</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Spencer @ May 31 2002,12:03)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Hi Bryan, good to see your posts here. IMO, Udo's Choice Oil Blend is the perfect source of EFAs. Why only CLA? wouldnt having a variety of oils in predetermined ratio be better than just CLA?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
If Udo's is your only source of fat in the diet, it’s great. I tend to get some fat of various kinds in the food I eat so the "ideal ratio" of fats in Udo's is no longer ideal when combined with the other fats in my diet. Instead I just want to add some that I may be low in. CLA I take only for its effects on PPARs.
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"> And, though Hmb MAY work, I dont think the effects are noticeable or well worth the money spent (since it is very expensive to be used regularly). What do you think and also what do you mean by it is well suited for HST but not other traditional training methods?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
It all depends on what "work" you are expecting it to do. The same goes for "noticeable effects".
HMB appears to be converted mostly to beta-hydroxy-beta-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG-CoA). HMG-CoA is then used to make cholesterol within cells. This is important for muscle cells in that they cannot use cholesterol from the blood.
Here is where much of the misunderstanding about HMB comes in. HMB has NOT been shown to directly inhibit protein breakdown, and certainly does not cause protein synthesis. A study done in 1997 looked at the effects of giving lambs high doses of HMB (Br J Nutr. 1997 Jun;77(6):885-96). To their surprise, HMB did not have any effect on protein catabolism or anabolism. In essence, HMB didn’t do squat under normal conditions.
So, if you are expecting HMB to "build" muscle you are going to be disappointed. If the "noticeable effect" you are looking for is anabolism, you are going to be disappointed.
However you’ll notice that the fate of ingested HMB is mainly to be converted to HMG-CoA, a substrate for cholesterol synthesis. It appears that cholesterol synthesis may be a rate-limiting step in membrane repair after intense training.
HMB significantly decreased the exercise-induced rise in muscle breakdown as measured by urine 3-methylhistidine and CK during the first 2 wk of exercise. In the studies showing an effect of HMB on muscle breakdown, the differences between the HMB group and the placebo group tend to decline over a period of about 3-4 weeks until at about 4-5 weeks there is no difference in the above markers of damage, including 3-MH. This reflects the fact that, if the cholesterol mechanism is true, HMB serves to facilitate rates of growth only when membrane integrity is a limiting factor. This generally occurs during the first two to three weeks of a new or unaccustomed exercise program. After that, muscles become resistant to further damage (repeated bout effect, or rapid training effect) induced by that particular program (loading regimen) and HMB supplementation loses its usefulness.
HST is characterized by a constant increase in load following a period of Strategic Deconditioning. Therefore, when followed with the appropriate frequency, you stay just ahead of the structural recovery curve. This keeps you constantly in a state of muscle damage. This appears to be the only time when HMB is useful.
In traditional routines you use the same weight until you can add more because your strength has increased. I’ve seen guys use the same weight on their lifts workout after workout for months or even years at a time. Their muscle tissue is tuff as shoe leather and there virtually NO structural damage to the tissue after any workout. They simply walk out of the gym with their butt kicked but with no new muscle to show for it…for months at a time! HMB facilitates “recovery” from frequent heavy bouts of training typical of HST. I have experienced increased exercise tolerance when using it. No I didn’t measure anything, I just felt better and stronger with fewer aches and pains.
I haven’t even began to talk about the benefits of the calcium in HMB with respect to fat cell metabolism: (J Am Coll Nutr. 2002 Apr;21(2):146S-151S.; FASEB J. 2000 Jun;14(9):1132-8.; FASEB J. 2001 Feb;15(2):291-3.; J Am Coll Nutr. 2001 Oct;20(5 Suppl):428S-435S; discussion 440S-442S.)
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">As for Ipriflavone and methoxy-7 , i think there are no well documented research done on humans using flavones to see whether does it aid in hypertrophy and worse still, Ipriflavone might be toxic. You mentioned for effects on calcium and tendons, does it work and is it worth the money? Wouldn’t taking enough calcium be more cost effective?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
I don’t take it (when I take it) for its purported effects on muscle (see previous post). I take it because it has been demonstrated to reduce collagen protein breakdown. Ipriflavone also increases calcium uptake from the gut. Those are the only two reasons I use it. As for toxicity, it has been shown to affect the immune system to a non-significant degree. For those concerned about this effect they should not take it.