Tag Archive for: amino acids

How to Gain Weight Without Magic Pills

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How many of you took the time to look up the phytonutrient I gave you in Tuesday’s Memo? If you did, you know that it was one of the many phytonutrients in one of my favorite herbs: echinacea. The company that manufactures the weight gain pill called CB-1 claimed one of the ingredients was tested in a clinical trials and helped increase calorie intake for up to two hours.

I searched PubMed for every ingredient on the label, and the only studies I could find showed that some phytonutrients help add finishing weight to cows. There were no human trials related to body weight. Most of the research, especially on the phytonutrients, was related to improving the immune function in humans and animals.

My guess is that the 24-page booklet accompanying the supplement explains how to eat to gain weight: it comes with the purchase of a one-month supply of the product for just $70 plus shipping. So that’s it: no real research and booklet on how to eat. Such a deal!

Gaining Weight

There are some people who really want to gain weight, such as teen athletes and endurance athletes or people who’ve lost too much weight due to illness. Then there are those rare people who’ve always been thinner than they want to be. You might think my response would be to eat more and move less, but no. That course of action may help you get fatter, but it probably won’t be healthy. And the extra pounds may not go where you’d like them to go; how many of us wish for a bigger belly?

Here is the simplest approach. I’ll preface this by saying that anyone who has helped people gain weight probably has a different view, but after 35 years as an exercise physiologist, here’s my approach.

  • Increase protein intake by 20 to 40 grams per day. You can use food such as cooked chicken breast with about 10 grams protein per ounce or canned tuna in water at seven grams per ounce. That’s what we did before there were all the protein powders available today. You can measure the powders precisely and mix them in a smoothie or with milk for even more protein.
  • Use 10 to 30 grams of branch-chain amino acids (BCAA) and/or essential amino acids (EAA) every day, preferably after exercise. EAAs contain the BCAAs as well, so it’s your preference; both have shown an increase in muscle mass and strength when used in combination with a weight training program.
  • Incorporate weight training into your exercise program. There are a hundred different training regimens using everything from exercise tubes to weight training machines. The approach you use depends on your age and fitness level, but if you want to gain weight, you want to increase muscle as well as adding some fat.

That’s it. You already know how to get results based on the recent Memos: be consistent, week in, week out.

The Bottom Line

The focus in health always seems to be on losing weight and with 70% of the population overweight, there’s a reason for that. But if you need to add some weight, the simplest solution is often the correct one. Reasonably increase protein intake together with some of the right amino acids and start a weight training program. No need for magic pills because it’s the effort that gets results.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

The Facts on Collagen Supplementation

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After covering collagen basics on Tuesday, two questions remain. Are collagen supplements absorbed or are they digested just like any other protein? Second, does research support the use of collagen supplementation to improve skin quality? Let’s take a look.

Collagen Absorption

The data on collagen absorption is sparse. In almost every study, dipeptides or tripeptides are used; then the change in serum peptides over several hours after ingestion is measured. There’s enough data to suggest that the tripeptides are absorbed as a whole without being broken into individual amino acids.

What hasn’t been tested yet is whether protein ingestion from a meal may interfere with the digestion and absorption process.

Is Collagen Supplementation Effective?

Several review articles have summarized the absorption of collagen. Eleven studies with just over 800 subjects were included in the latest review; eight of those studies used collagen hydrolysate, 2.5 to 10 grams per day, for eight to 24 weeks. They tested whether the supplemental collagen benefitted people with pressure ulcers, dry skin, aging skin, and cellulite, with generally positive results. Two studies used collagen tripeptides, three grams per day for four to twelve weeks, with notable improvement in skin elasticity and hydration. Again, positive results.

I was disappointed to find no research on whether collagen may benefit other connective tissue such as tendons and ligaments. That may help the recovery from rotator cuff or Achilles tendon surgery, among many other conditions.

Practical Application

Based on the data, it appears that collagen tripeptides are absorbed intact to some degree, although I’m still concerned about the absorption in relation to meals. I’m already recommending that essential amino acids be taken at least 15 minutes or longer before a meal. But I think to help with absorption, take collagen tripeptides, usually collagen I and III, about 15 minutes before a meal if it contains protein or a couple of hours afterward. Giving the digestive system a head start may increase absorption. I put mine in my second cup of coffee because it has no flavor and the heat doesn’t impact the tripeptides.

The Bottom Line

Although the evidence is not overwhelming, there are positive results using collagen supplements to benefit your skin. Research shows that it will be absorbed in a form that can help the body make structural collagen for the skin. While the studies I cited used differing amounts of collagen for varying amounts of time, I would try 5 to 10 grams per day for at least 90 days to see results. And pay attention to your muscles and joints; you may find they benefit as well.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Biol Pharm Bull. 2016;39(3):428-34.
2. StatPearls. Biochemistry, Collagen Synthesis. Marlyn Wu; Kelly Cronin; Jonathan S. Crane. 2021. PMID: 29939531
3. J Drugs Dermatol. 2019;18(1):9-16.

Are Collagen Supplements Effective?

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I spent the past weekend with a few thousand of my closest friends, some in person and others via live broadcast; that always means I get some good questions, including one about collagen I couldn’t answer.

A healthcare professional had told one attendee that collagen supplements were broken down into individual amino acids before being absorbed, as proteins are from any source, thus he was wasting his money buying collagen supplements. I decided that the answer could benefit everyone, so this week we’ll cover collagen basics.

Collagen is a protein and therefore is made up of amino acids. We can manufacture it, but just like other characteristics of aging, we make less as we get older. Collagen provides structure to all connective tissue such as skin, tendons, bones, and ligaments. We notice it most in our skin. Crepe skin? Smile lines around the eyes? Those come courtesy of reduced collagen. There are close to 30 types of collagen that have been discovered, but the most prevalent are types I–IV. Of that, over 90% are type I.

Collagen is made of repeating sequences of tripeptides or three amino acid blocks; they form three chains that twist to make a triple helix. The primary amino acid sequence of collagen is glycine-proline-X or glycine-X-hydroxyproline where X can be any of the other 17 amino acids. Glycine is the amino acid with the smallest structure; that allows the collagen triple helix to twist tightly and thus adds strength to the structure wherever it’s used, including the skin.

That’s the structure of collagen. On Saturday, we’ll answer the absorption question and look at how to use collagen most effectively. In tomorrow night’s Insider conference call, I’ll cover collagen more in depth as well as comment on the recent United States Preventive Services Taskforce on vitamin supplementation. If you become an Insider before 8 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, you can join me live to get your questions answered.

In the meantime, maybe you should just be proud of those smile lines—you’ve earned them, after all.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: StatPearls. Biochemistry, Collagen Synthesis. Marlyn Wu; Kelly Cronin; Jonathan S. Crane. 2021. PMID: 29939531

MSG Is Safe, But Be Wary

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The controversy regarding MSG certainly won’t end with this Memo, but I want you to know what the research says so you can make an informed decision. There’s no question that some people have sensitivities to certain food additives, and I’m not diminishing that response in any way. My point in doing this series of Memos was to dispel myths that have grown around some food additives such as MSG.

Why was the early research wrong? The Chinese Restaurant Syndrome grew from a single physician who described how he felt after eating Chinese food. More case studies were published, then small trials that seemed to support the observation. As time went on, trials with better controls over subjects and their reactions were done to test those responses attributed to MSG.

Regarding the excitotoxic brain damage, for the most part, that research injected glutamate (and not MSG) directly under the skin or directly into the digestive system. Because of its importance in so many chemical reactions, glutamate is tightly regulated and does not cross the blood-brain barrier. In other words, the research could have been done better. When it was, the results of those studies could not be duplicated.

Where does that leave you? Reading labels, I hope. I just checked the label of smoked ham: no MSG but there were at least three different sources of sodium. Same was true for beef jerky. That contributes to the high sodium intake we all have if we eat those foods.

You can’t really get away from MSG anyway; it’s naturally found in so many foods such as meats, cheeses, and even in tomatoes. There could be a benefit to using MSG: it may lower your overall sodium intake because it takes a lot less MSG to give the umami flavor than salt does.

But be wary. Umami flavor can become addictive. You know those chips I like so much? Some have MSG added, and they’re tough to eat in reasonable amounts. It may be best to avoid them altogether unless you can control the quantity you eat. That was why MSG was thought to cause weight gain; by itself, it doesn’t but it can cause a person to overeat, and that for sure will increase body weight.

Like anything else, unless you’re allergic, MSG can be a part of a reasonable diet to add flavor to food. If it helps make people want to eat broccoli and cabbage, I’m all for that because the benefits of the vegetables far outweigh any harm from the sodium.

Don’t forget to let me know if you’ve ever had a negative reaction to MSG. I’ll give the results next week.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Questions and Answers about MSGhttp://bit.ly/32tvELS.
2. N Engl J Med 1968; 278:796.
3. Science. 1969 May 9;164(3880):719-21.

Early Research on MSG

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People have been ranting against MSG for decades, but I never paid attention until I read a study on a group of subjects who said they had a negative response to eating Asian foods. The subjects were tested under four scenarios consecutively, dependent on their response to the prior test results. The study demonstrated that when exposed to massive amounts of MSG versus a placebo, there were no consistent responses from this sensitive group of subjects. That’s meaningful because it challenged common knowledge.

That common knowledge began with a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine by a physician after reporting symptoms he felt after eating a meal of Asian foods; it wasn’t research, just a personal anecdote. At the same time, a researcher from Washington University in St. Louis began a series of studies on glutamate and other protein precursors that demonstrated the excitotoxicity affects on brain tissue; excitotoxicity (ex-SIGHT-o-tox-ISS-i-ty) refers to nerve cells being damaged or killed by excessive stimulation by the neurotransmitter glutamate. That was when the bulk of the negative research on MSG drew attention. However, over a period of years, other researchers attempted to duplicate those studies with unsuccessful results.

Where does that leave us? Other than a variety of conspiracy theories, MSG doesn’t seem to have the negative impact that has been attributed to it. I’ll finish this up on Saturday but my original question still stands: if you feel you respond negatively to MSG, reply to this email and I’ll let you know the results next week.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. N Engl J Med 1968; 278:796.
2. Science. 1969 May 9;164(3880):719-21.

A Closer Look at Monosodium Glutamate

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People these days love salty, and as I’ve said before many times, I especially love salty: nuts, chips of any kind, cured meats such as ham. I believe if bacon weren’t salty, it wouldn’t be as popular as it is. Mix salt with amino acids, especially glutamine, and it creates a taste called umami. It’s an almost irresistible flavor that some people, if not most, can’t stop eating.

Now what if I told you that monosodium glutamate (MSG) had been added to those specific foods to give it that umami taste? (It hasn’t, so don’t throw out the bacon or jerky just yet.) What would you think then? You might not be so enamored with those foods because MSG has been linked to headaches and brain dysfunctions. Some people attribute symptoms of allergic reactions to MSG that include breathing issues, the aforementioned headaches, and many other neurological-type issues.

Would you believe that MSG probably doesn’t cause those symptoms in most people? That the “research” showing that MSG is bad was poorly done, and to some degree, wasn’t even really research? For sure, you don’t want to miss Thursday’s Memo. Until then, let me know if you’ve responded negatively to MSG by replying to this Memo.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Questions and Answers about MSG http://bit.ly/32tvELS.

Research Update: Protein

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Two recent studies on protein mean it’s time for a research update. Let’s begin by covering a couple of basics about protein.

By definition, a protein contains all nine essential amino acids. That includes all animal sources of protein. It also includes most beans and nuts; that’s how vegetarians get enough protein. When you have the nine essential amino acids, your body can make the other 11 amino acids you need to make everything from hormones to muscle. The benefit of getting protein from plant sources is that you also take in the phytonutrients you can’t . . .

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