Natural Sildenafil & Testosterone Alternatives: Pedalium Murex & Paederia Foetida +150% Testosterone and +200% Erectile Function. Plus: Icariin, Aromatase & Stronger Bones. Probiotics, Phytosterols & Thyroid Activity.

If the Aliens have seen these Bugarash apocalypse pilgrims, they have probably turned tail and fled ;-)

I guess the SuppVersity figure of the week was a date "12/21/2012", I mean this is a once in a life-time event! Or do you really believe there will be another chance for mankind to be snatched from the jaws of extinction?

Ok, enough of the sarcasm, the world is still there and the SuppVersity is still operating, so let's get to the not so short On Short Notice items for today.

If there had been more room in the headline I would probably have labeled it "Endocrine Special" and I guess once you have gone through the posts, you will agree that this would certainly have made sense.

• Traditional treatment of osteopenia with Epimedium brevicornum works, 'cause it's a potent aromatase promoter (Yang. 2012) -- When a group of researchers from the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the School of Chinese Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Chengdu, China, set out to investigate the mechanism behind the anti-osteoporotic effects of the dried leave extract from Epimedium brevicornum, they already suspected that it would probably be related to some sort of endocrine modulation.
  
  

  

  Figure 1: In vitro effect of Forskolin and Icariin on aromatase expression in KGN cells (Yang. 2012)

  With estrogen deficiency being the major cause of osteoporosis, a disease which does by the way affect over 200 million people worldwide (Riggs. 1998), being their the most likely mechanism behind the bone building and bone mineral density (BMD) protective effects, it was obvious to study, whether there was some sort of interaction between the extract and the data in figure 1 shows that Yang et al. were right to do so (note: the cell line used in the study was a KGN granulosa cell that's closely associated with the developing female oocyte, so effects could vary from one tissue to the other)
  
  Now all that certainly sounds as if this was bad stuff no sane male human being should be taking. Luckily, for many of you, my fellow men, who may have been exposed to Epimidium / Icariin from various supplements, this is not the case. Why? Simply because estrogen is not the enemy and Epimidium has not only been found to have anti-aging effects (whole extracts; Yan. 2009), it also prevents neurotoxicity from beta-amyloid plague the key feature of Alzheimer's and similar diseases (Zeng. 2010; listen to Thursday's Science Round-Up for other amyloid beta inhibitors / protectant's) and the neurotoxic effects of excess corticosteroids (Liu. 2011). In addition, Epimidium pubescen flavenoids have been shown to reverse the negative effects even passive exposure to cigarette smoke may have on the bone mineral density of male rats (Gao. 2012) and Icariin the common denominator in all of the members of the Epimidium family exerts direct proliferative and thus pro-fertility effects on the sertoli cells in male rodents (Nan. 2012).
  
  

  

  Table 1: Analysis of Chinese Epimidium species (MDida. 2010)

  Ah, and last but not least the beneficial effect Horny Goat Weed (likewise one of the members of the Epimidium family) has on male libido are likely partly a result of the increased aromatase activity, as well. If it works for you, your estrogen levels are probably pretty low to begin with (this reasoning is based on the profound beneficial effects of estrogen on male libido in men expressing little to no aromatase enzyme; Carani. 1999).

• Pedalium murex Linn. fruits may not be as potent acute libido and erectile performance enhancers as sildenafil, but the effects accumulate and persist just as its unique testosterone boosting effects (Sharma. 2012) -- In case taking a potential proestrogenic compound like Horny Goat is nothing you feel would do anything good for your libido, you may want to use some Pedalium murex Linn. in traditional Indian medicinea herb that has been used in traditional Indian medicine for centuries to treat male sexual dysfunction and impotency.
  

  

  Figure 2: Effects of different doses of an ethanolic extract from Pedalium murex (P.m.) and Sildenafil citrate (5mgkg) on penile erection scores and post ejaculatory interval (time it takes to be able to have sex again) exrpessed relative to saline treated control (based on Sharma. 2012)

  As the data in figure 2 shows, its effects on erectile performance are slightly less pronounced than those of sildenafil citrate, but at an appropriate dosage and after some time, it will probably do its job sufficiently for most men with respective problems. What's really exiting though, is that the data in figure 3 clearly shows that it does so not by simple nitric oxide effects (P. murex at 10 mg/
  ml exhibited a relative nitric oxide release of 15.3 mM as compared to a nitric oxide release of 39.3472.7 mM with sildenafil citrate), but probably (also) by boosting testosterone levels. 
  
  

  

  Figure 3: Serum testosterone levels during and after Pedalium murex or Sildenafil citrate administration expressed relative to saline control (Sharma. 2012)

  Since the testosterone levels remained elevated for 14 days after the treatment was seized these observations make P. murex a potential candidate for the next best natty test booster.to be powered by advertisement lines like "up to 125% increase in testosterone that last for more than 2 weeks" even when you take some time off. I guess, the only serious downside here is the close relation of P. murex to the notoriously useless Tribulus, which does also contain furostanol glycosides. Luckily Magnle and Jolley found another potentially active ingredient in P. murex fruit. The compound goes by the name diosgenin and appears to be a direct precursor for the synthesis of sex hormones including testosterone (Mangle. 1998).
  
  Since I don't think you will have to wait very long until the first major players in the supplement business will jump on this bandwagon - you know that a single rodent study is enough to make fortune until people realize that this stuff does not work, at all - you will probably soon be able to test it on yourself. In case you intend to do that, you should certainly look for a standardized ethanolic extract with ~20%+ of diosgenin (that was the content of the extract Sharma et al. used) and a serving size of 16.2mg/kg per body weight, the HED of the 100mg/kg group (that would be 1,300mg /day of the extract for an 80kg adult).

• Paederia foetida Linn. (P. foetida) yet another Indian libido and testosterone boosting herb (Soni. 2012) -- If you like the appeal of exclusiveness a climbing plant found in the Central and Eastern Himalayas, at elevations of up to 5000 ft, you may prefer the an ethanol extract of Paederia foetida Linn. (P. foetida) leaves over the previously discussed Pedalium murex fruit extract.
  
  

  

  Figure 4: Penile erection index and testosterone levels of rats after 15 and 28 days on P. foetida, data expressed relative to saline control (Soni. 2012)

  According to a recent study from the same group of Indian scientists (yet a different lead author), the effects of P. foetida and P. murex are in fact virtually identical. While the general protocol was very similar (in this done on rat, not mice) the positive control was not Sildenafil citrate, as in the previously mentioned experiment, but an intramuscular injection of 0.5 mg/kg body weight of testosterone suspension in arachis oil twice a week. It's actually a pity the scientists didn't measure the actual testosterone levels in the animals in the testosterone group. I would be curious how the 2.5x increase in the high dose group (200mg/kg, human equivalent ~2,600mg/day) would compare. When it comes to the erection quality, it did at least easily top the results of injectable testosterone (see figure 4), which is yet allegedly not the best erection booster, anyway. And if we went by the data on body weight and the weight of the testes, seminal vesicles, prostate glands and epididymis, it even appears to be more anabolic than testosterone; after all the body weight gain in the PF groups were 15%. 23% and 34% higher than in the control group and comparable if not higher to those that were induced by testosterone (+29%).
  
  And for all the supplement producers and fans of stacks it may be important to know that the leaves of P. foetida, which is also used as carminative, antiinflammatory, astringent, spasmolytic, antidiarrhoeal, diuretic and antilithic do contain a whole host of well- and lesser known compounds, e.g. iridoid glycosides, sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, ursolic acid, hentriacontane, hentriacontanol, ceryl alcohol, palmitic acid and methyl mercaptan, but no diosgenin. So Ayurvedabol (TM) or whatever name ending on -bol, -drol or -ripp-off has not been used by the creepy competition, already, could benefit from having both Paederia foetida and Pedalium murex in it ;-)

• Combination of probiotics and phytosterols ramps up thyroid function and (re-)establishes a healthy lipid profile (Awaisheh. 2012) -- While I could offer you a minimum of two additional libido enhancing, potentially pro-anabolic testosterone booster, I know that not all of you are into these products (am I right ladies?), so I thought it prudent to close this installment of On Short Notice with a study on thyroid metabolism, which could be is of interested for all of you.
  
  
  Which phytosterols are there and where can I find them? The major phytosterols in the human diet are sitosterol (high in nuts, amaranth, avocados, grape leaves), stigmasterol (high in coriander, chocolate and soy), campesterol (high in various vegetable oils, spec. conola / rapeseed) and brassicasterol (high in cabbage, broccoli, other brassica, but also coriander, seafood and rapeseed oil).
  Contrary to some previous studies and anecdotal reports on the Internet, a recent paper by scientists from the Department of Food Science at the Al-Balqa Applied University, in Salt, Jordan, suggest that phytosterols don't have thyroid inhibiting, but promoting effects.
  
  In their latest study Awaisheh et al. investigated the effects of a probiotic stack containing two strains of each of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Lactobacillus reuteri and a phytosterol supplement on the lipid metabolism in rodents. Their results show that the addition of the phytosterol supplement promoted the already pronounced effects the probiotics had on the hypercholesterolemia of the rodents who were fed with a high-fat-high-cholesterol basal diet for 8 weeks. In addition, the phytosterols, yet not the probiotics alone, elevated the levels of serum total thyroxine (TT4), total triiodothyronine (TT3), and free triiodothyronin (fT3), which could have exerted additional benefits on the non-measured triglyceride levels.
  
  These results do actually come as a surprise and I would like to see more research - specifically in human trials - before I would buy products from producers who seize the scientists suggestion that this renders probiotics and phytosterols potential candidates for "functional foods" - I mean, let's be honest ever since the first "functional foods" hit the market people have been getting sicker: Do you really believe that's because they don't eat the "good" cholesterol lowering margarine instead of their beloved Kerrygold butter? I don't think so.

That's it for today.. well, aside from the promise to include the other testosterone and libido boosting herb studies in another SuppVersity post and a selection of the latest  SuppVersity Facebook News, of course:

• Iron deficiency makes H Pylori go on a rampage - Iron deficiency enhances H. pylori virulence and increases risk of gastric cancer (read more)
• Danish folk medicine for depression? Not really, but there are a couple of promising natural MAO-A inhibitors the Danes have been using for centuries (read more)
• Strength training equally heart healthy as aerobics - 6-weeks of strength training show particular beneficial effects in African American men (read more)

Since I it's still pretty early and I am certainly not going to the city, before the shops close and all the people who believed they wouldn't need Christmas presents this year, since the world would *put whatever apocalyptic catastrophe you like here*, have gone home, I may be adding some more news later. Until then, I hope you have some fun with what's already there and are looking forward for the 2nd installment of the "Making HIIT a Hit" series that will be published tomorrow.

References:

• Awaisheh SS, Khalifeh MS, Al-Ruwaili MA, Khalil OM, Al-Ameri OH, Al-Groom R. Effect of supplementation of probiotics and phytosterols alone or in combination on serum and hepatic lipid profiles and thyroid hormones of hypercholesterolemic rats. J Dairy Sci. 2012 Nov 22.
• Carani C, Rochira V, Faustini-Fustini M, Balestrieri A, Granata AR. Role of oestrogen in male sexual behaviour: insights from the natural model of aromatase deficiency. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1999 Oct;51(4):517-24.
• Gao SG, Liu H, Li KH, Liu WH, Xu M, Jiang W, Wei LC, Zhang FJ, Tian J, Xiao WF, Yang Y, Song Y, Lei GH. Effect of Epimedium pubescen flavonoid on bone mineral density and biomechanical properties of femoral distal end and femoral diaphysis of passively smoking male rats. J Orthop Sci. 2012 May;17(3):281-8.
• Liu B, Zhang H, Xu C, Yang G, Tao J, Huang J, Wu J, Duan X, Cao Y, Dong J. Neuroprotective effects of icariin on corticosterone-induced apoptosis in primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Brain Res. 2011 Feb 23;1375:59-67. 
• Mangle MS, Jolley CI. HPTLC studies on Tribulus terrestris (Chota ghokru) and Pedalium murex (Bada ghokru). Indian Drugs. 1998; 35:189–194.
• MDidea Extracts Professional. Horny Goat Weed or Epimedium Herb: Botanical Origin, Archeology, Traditional and Pharmacological findings of Epimedium species, fractions and isolated components. 08th, Oct. 2010. < http://www.mdidea.net/products/herbextract/icariin/data10.html > retrieved on 12/21/2012. 
• Nan Y, Zhang X, Yang G, Xie J, Lu Z, Wang W, Ni X, Cao X, Ma J, Wang Z. Icariin stimulates the proliferation of rat Sertoli cells in an ERK1/2-dependent manner in vitro. Andrologia. 2012 Nov 7.
• Riggs BL, Khosla S, Melton LJ 3rd. A unitary model for involutional osteoporosis: estrogen deficiency causes both type I and type II osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and contributes to bone loss in aging men. J Bone Miner Res. 1998 May;13(5):763-73. 
• Sharma V, Thakur M, Dixit VK. A comparative study of ethanolic extracts of Pedalium murex Linn. fruits and sildenafil citrate on sexual behaviors and serum testosterone level in male rats during and after treatment. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Aug 30;143(1):201-6.
• Soni DK, Sharma V, Chauhan NS, Dixit VK. Effect of ethanolic extract of Paederia foetida Linn. leaves on sexual behavior and spermatogenesis in male rats
• Yan S, Wu B, Lin Z, Jin H, Huang J, Yang Y, Zhang X, Shen Z, Zhang W. Metabonomic characterization of aging and investigation on the anti-aging effects of total flavones of Epimedium. Mol Biosyst. 2009 Oct;5(10):1204-13.
• Zeng KW, Ko H, Yang HO, Wang XM. Icariin attenuates β-amyloid-induced neurotoxicity by inhibition of tau protein hyperphosphorylation in PC12 cells. Neuropharmacology. 2010 Nov;59(6):542-50.

Human Study: OTC Supplement Doubles T-Levels & Boosts Erections More Than Tadalafil - Too Good to Be True?

Just to make sure you don't suffer from withdrawl symptoms until Adelfo posts the next update on his current contest prep, I thought I'd share a photo that shows where he is currently at - not bad for someone of whom a handful of you have been shocked to hear that he eats at least 200g carbs per day and ice-cream almost every evening, right?

It's Thursday and before I'll get to a question on a very recent study I received via the SuppVersity Facebook page, I will brief you on the line-up of today's installment of the SuppVersity Science Round-Up on the Super Human Radio Network. By now, most of you should actually be familiar with the modus operandi: In case you cannot listen live at 1PM EST, you can always download the show ~2h later either from the "Physical Culture for Your Ears" menu in the sidebar of the SuppVersity, or right over at www.superhumanradio.com - obviously, you can also wait for tomorrow's SuppVersity Science Round-Up Seconds, in which I am providing some additional information on things we have discussed and post selected topics that did not make it into the show.

Apropos topics, the first topic we are going to address does actually pertain to the second part of this post and revolves around a recently published paper by Fabrizio Iacono et al. whose results do - just as SuppVersity reader Mark, who pointed me towards this article, says - look "too good to be true".

Now, upon closer scrutiny it turns out that they may well be "true", but are not just as "good" as they may initially look like. From this testosterone-laden topic we are then going to proceed with topics revolving around male and female longevity, optimal workout types and intensities for different trainees,the health effects of garlic, colostrum and chocolate and related topics.

I could mention more, but am afraid that this will just increase the risk of rushing through the items too quickly. Optimally, you just tune in live and pick up the rest in "print" in tomorrow's SuppVersity Science Round-Up Seconds!

200% increase in total and 130% increase in free testosterone

Just a reminder: Taurine has also (rodent) data showing up to 180% increases in testosterone and that's not exclusively in the sick and old.

This subheading sounds as if I was to pimp the "revolutionary new testbooster" by "whatever company" that will get you muscular and ripped in no time, right? Well, in the end it could well be the text of an advertisement, yet not one from any of the usual suspects but rather one for TRADAMIX®, a blend of "three natural substances with an 'anti-aging' effect on the tissues of the male genitourinary apparatus" (Tradapharma Sagl. 2012) - I know, without the usual "-bols", "-diols", or at least some indirect references to illegal anaobolic substances in the product name, this does not sound like it would work, but the +200% increas in total and +130% increase in free testosterone are for real and documented in a peer-reviewed study involving seventy patients (67.3± 3.7 years) with stable marital relations and reduced libido, with or
without erectile dysfunction who received either the infamous PDE-5 inhibitor Tadalafil (5mg/day) or two servings of the aforementioned 'testicular anti-aging supplement' (Iacono. 2012).

But before we even get to the testosterone levels, let's tackle the main problem of these guys and the actual research interest of the scientists from the University “Federico II” of Naples in Italy first. After all, the main outcome of the study at hand were the improvements in sexual desire and erectile function and those were almost identical in both groups - from 16 to 33 and 16 to 31, in the supplement vs. drug groups, respectively. If you go by the results of the international index of erectile function (IIEF) questionnaire (see figure 1, left), on the other hand, the dietary supplement yielded actually outperformed the blockbuster prescription drug by almost 10%:

Figure 1: Results of international index of erectile function (IIEF) questionnaire and RigiScan (device to measure penile tumescence and rigidity continuously that's used to differentiate vascular from psychogenic erectile dysfunction) before and after 2 months of treatment with Tradamixina and Tadalafil (Iacono. 2012).

What's probably even more impressive, though, are the differential effects of Tradamixina vs. Tadalafil on the RigiScale values (see figure 1, right). The RigiScale is an etablished means to differentiate psychogenic from organ-related (vascular) erectile dysfunction (Basar. 2001) and the fact that there was a significant reduction of RigiScale positive subjects in the Tradamixina group does already suggest a possible reason for the initially mentioned 200% increase in total and 130% increase in free testosterone (see figure 2).

Figure 2: Total and free testosterone levels before and after the administration of Tradamaxine (2 servings per day) or Tadalafil (2mg/day) to Seventy patients (67.3± 3.7 years) with stable marital relations and affected by reduced libido for 2 months (data based on Iacono. 2012)

What this underlying reason is? Well, probably reduced systemic inflammation, which leads to reductions in cortisol, blood glucose, insulin resistance, oxidative damage to the testes etc. and thus simply facilitates the restoration of normal testosterone levels.

If you know how google works, it'll take you maybe 5 minutes and a credit card and you'll have a couple of pounds of the ingredients right on the way to your doorstep.
Yep, you heard me right: A boost of +200% just brought those guys who started with 10ng/dl below the already way too broad normal range from 260-1080ng/dl (values may vary from lab to lab) in a quasi hypogonadal state, back to midrange levels of 680ng/dl.

Real world implications for healthy young men: The chance that a healthy, fit individual with normal testosterone levels would see a boost of 200% in his total or 130% in his free testosterone levels is not low, it is simply ZERO!

Notwithstanding, Tradamixina (or rather its ingredients) is actually more than just a cilialis alternative. While the latter is a short term solution to get rid of the symptoms of an underlying disease, the combination of Ecklonia Cava, tribulus, and d-glucosamine + n-acetyl-d-glucosamine could actually tackle the most frequent cause of erectile dysfunction, which is the triad of inflammation, insulin resistance and arteriosclerosis (for more details see info-box to the right).

So how does this stuff work? Although investigations into the mechanism by which the provision of Tradamaxine did work its magic was actually not part of the study, it's actually not difficult to hypothesize what may be the underlying cause of these unquestionably astonishing results. Firstly, the brown algae Ecklonia Bicyclis (better known as Ecklonia Cava!)of which each serving has 150mg has a very high content of sterols, polyphenols and tannins and is probably the main active ingredient of a formula which includes 396mg of tribulus and 144mg of d-glucosamine and n-acetyl-d-glucosamine as a 'support'. The phlototannins 7-phloro eckol and 6,6′-bieckoll that have been isolated from Ecklonia, a marine brown algae which has been used for centuries in traditional medicine in Asia, are more or less unique with respect to the potency of their antioxidant activity (Li. 2009). In conjunction with tribulus, d-glucosamine and n-acetyl-d-glucosamine, which also exhibit a certain degree of anti-inflammatory activity, a decrease in systemic inflammation is the most likely cause of the profound pro-sexual and pro-hormonal effects of this blend, which is yet by no means as unique as the producers would have it.

Bottom line: It is no coincidence that erectile dysfunction has been identified as a "harbinger of cardiovascular clinical events" (Thompson. 2005) and "a sentinel event for CAD [coronary artery disease]" (Irekpita. 2009). So if you are in the unlucky situation to suffer from vascular (and not physogenic) erectile dysfunction, and had the choice between a drug that will ameliorate the symptoms, i.e. Tadalafil, or a supplement that will treat the underyling cause, the decision for the supplement and against the lifestyle drug should be obvious, right?

Still, there is one, ... no, actually there are two things I would like to ask you, before you run all spiked up to the next best supplement shop: Firstly, how accurate would you say is the authors' claim that there was "no conflict of interest", if no one else, but the lead author of the study, has been granted a patent on the formula on April 4th, 2012 (US2012/089722 A1)? And secondly, do you really believe that it is a mere coincedence that the researchers deliberate use the hardly known appellation Ecklonia Bicyclis for a brown algae all of you probably know as Ecklonia Cava (see "Ecklonia Cava Polyphenols Help Shed Weight Even in The Presence of a Slight Caloric Surplus") throughout the whole paper without mentioning once that it is better known as "Ecklonia Cava"? I am well aware that studies are expensive and need to be financed and I am by no means suggesting that the results are - as Mark suspected - "too good to be true" (remember. the men were hypogonadal to begin with), but this paper does still have a somewhat peculiar aftertaste.

References:

• Basar MM, Atan A, Tekdogan UY. New concept parameters of RigiScan in differentiation of vascular erectile dysfunction: is it a useful test? Int J Urol. 2001 Dec;8(12):686-91.
• Iacono F, Prezioso D, Illiano E, Romeo G, Ruffo A, Amato B. Sexual asthenia: Tradamixina versus Tadalafil 5 mg daily. BMC Surg. 2012 Nov 15;12 Suppl 1:S23.
• Irekpita E, Salami TA. Erectile dysfunction and its relationship with cardiovascular risk factors and disease. Saudi Med J. 2009 Feb;30(2):184-90. 
• Li Y, Qian ZJ, Ryu B, Lee SH, Kim MM, Kim SK. Chemical components and its antioxidant properties in vitro: an edible marine brown alga, Ecklonia cava. Bioorg Med Chem. 2009 Mar 1;17(5):1963-73.
• Thompson IM, Tangen CM, Goodman PJ, Probstfield JL, Moinpour CM, Coltman CA. Erectile dysfunction and subsequent cardiovascular disease. JAMA. 2005 Dec 21;294(23):2996-3002. 
• Tradapahrm Sagl. Tradamix. 2012 < http://www.tradamix.com/en/ > retrieved on 11/29/2012.

Licorice More Estrogenic Than Estradiol: Some of the Flavonoids in Glycyrrhiza Glabra Roots Turn Out to Be Superinductors of the Estrogen-α & -β Receptors

Image 1: In view of the fact that most confectionary licorice contains no more than ~3% of the roots of the licorice plant, I would rather bother about the tricks the ~74g of carbohydrates (on a 100g base) of this treat may play on your insulin levels than about any potential negative effects the consumption of a few or even a whole bunch of these licorice wheels may have on your testosterone levels or overall manliness ;-)

You probably have heard about licorice, the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra, a legume with a slightly sweet taste and one of the ingredient of the eponymous candy being a potent adrenal "revitalizer" that is used and advocated my many naturopathic doctors. If you frequent any of the major health and fitness boards on the Internet, you will yet also be familiar with some of its unwanted side-effects, first and foremost its scientifically validated anti-androgenic (specifically testosterone reducing) effects (Zamansoltani. 2009). While Zamansoltani et al. yet still speculated, whether the reduction in serum testosterone they observed as a result of administration of 150-300mg/kg of licorice extract (HED ~ 40-80mg/kg; 3.2-6.4g for a 80kg human) to male rats still speculated, whether these reduction were the result of "[i]ncreas[es] in T metabolism, down-regulation of androgen receptors or activation of oestrogen [sic!] receptors", a recent study that was published in the Annals of Bioanalytical Chemistry shows that the latter, i.e. the (profound!) activation of both types of estrogen receptors probably was the underlying cause of the emasculation of the licorice treated bucks (Simons. 2011).

Estrogen receptor superinductors were not invented by Dr. Spock

In a pretty meticulous analysis, Rudy Simons et al. found that several fractions of an ethyl acetate extract from licorice root displayed estrogenic activities at either the estrogen-alpha or estrogen-beta receptor that were more pronounced than the ones of the reference "drug", estradiol (E2).

Figure 1: Relative estrogenic activity (in % of estradiol = E2) of 51 fractions that were isolated from an ethyl acetate extract from licorice root (data adapted from Simons. 2011).

If you take a closer look at the 51 fractions the scientists identified by liquid chromatography-massspectrometry and analyzed for their activity by the means of yeast estrogen bioassays, you will recognize that not just one or two, but a whole host of these "fractions", which themselves were complex mixtures of similar compounds, exhibit partly profound estrogenic activity. In that it is particularly noteworthy that the superinduction (activity >E2=100%) was not caused by a post-translational stabilization of the firefly luciferase reporter enzyme, which would have disqualified these results as shortcomings of the yeast essay Simons et al. had used - a effect which has been previously described for genistein, one of the phytoestrogens in soy and soy products.

Figure 2: Relative content and estrogenic activity of individual fractions F1-F5, F6-F21 and F22-F51 from the ethyl acetate extract from licorice root used in the study (calculated based on Simons. 2011).

Of all the fractions, the scientists isolated from the licorice extract, which was supplied by Frutarom US, fraction 41 (F41) with an estrogen-alpha receptor activity of 159.9% at the low (3µg/ml) and 186.9% at the high (10µg/ml) concentrations was by far the 'worst offender'. In view of the fact that we do not know how much of these flavonoids actually make it into the bloodstream, the 103.1, 97.9, 95.5, 74.6, 68.7, 57.2 and 57.3% estrogen-beta activity of fractions F24-F30 at a much lower concentration of 0.3µg/ml is probably more of a concern and most likely the underlying cause of the anti-androgenic effects of licorice, which have also been established in a human study on seven 22-24 year old healthy male subjects by Decio Armanini et al. in 1999 (Armanini. 1999):

Figure 3: Changes in testosterone, androstenedione and 17-hydroxy-progesterone levels (ng/dl) in 7 healthy men upon oral adminstration of 7g of a commercial licorice preparation (data based on Armanini. 1999)

As you can see in figure 3, the 7 g of a commercial preparation of licorice (containing 0.5 g of glycyrrhizic acid) the men in the Amanino study received in the form of tablets (Saila, Bologna, Italy) on a daily basis had an immediate and pretty profound anti-androgenic effect (-44% total testosterone within 2 days!) resulting from the negative feedback of the phytoestrogenic components from Glycyrrhiza glabra. The levels of androstenedione and 17-hydroxy-progesterone on the other hand did not change.

Image 2: Licorice could help with menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, but it has potential corticosteroid-like side effects you should keep an eye on.

Update: Evelyn from CarbSane asked in the comment section whether licorice would not make a good addition to any natural menopause treatment. In fact, she is right that the very estrogenicity of the licorice extracts that is detrimental to men could be of great use for women going through menopause. A cursory search of the databases (how else could it be in view of the fact that you cannot patent licorice) does yet reveal that no one appears to be willing to invest serious money into studies on the effects of licorice / licorice extracts in menopausal women. Nevertheless, there is evidence for estrogen-like bone-building effects (Somjen. 2004) and a -2.4% reduction in the dreaded hot flashes over placebo (Nahidi. 2011).

Moreover, licorice appears to act as an SSRI (selective serotonine reuptake inhibitor) and may thus also help with moodswings and neurotransmitter-imbalances (Ofir. 2003), which can also cause sugar cravings and thusly induce weight gain. If you add to that the growth-inhibitory action the glabridins in licorice exhibit on breast-cancer cells (Tamir. 2000), it may be well worth to try to alleviate menopause symptoms with licorice. In that, it is yet important to know that the glycyrrhetinic acid in licorice has mineralocorticoid-like side effect (i.e. it works like cortisol), which can become problematic especially if licorice is taken as part of one of the typical pharmacological protocols conventional doctors tend to prescribe to their patients (e.g. Inada. 2007). My advice would thus be to carefully monitor your reaction, Ladies ;-)

Against the background of the results of both the initially mentioned rodent study by Zamansoltani et al. (Zamansoltani. 2009), as well as the certainly more relevant data from the 1999 study by Armanini et al. (Armanini. 1999) the 'test-tube' findings by Simons et al. gain a degree of practical significance many of the likewise bio-essay based studies, the manufacturers of purported (!) testosterone boosters like to cite to underline the scientific validity of their products, are lacking... you may want to keep that in mind before you try to counter the unwanted side-effects of a licorice-based "adrenal optimizer" by popping a few servings of the latest and greatest "scientifically proven testosterone booster" ;-)

Men Are Not Always Thinking About Sex. Study Says: There Are At Least 4 "Good" Reasons They Don't - Stress Is #1! Plus: A Proven De-Stress Protocol to Restore Your Libido

If either of these individuals remind you of yourself, you should reduce his stress levels.

Recent research suggest: The good old saying that "Men always think about sex!" is essentially untrue (The "!" indicates that I used the feminist version of this common "wisdom").

If we put faith in the results of a recent European study from the Department of Clinical Psychology at the Instituto Universitário in Lisbon, Portugal, the Department of Psychology at the University of Tromsø in Tromsø, Norway, and the Sexology Unit at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia, stress is the common denominator that distracts men from their original duty to do what has to be done for the survival of the human race ;-)

Homo coitum quaerens aut evitarens?

It may sound surprising, but unlike sexual function, the sexual desire of the male members of the human race has not been examined as extensively as the one of their female counterparts. When you think about the initially quoted "wisdom", it is actually not that surprising.  Men are are after all believed to be always looking for the next "catch".

The problem cannot be that prevalent, can it? Yes it can! According to recent data from the The National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS), the average American's prevalence of “lacking desire for sex” ranged from 14% (for those 18–29 years old) to 17% (for those 50–59 years old). In spite of the fact that the exact figures are debatable, the currently available literature supports the notion that 15-20% of the US men 'don't think about sex at all'. If we take a look at international data the figures don't look better: Depending on the geographic region 13% to 28% of the ~14,000 men aged 40–80 years from 29 countries in the Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviours said that their sexual desire had been low for at least 2 months Laumann. 2005).

After focusing more or less exclusively on functional aspects of male sexuality for decades, research does now start to draw and embrace a more versatile image of male and general human sexuality. According to studies by Hyde and Janssen, the black-and-white gender differences which is also at the heard of the saying "men think about sex all day" is in fact non-existent. On the contrary, gender theorists have recently suggested that greater diversity exists within gender than between gender (Hyde. 2005+2007; Janssen. 2008).

Sexual disinterest is stressful!

Faced with the surprisingly high rates of sexual disinterest in men, scientists like Mccarthy et al. have already identified several major relationship problems as potential culprits. In view of what you've learned already, it should be obvious that these problems are not necessarily related to the 'classic' mismatch in sexual interests between a hyperactive male and an (under-)active female partner. On the contrary, the data in Figure 1 makes it plain obvious that for men in their thirties, it would not be unlikely that they are disinterested and their wives or girlfriends dissatisfied.

It goes without saying that problems like these and the mismatch between the perceived and the expected level of sexual desire are stressing - very stressing, according to the data Ana Carvalheira's, Bente Træen's and Aleksandar Štulhofer gathered in inteviews with heterosexual men from Portugal, Croatia, and Norway (Carcalheira. 2013):

Figure 1:Lack of desire and professional stress, two sides of the same coin? Data based on Carcalheira (2013)

In the worst case scenario a man will get caught in a vicious circle of professional stress ⇆ lack of sexual desire ⇆ private stress that is hard to break. Against that background it's only logical that the essence of the recommendations in the bottom line of this article is to get rid of the stress that's keeping you from thinking about sex.

"Stress ⇆ Sexual Disinterest" - it's that easy!

A 2013 study by Talbott et al. suggests that Tongkat Ali, a traditional testosterone and libido booster works mainly be reducing stress levels (learn more)

If you don't believe in the deeper truth of this 'equation', I suggest you go back to an article I wrote earlier this year (see Beyond Testosterone: 200mg/day of Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma Longifolia) for Stress Management & Improved Mood!?" | read more). It deals with a traditional "testosterone booster" and its effects on stressed individuals... you will see: Stress is not only a libido-, it's also a testosterone -killer (no surprise, right?).

It is thus not really surprising that the data from the Carcalheira study tells us that men who feel distressed about their own lack of libido were 2.5x more likely to suffer from anxiety right before sex  and/or have trouble maintaining an erection.

To be stressed or not to be stressed - that's the question!

Just as the cliche would have it, the highly reserved Norwegians were 3x more likely than the red-blooded self-proclaimed Latin lovers from Portugal to suffer from a lack of sexual desire. With a 50% higher risk of losing interest in the other sex, the participants from Croatia end up somewhere in between the 'Latin lovers' and the 'prudish Vikings'.

Table 1: Sociodemographic characteristics, individual variables, and relationship-related characteristics as correlates of a distressing lack of sexual interest among healthy heterosexual men who are not using antidepressants (Carcalheira. 2013)

Aside from their origin there were other sociodemographic characteristics, individual variables, and relationship-related characteristics which were found to be associated with the an increased risk of suffering from a lack of sexual desire. As the data in Table 1 goes to show you, having children, even young ones, was, contrary to what you may have expected, not among these characteristics. In contrast to the self-confidence on erectile function, of course.

What's I personally find quite telling is the high rate of a distressing lack of sexual desire in long-term (5years +) relationships and as a consequence of an indifferent attitude towards the attractiveness of the sexual partner. Interestingly, finding your wife or girlfriend "neither attractive, nor unattractive" is an even greater turn down than thinking of her as a "very unattractive" (see Table 1).

"And that's all stress?"

No, that's not all stress... In the previous paragraph we have already learned about a libido killer that cannot be traced back to stress: The lack of 'adventure', 'novelty' or whatever you may call it - a phenomenon which is probably also the reason that people start looking at their partner as "neither attractive nor unattractive" is another important contributor to sexual disinterested in men. One out of 22 if you will - 22 items on the scientists list of potential causes of a reduced sexual interest:

Table 2: Self-assessed causes of a reduced sexual interest during the past 6 months among heterosexual Portuguese, Croatian, and Norwegian men in percent (Carvalheira. 2013)

I know, not all of them appear logical. Why would masturbating too often be associated with a reduced interest in sex? ⇦ That does not sound right - right? Something similar can be said for the Croatian porn fans (22.5%). In the end, though, it does not change the overall picture: It is stress that's gnawing at our sexual desire, guys.

The Dimou protocol: Diaphragmatic breathing is performed by taking deep diaphragmatic inspirations followed by slow prolonged expirations.  In the second phase of PMR relaxation, patients were guided through successive contractions and relaxations of different large muscle groups in a down-top orientation. The process was complemented by guided imagery involving mental exercises, designed to allow the mind to influence the health and well-being of the body (GI is used with standard medical treatment in people with cancer and other diseases, such as fibromyalgia, as it can help to reduce stress, depression and manage pain). In each step, the patients were encouraged to focus on the difference between tension and relaxation, thus gradually sharpening the perception of the relaxation response.

What So what can be done? By now the question "what can be done" should - at least on the surface level - already have a rhetorical character. It's obvious that you have to de-stress. The only question is: How do you do that? Luckily (for us), P.A. Dimou et al. have just successfully tested an anti-stress program that consisted of progressive muscular relaxation (PMR), diaphragmatic breathing and guided imagery and was topped off with a handful of tips to achieve better time management. The program was designed to optimize sexual health in young men and it worked! It worked like a charm: Over the course of the 8-week stress management program practicing the PMR + diaphragmatic breathing + guided imagery regime twice a day effectively reduced the number of men who were totally or somehow dissatisfied with their sex life decreased from 9 to 4 (-55%; cf. Dimou. 2013). Aside from the intended benefits in sexual satisfaction, the young 60 young men in the active arm of the Dimou study also lost weight (-3% BMI), felt less overall less stressed (-23%; social stress subscale -11%) and achieved +6% higher scores in the general health evaluation.

PMR and guided imagery does not sound like you? Well, I guess simply limiting your mobile phone, email, Facebook and SMS use, making room for the occasional time out with a cup of tea during the working hours, a rigorous 7h+ sleeping regimen and letting go of the 'more is more principle' will work wonders even in the absence of 'meditative' interventions....ah, and don't forget: Don't stress about de-stressing that would ruin all your efforts to find inner peace ;-)

Reference:

• Carvalheira A, Træen B, Štulhofer A. Correlates of Men’s Sexual Interest: A Cross-Cultural Study. J Sex Med. 2013 [accepted manuscript]
• Dimou PA, Bacopoulou F, Darviri C, Chrousos GP. Stress management and sexual health of young adults: a pilot randomised controlled trial. Andrologia2013,xx, 1–10 [accepted manuscript]
• Hyde JS. The gender similarities hypothesis. Am Psychol 2005;60:581–92.
• Hyde JS. New directions in the study of gender similarities and differences. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 2007;16:259–63.
• Janssen E, McBride K, Yarber W, Hill B, Butler S. Factors that influence sexual arousal in men: A focus group study. Arch Sex Behav 2008;37:252–65.
• Laumann EO, Nicolosi A, Glasser DB, Paik A, Gingell C, Moreira E, Wang T; GSSAB Investigators’ Group. Sexual problems among women and men aged 40–80 y: Prevalence and correlates identified in the Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors. Int J Impot Res 2005;17:39–57
• Mccarthy B, McDonald D. Sex therapy failures: A crucial, yet ignored, issue. J Sex Marital Ther 2009;35:320–9.

40% Increase in Total + 50% Increase in Free Testosterone - Two Not Necessarily Undesirable Side Effects of Sildenafil. Human Study Confirms Direct Effect of PDE-5 Inhibition

Either you buy one of the bazillion OTC test-boosters that will not do anything for your testosterone levels, but may have minimal effects on your libido; or, you get a script for the blue pills and accept that one of the side-effects of these proven libido-boosters is an increase in testicular testosterone production.

If you were all Germans, I would probably be cracking a joke about the lead author's name "Spitzer", but in view of the fact that you aren't and that it would be a saucy one I will stick to the news-piece alone - it's saucy enough, anyways ;-)

Actually you've heard Carl and me talk about the purported testosterone boosting effects of sildenafil aka Viagra on the Science Round Up in the past, but Mr. Spitzer and his colleagues from the Greenfield Health Center are the first to prove the potency of the testosterone response in male subjects who received "an optimized dose" (more on that later) of sildenafil, as well as its "direct action on the testes" in a controlled larger-scale trial (Spitzer. 2013).

More than just "spitz" (engl. "horny")

The data Matthew Spitzer et al. analyzed came from the Testosterone and Erectile Dysfunction Trial in the course of which 140 men, aged 40–70 years with erectile dysfunction, low serum total testosterone (<11.4 nmol/L; 330 ng/dL) and/or free testosterone (<173 pmol/L; 50 pg/mL) over received starting doses of

• 25mg sildenafil, if they were on an alpha-blocker
• 50mg sildenafil, if they never used sildenafil before, and
• 100mg sildenafil, if they were viagra veterans

for  3–7 weeks. The men in the 25mg and 50mg groups had the chance to increase the dosage to up to 100mg "on occasion"; or, in other words, when their sexual desire did not match their physical function.

Figure 1: Changes of testosterone and other hormones rel. to baseline level (Spitzer. 2013)

As you can see in Figure 1 the ingestion of a handful of the infamous blue pills lead to significant increases of in total (+3.6 nmol/L = 103 ng/dL; p<0.001) and free (+110 pmol/L = 31.7 pg/mL; p<0.001) testosterone levels and were accompanied by parallel increases in serum DHT (0.17 nmol/L = 4.9 ng/dL; p<0.001) and oestradiol (14 pmol/L = 3.7 pg/mL; p<0.001) and significant suppression of luteinizing hormone (change 1.3 units/L; p=0.003) levels.

The latter, i.e. the reduced luteinizing hormone levels are what actually suggests that we are dealing with a direct effect at the testicular level and not some weird hyptohalamic feedback. A centrally mediated in crease in testosterone production would after all have gone hand in hand with in- not decreases in luteinizing hormone concentration.

Minimal changes in adrenal hormones

With small, but noticeable increases in androstenedione and oestrone increased by 1.3 nmol/L (38 ng/dL; p=0.011) and 10.7 pmol/L (2.9 pg/mL; p=0.012), Spitzer et al. cannot exclude that the sildenafil induced phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition did also affect the adrenal glands - or, to be precise, "late adrenal androgen synthesis" (Spitzer. 2013):

Gingko = Brain Viagra?

"The adrenal glands are the major site for production of androstenedione, which is converted to oestrone by aromatase. Enzyme 17,20 lyase, which converts 17a-hydroxyprogesterone to androstenedione, is upregulated with sildenafil treatment in rats.

This could explain the increase in serum androstenedione levels in our participants. However, an increase in 17,20-lyase activity should also result in an increase in DHEAS levels, which was not observed. Further investigation is needed to study the effect of sildenafil on adrenal androgens." (Spitzer. 2013)

While the exact mechanism that's responsible for the androstenedione increases must still be determined, it is, as previously mentioned, almost certain that the increase in testosterone levels was mediated by direct effects on the steroidigenic leydig cells in the testes. They are the ones that respond to the luteinizing hormone signalling from the brain have been reported to respond directly to PDE-5 inhibitors in previous studies by Andric et al. from 2007 & 2010, as well as Janjic et al. from 2012.

More sex = more testosterone?

Whether and to which extend the increase in testosterone has also been indirectly promoted by increases in sexual activity, which have been previously reported to lead to increases in testsosterone levels after successful treatment of erectile dysfunction (Aversa. 2013) remains to be seen. The data from the study at hand does at least not support this notion, because a "greater sexual activity did not predict greater change in serum total testosterone" (Spitzer. 2013).

Other studies have associated greater sexual arousal with acute increases in LH and subsequent increases in testosterone production (LaFerla. 1978; Rowland.1987). With decreasing not increasing LH levels being one of the main findings of the study at hand, it is however more or less impossible that the increased sexual desire was the horse, not the cart in the sildenafil-related increases in testosterone levels Spitzer et al. observed in their 140 borderline to full-blown hypogonadal man.

SuppVersity Suggested Read: "Will Sex Before a Competition Hamper Your Performance? Plus: How Can Estrogen, Cortisol, Quail and Muhammad Ali Help Us Answer This Important Question" | read more

Bottom line: It appears to be settled that it is the direct effect of PDE-5 inhibition on testicular testosterone production that's responsible for the Viagra induced increases in testosterone production. What is not settled, though and I guess that is something people tend to forget about, when they hear promising study results like  these is that the benefits were observed in a men whose testosterone production was already impaired.

In fact, the researchers' acknowledgment that "some portion of the observed increases in testosterone occurring during sildenafil administration is almost certainly attributable to regression to the mean" (Spitzer. 2013) would suggest that similarly pronounced effects cannot necessarily be expected in men with normal testosterone levels... but hey, the same goes for 99.9% of the OTC "test boosters" and people still buy them despite the fact that they do not even have produce those "nasty" boners as a side effect ;o)

References:

• Andric SA, Janjic MM, Stojkov NJ, Kostic TS. Sildenafil treatment in vivo stimulates Leydig cell steroidogenesis via the cAMP/cGMP signaling pathway. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Oct;299(4):E544-50.
• Aversa A, Jannini EA, Maggi M, Lenzi A. Effects of testosterone replacement on response to sildenafil citrate. Ann Intern Med. 2013 Apr 2;158(7):569-70.
• Janjic MM, Stojkov NJ, Bjelic MM, Mihajlovic AI, Andric SA, Kostic TS. Transient rise of serum testosterone level after single sildenafil treatment of adult male rats. J Sex Med. 2012 Oct;9(10):2534-43.
• LaFerla JJ, Anderson DL, Schalch DS. Psychoendocrine response to sexual arousal in human males. Psychosom Med. 1978 Mar;40(2):166-72.
• Rowland DL, Heiman JR, Gladue BA, Hatch JP, Doering CH, Weiler SJ. Endocrine, psychological and genital response to sexual arousal in men. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1987;12(2):149-58.
• Spitzer M, Bhasin S, Travison TG, Davda MN, Stroh H, Basaria S. Sildenafil increases serum testosterone levels by a direct action on the testes. Andrology. 2013 Nov;1(6):913-8.

Adelfo Cerame - Pre-Contest-Prep: Back Training 101!

Image 1: An impressive back of which Adelfo feels it really lacks behind. Read more about how he is going to tackle this problem area, this week.

Time is flying by, only 2 weeks and Adelfo will start the hot phase of his contest preparation for the Wheelchair Nationals 2012 in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. From the last installment of the series, you will probably remember that he is using this time to streamline his raw-foods intermittent fasting diet regimen, which - he hinted at that in the last installment already, has not hampered his training progress the least. Currently at 149.5lbs with a body fat percentage of 13.4% he is hitting the gym more motivated than anytime before, as you will read and see in today's installment of Adelfo's exclusive contest-prep log, here at the SuppVersity.

If you want success, you have to constantly reinvent your diet

I already mentioned in the last installment of this series that I felt like the introduction of more and more raw foods into my diet had really helped with both strength as well as size gains in the gym. So, before I delve a little into my current training modalities, I thought I'd share a few additional thoughts on my current nutritional regimen with you.

Image 2: Adelfo's latest preworkout goodness for you to copy: Raw Kiwi Strawberry PreWorkout Shake - 20g protein, 44g carbs, 5g fiber, 28g; 508kcal of muscle building all natural foods, free of artificial flavors and sweeteners, yet 100% delicious!

Although everything seems to be working just fine at the moment, I am already planning ahead. When I start my prep, I will add a protein shake (50g) right after my workout, and then have the rest of my PWO meal when I get home... I just weighed myself today. 149.5 pounds, that's what the scale is telling me and what my current calculations are based on. I estimate my initial caloric needs at about 2,250 calories per day and given the amount of food I am slamming down at the moment, the addition of a protein shake immediately after my workout will help me to get up to those 2,250 calories as a reasonable starting point for my contest prep. While this may be my first prep on an intermittent fast, I figure that  

... whether you fast intermittently or not, you got to start a every diet with a reasonably high caloric intake...

If you do not lose weight as fast as you want to you can still cut back on calories. If, on the other hand, you are losing weight much to fast, chances are your will already have lost valuable muscle tissue, when you realize that you need to add in that additional protein shake that preserves lean tissue and revitalizes your metabolism. The occasional hunger pangs, I have been experiencing in the course of the last week are an early warning sign, I am not going to ignore.

Building a huge back sometimes forces you back to the drawing board

Image 3: Trying to build a killer back like the "Governator", but no clue which exercises will work? Then you better check out the SuppVersity EMG Serie with The Best Back Exercises of Witdh and Thickness.

I already mentioned in the SuppVersity Student Spotlight that I like it fast and heavy (I am speaking of training here, guys ;-) Currently, however, I am experimenting with some sort of heavy/light alternating training pattern, which looks like that:

• Monday: Chest/Triceps (heavy day)
  5 chest exercises & 2 Triceps exercises
• Tuesday: Back/Biceps (heavy day)
  5 back exercises & 2 biceps exercises
• Wednesday: Rest (not so heavy day ;-)
• Thursday: Triceps/Chest (volume / higher reps)
  5 triceps exercises & 2 chest exercises
• Friday: Biceps/ Back (volume / higher reps)
  5 biceps exercises & 2 back exercises
• Saturday: Shoulders (volume / higher reps)
  the only exercise I go really heavy on are shoulder presses

I consider my back one of my weakest body parts, so I've expanded my back training exercises. I used to do different variation of lat pulldowns, in the past, mainly because I was limited due to my mobility. Similarly, many gyms have machines I could not use until, after a lot of hard work, my core and trunk muscles got stronger and I began to feel a lot more confident to just try and experiment with new exercises, machines, grips, etc.

Video 1: Adelfo training back 2 weeks before the hot phase of his contest preparation is about to begin.

I guess, if you have not already been, Adelfo did now get you interested in "How on earth can you train in a wheelchair, at all?"... if you want to see a part of his current routine, i.e.

• seated rows - underhand grip
• wheelchair pullups
• seated rows - overhand grip

I suggest you click on the video to the left and enjoy a lesson in "how to train your back properly" - if the expression picture perfect form had not been out there for quite some time, someone probably would have come up with it after seeing this video ;-)

Currently, I do most of my back exercises on cables and machines, especially the hammer strength machines - those are my favorites. I also do body weight exercises for my back, such as pull ups and chin ups (see video 1). I use machines and cables because I am not able to transfer onto a T-bar row or do any type of standing or bent-over rows, so I try to just mimic those exercises as much as I can through machines. I train my back twice a week usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. I combine my back exercises with biceps.

Image 4: Next time he will be posing in front of the American flag, it will be with a procard in his hands ;-)

I usually like to train real heavy on Mondays and Tuesdays, because that's when I feel the strongest after my Sunday refeeds, so I end up training back real heavy once and with a higher volume and/or higher reps, the other day. That being said, I still try to lift as heavy as I can even within the higher rep-ranges.

On heavy days my set/ rep range are 4-5 sets of 5 reps (not including warmup sets) I try to increase the weight on every set whether it be just a 5 pound increase each set, just as long as I am trying to better my last set. On my volume/ higher rep days, my rep ranges are 4-5 sets of 8-12 reps.

I usually start off with exercises for thickness, so I always do row exercises first...

• seated row machine - I use this to mimic the T-bar rows
• seated row machine - this is a different variation that has a lower under hand grip and I use this to mimic some what of a bent over row where you have an under hand grip
• seated high rows on the hammer strength machine - one of my favorites, I can go real heavy and get a real good squeeze on my back
• single arm cable rows  - on a cable machine, I tie myself to the opposite end, while I have somebody pull the cable for me, and with a under hand grip I can do single arm rows, I know its hard to explain but I will eventually get video of it, couldn't do it today because there were a lot of people occupying "my" machines ;-)

Image 4: Leaning back slightly
(135° vs. 180°) on lat pull-downs
increases the activation.

The exercises I feel contribute more to the width of my back are

• wide grip lat pulldowns - I tie a weight belt around my chair so that I can lift heavy without getting lifted off my chair
• under hand grip lat pulldowns and wide grip behind the neck lat pulldowns
• close grip pulldowns - I use the V-bar
• wheelchair pull ups and wheelchair chin ups

As any reasonable trainee would do, I obviously don't do every exercise in every workout. For me it depends on how I feel the very day and which exercises I actually can do - as I mentioned I need a helping hand on some of the moves ;-)

I guess that's it for this weeks, folks. I am already looking forward to next Thursday, where - I can guarantee that - Dr. Andro and I will have some more interesting stuff for you to read, watch and think about. Until then, those of you interested in more information on diet and exercise science should check out both, the SuppVersity EMG Series and Dr. Andro's latest "baby", his Intermittent Thoughts on Intermittent Fasting... but, with all that reading, don't forget to hit the gym! 

Adelfo Cerame - Pre-Contest-Prep Experimentation Time: Initial Impressions of RAW Intermittent Fasting

Image 1: Adelfo Cerame, your man at the Wheelchair Nationals 2012 in the first week of his pre-contest experimentation phase (Adelfo Cerame, Sept. 2011)

Just about a month to go, until Adelfo will start the acute phase of his preparation for the Wheelchair Nationals 2012 in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. So just about the right time some serious pre-contest-prep experimentation with raw foods on an intermittent fast. As you remember from last week's student spotlight that was kind of a teaser to this series, this is going to be Adelfo's first contest prep without OCD-like 3-4h feeding schedules. And it will - at least to my knowledge - be the first meticulously documented raw foods contest prep of a promising candidate for the thought after procard that is going to be awarded to the winner of the over the overall (all classes) in March 2012 in sunny Florida.

If you read some or all of my Intermittent Thoughts on Intermittent Fasting, listened to my interview with Carl Lenore on raw milk or read the respective article on the SuppVersity, I assume you will be similarly excited to hear right from Adelfo, how this stomach, training intensity and overall feeling have been on his first week on the combination of uncustomary feeding schedules, raw eggs, meats, milk and honey ....

Experimentation Time - Raw Foods + Intermittent Fasting = ???

Even though I will not start the strict phase of my contest prep until October, 1st, I plan to use the weeks to come to play and experiment with intermittent fasting (IF) before I literally put all my raw eggs into the intermittent fasting basket in the weeks to come. I have already begun to incorporate raw foods into my nutrition over the last few months, and must say that I have been very pleased with the results. The things I liked most, however, were...

Image 2: Looks like Adelfo is right: the raw foods obviously helped him to keep the fat off during the off season (photo by Adelfo Cerame, Sept. 2011)

• the efficiency of not having to cook meals or prepare meals the night before - just being able to put food on the plate and eat (less prep time) is a novel and appreciable convenience for me
• a noticeable increase in strength and performance at the gym
• an unexpectedly prompt increase in arm size (I have already put on a whole inch! from 16" to 17")
• the ability to stay fairly lean in these last weeks of the off-season - I can still see parts of my abdominal muscles, although I did not really pay attention to my caloric intake
  

One thing that I have also noticed is an improvement in my "internal functions" - most prominently digestion and sexual function... when you get a spinal cord injury, a lot of your internal functions are disrupted or damaged. Ranging from bowel and bladder control to sexual function - things change overnight.

Breaking the Fast Raw Foods Style

Image 3: Adelfo Cerame's magic pre-workout formula: raw milk; 3 organic eggs; 1 tbs. raw honey; 1 tbs. raw coconut oil; no propriety blends, e-numbers, artificial sweeteners or colorings folks, just plain good old healthy whole raw foods and above all, it does not take longer to prepare than your average whey protein shake ;-)

Prior to raw foods eating, I was able to improve my digestion and bowel frequency by increasing my intake of fibrous foods and being particularly keen about what to eat and what to avoid. The incorporation of more and more raw foods into my diet did yet improve my digestion and bowel program way beyond what I had been able to achieve with processed foods and supplements alone. It may be difficult to understand for a non-paraplegic, but staying in the bathroom "forever" is a serious and enervating issue most paraplegics and quadriplegics have. And as far as sexual function is concerned, I was still able to get erections before, yet not without the help of E.D. medications. Rotating more and more raw foods into my diet, helped with that issue tremendously. Even without the help of E.D. meds., I have now longer and stronger erections than before.

If you consider not having to cook all your meals "convenient", then not having to worry about prepping your meals or to think about what you will be eating within the next three hours is pure luxury. 

The practical benefits aside, I was positively surprised that, at least in the course of this first week of intermittent fasting, I did not notice any loss in strength or energy. Lethargy or a lack of motivation, problems that are supposed to occur especially in the initial phase of intermittent fasting were not an issue, at all. The only actual "problem" (if you would like to call it thus, when you are on a diet) was that I found it really hard to fulfill my daily caloric needs with the 3 meals, I could squeeze into my feeding window.

If you are interested in some more information on dos and donts, as well as the science behind and around intermittent fasting make sure to follow both the weekly updates of Adelfo's contest prep documentation, as well as my Intermittent Thoughts on Intermittent Fasting series on the SuppVersity
(img hardwaresphere)

If you read the third part of the Intermittent Thoughts on Intermittent Fasting series, you will be familiar with the female athletes from the Ramadan study by Memari et al. having similar problems, i.e. they did not meet their exercise-related caloric demands on their fasting protocol. Other than Adelfo, who is well aware that putative (or I should say "perceived") overeating in the feeding window is a necessity, the ladies in that study were yet not able (or unwilling?) to nourish their bodies appropriately - the unfortunate result, I already mentioned that in my analysis of the study, were fat gain and a significant YoYo-effect, when they eventually broke the fast. So, if your goal is to lose fat, not muscle, and you decide to go on an intermittent fast, make sure you copy Adelfo's rational approach to intermittent fasting instead of turning the whole thing into yet another anorexic low-calorie diet.

Whole Raw Foods - Convenient, Healthier and Cheaper than 1001 Supplements

What I'm also really excited about is that, in this first week, the combination of intermittent fasting and raw food eating turned out to be really economical. Something, I suppose you would not have expected!? I remember having to spend loads of money on foods and protein powders just to make sure that I could eat my 6-7 meals a day. Now, all I have to worry about are 3 meals pre-workout, post-workout and another meal before i go to sleep. And the money I save on the boatloads of protein powders I used to buy is better spend in some quality whole-foods, anyhow.

Image 4: This is what a real post-workout meal should look like ;-)

I assume that some of you have difficulties to imagine how a sample meal plan could look like, so here is an example:

• pre-workout = breaking the fast @ 2:30 pm: shake with raw milk; 3 organic eggs; 1 tbs. raw honey; 1 tbs. raw coconut oil
• post-workout meal @ 6:40 pm: 8 oz steak, large yam, handful of pineapples & carrots, 1 tbs. raw honey & coconut water
  
  
• before bed @10 pm: 1 c. raw milk, 2 eggs, 1 tbs. coconut oil, 25g protein powder

If you want to know how things are working out for Adelfo, don't forget to come back next Thursday for the next installment of this series featuring more information about Adelfo's diet, the first progress chart for you to follow his weight, body fat % and muscular development and a sneak peak on how our man at the 2012 wheelchair nationals trains. Until then, feel free to share Adelfo's reports via Facebook, and to leave your appreciations, comments and questions in the comments area of this page.