Bodybuilding.com - Applied Bodybuilding Research: Lycopene, Electrical Stimulation And More!

Discounts & Deals - Sign Up!

24/7 Customer Service 1-877-991-3411
Contact Us
Need Help?
View Cart

Applied Bodybuilding Research: Lycopene, Electrical Stimulation And More!

Lycopene and your colon health? Health risks of working out outside? Electrical muscle stimulation? Learn more here!

Article Summary:

Eat vegetables for a healthy colon.
Heat stroke is a risk when you workout outside.
Electrical stimulation, is it just another scam? Science says no.

dot
Eat Your Lycopene-Your Colon Will Thank You
dot

By now, everyone knows that eating vegetables is "good" for your health. And, while we've all had this mantra drilled into us since childhood, we weren't really given a lot of specifics - no real reasons why. Not surprisingly, then, many people don't eat enough vegetables, and this is especially true for bodybuilders who, for obvious reasons, prefer high-density protein foods over "rabbit food" any day.

But new research - research that's part of an overall trend that's re-investigating the most common foods - has revealed that vegetables are essential for keeping your colon healthy.

Colon cancer investigators from Taiwan wanted to examine the effects of lycopene on colon cancer and colon cancer cell production. Lycopene, a common component in tomatoes, was shown to significantly suppress colon cancer cell reproduction both in the lab and in humans.

This is an important study for bodybuilders because a healthy colon is essential for not only basic health but also for the proper elimination of solid waste from digested foods. Bodybuilders eat a lot of food and do a lot of "eliminating" so the fact that lycopene helps prevent or control colon cancer is an obvious benefit that should motivate all bodybuilders everywhere to start eating lycopene every day - from tomatoes and other sources.

Lycopene, A Common Component In Tomatoes, Was Shown To Significantly Suppress Colon Cancer Cell Reproduction Both In The Lab And In Humans

Click To Enlarge.
Lycopene, A Common Component In Tomatoes, Was Shown To Significantly Suppress Colon Cancer Cell Reproduction Both In The Lab
And In Humans.

Source:

Feng-Yao Tang, et al. Lycopene inhibits growth of human colon cancer cells via suppression of the Akt signaling pathway. Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2008, 52, 646 - 654.

dot
Working Out Outside-The Risk
dot

Anyone who's ever worked out at an outdoor gym on a sunny day knows just how thrilling it really is - the open air, the golden sun, the gentle breeze that flows over your skin as you pound out rep after rep. Whether you're working out at Venice Beach, California, or in your own back yard, an outdoor workout is simply awesome.

But doing a hard workout outside is not without risk - and the chief risk is heat stroke.

What Is Heat Stroke?
Heat stroke is defined as a temperature of greater than 40.6 °C (105.1 °F) due to environmental heat exposure with lack of thermoregulation. This is distinct from a fever, where there is a physiological increase in the temperature set point of the body. Treatment involves rapid mechanical cooling.

In recent years a controversy has arisen over how best to treat heat stroke, and the traditional therapy of cold water immersion has come under fire, with critics claiming that it's not effective and is risky - possibly even fatal because of the risk for strokes, etc.

A new study by scientists at The University of Connecticut examined the evidence surrounding cold water immersion therapy and found that the standard method of heat stroke treatment still stands as the best and safest way to treat heat stroke. In answer to the critics that cited safety concerns about immersion therapy, scientists said:

"It is quite difficult, if not impossible, to kill an otherwise healthy athlete experiencing EHS (exertional heat stroke) if rapid cooling via cold / ice water immersion is implemented within a few minutes after collapse."

This is an important study for bodybuilders because it shows that while heat stroke is a risk of working both indoors and out, a really easy therapy can safely lower your core temperature quickly if you're overheating. So, if you find yourself succumbing to the effects of heat stroke and drinking water simply isn't cutting it, quickly reduce your core temperature by going for a swim or taking a cool shower. And, if you can't go for a swim or a shower, go outside and run through your sprinkler - your core temperature will quickly be reduced, and you'll be feeling better in no time.

Click To Enlarge.
Doing A Hard Workout Outside Is Not Without Risk - And The Chief
Risk Is Heat Stroke.

Source:

CASA, D.J., B.P., et al. Cold Water Immersion: The Gold Standard for Exertional Heatstroke Treatment. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 141Y149, 2007.

dot
Rethinking Oxygen
dot

When something has been believed true for so long, it's often accepted as de facto - an immutable truth from which there is no escape. And so it is when it comes to anaerobic and aerobic exercise. Whereas anaerobic exercise like weight-lifting is exercise without oxygen; aerobic exercise like running is exercise with oxygen. Right? Not really. A new study is challenging the standard division between anaerobic and aerobic exercise.

Researchers examining theories of metabolic control noted that exercise immediately depleted phospho-creatine stores, and then oxygen uptakes in the muscles after about 15 seconds. After noting several reasons why this delay in oxygen uptake by muscle tissue doesn't make much sense according to current knowledge, researchers used new microcirculatory observation techniques to prove that oxygen is used by muscles immediately upon contraction.

This study raises a lot of questions for future research, but it points out that anaerobic exercise like weight-lifting isn't as "without oxygen" as once thought. It also points out that the division between anaerobic and aerobic exercise is largely academic and artificial, and that rather than being static and divided, your body is dynamic and connected, with each form of exercise using a combination of various fuels at any given time.

Click To Enlarge.
Studies Show That Activities Such As Weightlifting May Use More
Oxygen Than Once Believed.

Source:

POOLE, D.C., L.F. FERREIRA, B.J. BEHNKE, T.J. BARSTOW, and A.M. JONES. The final frontier: oxygen flux into muscle at exercise onset. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 166Y173, 2007.

dot
Electrical Stimulation-Just Another Scam?
dot

Chances are good that if you've ever turned on the television late at night, you've seen the infomercial for the famous electric muscle massage machine being peddled by a "Ho" calling himself "Dr." Like the machines found in physiotherapy and chiropractic clinics across the country, these electrical stimulation machines deliver electrical stimulation to various parts of your body through wires attached to stickers that you place at various locations on your skin. The therapy is called NMES - neuromuscular electrical stimulation.

What Is NMES?
Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses. The impulses are generated by a device and delivered through electrodes on the skin in direct proximity to the muscles to be stimulated. The impulses mimic the action potential coming from the central nervous system, causing the muscles to contract. The electrodes are generally pads that adhere to the skin. EMS is both a form of electrotherapy and of muscle training.

But one question has always been on the minds of bodybuilders: do these machines really work - or are they just another unproven therapy or late-night infomercial scam?

A team of scientists at the University of Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium examined the effects of NMES on muscle fiber stimulation, motor unit recruitment, torque generation and metabolic demand.

Researchers found that NMES does, in fact, have a profoundly beneficial effect on the metabolic demand associated with generating a muscular force, as well as improving the underlying efficiency of neuromuscular mechanisms that regulate muscle contraction.

This is an important study for bodybuilders because it shows that there is a method in addition to training that can improve overall efficiency of muscular contraction and the mind-muscle connection.

Source:

VANDERTHOMMEN, M. and J. DUCHATEAU. Electrical stimulation as a modality to improve performance of the neuromuscular system. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 180Y185, 2007.

Disclaimer:

The information provided in this publication is for educational and informational purposes only and does not serve as a replacement to care provided by your own personal health care team or physician. The author does not render or provide medical advice, and no individual should make any medical decisions or change their health behavior based on information provided here. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information contained herein with other sources. Readers and consumers should review the information in this publication carefully with their professional health care provider. The information in this or other publications authored by the writer is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians. Reliance on any information provided by the author is solely at your own risk. The author does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, products, medication, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be presented in the publication. The author does not control information, advertisements, content, and articles provided by discussed third-party information suppliers. Further, the author does not warrant or guarantee that the information contained in written publications, from him or any source is accurate or error-free. The author accepts no responsibility for materials contained in the publication that you may find offensive. You are solely responsible for viewing and/or using the material contained in the authored publications in compliance with the laws of your country of residence, and your personal conscience. The author will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages arising from the use of information contained in this or other publications.

Recommended Articles