Tip of the week Tip: Achieve the right hormonal balance with the right vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts and kohlrabi have a high nutrient density. One compound found in cruciferous vegetables is glucobrassicin, which is broken down and converted into indole-3-carbinol (I3C). I3C is rapidly converted in the body into other metabolites that have powerful effects on hormonal balance.
I3C influences your body's hormonal activity by affecting estrogen receptor activity and estrogen metabolism. I3C has been shown to increase oestrogen C2 hydroxylation.
When estrogen is broken down in the body, hydroxylation occurs prior to excretion. (This is a chemical process in which a hydroxyl group is added to a ring structure). But why is this important? Estrogen is typically hydroxylated at the C2 or C16 ring structure and, in smaller amounts, at the C4 ring structure.
Estrogen can be useful for a number of cellular activities, but if levels are too high or too low, it can have serious health consequences. When estrogen is metabolized via the C2 pathway into 2-hydroxylated estrone and estradiol, it loses much of its estrogenic effect. C4 and C16 hydroxylated oestrone and oestradiol, on the other hand, have a higher oestrogen activity.
Can cruciferous vegetables reduce the risk of cancer?
Some studies have linked the ratio of hydroxylated estrogen metabolites to cancer risk, with higher concentrations of C2 metabolites being associated with a lower cancer risk than higher concentrations of C16 metabolites.
In one study, urine samples were collected before and after administration of I3C (6 to 7 mg per kilogram of body weight per day) over the course of a week in men and over the course of 2 months in women. The results showed that I3C significantly increased the excretion of C2 metabolites via the urine in both sexes. After treatment, concentrations of oestrogen metabolites such as oestradiol, oestrone and oestriol were lower.
This suggests that I3C consumption may lower the concentrations of metabolites that activate estrogen receptors in the body. In the case of women, several other studies using doses of 300 to 400 mg per day have shown that oral administration of I3C alters the estrogen metabolic profile in urine, with elevated levels of 2-OH estrone:estriol present.
One way to increase your I3C consumption is to eat more cruciferous vegetables. Half a cup of cruciferous vegetables can contain 20 to 389 mg of I3C, with cress providing 389 mg and Chinese cabbage 20 mg.
References:
- http://doi.org/10.1097/00001648-200011000-00004
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9168187/#:~:text=Results%3A%20In%20both%20men%20and,were%20lower%20after%20I3C%20treatment.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9539190/
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/15370811_Long-term_responses_of_women_to_indole-3-carbinol_or_a_high_fiber_diet
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/4BD7F733AEE2CFC89DD28CD66AFAF22C/S0007114503001752a.pdf/div-class-title-development-of-a-food-composition-database-for-the-estimation-of-dietary-intakes-of-glucosinolates-the-biologically-active-constituents-of-cruciferous-vegetables-div.pdf
Tip: Replace rowing upright
For most people, rowing upright is an exercise that ruins the shoulders. Here's a better exercise.
By Dr. John Rusin
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-replace-the-upright-row/
Is rowing upright a shoulder killer?
There is no exercise more notorious when it comes to ruining your shoulders than rowing upright. And everyone knows this, which is why there are dozens of modifications to the position of the hands, the path of the bar and the set-up. They were all invented to make this exercise gentler on the shoulder girdle.
But why play with fire when there are safer alternatives that can give you the same benefits? The traditional upright rowing creates an increased forward load on the shoulder girdle, which is especially true if your shoulder mobility and cervical spine positioning are less than perfect (i.e. you have poor posture).
Poor posture in the upper quadrant generates more inward rotational movement at the glenohumeral joint, which reduces the range of structures for free gliding. Poor posture can also prevent the shoulder blades from moving fluidly and synergistically against the rib cage.
This exercise has a tendency to shift tension from the middle shoulder muscle heads (which most exercisers want to target with this exercise) to the upper trapezius. And this defeats the very purpose of this exercise, as there are a myriad of more effective and less dangerous ways to train the upper trapezius.
If your posture is poor, then you shouldn't even think about including modified versions of upright rows in your program. The cost/benefit ratio is not particularly good, even for exercisers with excellent posture and healthy shoulders.
Use this exercise instead: slightly bent over dumbbell side raise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7WRsQDjsEc&feature=emb_rel_end
Emphasize strength and stability in the posterior shoulder girdle. Do this with slightly bent over dumbbell side raises. By bending the upper body forward by 15 degrees at the hips, you can change the line of pull while simultaneously putting more strain on the rear shoulder muscle heads. To keep this exercise as pain-free as possible, pay attention to the height of the dumbbells when reaching the top position (with the arms parallel to the floor or slightly lower) and the position of the hands throughout the movement.
The inward rotated movement of the shoulders is the problem with upright rowing, so avoid the same inward rotated position when doing side raises. Rotate your shoulders slightly outwards and maintain this position throughout the movement to get the most out of this exercise with minimal stress on the shoulders.
Tip: A new reason to use creatine
There are many good reasons to use creatine. Here's a new one that's pretty exciting.
By Rudy Mawer
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/tip-a-new-reason-to-take-creatine/
Boost your carbohydrate metabolism and improve your nutrient partitioning Creatine is a proven muscle building supplement. Over the past few decades, new studies have been published showing that creatine can improve nearly every aspect of your health and body from brain health to boosting your high-intensity training performance.
New research even shows that creatine may help improve nutrient partitioning by transporting carbohydrates to the muscles for energy and recovery. This makes creatine an optimal post-workout supplement, especially when combined with a good recovery formula.
A recent study looked at the effects of creatine when carbohydrates are consumed after training. A measurement of blood glucose levels showed that the creatine group had better carbohydrate absorption.
This was probably due to creatine activating certain biological actions in the cells, one of which could be to increase GLUT4 activation. The GLUT4 receptor is located on the muscle cell and acts as a kind of gatekeeper for carbohydrates and amino acids in the blood. By increasing the sensitivity of these receptors, more muscle-building nutrients can enter the muscle cells for growth and repair.
References:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11356982/
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00726-007-0508-1
Tip: A back-friendly alternative to bent-over rowing with a barbell
You need to train more horizontal pulls, but classic bent-over rowing with a barbell could be doing more harm than good
By Dr. John Rusin
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-a-back-friendly-alternative-to-bent-over-rows/
Should you do bent-over rows with a barbell?
Most exercisers need to perform horizontal pulling exercises. This helps to reduce the negative effects of predominantly sedentary activities. However, rowing bent over with a barbell is not your best choice. There are better ways to train the posterior muscle chain.
What makes bent-over rowing with a barbell a worse choice? This exercise combines a large amount of stability throughout the upper body, pelvis and spine while generating dynamic tension in the upper back muscles. This exercise is not generally bad for everyone, but it could be bad for you.
Even the more experienced exercisers I deal with can't perform a hip flexion properly with their own body weight. For this reason, it's absurd to tell them that they should try to hold a hip flexion isometrically while lowering a heavy barbell.
If you lack the ability to perform a proper hip flexion, this should automatically lead you to remove bent-over rowing from your arsenal. In this case, you should not get into a bent-over position that involves a dynamic movement for the upper extremities.
You need the ability to maintain a neutral position of the spine and pelvis in the bent hip position. The combination of a bent hip position and a loaded barbell results in heavy compensatory patterns. And if you have to move the bar up and down, your spine will move back and forth between flexion and extension, moving the pelvis forward and backward with each repetition, which is not good.
With much of the movement generated by joints and non-contractile structures, rowing bent over with poor posture not only reduces the emphasis on the muscle contractions we are targeting with this exercise, but also puts the body in a potentially injury-prone position.
A better alternative: rowing with a supported chest and neutral grip
Use supported chest rows to develop your upper back. You will achieve the same training effect while keeping your spine in a neutral position. By using the supported position on an incline bench, you take the isometric hip flexion out of the equation. This shifts the emphasis to the muscles working to move the weight.
Before you begin the exercise, engage your gluteus, lower extremities and core to generate a stable base. This should be easy as your spine and pelvis are in a neutral position. Use a neutral grip (with palms facing each other) with dumbbells. This hand and shoulder position is usually better tolerated than the grip position you need to use with a barbell. Practice this exercise with a variety of repetition ranges and tempos. A neutral spine position and centered and stable shoulders make this exercise much more back-friendly than classic bent-over rowing with a barbell.
Tip: Use this supplement for a better sex life
From TC Luoma
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/tip-get-more-satisfaction-in-the-sack/
It's all about the pipes
Erections are all about the hydraulics. These include biological plumbing - blood vessels, to be precise - and pressure, which is regulated by chemicals like nitric oxide instead of valves. When you improve the integrity and health of blood vessels and increase pressure by increasing nitric oxide levels, you can maximize your erections.
Curcumin is probably the only known compound that accomplishes both of these things. For one thing, curcumin improves every aspect of arterial health and when your arteries (along with the rest of your cardiovascular system) are clean and functioning at 100%, it stands to reason that you'll have stronger erections.
Here are just a few of the cardiovascular benefits of curcumin:
- Preventing atherosclerosis
- Increasing HDL cholesterol levels
- Protecting the arteries from homocysteine - a factor in cardiovascular disease
- Reduction of triglyceride levels
- Protection of the arteries from high blood pressure
- Lowering fibrinogen levels - a chemical that increases blood clotting. Lowering fibrinogen levels is a key factor in preventing heart attacks and strokes.
It's all well and good if you have clean pipes, but erections need something else: nitric oxide. This chemical relaxes the blood vessels leading to the penis so that they can carry even more blood, and even a small dose of curcumin (80 mg per day) has been shown to increase the amount of nitric oxide in plasma.
Of course, there are other supplements (and also drugs such as Viagra) that increase nitric oxide levels more than curcumin, but very few of these have the dual effect of clearing the arteries in combination with relaxing the arteries.
A reproductive superstar
However, curcumin's effects on sexual function do not end with hydraulics. Curcumin has also been shown to have the following effects on the male reproductive system:
- Slightly increased testosterone levels
- Improved sperm quality
- Protection of testicular function from the effects of alcohol consumption
All of this suggests that curcumin should be part of every man's supplement arsenal.
Tip: Put the health of your gut first
You are what you eat, right? Not quite. Here's what you need to know.
By Paul Carter
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-put-your-gut-health-first/
Gut health should come first
One of the biggest nutrition mistakes many exercisers make is not putting gut health first. The old adage "you are what you eat" is completely wrong. It should be "You are what you digest and absorb efficiently". Let's take a closer look at this.
It's about more than just macronutrients
This is not a sexy topic, nor one that powerlifters or bodybuilders place much emphasis on, as the focus has always been on macronutrients for so long. But it doesn't matter how perfect your macronutrient composition is if your body can't use those macronutrients efficiently.
From a nutritional perspective, it all starts in the gut. Your gut contains more than 100 trillion organisms. That's why a "if the macronutrient composition fits" approach falls short. Simply eating processed foods with the right macronutrient composition does not mean that such a diet creates a healthy environment in the body where these nutrients can be optimally processed.
Starving bad bacteria, feeding good bacteria and creating a healthy gut flora is essential. A very simple way to generate such an environment is to reduce processed and high-sugar foods in your diet and include a few fermented foods such as sauerkraut, yogurt and kefir in your diet. Foods like steamed spinach and ginger can also help reduce inflammation in the digestive tract.
Add all of this together and you're now working towards a healthy digestive system that will promote fantastic nutrient absorption and a stronger immune system.
By Erick Avila
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-balance-your-hormones-with-the-right-veggies/