Written by Douglas Kalman MS, RD, FACN
30 October 2006

Fighting Andropause, Carbs and Fat

 

            As a bodybuilder, or someone who just plain loves to train and live the lifestyle, do you ever find yourself getting stressed about gains or plateaus in the gym? Does the change (or lack of it) in your physical appearance get at ya? Are there days you ask yourself if it's all worth it? Sure, we all have times of self-doubt or times when we question the foundation of our core beliefs. This is natural. After all, if you didn't question yourself or society at large, wouldn't you just be one of the sheep? Maybe some new science information will be just the thing to help get you off the couch and out to the gym on a day when the doldrums seem to have taken over.

 

   Are You Androgen Deficient?

               If you live in Massachusetts, the chances of you being low in the testosterone tank appear to be higher than in the rest of the United States. What makes Bostonians such wimps? They finally have a World Championship (the Red Sox still stink) and the Patriots are clearly in charge of the NFL, so what can it be? The University of Massachusetts has been conducting the Massachusetts Male Aging Study and has recently identified that men between the ages of 40 and 69 were more than 12 percent likely to be rubber... I mean low in testosterone. In fact, it appears that based on the findings of this study, there are about 2.4 million men in this country who should be receiving male hormone replacement. If you're over 40, have your total and free testosterone levels tested and tell your doctor to read the study (J Clin Endocrin Metab 2004;89(12):5920-5926). It's a damn shame that about 481,000 males on a yearly basis develop "andropause." Ya think anything can be done (wink, wink)?
 
               Craving Carbs?
               A new study on the dietary supplement DioleanTM has found that this tea extract/mate and caffeine-based product reduces cravings and actual intake of carbohydrate- or fat-based foods. Over an eight-week period, people who took DioleanTM lost almost seven pounds (with no real exercise or other diet intervention). Dr. Greenway and colleagues at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center reported that this supplement reduced food intake and bodyweight. The study presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (Las Vegas, Nev., Nov., 2004; Abstract P-350) holds promise, but more research is needed. It probably cannot hurt to try a supplement like this or a CraveBustersTM- type product, if you're a carbohydrate craver who is looking to lose weight.

 

Androstenedione for Her?

            Yes, it is true, President Bush has signed into law that all (well, many) "pro-hormones" are now considered scheduled drugs and that none of these are available for retail here in the U.S. But that doesn't mean these cannot be sold in another country (Greece anyone? How about Mexico or Italy or Norway?) and that they might not have some gender-specific uses. For example, a recent study found that just one dose of 100 milligrams of androstenedione in young women resulted in an increase in conversion of the androstenedione to testosterone by 12.5 percent while testosterone itself rose 16-fold. A 16-fold increase in testosterone over a 24-hour measuring period is huge. Thus, it would appear that when one examines this study (J Clin Endrocrin Metab 2004;89(12):6030-6038) in conjunction with earlier published reports, one sees the better potential for andro to be used to assist in muscle growth or hardening is in women, not men. Well, as Dr. Carlon Colker said many years ago, it's all about "energetic favorability" and in the biochemical sense, it's easier for andro to become testosterone in women than in men.

 

 Sleep Less, Get Fat?

            A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (2004;141(11):846-850) found that when people sleep less, they essentially can get fatter. Let's think about this; why would not getting a normal amount of sleep affect bodyweight (or potentially, body fat levels)? The reason is simple. The body becomes stressed when not being able to "decompress" (rest). If you're stressed, your cortisol levels shoot up, your leptin levels may decline and your hunger signal (one of many) ghrelin sky rockets to peaks only seen before by mountain climbers. In a two-year crossover study, those who slept on average four hours, as compared to those who slumbered for 10 hours, ate more (especially sweets like cookies, candy and Coke) than those who were well-rested. The analogy to the study is that many bodybuilders, especially those who live a late-night lifestyle, or those who are pre-contest, may be hurting their "slimming and cutting" chances if not getting adequate rest. We now have proof that sleep deprivation affects metabolic hormones and these hormones are related to appetite levels and ultimately, food intake. The take- home message: Get your sleep!

 

                Compounding Pharmacies (Easier to Get "T"?) 

               If you live in or near Sante Fe, New Mexico, get ready to have your androgen levels tested, stress hormones balanced and to receive education from a friendly pharmacy. More specifically, Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, which specializes in educating customers to better understand prescription and complementary medicine, will open next to Trader Joe's at 530 W. Cordova. Specialized services at Pharmaca will include prescription compounding, veterinary compounding, prescription fulfillment, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, herbal medicine, homeopathy, aromatherapy and premier skin care lines. Pharmaca's professional staff is also skilled at compounding medicines (personalized medicines for private use). If this interests you, look up Pharmaca as they have 11 stores throughout the U.S.
 
               Got a Migraine?
               The migraine medication Topiramate (TopaMax®) has side effects, among which is weight loss. Johnson & Johnson has been conducting clinical trials of various new formulations of TopaMax® in order to develop it as a weight loss medication. To date, the data looks very, very promising for both effectiveness and for reduced side effects (other than weight loss). In a study just published, TopaMax given at either 96 or 192 milligrams per day (versus placebo) resulted in a 15.4 percent weight loss for the 96-milligram group, 16.5 percent weight loss for the 192-milligram; group and 8.9 percent for the placebo group. Therefore, the TopaMax product resulted in about twice the weight loss of dieting alone over a 44-week period. The topiramate was considered to be generally well tolerated and is slated for further development as a weight loss aid.
 
               Meridia® or Xenical®... or Both?
               Recently, a research group from Turkey wanted to see if stacking the weight loss medication Meridia® with the weight loss/diabetes medication Xenical® would have any synergistic powers (Endocr Res 2004;30(2):159-167). The study utilized a three-group approach: Meridia®, Xenical® or a combo of the two for a six-month period. All study participants received the same type of diet. In short, the study found that diet plus Meridia® and diet plus Xenical® plus Meridia® were both better for weight loss than Xenical® alone. However, the combo therapy was not really any better than Meridia® alone. Thus, Meridia® seems like the better of these two choices.