More Testosterone Boosters: Andrographolide & Quassinoid Rich Fraction from Eurycoma Longifolia. Preview: Science Round-Up - Sesamin, Teas, Muscle Swelling & Growth...

Do you really get along without estrogen when you want to build muscle (read the answer)

You thought I would already have forgotten my promise from last week to tell you about the other potential testosterone & libido (+fertility) boosters? How dare you ;-)! I just wanted to keep thrill of anticipation and in order to prolong that a little further, I will start out - as on every Thursday - with a sneak preview on today's Science Round-Up  (airs on the Super Human Radio Network on 1PM, click here to listen live).

As you may imagine there were not all too many novel papers published since last week. Notwithstanding, I could assemble enough material for the 1h show. According to my current plan, the schedule will look like this:

• the fat burning effects of n-6 sesamin, AA and D-GLA
• the antibacterial effects of raspberry extracts
• fermented green tea and liver protection
• the optimal brewing time for tea depending on your goals
• the futility of using green tea as a "fat burner" in healthy individuals
• muscle swelling and skeletal hypertrophy & training with cuffs
• exercise will make you hungry, you will eat more and still lose weight

... and more if there is still enough time. Ok, I guess you have been waiting long enough, now. So let's take a look at the promised testosterone boosters and their individual effects:

Andrographolide - Never heard of it? The data suggests it may be wort remembering

Don't worry if you have never heard the name "Andrographolide" before, because even if you did, you are probably only aware of the effects the active agent in Andrographis paniculata (Burm. F.) is supposed to have on the gastro-intestinal tract and upper respiratory infections, fever and herpes (Ayurveda), detoxification (TCM) and the prevention and treatment of the common cold (Scandinavia; cf. Mishra. 2007).

Figure 1: Mounting frequency in male rodents receiving 50mg/kg andrographolide (HED: 8.1mg/kg) compared to sildenafi (left) and long-term effects on serum testosterone levels (right; Sattayasai. 2010)

As the data in figure 1 goes to show you it can help you find back your libido and increase your testosterone levels. With the libido effects being not as immediate, but more long-lasting than with sildenafil and the effects on testosterone only after 4 weeks of continuous use, it is yet not a 1:1 alternative for the typical Western immediate satisfaction seeker ;-)

That said, as with all the natural test-boosters the chance that they will translate into muscle gains are pretty slim - and this stuff first has to prove its efficacy in humans.

Eurycoma Longifolia may be worth taking a look at - though for a brief HTPA boost, only

I guess many of you will know "longjack" aka "Tonkat Ali" and who knows some may even have a supplement that was either based on or did at least contain some of a couple of milligrams of it. Now, in case that did not work, the underlying reason may well have been that your extract was devoid or at least low in the active quassinoids the scientists from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, Malaysia, administered to male rats at dosages of 25mg/kg (4mg/kg for a human).

Figure 2: Endocrine effects of different doses of quassinoids from Tonkat Ali (Low. 2012)

As the data in figure 2 goes to show you, this was actually actually the case and the mechanism appears to be mediated by direct effects on the luteinizing hormone release in the hypothalamus.

Now don't get too excited. While previous studies have shown that the change of toxic side-effects is low, the study at hand did also reveal that

Comparing natty test boosters with anabolic agents (read more)

"[...] the over stimulated effect of testosterone production by E. longifolia probably may not be an issue as the peak testosterone level recorded at the first complete spermatogenesis process of 52 days was reduced back to the normal level even though the animals were given a higher dose or prolonged treatment period, due probably to the effect of homeostasis." (Low. 2012)

That said, chances that you will actually gain some muscle mass on this stuff are (as usual with natty test boosters) zero. To give your HPTA a kickstart the LH inducing effect could come handy, though. So if you whacked your natural testosterone production by whatever means, it is worth a try (not as a standalone PCT, however).

That's it for now, so if you want more news, you better don't forget to tune in live to the SuppVersity Science Round-Up on Superhuman Radio at 1PM (EST)

References:

• Low BS, Das PK, Chan KL. Standardized quassinoid-rich Eurycoma longifolia extract improved spermatogenesis and fertility in male rats via the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Dec 19.
• Mishra SK, Sangwan NS, Sanwan RS. Andrographis paniculata(Kalmegh): a review. Phcog. Rev. 2007; 1, 283–298.
• Sattayasai J, Srisuwan S, Arkaravichien T, Aromdee C. Effects of andrographolide on sexual functions, vascular reactivity and serum testosterone level in rodents. Food Chem Toxicol. 2010 Jul;48(7):1934-8.

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.

Bofu-Tsusho-San: Ephedrine Based Kampo Kitchen Sink Fat Burner Cuts 10kg Body Weight, Boosts Metabolism by +15% & Reduces Insulin of Diet-Resistant Woman by 50%

Is there a Japanese  weight loss wonder supplement not even Dr. Oz knows about? And could it be more effective than Oz's raspberry ketones?

Sometimes the most inconspicuous articles turn out to be the most interesting ones. I mean, who would have guessed that a case report titled "Japanese herbal medicine for weight loss in a morbidly obese patient: A case report" would make it into the SuppVersity news? Being as heavy as tall, in this case 154.8 kg distributed not very proportional on a 157 cm frame with an 155cm waist, is - as unfortunate as that may seem - not exactly uncommon these days - even for a 22-year old woman. The words "japanese herbal medicine" and the line "her resting metabolic rate (RMR) increased from 2260 to 2440 kcal/day" (Haruta. 2013) the abstract mentions right after discussing her 10kg weight loss peaked my interest.

How bad off was the subject?

The subject had obviously been yoyo-dieting for years, when she was as hospitalized in the researchers' department for the purpose of weight loss.

"Her heart rate was approximately 100 beats per minute and her blood pressure was 156/108 mm Hg. Upon initial admission, we performed blood work, abdominal ultrasonography (US), and a head computed tomography (CT) to exclude secondary adiposis."

A biochemical examination of her blood yielded

To eat or to diet, what's worse? Some people argue that "dieting just makes you fat" and we all know about the yoyo effect, but is that (a) true and (b) what effects does it have on your over and metabolic health? (learn more)

• marginally elevated ALT levels;
• marginally elevated uric acid, but 
• normal creatinine and BUN levels;
• low HDL levels (bottom of the range), and 
• high-normal LDL levels;
• elevated HbA1c and fasting blood glucose levels,
• highly elevated insulin levels (2.7x), and
• highly elevated (5.5x) CRP levels
• normal cortisol, normal growth hormone, but 
• slightly elevated ACTH levels
• slightly elevated testosterone levels, but 
• otherwise normal endocrine function

Although the  elevation of ALT was marginal and the other parameters of liver health appeared in range, a fatty liver and a left ovarian tumor were detected by abdominal ultrasound.Unfortunately both not exactly uncommon in subjects with full blown metabolic syndrome, which is - according to International Diabetes Federation criteria - defined as having...

• hypertension, blood pressure>130/85 mm Hg, 
• abdominal circumference > 80 cm

• HDL-C < 50 mg/dL, and 
• plasma glucose>100 mg/dL

The doctors at the Department of Psychosomatic Internal Medicine of the Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences in Kagoshima, Japan, prescribed a reasonable exercise program and a calorically restricted diet containing 2,000kcal and thus ca. 12% less than the subjects resting metabolic rate (measured by respiratory exchange ratio; 2260 kcal/day). That did help her to lose ~5kg during her stay at the hospital, but at 150kg the weight loss stalled until....

Things changed, when the scientist prescribed bofu-tsusho-san

Bofu-tsusho-san  has been used in Kampo, the Japanese study and adaptation of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), for decades and though I have to admit I had not heard about it before, there is actually existing evidence for its efficiacy as a weight loss adjuvant:

Figure 1: Bofu-tsusho-san (BTO) does what you expect from a potent weight loss helper. It keeps your metabolic rate up - and even better BTO even increases it on a per lbs of body mass basis (Hioki. 2004)

• higher body fat loss, greater weight loss, no reduction in BMR + improved insulin response and lower homa-IR in 40 Japanese women (body mass index (BMI) 36.5 +/- 4.8 kg/m2) with IGT and insulin resistance (IR), who had been treated with a low-calorie diet (5016 kj/day: 1200 kcal) and an exercise regimen (1254 kj/day: 300 kcal) compared to 40 women in the placebo group (Hioki. 2004).

• blunts the weight gain patients on anti-psychotics (Zyprexa = olanzapine) often experience (Yamamoto. 2009).
   
• works by three distinct pathways, i.e. via the inhibition of triglyceride synthesis in the liver, and the enhancement of lipolysis in adipocytes and of thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue. At least that's what early studies in rodents suggest (Morimoto. 2001). 

The preparation has an overall favorable safety profile, with a tolerable intake of 2g/kg in rodents and thus ~325mg/kg in humans. Nevertheless, Bofu-tsusho-san is not totally devoid of side effect, there are two case reports of pneumonitis that occured after ~1 months of treatment with the drug and went away when the herbal was discontinued (Masushima. 2002; Suzuki. 2004).

For the subject in the study at hand, it may yet eventually turn out to be a life saver. After all the fat that had been coming back for more after each and every diet kept melting away, even after her stay at the hospital and when she reported back for the last examination before the paper was written, she had lost 10kg. That left her still morbidly obese, but with the initially mentioned +8% in resting metabolic rate (+15% if you express that relative to her body weight), improved fasting glucose levels (-31%) an HbA1c of 5.5.% (-17%) and immuno reactive insulin levels of 27.9 mU/mL (-45%!) she may not have been on her way to the cover of Shape, but (and this may be even a contrast) to a non-life-threatening body weight.

Let's look at the formula: Some old acquaintances in here

Did you know... that ephedrine HCL is not just a beta agonist, but also a potent anti-inflammatory? According to the results a group of scientists presents in the latest issue of Cellular & Molecular Biology, ephedrine HCL is "a new potential anti-inflammatory drug that can be useful for treating severe invasive Gram-positive bacterial infection"!? This conclusion is based on the observation that EHCL increases the levels of the anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 (IL-10) and decreases the release of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha, IL-12 and IL-1beta) in immune cells that are stimulated with a component of the cell walls of gram-positive bacteria (Zheng. 2013)

Bofu-tsusho-san has also been shown (in vitro; Katoh. 2009) to inhibit beta-estradiol 3-glucuronidation, which is yet probably only a problem if you ingest it in very high amounts, an undertaking that could pose other problems even before you realize that its blocking your estrogen metabolism due to the sympathetic overactivation caused by ingredient #1 on the list below:

• Ephedrae herba (EH; contains ephedrine),
• Glycyrrhizae radix (GR; contains licoricidin), 
• Forsythiae fructus (FF; contains D-pinoresinol), and
• Schizonepetae spica (SS; inhibits phosphodiesterase enzymatic activities).

Looks pretty much as if it came right from the labs of an innovative supplement company, who've been following the SuppVersity news and articles pretty closely, right? Ok, everybody knowas about the beta-agonist qualities of ephedrine that may not have been important, but the fat-loss prowess of licorice (cf. "All about cortisol"), as well as the potential application of phosphodiesterase inhibitors to alleviate insulin resistance and promote fat loss (cf. Jansson. 2010; Murdolo. 2012) Carl and I mentioned on one of the past episodes of the Science Round Up would be something they may have picked up, here...

"Enough of the bragging, Adel!"

Ok, ok. I have to admit that it would have required some research on their part to come up with the additional Forsythiae fructus extract and the

• antihyperglycemic (Wikul. 2012), 
• antihypertensive (Greeneway. 2011),
• antifungal (Hwang. 2010) and 
• antioxidant effects - particularly in the gut (Jung. 2010; During. 2012) 

of its D-pinoresinol glycosoids, to come up with this ingenious invention, if it had not already been invented by an unknown Japanese Kampo practitioner decades ago, I should say ;-)

---

The Kitchen Sink Approach to fat loss is surprisingly effective(learn more)

Bottom line: While I believe nobody will be arguing that the ephedra part of the formula is probably the most effective ingredient, it's interesting to see that traditional medicine has already come up with "drugs", or rather herbals, that make use of synergies such as the weight loss benefits of PDE inhibtors, the Western allopathic medicine starts to understand, only now.

That these synergies can do the trick in commercially available supplements, as well, is something we have seen about a week ago, with the "Kitchen Sink Fat Burner" (learn more).

And still, not knowing which of the ingredients are actually responsible for the observed benefits is an unquestionable downside. A downside due to which I can't tell you if the classic E+C stack would be as, less or even more effective than the "kambo version of ECA". What I can tell you, though, is that the addition of Schizonepetae spica to the legendary "fat loss classic" makes sense. The same would go for Glycyrrhizae radix and Forsythiae fructus, which appear to make particularly good match as the latter will counter potentially blood pressure elevations due to the former.

References:

• During A, Debouche C, Raas T, Larondelle Y. Among plant lignans, pinoresinol has the strongest antiinflammatory properties in human intestinal Caco-2 cells. J Nutr. 2012 Oct;142(10):1798-805.
• Greenway F, Liu Z, Yu Y, Gupta A. A clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of a standardized Eucommia ulmoides Oliver bark extract to treat hypertension. Altern Med Rev. 2011 Dec;16(4):338-47. 
• Hioki C, Yoshimoto K, Yoshida T. Efficacy of bofu-tsusho-san, an oriental herbal medicine, in obese Japanese women with impaired glucose tolerance. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2004 Sep;31(9):614-9.  
• Hwang B, Lee J, Liu QH, Woo ER, Lee DG. Antifungal effect of (+)-pinoresinol isolated from Sambucus williamsii. Molecules. 2010 May 14;15(5):3507-16.
• Jansson PA, Murdolo G, Sjögren L, Nyström B, Sjöstrand M, Strindberg L, Lönnroth P. Tadalafil increases muscle capillary recruitment and forearm glucose uptake in women with type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia. 2010 Oct;53(10):2205-8. doi: 10.1007/s00125-010-1819-4. Epub 2010 Jun 10. 
• Jung HW, Mahesh R, Lee JG, Lee SH, Kim YS, Park YK. Pinoresinol from the fruits of Forsythia koreana inhibits inflammatory responses in LPS-activated microglia. Neurosci Lett. 2010 Aug 23;480(3):215-20.
• Katoh M, Yoshioka Y, Nakagawa N, Yokoi T. Effects of Japanese herbal medicine,
  Kampo, on human UGT1A1 activity. Drug Metab Pharmacokinet. 2009;24(3):226-34.
• Lee MY, Shin IS, Seo CS, Kim JH, Han SR, Shin HK. Subchronic oral toxicity
  studies of the traditional herbal formula Bangpungtongseong-san in Crl: CD (SD)
  rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Dec 18;144(3):720-5.
• Matsushima H, Takayanagi N, Ubukata M, Tokunaga D, Mori S, Sato N, Kurashima K, Yanagisawa T, Sugita Y, Kawabata Y, Kanazawa M. [A case of pneumonitis induced by Bofu-tsusho-san]. Nihon Kokyuki Gakkai Zasshi. 2002 Dec;40(12):955-9.
• Morimoto Y, Sakata M, Ohno A, Maegawa T, Tajima S. [Effects of bofu-tsusho-san, a traditional Chinese medicine, on body fat accumulation in fructose-loaded rats]. Nihon Yakurigaku Zasshi. 2001 Jan;117(1):77-86.
• Murdolo G, Sjöstrand M, Strindberg L, Lönnroth P, Jansson PA. The selective phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor tadalafil induces microvascular and metabolic effects in type 2 diabetic postmenopausal females. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Jan;98(1):245-54. 
• Suzuki S, Tanaka A, Arai T, Adachi M. [Case of interstitial pneumonitis induced by a Chinese herbal medicine, bofu-tsusho-san]. Nihon Kokyuki Gakkai Zasshi. 2004 Aug;42(8):777-81. Japanese.
• Yamamoto N, Inada T. Bofu-tsusho-san effectively attenuates the weight gain
  observed after receiving olanzapine. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2008
  Dec;62(6):747.
• Wikul A, Damsud T, Kataoka K, Phuwapraisirisan P. (+)-Pinoresinol is a putative hypoglycemic agent in defatted sesame (Sesamum indicum) seeds though inhibiting α-glucosidase. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2012 Aug 15;22(16):5215-7.
• Zheng Y, Yang Y, Li Y, Xu L, Wang Y, Guo Z, Song H, Yang M, Luo B, Zheng A, Li P, Zhang Y, Ji G, Yu Y. Ephedrine hydrochloride inhibits PGN-induced inflammatory responses by promoting IL-10 production and decreasing proinflammatory cytokine secretion via the PI3K/Akt/GSK3β pathway. Cell Mol Immunol. 2013 Apr 22.

Two Weeks on Burdock Root Extract Increase Testosterone by +126% and Make Bucks as Horny as Viagra

Image 1: Burdock root has not only been used to treat skin problems such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis, but alsoas a blood purifier and it is part of the asian cousine.. what? You mean this is why Asia is the most populous continent?

By now, you should actually be aware that the SuppVersity is the place to go to get the news first. Assuming you did not win in the lottery, this is particularly important when it comes to the latest herbs from the deepest jungles in the greatest "natural" supplements in the "new products" section of your favorite local or online supplement store. Today, I am giving you another headstart on a soon to be released Burdock based testosterone booster... what? How I am supposed to know that? Well, you my dear reader and supplement consumer are not the only one who is reading these blogposts and if there is not already someone working on a respective product, it won't take very long from the moment I hit the "publish" button to the first alibaba search for Arctium lappa L.

Better than viagra and testosterone gel together 

The  Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine is a mine of information, when it comes to the latest, yet rarely greatest on the funkiest herbs from all around the word. In one of the recent issues a pretty non-descript paper on the sexual behavior of male rats caught my attention (for those of you who have not noticed that as of yet, there is a category "sex" in the main navigation of the SuppVersity, yet unfortunately, the number of interesting studies to report is... well, it is not exactly large, to say the least). In a two-week study, a group of scientists from the School of Life Sciences at the Shandong University in Jinan in the People's Republic of China (love that name ;-) 75 male albino rats on identical diets supplemented with either (JianFeng. 2012)

• viagra (sildenafil): 10mL/kg body weith per day, or
• burdock (extract): 300mg/kg, 600mg/kg, 1,200mg/kg per day

Compared to the fifth control group which received nothing but distilled water, the rats in the viagra group showed the expected increased horniness (as measured by significantly increased mount, intromission, and ejaculation frequencies; p < 0.05) when the lucky bucks were put into a cage with three receptive does (each!) on day 3, 7 and 15 of the experiemntal period (cf. figure 1).

Figure 1: Intromission and mounting frequency and latency on the 3rd, 7th and 15th day of supplementation with 300, 600 and 1,200mg/kg burdock root extract or viagra; data expressed relative to control (based on JianFeng. 2012)

If you take a closer look at the data in figure 1 you will yet notice that the burdock extract, which had been prepared by aqueous extraction from fresh roots of Arctium lappa L., a biennial thistle from the family of Asteraceae, was about as "sexually ergogenic" as the pharmacological PDE-5 inhibitor - or for the muscleheads out there: The number of "sets" the rodents were able to perform in a cage with three females increased and the necessary "rest" between "sets" decreased to almost the same degree in the 1,200mg/kg burdock and the 10mL/kg sildenafil (viagra) group.

How much is that in human terms? While it is alway questionable, whether or not the results we see in rodents will be mirrored in human studies, at all, the "standard calculation" (cf. "Ask Dr. Andro: What are Human Equivalent Doses and How to Calculate Them" yields a human equivalent of 49, 97, and 195mg/kg - assuming you bought 500mg caps that would mean that you would have to pop somewhere between 27 and 39 caps per day, unless some clever marketing guy tells you that their extract is 10x more potent, and you would get along with 3-4 caps (and and even slimmer chance of seeing any results ;-)

"Horny is nice, but I already have my viagra handy. What's more?"

While the increased horniness qualifies this blogpost to be filed in the "sex" category, I am almost tempted to actually file it under "build muscle" and "performance", as well.

Figure 2: Ejaculatory frequency, latency and post-ejaculatory interval (left) and increases in testosterone (right) on the 3rd, 7th and 15th day of supplementation with 300, 600 and 1,200mg/kg burdock root extract or viagra; data expressed relative to control (based on JianFeng. 2012)

After all, the testostorone boosting "side effects" the scientists observed are so profound (+39%, +87% and +126% in total testosterone after 15 days on 300mg/kg, 600mg/kg and 1,200mg/kg burdock extract) that, assuming that...

Table 1: In 2000 Tamayo et al. compared the anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, immune boosting and anti-microbial properties of burdock and a whole host of other relatively well-known herbs (++ strong evidence; + evidence; Tamayo. 2000)

• the testosterone boosting effects also occur in humans,
   
• the effects are not simply a result of increased binding of testosterone to SHBG and the free testosterone levels are still identical, and that
   
• these levels are sustainable without the potentially damaging bulbine, tinosporia cordifolia and piper nigrum could exert on your testes (cf. "Protect Your Testes! Beware of These Plants and Plant Products"),

it could actually be that you would see an increase in performance not only beneath the sheets, but also beneath the squat bar and actual hypertrophy in addition to the temporary "growth effects" the extract exerts on certain other body parts... so, I guess the chance of seeing an effect qualifies it to be filed as "performance" and "build muscle" news, right? And if you take a look at the "strong evidence" Tamayo et al collected on burdock's effect anticarcinogenic, antioxidant and antitumor effects (cf. table 1), I guess I could evenfile it under "health".

Now you tell me how long, till we see the first "revolutionary" product hit the market?

I am now accepting bets on how long it is going to take until someone figured out how he could fool... ah, I mean convince customers (not the well-educated majority to which you belong, obviously) that his product delivers the same results we are seeing in the rodent study at hand, yet at a much lower dose, because it contains "burdockadrol the most impotent", ah... sorry, I mean "burdockadrol, the most potent burdock extract on the market" - what do you think?

Fat From Serotonin. MS Despite Vitamin D. DHA & DPA Feel at Home in Your Cellwalls. Weightloss Obstacle Late Lunch? Wrist Predicts Diabetes Risk. Viagra Detoxes the Brain. Acetyl Cysteine Battles Acne. Propolis Increases GLUT-4

Yet another reason why calorie counting is not good for your sanity: The "average" sexual intercourse burns only 14 kcal more than watching TV.  and significantly less than a fast paced walk on the inclined treadmill. Luckily weight loss & maintenance is more complex than calories in vs. out, anyway ;-)

"14" that's the SuppVersity figure of the number of extra calories you will expend when you and your significant other decide to have sex instead of sitting on the couch watching TV tonight. I got that figure from a paper my buddy Sean Casey from CasePerformance has brought to my attention. Published in the latest issue of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (Casazza. 2013), it discusses the 7 most commonly held "false and scientifically unsupported beliefs about obesity" the scientists identified in a thorough analysis of popular media and scientific literature.

"The scientific community needs some more honesty"

While the sex-myth, which originally states that you would burn at least 100kcal, with a little more action"" even 300kcal per intercourse, is obviously my favorite, there are also a couple of  less sexy "presumptions about obesity" (e.g. simply eat more veggies and fruit and you lose weight) and "facts about obesity" (e.g.  the scientists dug up and debunked in a paper that ends with the wise words:

"While we work to generate additional useful knowledge, we may in some cases justifiably move forward with hypothesized, but not proved, strategies. However, as a scientific community we must always be open and honest with the public about the state of our knowledge and should rigorously evaluate unproved strategies." (Casazza. 2013)

Actually the term "the state of our knowledge" is an ideal segue to what follows - the "short" news! Originally the On Short Notice column was actually intended as a very brief overview over what has been going on in the "community" as of late. And since we are talking about honesty, I must admit that I have failed miserably in the past installments as far as the tiny word "short" in the column's title is concerned. 

The new short news are short again ;-)

So, as of now, I will be doing my very best to bring the On Short Notice column back on the short track, so to say. I guess, we will see in a couple of paragraphs, how successful my efforts will be ;-)

• Does serotonin make you fat? It's pro-fat storage effects would suggest so
  
  

  

  If 5-HT can make you fat and creatine blunts its increase PWO (learn more), what does that tell us about creatine? Nothing, but it leaves room for speculations.

  (Gres. 2013) -- If you trust in TV wisdom the reason women eat chocolate, whenever they feel sad or alone is it's ability to boost serotonin (5-HT). The latter is yet not the reason Sandra Grès et al. say that serotonin could make you fat. Rather than that, it's the ability of 5-HT to stimulate the obesogenic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ, learn more), on adipose cells, which will increase fat storage and the recruitment of new fat cells from the stem cell reservoir.
  
  These effects happen in the periphery (vs. the brain) and are totally unrelated to the centrally mediated effects of serotonin.

• MS patients benefit from the sun, not vitamin D
  
  (Zivadinov. 2013) -- Where is your vitamin D supposed to come from? From your skin, right. And where does your skin get it from? From tablets? No. It manufactures it from the "bad" cholesterol, when it's  exposed to the "bad" sunlight.
  
  

  

  In the upper left of this image you see, where the magic is - the rest is just a nice bonus.

  With all those supposedly bad, but in fact vital things being important for much more than vitamin D synthesis it is therefore not surprising that a recently published paper on the asociations of sun-exposure and/or vitamin D with MRI measures in multiple-sclerosis patterns revealed that
  

  "[...] sun exposure was associated with increased grey matter volume (GMV, r_p=0.16, p=0.019) and whole brain volume (WBV, r_p=0.20, p=0.004)" (Zivadinov. 2013).

  ...and that totally irrespective of whether the subjects had high or low vitamin D levels. If you wanted to say it fancily, you'd say the beneficial effects of sun exposure on the brain volume in MS patients was found to be disassociated from the effect the sun has on vitamin D levels (suggested read: Vitamin D, Epstein Bar & MS)

• If you want to up the omega-3 levels in your tissue, pick DHA and / or its precursor DPA over EPA
  
  

  

  Figure 1: Incorporation various lipid fractions in different tissues (Kaur. 2013)

  (Kaur. 2013) -- According to a very recent rodent study docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) are much more readily incorporated into two of your most vital organs, namely your brain and liver and likewise the preferred phospholipid in the cell walls of your kidneys and muscle tissue. Only your fat cells don't really like these long(est) chain omega-3s the incorporation of which was ~50% lower than that of oleic acid (OA; that's the mono-unsuaturated fatty acid in olive oil), which was used as a "neutral" control.
  
  The one question I would still like to have an answer to is how beneficial it actually is, if the phospholipids (PL, figure 1) in your cell membranes are full of easily oxidizable fatty acids.
  
  Also, what do we make of the other lipid fractions? Cholesterol (CHOL), diacylglycerol (DGL) and NEFAs + triglycerides (NE+TG)? Where do we actually want those good omega-3 fatty acids to accumulate? ... just some food for thought  for your DPA and DHA lovin' brains ;-)

• 
  On a side note: If you like GMO, you won't have to eat fish any longer to get your omega-3 PUFAs
  
  (Petrie. 2012) -- Researchers from the CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship have already engineered the first GMO brassica species with a higher DHA yield >11% than fish. The invention is hailed as "a breakthrough in the development of sustainable alternative sources of DHA as this technology should be applicable in oilseed crops" (Petrie. 2012)

• When late eating (spec. lunch) and certain genes come together weight loss can become pretty difficult - reasons still not fully understood, though
  
  (Garaulet. 2013) -- Late lunch and certain genotypes appear to make weight loss difficult for some. And the relation holds even after possible confounding factors like energy intake and even appetite hormones, were measured.
  

  

  Skipping breakfast. Yay or Nay? (read more)

  "Late lunch eaters lost less weight and displayed a slower weight-loss rate during the 20 weeks of treatment than early eaters (P=0.002). Surprisingly, energy intake, dietary composition, estimated energy expenditure, appetite hormones and sleep duration was similar between both groups." (Garaulet. 2013)

  While this is not a general argument against intermittent fasting, skipping breakfast and thelike, it does still go to show you that we are not all created exactly equal and any cookie cutter approach to weight loss therefore counter-indicated. 

• Show me your wrist and I'll tell you something about your glucose metabolism.
  
  (Nudeh. 2013) -- A study that was published in the latest issue of the The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reveals: Wrist circumference is a significant predictor of diabetes in both genders of adult population.

  

  Figure 2: Incidence of diabetes during 8.8 years of follow-up in different tertiles of baseline
  wrist circumference among male and female populations (significant trend in both genders; Noudeh. 2013)

  What's particularly interesting is that this association which was observed in cohort of 6393 subjects (2716 males and 3677 females), who had been subjected to a standard 2-hour postchallenge plasma glucose, test holds independent of BMI and waist circumference - allegedly in women, only. 

• Sildenafil Citrate Attenuates the Deleterious Effects of Elevated Ammonia
  
  (Arafa. 2013) -- You will probably remember the problems with ammonia accumulation due to huge BCAA and protein intakes (learn more). If you trust the latest results of two Egyptian researchers from the Zagazi University it would look as if a solution to that problem (which shouldn't be one, if your liver is healthy and you don't go overboard on pro-ammonia foods, anyway) would already exist: Sildenafil citrate aka Viagra can help.
  
  In their study the researcher administered 10mg/kg sildenafil to rats that were treated with daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of ammonium chloride (100 mg/kg body weight) for eight weeks. This treatment resulted in a significant reduction in serum liver enzymes, lipid profile and - maybe most importantly - brain lipid peroxidation and caspase-3 mRNA. It also increased the nitric oxide (NO) levels in the blood and lead to a significant increase in cGMP, antioxidants and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene expression in the brains of hyperammonemic rats.
  

  

  List of various foods and their ammonia content (Rudnan. 1973)

  "Our results showed that sildenafil exerts a protective effect on the brain by reversing oxidative stress during hyperammonemia and this could be due to (i) cytoprotective, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects ii) increasing cGMP and enhancing the proper metabolism of fats which could suppress oxygen radical generation and thus preventing oxidative damage in the brain."

  Until now, the scientists cannot tell how exactly the human equivalent of 1.62mg/kg sildenafil citrate work, but its modulatory effect on the NO/cGMP pathway is the most likely candidate. That these effects are of real world significance has incidentally been shown, already. In 2003, for example, the learning abilities of rats with hyperammonia was restored by a similar regimen (Erceg. 2003) 

• Acetyl cysteine - don't swallow, but rub it... onto your skin, if you have acne
  
  (

  

  The comedo count is a measure of the number of comedones, i.e. the open black "pores" like those on the forehead of the person shown on this photo

  Montes. 2012) -- According to a study published in the latest issue of Skinmed, the application of a 5% acetylcysteine topical gel proved to be "significantly superior to placebo (P = .04)" in reducing the comedo counts. The results were comparable in  male and female participants and would suggest that "acetylcysteine is an effective therapeutic option for the treatment of mild to moderate acne". Whether it is an alternative to the retinoid based standard drugs, is yet still questionable.
  
  By the way, the latter, or rather the most prescribed of these retinol-like drugs, namely tretinoin has only recently been found to synergize with Aloe vera for even better results (Saeedi. 2013).

• Brazilian propolis ethanol extract promotes glucose uptake and translocation of insulin-sensitive glucose transporter (GLUT) 4 in skeletal muscle
   
  

  

  In the unfortunate case you missed the news: The commonly ignored BCAA Isoleucine also boosts GLUT4 (read more)

  (Ueda. 2013) I guess you will have heard about the miracles "royal jelly" is supposed to work on your health, right? Well, the cheap "packaging" material bees use to seal the smaller gaps in their hives (the larger ones are usually filled with beeswax) seems to have similarly outstanding - and in this case scientifically backed effects.
  
  When propolis was administered at a human equivalent dose of 20mg/kg to mice, those rodents saw increases in both PI3 and AMPK modulated increase in the glucose transporter 4 activity and skeletal glucose uptake.
  
  The main active polyphenols were artepillin C, coumaric acid, and kaempferide. All of them promoted GLUT4 translocation in a subsequent ex-vivo analysis using L6 myotubes, but kaempferide, which can also be found in acovado seeds (Pahua-Ramos. 2012) and cordia sinensis aka  grey-leaved saucer berry extracts (Martinetti. 2010), was the most potent one.

Now you are surprised, right? Me too. Nine individual items and all of them still qualify as "short news". I guess in view of the sheer abundance of news you won't need anything else till tomorrow, but in case you do, I have a couple of suggestions to check out on the SuppVersity Facebook Wall:

• Lycopene works as an anti-cancer agent, because some of it's metabolites "look" like retinol (vitamin A) and dock to the retinol receptor (read more)
  
• Curcumin is a hormetic agent (learn more about hormesis), but not all curcuminoids are created equally effective (read more)
• White poison!? Low sugar diet does not improve insulin sensitivity but decreases glucose levels in obese subjects (read more)
• Myostatin knockout mice have increased brown fat - Does this mean that myostatin suppression will increase browning of fat in man, as well? The recent SuppVersity article on PGC-1A4 already confirmed that (read more) 
• Fish oil for alcohol withdrawal - Only three weeks on low dose EPA (60 mg/day) and high dose DHA (252 mg/day) supplement yielded significant decreases in distress symptoms and basal cortisol secretion in abstinent alcoholics (read more)
• SuppVersity Suggested Read: The Hunter-Gatherer Within: Health and the Natural Human Diet - "Don't get your food from the same place your car does" (read more)

There are going to be a couple of more news before the official next SuppVersity post will be posted in ~24h - so "like" the SuppVersity on Facebook and make sure you don't miss any of them. Have a nice weekend!

References:

• Arafa MH, Atteia HH. Sildenafil Citrate Attenuates the Deleterious Effects of Elevated Ammonia. Toxicol Mech Methods. 2013 Jan 23. 
• Casazza K, Fontaine KR, Astrup A, Birch LL, Brown AW, Bohan Brown MM, Durant N, Dutton G, Foster EM, Heymsfield SB, McIver K, Mehta T, Menachemi N, Newby PK, Pate R, Rolls BJ, Sen B, Smith DL Jr, Thomas DM, Allison DB. Myths, presumptions, and facts about obesity. N Engl J Med. 2013 Jan 31;368(5):446-54.
• Erceg S, Monfort P, Hernández-Viadel M, Rodrigo R, Montoliu C, Felipo V. Oral administration of sildenafil restores learning ability in rats with hyperammonemia and with portacaval shunts. Hepatology. 2005 Feb;41(2):299-306.
• Garaulet M, Gómez-Abellán P, Alburquerque-Béjar JJ, Lee YC, Ordovás JM, Scheer FA. Timing of food intake predicts weight loss effectiveness. Int J Obes (Lond). 2013 Jan 29.
• Grès S, Canteiro S, Mercader J, Carpéné C. Oxidation of high doses of serotonin favors lipid accumulation in mouse and human fat cells. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2013 Feb 6.
• Jahangiri Noudeh Y, Hadaegh F, Vatankhah N, Momenan AA, Saadat N, Khalili D, Azizi F. Wrist Circumference as a Novel Predictor of Diabetes and Prediabetes: Results of Cross-Sectional and 8.8-Year Follow-up Studies. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Feb;98(2):777-84.
• Kaur G, Molero JC, Weisinger HS, Sinclair AJ. Orally administered [14C]DPA and [14C]DHA are metabolised differently to [14C]EPA in rats. British Journal of Nutrition. 2013; 109, pp 441-448. 
• Martineti V, Tognarini I, Azzari C, Carbonell Sala S, Clematis F, Dolci M, Lanzotti V, Tonelli F, Brandi ML, Curir P. Inhibition of in vitro growth and arrest in the G0/G1 phase of HCT8 line human colon cancer cells by kaempferide triglycoside from Dianthus caryophyllus. Phytother Res. 2010 Sep;24(9):1302-8.
• Montes LF, Wilborn WH, Montes CM. Topical acne treatment with acetylcysteine: clinical and experimental effects. Skinmed. 2012 Nov-Dec;10(6):348-51.
• Pahua-Ramos ME, Ortiz-Moreno A, Chamorro-Cevallos G, Hernández-Navarro MD, Garduño-Siciliano L, Necoechea-Mondragón H, Hernández-Ortega M. Hypolipidemic effect of avocado (Persea americana Mill) seed in a hypercholesterolemic mouse model. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2012 Mar;67(1):10-6.
• Petrie JR, Shrestha P, Zhou XR, Mansour MP, Liu Q, Belide S, Nichols PD, Singh SP. Metabolic engineering plant seeds with fish oil-like levels of DHA. PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e49165. 
• Rudnan D, Smith RB 3rd, Salam AA, Warren WD, Galambos JT, Wenger J. Ammonia content of food. Am J Clin Nutr. 1973 May;26(5):487-90.
• Ueda M, Hayashibara K, Ashida H. Propolis extract promotes translocation of glucose transporter 4 and glucose uptake through both PI3K- and AMPK-dependent pathways in skeletal muscle. Biofactors. 2013 Jan 28.
• Zivadinov R, Treu CN, Weinstock-Guttman B, Turner C, Bergsland N, O'Connor K, Dwyer MG, Carl E, Ramasamy DP, Qu J, Ramanathan M. Interdependence and contributions of sun exposure and vitamin D to MRI measures in multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2013 Feb 5.