22mayQAsNutritionDec06

Q&As: Ask the Nutritionist (Last updated: 26 Dec 2006)
If you have a question on supplement, nutrition or training to ask, email to
questions@ultimatesg.com

Q) What do you think of the supplement from Shark?
Like Shark Cartilage and Shark liver oil.
A) That was a long time ago, Shark Cartilage
supplements was under the publicity of a popular
book called "Sharks don't get cancer". But the truth is
Sharks probably do get cancers. I also used to laugh
at an advertisement of Shark cartilage supplement, it
said "Shark Fin in a Capsule". The best way to eat
Shark Fin is probably to drink shark fin soup with
some vinegar and pepper, absolutely delicious.
Basically, I am not aware of any health benefit from
taking Shark cartilage other than that little bit of
Glucosamine in it that is too little much difference. As
for Shark liver oil, its active constitute is a stuff called
Squalene. I am not aware of any reputable published
health benefit of taking Squalene, it is in fact a
precursor which our bodies use to manufacture
cholesterol.

Q) What does it mean to be a Creatine
non-respondent?
A) As great as Creatine Monohydrate is as the most
effective bodybuilding supplement till today, creatine
works for 80% of the people in studies. The other
20% are termed by researchers as non-respondents.
Reasons speculated are as follow: 1) they may
already have high amount of muscle Creatine to
begin with, 2) they are not training hard enough for
their bodies to benefit maximally, 3) their training is
more aerobic in nature and they seldom work to
failure or simply means they are not training with
enough intensity, 4) their biological make-up could
not utilise Creatine from supplements properly, 5)
they are not taking the correct dosage or taking
Creatine correctly.

Q) Why would one need to take a gainer? Wouldn't
taking a whey protein with some stuff like oats or
biscuits the same?
A) Yes, taking whey or other protein powders with
some carbo containing food will make a decent
bodybuilding meal. As I have defined before gainer
should be a quality one without too much carb and be
minimal in fat. A quality gainer offers something, that
is convenience and very "clean" calories. In our busy
lifestyle, taking out our limited time to train for health
and looking good can sometime be taxing and eating
at the right time can add on to more hassle. This is
when a drink that is stable, smooth, easy to
prepare/consume and contains the right ratio of
protein and carb can be very useful, well at times, at
least. Or sometimes, for a change.

Q) I read that Alanine is the hottest supplement in
USA right now. Which brand is the best and what's so
great about it?
A) You are right, L-form Amino acids are making a
comeback from what I heard. A big comeback I
believe. Alanine is an amino acid and together with
another amino acid Histidine, they form a di-peptide
amino acid called Carnosine. Carnosine is an
interesting compound which have great application to
bodybuilding. It offers several benefits, 1) buffering of
pH in muscles, 2) an effective anti-oxidant in muscles
and brain, 3) slow down aging of body cells.

Q) How much CLA will you recommend to improve
Leptin resistance?
A) I recommend 6g of CLA a day for a month and after
condition improve, take 3 g a day for maintenance.
The more fat a person carry, the more insulin
resistance, the better CLA will work on that person.

Q) I have quite a bit of fats around my waist, how
much cardio should I do a week? Should I do more sit
ups?
A) A lot of people will tell you that you should do more
jogging. Personally, I am not a big fan of cardio. I
believe one should train weights with higher volume
(each session should last at least 60 mins and
preferably 90 minutes), in addition there should be
with at least non-stop 30 minutes of abdominals 3-4
times a week.

Q) Any updates on CLA and fish oil combination that
you mentioned previously?
A) CLA is useful to keep appetite under control when
a person tend to eat more under stress. It actually
reduces the amount of Leptin produce from fat cells
and increase insulin sensitivity so that muscles
becomes more efficient at taking up nutrients for body
protein formation. With the reduction of insulin level,
the level of growth hormone which increase the
burning of fat can be increased. This is why CLA has
a body partitioning effect. CLA has also been found to
unclog blood vessels to improve blood circulation.

Fish oil on the other hand reduce inflammation. With
insulin resistance, fat cells become inflamed. The
more inflammation in fat cells the more depress
growth hormone release will be. This will interfere
with body fat burning.

It is important to take 200iu to 400iu of vitamin E daily
when using CLA to protect them from rancidity in the
body.

Q)I have been working out for a yr and gained 30 lbs
of muscles. I have tried Whey, Multi vits, Tribulus, ATP
and currently i have started Vanadyl Sulfate and a
Testosterone boosting formula. I am wondering if
taking Creatine can work well with ATP?

Another thing is Vanadyl Sulfate, I and a friend of mine
just got it and tried it for about 10 days, i take 50 mg of
it everyday and it did not work for us. Can we up the
dosage to 100 mg a day and see amazing pumps.
Will it be toxic if we take so much?

About Testo-boosting and Tribulus, what do you think
of them? I am wondering if Tribulus really can
increase test level or not.. Sorry for asking a lot of
questions and i really appreciate your help.

A) I am actually surprised to hear you get good results
from ATP, cos it will definitely breakdown in digestive
system before it can be absorbed. In fact scientists
were doing lots of research on ATP since the 60's and
find that it cannot work except if it is injected into the
body. Creatine on the other hand can be absorbed by
the oral route and has hundreds of research to back it
up. To put more energy in your muscles Creatine
Monohydrate is the way to go.

Vandyl is touted to improved your pump like crazy. I
have not hear about anyone who get such results and
it has in fact zero research to back up its claim. A very
hype up supplement in the 90's, I am surprised it is
still in the market and it is still promoted like it is in the
90's.

Herbal products that are claim to boost testosterone
level are untrue as not even the highest quality
Chinese Ginseng (the king of herb in Chinese 5000
years of herbal science) can do so. Tribulus has very
scant research done by the same company that
market Tribulus and was not published in any
reputable journal. Tribulus was in fact also found in
China and in the 5000 years of Chinese herbalology
record, there is no findings that Tribulus can boost
male performance in any way. If it has such a
property, there is sure to be some records of it. There
are some records that Ying Yang Huo (aka horny goat
weed) may have some boosting effect on libido. I
have personally try Tribulus before and I feel nothing
whatsoever. Heavy, high rep squats will boost your
testosterone much more.

Q) Yes, ATP does not work if it gets into the stomach.
That is why ATP is taken under the tongue
(sublingual), that is, we hav eto dissolve itunder the
tongue thus allowing the body to absorb it without
getting it into the stomach. So, i guess i have wasted
money on Vanadyl and thanks again for your reply.

A) I doubt sublingual is for real, cos it is not
documented in any scientific journals. And if it is real
people would have use it to take androstenedione or
illegal steroid compounds to bypass the liver.

This is why I think ATP Pill is a big snake oil.

Q) Is it true that if I use fat burners continuously their
effect will wear off? What can I do to prevent this?
A) Yes, the effects will be attenuated with continuous
usage. Fat burning ingredients can be divided into 2
classes. One class that has a stimulant effect, that
speeds up metabolic rate. Another class which
enhanced metabolism. For the first class, I highly
recommend you to cycle them and take them
sparingly. Currently, I believe cycling for example,
caffeine first day, tyrosine second day and avoid them
on non training days. Take them in the morning and
before training. For the second class like Green tea
extract, Calcium and CLA, you should take them
everyday. Remember the way you train is more
important to improve your body's efficiency on appetite
control and utilisation of body fat, supplements are
there to enhance the results.

Q) I am not getting a lot of result from CLA
supplementation? Is it a worthless fat loss
supplement? Should I switch to other supplements?
A) CLA is a fat that occurs naturally in dairy products
and meat from cows that graze on grass. The latest
research indicates that CLA is not a worthless fat loss
supplement. CLA excels in the areas of suppressing
against stress-eating, heightening appetite control
while increasing the burning of fat as fuel. Effective
dosage range from 3-6 grams daily. The more
overweight a person is, the better CLA will work for the
person. CLA improves the way our body processes fat
ana protein, improve insulin resistance so that more
calories are channelled to the muscles than stored in
fat cells. Basically, CLA is valuable to set the body
back to the correct rhythm of utilising nutrients and
calories, together with a hosts of health benefits. CLA
can also be used very effective with pure long chain
Omega 3 fish oil which I will report in a short while.
Stay tuned.

Q) I find it hard to believe that Calcium is now touted
as an important weight loss nutrients. How can that
be the case?
A) You must have noticed that it is so easy for most of
us to grow fat and overeat. Human has evolved in an
environment where it is common that we did not have
enough food. As a result we developed lots of signal
mechanisms to turn on appetite and few to turn off
appetite. Calcium is found to blunt one of the
regulatory signals in the body that amplifies the
appetite sensation,

If you have heard of Calcium and its role of lowering
blood pressure, this is because adequate calcium
intake reduce the production of adrenaline to relax the
blood vessels. This effect that led to high blood
pressure is linked to the that leading to obesity,
Excessive adrenaline production caused fat utilisation
mechanism from fat cells to mess up. With the
relaxation effect of Calcium, it helps sleep quality.
Sleep is the most important time for the body to burn
fat, if things are done correctly.

Above (Product X): Whey not
instanised properly. Float on top
after being added.

Above (Product X): After stirring
for 30 seconds vigorously in
125mL of room temperature
water. Lots of undissolved
clumps and globs....

Compare this with
Below: ISS
Research....
Complete Whey

Above (ISS Research Complete
Whey): After stirring for just 5-10
seconds vigorously in 125mL of
room temperature water. No
clumps, no globs, completely
dissolved! Super smooth! Full
details below.