My yearly checkup yields some pretty good results. My cholesterol is low (below 120),my LDL is low, and my triglycerides are low. Other readings are good to excellent. My HDL, however, is a low normal. I have read that boosting testosterone may result in even lower HDL levels. I would like to use Alpha Male, but I am concerned that it might further lower my HDL. Any advice?
–START THURSDAY POSTS–
On Tuesday, shreddedmeat was concerned about messing up his healthy blood lipid profile with a testosterone-boosting supplement. Although I haven’t seen the amount of elevation this provides, I doubt it is enough to lower HDL. (Although some pre-post lab values would be necessary to know.) In fact, if I recall correctly, even the literature on exogenous testosterone per se (as opposed to other androgens/ steroids) suggests that it doesn’t lower HDL as much. There is a concomitant rise in estradiol that keeps HDL from falling sharply.
But maybe this is neither here nor there. I doubt we’re talking about huge rises (which shouldn’t be the purpose of such a testosterone-stimulating supplement anyway). High-normal T is a much wiser goal.
Read your latest article and was curious…
Anything new on CLA?
When will solid and conclusive evidance about this arrive?
-Get Lifted
Doc L,
I asked you a question about maximum caffine consumption when on a cut last prime-time.Now you mentioned about 100mg with your half-calf java for your own personal consumption.Am I to take this to mean that about 150mg a day on workout days a few times a week would be the max you would recomend then?
Thank’s Again
Dobermann
Get_Lifted,
Re: that article, I just posted this over on that thread but it’s worth posting here, too.
A few points in one big post:
1.) This article was meant as a wake up call regarding over-aggressive target date diets vs. diet planning for the long haul (try a search for that article). I also wanted to explore the pharmaceutical nature of dietary fat choices on adipocytes (body fat cells).
2.) Yes, there’s rodent data in the article. Much medicine and science are derived from such things but I still caution everyone that any suggestions are more “food for thought” than “go do this now…” I always point out the limitations of what I write; we all need to then decide how to best consider the info.
3.) Yes, the nature of body composition (muscle vs. fat here) can look like a “damned if you do/ don’t” situation. It’s about hormones and time - especially in natural athletes. I once had a sports nutrition prof tell me that muscle gain was simply a matter of eatng 3000 surplus kcal for each pound of muscle I wanted. Ugh. If it were only that easy. This leads us to…
4.) Mass buidling phases should probably NOT be interspersed with twice yearly harsh diets. It takes years for natural athletes to get true muscular thickness. Sometimes pics in mags can wrongly motivate a 160 lb. guy to get ripped ASAP vs. having patience.
5.) Try searching for the threaded discussions by Timbo on these Forums a while back. They were all about the paradoxical nature of muscularity vs. the oversimplified notion of positive or negative energy balance (EBAL) alone.
6.) I used to think that adipocyte hyperplasia only occurred during infant/ teen periods as well. Then the talk by (renown researcher) Victor Katch changed my mind a bit. Yo-yo diets also seem to affect this phenomenon. (see reference list) There’s no doubt that most changes we see are due to fat cell hypertrophy (incr. size) as opposed to rampant hyperplasia (incr. number) but it does happen to some extent after negative EBAL.
7.) If there’s a take home message, for normal weight readers it’s: Limit serious diet phases to every other year or so and unless you’re competing, limit them to mild drops (-5% body weight or minimum 6-8% relative fat).
More coming…
Get_Lifted,
Regarding CLA, as I put in the article, we’re still waiting for substantial human data. For something that has soo much promising animal data behind it, the scientific culture surrounding CLA seems mostly content with rats (mice have more problems with it)… or perhaps it’s just hesitance to get into large scale human trials. The relatively few human studies now completed show us to be “hypo-responders” (experiencing lesser effects than the almost miraculous rat data). The truth is, whether it’s isolated isomers or mixtures of CLA or omega-3 fats or oleic acid or whatever, we need to remember that all fatty acids have pharmacologic effects.
Doberman,
Actually individual differences are so high, I can’t give a specific upper limit for everybody. It wouldn’t be responsible of me. (Sorry.)
There is research involving human intake of up to 8 or 9mg caffeine/kg body weight (640-720mg for a 176 lb. guy! That’s about 2-3 Vivarin + a cup of coffee! Ahh! That would send me into a cardiac arrythmia or something. (Defintely not recommended!)
Yet some guys barely feel even moderately-high doses of caffeine and have few/ no cardiovascular (or other) side effects. I guess, on average, one caffeine tab (200mg) with a cup of coffee during a “pre-workout ritual” (~ an hour before exercise) is potent but reasonable for most guys.
Again, I wouldn’t fall into a habit of consuming caffeine all day long; using it heavily as a crutch does have it’s price.
Hey Lowery, just a few things.
-
In an interview Poliquin mentioned using upwards of 30 grams of glutamine PWO for glycogen replenishment in fat(er) individuals. How the heck can high levels of glutamine lead to increased glycogen stores?
-
I have seen a few studies that mention long chain polyunsaturated fats(including omega 3’s) are preferentially oxidized for energy use as far as types of fat go. Have you seen any data to indicate this is true? Kinda makes me wonder if taking fish oils by themselves is all that good of an idea. Maybe one should take it w/ food to make sure it isnt used as an energy source?
-
Have you heard of any natural supplements that help decrease the amounts a person urinates? My water intake isnt that high but I easily piss 10+ times a day. When you are working outside this can be a problem
( needless to say)
I apologize if this question has been asked before but I’m in a hurry and what to get my question in for tonight’s Prime Time.
LL what are the major differences between using Grow! with milk or water? I’ve been using milk with my Grow! for my morning breakfast. To go along with 1/2 c oatmeal w/ blueberries, c green tea, 3 fish oil capsules.
Hi Helix,
See below in bold…
Helix wrote:
Hey Lowery, just a few things.
-
In an interview Poliquin mentioned using upwards of 30 grams of glutamine PWO for glycogen replenishment in fat(er) individuals. How the heck can high levels of glutamine lead to increased glycogen stores?
Glutamine interacts with the Krebs Cycle (the circular oxidative pathway within cells’ mitochondria) in such a way that it “joins in” as alpha-ketoglutarate. The Krebs Cycle (TCA) is anapleurotic and needs carbon influx to keep “turning”. At times glycogen can be sacrificed to feed in carbons but instead glutamine can donate them. And Gln cabons then find their way into new glycogen formation. Hey, you asked!
-
I have seen a few studies that mention long chain polyunsaturated fats(including omega 3’s) are preferentially oxidized for energy use as far as types of fat go. Have you seen any data to indicate this is true? Kinda makes me wonder if taking fish oils by themselves is all that good of an idea. Maybe one should take it w/ food to make sure it isnt used as an energy source?
I wouldn’t worry about timing too much. Long chain n-3 fatty acids are more likely to end up in cell membranes and can even “bump out” other fatty acids like arachidonic acid. If you’re concerned, they can be taken with dinner when fat oxidation is lower. -
Have you heard of any natural supplements that help decrease the amounts a person urinates? My water intake isnt that high but I easily piss 10+ times a day. When you are working outside this can be a problem
( needless to say)
Well, I can’t give specific advice but drinking a lot = peeing a lot, usually. IIRC, ~8 times daily is normal. We wouldn’t want to reduce urination unnaturally. Some conditions like diabetes increase thirst and urination, though. And prostate issues can increase urgency, too - but I don’t want to worry you. (Although if you consider it a real symptom, go to your family MD.)
Hope this general info helps, remember despite my degrees, I’m not a physician, okay?
Okay, last post is for provy…
This is very close to my usual breakfast! Milk provides added nutrients including lactose (milk sugar), which not everyone wants. In fact, sometimes I inadvertently consume too many carbs as lactose because I over-focus on milk’s protein content. If the milk contains fat (e.g. 2% or whole) the added fat could slow gastric emptying. Milk has a low glycemic index anyway.
As a pre/mid/post workout drink I like my protein in plenty of (somewhat sugary) water, just to keep things emptying from the gut quickly. But breakfast shakes with milk are fine for most guys. We don’t want to obsess over minutia.
[quote]provy07 wrote:
I apologize if this question has been asked before but I’m in a hurry and what to get my question in for tonight’s Prime Time.
LL what are the major differences between using Grow! with milk or water? I’ve been using milk with my Grow! for my morning breakfast. To go along with 1/2 c oatmeal w/ blueberries, c green tea, 3 fish oil capsules. [/quote]
Good night, all.
LL