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Article Title:
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Is There Any Supplements Research To Look Forward To?

Article Description:
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It does seem like there has been a lull in new and useful
research looking at building muscle, but it does exist. Research
looking into fat loss has been a lot more interesting and there
may be some very interesting natural and pharmaceutical drugs
coming out in the very near future.


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1226 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Distribution Date and Time: 2006-05-19 11:24:00

Written By: Will Brink
Copyright: 2006
Contact Email: mailto:articles@...

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Is There Any Supplements Research To Look Forward To?
Copyright © 2006 Will Brink
Brink Zone
http://www.brinkzone.com



Q: Dear Will, I have noticed there has not been much for
breakthroughs on the supplement front as far as weight loss of
supplements for gaining muscle. Is there anything on the research
front that we have to look forward to that may be the next big
break through?

Stan Wesson, Jersey City, NJ

A: Dear Stan, It does seem like there has been a lull in new and
useful research looking at building muscle, but it does exist.
Research looking into fat loss has been a lot more interesting
and there may be some very interesting natural and pharmaceutical
drugs coming out in the very near future. For example, a new
compound called oleylethanolamide or OEA for short looks
promising. A recent study published in the journal Nature
(2001;414:209-212) looked at OEA, which is a compound produced in
the small intestine in response to food and may be a key to
permanent fat loss and appetite control

As expected, researchers are looking to produce synthetic
versions to mimic OEA that may be more potent and resist being
broken down by the body which would give them a longer biological
activity. Most interesting perhaps, the effects of OEA appear to
be quite different from other appetite suppressants.

Most natural and pharmaceutical made appetite suppressants work
at the level of the brain. However, and most interesting, OEA did
not have the same effect on appetite when injected into the rats
brains, which suggests that OEA acts on the brain indirectly.
This is important as it may be yet another pathway to explore in
appetite suppression and may have less side effects than many
drugs that work directly via the brain.

The recent study in Nature found rats injected with OEA ate
significantly less food and gain weight at a slower pace than
rats not given OEA. It also appears OEA is regulated by food
intake as rats that were given less food had lower levels of OEA.
This lead the researchers to conclude that OEA is involved in
appetite control and satiety (i.e., feelings of fullness).
Further studies will now investigate exactly how OEA works and of
course see if OEA works as well in humans.

Another one is the recent discovery that the gene PPAR-gamma,
when activated, appears to be the final stage of fat production.
The work was done by Bruce Spiegelman, a professor of cell
biology at Harvard Medical School, and was published in a recent
issue of the journal Genes and Development. According to Dr.
Spiegelman in a recent interview for Harvard Magazine, "Although
many factors affect fat genesis, it ultimately comes down to the
amount and activity of PPAR-gamma. You can call it the master
regulator of turning uncommitted or unspecialized cells into fat
cells." Could a magic pill be developed to block the activity of
PPAR-gamma and render all diets and exercise obsolete? According
to Dr. Spiegalman, the answer is probably no.

Again, human metabolism is far more complicated than that, and in
truth, the production of fat is ultimately an issue of energy
balance not just fat storage. Also, many people are under the
false impression that fat, in particular fat cells, are just dead
weight and play no role in human health and metabolism. People
think of they could just get rid of all their fat cells, life
would be great. Wrong. Recent research is finding that fat cells
directly regulate-in conjunction with an incredibly complex
feedback mechanism-our entire metabolisms.

Humans born without fat cells suffer from swollen, diseased
livers, and Spiegelman's lab has made genetically engineered
mice that lacked fat cells. They turn out to be very sick animals
with fat filled organs, especially the liver. Dr. Speiegelman
points out that if there are not enough fat cells available for
energy storage, the fat simply accumulates somewhere else. It can
damage organs by building up in the liver, blood vessels, or
pancreas.

So, it appears blocking PPAR-gamma, via some drug or what ever,
may be a bad idea. However, some partial block may prove to be
both safe and effective, and you can be sure researchers are
looking for that golden goose as we speak. How does one naturally
down regulate PPAR-gamma? I don't know if any supplements at
this time that will have that effect (though I suspect Omega-3
lipids may do it), I suspect the answer to naturally down
regulating PPAR-gamma will be the same answer under everyone's
nose as it always has: don't eat so freakin much food and get
off the couch!
On the health front, PPAR-gamma may also have direct connections
to diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

Recent research reveals that PPAR-gamma is the target of drugs
currently given to more than a million diabetics, but the role of
PPAR-gamma in insulin sensitivity, has not been fully elucidated.
Interestingly the anti-diabetes drug rosiglitazone is being tried
on prostate cancer patients to see if it can prevent progression
of the disease. Scientists have found that switching PPAR-gamma
production off stops fat cell production, but switching
PPAR-gamma on reduces tumor growth in several different cancers
including prostate cancer. Could drugs that all ready appear to
affect PPAR-gamma, such as rosiglitazone, be the next big find in
bodybuilding and longevity? The answer is far from known, but it
should turn out to be very interesting research in the next few
years.

Let's not forget leptin, which continues to be a hormone of
great interest to researchers regarding its many effects on the
metabolism. Another hormone that is getting a great deal of
attention right now, and rightly so, is Ghrelin. Ghrelin may
prove to be a most interesting hormone and a true anabolic
hormone, but it will take some time to sort it all out. One
recent study called "Ghrelin---not just another stomach
hormone" (Wang G, Lee HM, Englander E, Greeley GH." Regul Pept
2002 May 15;105(2):75-81) suggests Ghrelin has effects on GH.
Below is the abstract:

"Growth hormone (GH) secretagogues (GHSs) are non-natural,
synthetic substances that stimulate GH secretion via a
G-protein-coupled receptor called the GHS-receptor (GHS-R). The
natural ligand for the GHS-R has been identified recently; it is
called ghrelin. Ghrelin and its receptor show a widespread
distribution in the body; the greatest expression of ghrelin is
in stomach endocrine cells. Administration of exogenous ghrelin
has been shown to stimulate pituitary GH secretion, appetite,
body growth and fat deposition.

Ghrelin was probably designed to be a major anabolic hormone.
Ghrelin also exerts several other activities in the stomach. The
findings that ghrelin is produced in mucosal endocrine cells of
the stomach and intestine, and that ghrelin is measurable in the
general circulation indicate its hormonal nature. A maximal
expression of ghrelin in the stomach suggests that there is a
gastrointestinal hypothalamic-pituitary axis that influences GH
secretion, body growth and appetite that is responsive to
nutritional and caloric intakes."

That's just the tip of the iceberg looking at a wide range of
hormones that may turn out to build muscle, take off bodyfat,
prevent various diseases, etc. However, we have all seen the news
over some big discovery over the latest greatest hormone, only to
have it be a big bust when they try it out on humans. Though I am
sure some day that magic pill everyone wants will be a reality,
it will probably be further in the future than we would like.




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Will Brink writes for numerous health, fitness, medical, and
bodybuilding publications. His articles can be found in Life
Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise
For Men Only, Oxygen, Women's World, The Townsend Letter For
Doctors and many more. His website is http://www.brinkzone.com

Muscle Building Nutrition
http://musclebuildingnutrition.com
A complete guide bodybuilding supplements and eating to gain
lean muscle

Diet Supplements Revealed
http://aboutsupplements.com
A review of diet supplements and guide to eating for maximum
fat loss


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