Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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11.04.2012 |
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Cacao contains endurance sports drug
The muscle and heart cells of people with heart problems and diabetes-2 are in bad condition. An accumulation of molecular faults means their mitochondria can no longer function as they should, and the cells are no longer capable of generating enough energy.
Does (-)-epicatechin do this in humans too? To find out the researchers gave five patients – don't be alarmed – almost 400 calories of chocolate in the form of four chunks of chocolate and two 'cocoa research beverages'. This calorie bomb provided 100 mg epicatechin daily.
Whether the subjects' pants still fitted after three months on the cacao supplement the researchers do not divulge. They do say though that the subjects' muscle cells had changed considerably. The amount of NO – measured in the form of nitrates and nitrite – had increased considerably. The same was true for the production of the PGC1-alpha protein.
PGC1alpha induces cells to produce more mitochondria, and stimulates their development. And what may be of interest to life extensionists is the fact that the cacao supplement also activated the 'methuselah enzyme' SIRT1.
The study doesn't say whether the subjects actually became fitter, but going by the results you would expect that they did. Everything seems to indicate that the ability of subjects' muscle cells to convert nutrients into energy increased.
It won't be long before Tour de France medal winners are no longer sponsored by
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