Many Americans are becoming involved in strenuous physical activities, from ultra-marathons (100-miles races), cross-country running and Iron Man Triathlons. These activities can actually cause structural damage to cells that include muscle soreness and swelling, prolonged loss of muscle function, and leakage of muscle proteins into circulation. As a result, we are seeing that strenuous exercise may actually have harmful effects on health and consequently, the search is on to find ways to help offset these effects.

A new study suggests that Coenzyme Q10 may help offset the harmful effects of strenuous exercise. In the study, 20 professional runners between the ages of 38 and 45 took either 150 mg of CoQ10 (as 5 30-mg capsules) or placebo.

-The CoQ10 group saw an 8% decrease in triglycerides after the race (1.91 to 1.75 mmol/L) compared to a 24% drop in the placebo group (1.71 to 1.31 mmol/L). This much smaller drop is thought to be due directly to CoQ10 as higher levels of triglycerides during exercise improve skeletal muscle activity and exercise capacity, “which could indicate potential ergogenic effect of CoQ10.”

- Regarding levels of DNA damage as measured in the urine by a protein called 8-OHdG, the CoQ10 group saw a 43% increase (0.023 to 0.033 pg/mL) while the placebo group saw a 71% increase (0.028 to 0.048 pg/mL), indicating CoQ10’s ability to decrease DNA damage.

- Regarding levels of fat tissue damage measured in the urine by isoprostanes, the CoQ10 group saw a 300% increase (1.0 to 4.0 ng/mL) while the placebo group saw a 427% increase (1.1 to 5.8 ng/mL).

For the researchers, “CoQ10 supplementation before strenuous exercise decreases the oxidative stress and modulates the inflammatory signaling, reducing the subsequent muscle damage.”

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Men given a daily dose of 600 mg for ten days in a row produced more testosterone and less cortisol than men who didn’t take phosphatidylserine after fifteen minutes of exercise.

This was the conclusion that researchers at the University of Mississippi drew after performing an experiment with ten healthy men. The subjects had to cycle for fifteen minutes a couple of times, and also did five ‘sets’ of three minutes. Each ‘set’ started with a moderate level of effort – about 65 percent of the VO2max – and ended with 85 percent intensity. The researchers measured the concentrations of cortisol, testosterone, lactate and growth hormone in the subjects’ blood before and after the exercise. During one of the sessions the men took phosphatidylserine and during the other session a placebo.

Phosphatidylserine is found in the membranes of cells. When taken as a supplement it improves the receptors’ function and resistance to stress. Exactly how it works is not known, but small-scale human studies have shown that phosphatidylserine lowers cortisol concentrations after exercise and exposure to stress. That was the reasoning behind the research we’re talking about here. The researchers wanted to know whether they could improve hormonal response using a fairly simple supplement. After all, less cortisol and more testosterone means more progression.

Look for Phosphatidylserine in BioRhythm’s AfterGlow, which provides 800mg per serving.

Creatinol O Phosphate or COP increases levels of ATP in the muscle, and this may be due in part because of its actions as an intracellular buffer, a phosphate donor, and a stabilizer of cell membranes. The end result is that contractility (force of contraction) of muscles is increased – especially in low oxygen, low blood flow conditions. These conditions would be present during demanding activity such as weight training.

When you are performing an explosive activity like weight training you are going to create conditions in which lactic acid increases and PH drops in the muscle. ATP levels also drop as you perform intense activity. These are the conditions that cause muscle failure.

So what happens when you supplement with Creatinol O Phosphate? Your muscles are able to generate a greater amount of force which leads to strength gains, and increased muscular endurance.

Look for Creatinol O Phosphate in Muscle Sport International’s Lean Revolution and Mass Revolution.