Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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11.01.2016 |
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Daily 600 mg ashwagandha helps resistance trainers build more muscle and lose more fat
If bodybuilders or other strength athletes take ashwagandha they build up more muscle and lose fat more quickly, write Indian researchers in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. The researchers tested a daily dose of 600 mg ashwagandha extract on men were doing weight training for the first time in their lives.
Study
Half of the men took a placebo; the other half took ashwagandha. The researchers used KSM-66, a water-based extract that consisted of 5 percent withanolides. [ksm66ashwagandhaa.com] The subjects took a capsule containing 300 mg KSM-66 every day on waking and another capsule before going to bed.
KSM-66 is a product manufactured by Shri Kartikeya Pharma and Ixoreal BioMed. It's not clear to what extent these companies financed this study.
Results
The percentage of fat declined in both groups, but the ashwagandha users lost more than the members of the placebo group. The researchers used the bioelectrical impedance method to measure the fat percentage. [We have our doubts about the reliability of this method, as we also do about the method the researchers used to measure muscle mass.]
Explanation
Conclusion
"This study has the following limitations which should lead us to interpret the findings with some caution: the subjects are untrained and moderately young, the sample size of 50 is not large and the study period is of duration only 8 weeks."
"Research studying the possible beneficial effects of ashwagandha needs to be conducted for longer periods of time and for different populations including females and older adults of both genders."
According to the study, ashwagandha had no side effects.
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