starting your personal transformation, someone who likes being in shape, or a bodybuilder who’s hit a stubborn plateau, an assessment of your active and resting metabolic rate can be the key to running, lifting, and training better. These tests give you the necessary knowledge to adapt any fitness program to your own conditions, and show which areas might be particularly problematic for your physical health.

Never let yourself be disheartened because you’ve hit a wall in your progression, or because something seems downright impossible. Chances are, you have yet to uncover the bigger picture. With the help of RMA and AMA testing, it’s possible to keep track of your body’s ability to acquire nutrients and use them effectively. We could all benefit from this kind of self-knowledge, because knowing our metabolism empowers us to find the optimal way to reach our physical goals, regardless of what they may be. While metabolic testing is not particularly easy to come by at this point in time, the effort and expense are well worth it. Nothing good ever comes easy.

Photo by Bev Childress

The awesome thing is that, if you follow through with the suggestions from your metabolic test for a period of time, you will improve your RMA, as well as your overall fitness and health. Many of our issues are not overtly manifested in visible symptoms, which is why such testing is sometimes a crucial gauge of what is going on beneath the surface. In my case, looking under the hood helped me destroy the flatline I had encountered, which was already lowering my morale and chipping away at my motivation. It didn’t feel particularly flattering to find out what was going on with my metabolism, but the alternative was to keep jogging in place. So I just took the results, ran with them, and finally pushed through. I wish the same for you.

References:

1. Hans Kornberg, “Metabolism,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 22 November 2017, accessed December 10, 2017.

2. Klaas R. Westerterp, “Physical activity and physical activity induced energy expenditure in humans: measurement, determinants, and effects,” Frontiers in Physiology, no. 3 (2013):90, accessed December 10, 2017.

3. Denise Schwartz, “Resting Energy Expenditure ‘REE’,” VacuMed, accessed December 6, 2017.

4. Mark P. Kelly, “Resting Metabolic Rate: Best Ways to Measure It—And Raise It, Too,” ACE Fitness, accessed December 10, 2017.

5. “Oxygen Consumption,” UC Davis Health, accessed December 12, 2017.

6. Abdulmaged Traish, “Testosterone and weight loss: the evidence,” Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity, no. 21 (2014):313-322, accessed December 14, 2017.

The post Crack the Code of Your Metabolism appeared first on Breaking Muscle.