|
Human study: mistletoe boosts effect of strength training
You'll get more muscle growth and more fat loss out of your strength training if you take an extract of mistletoe with it. South Korean scientists at Ewha Womans University write about this in Experimental Gerontology. Even though the Koreans did their experiment on humans rather than lab animals, we don't yet recommend you rush to the store to stock up on mistletoe supplements...
Study
The researchers got three groups of 18 people aged 55-75 to do weight training three times a week for 12 weeks. One group took a placebo, another took 1 g mistletoe extract daily, and the other group took 2 g mistletoe extract daily.
Results
Supplementation with 2 g mistletoe extract daily boosted the amount of kilograms fat that the participants lost and the amount of muscle mass they gained.
The 2 g dose of mistletoe boosted the production of the muscle-building signal protein myogenin in the participants' muscle cells and reduced the production of the catabolic signal protein atrogin-1.
At the high dose of the extract, the IGF-1 receptors in the muscle cells also became more sensitive.
Conclusion
Athletes who are interested in experimenting with mistletoe should perhaps do a little more research first. It is known that European mistletoe - Viscum album - is toxic when taken in high doses.
The Koreans used water-based extracts that had been made from a local sub-variety of Viscum album - Viscum album L. var. coloratum Ohwi. The extracts were made from the twigs, stem and leaves - so not from the fruit - and were standardised for chlorogenic acid [structural formula shown above]. They were produced by the Samyang Corporation [samyangcorp.com], a manufacturer of food ingredients. Samyang contributed financially to the study.
About half a dozen sub-varieties of Viscum album grow in South Korea. Some of these have a different composition from the European variety. We do not know the extent to which the active ingredients in the Koreans' extracts differ from the active ingredients in American and European supplements.
Source:
Exp Gerontol. 2017 Jan;87(Pt A):48-56.
More:
The anabolic effect of tomatidine versus that of ursolic acid 16.02.2017
Green olives for a toned body 28.11.2016
Laxogenin and 5-hydroxy-laxogenin: natural anabolics that can enhance real anabolic steroids 31.05.2016
Archives:
Unusual Muscle Building Strategies
|
