Showing posts with label blood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blood. Show all posts

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Working Out 45 Min After Dinner Improves Post Meal Blood Glucose Trigs More Effectively Than Working Out Before

Resistance training alone wont make up for a sloppy diet - no matter if you do it before or after meals.
I am not sure how feasible this is going to be for you, but if you are a type II diabetic or anyone concerned about the potential detrimental health effects of the rise in glucose and triglycerides after a meal, working out 45 minutes after dinner is the way to go.

Abnormally elevated postprandial glucose and triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations are strong risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type-2 diabetes. Therefore, scientists expect that interventions that reduce postprandial glucose and TAG concentrations should lower the risk of CVD (Krook. 2003; OGorman. 2008).
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Previous studies have shown that acute exercise typically lowers postprandial glucose and TAG concentrations (Tobin. 2008) in patients with type-2 diabetes, but as Timothy D. Heden et al. point out, there is considerable heterogeneity in the responses with some individuals not experiencing beneficial changes in these risk factors (Gill. 2007; van Dijk. 2012).
"One potential explanation why some patients with type-2 diabetes do not have beneficial changes in postprandial glucose and TAG with acute exercise is because of the timing of the acute exercise session relative to meal consumption. Limited evidence suggests that the timing of aerobic exercise around a meal may be important and might explain why some individuals are exercise “insensitive” or “non responders”." (Heden. 2014) 
The only study to directly compare the effect of pre-meal and post-meal aerobic exercise on postprandial glucose concentrations in patients with type-2 diabetes showed that post-dinner, but not pre-dinner walking, lowered postprandial glucose concentrations (Colberg. 2009).
Figure 1: Previous studies indicate that aerobic workouts after meals have more beneficial effects on the potentially unhealthy increases in glucose or triglycerides (Collberg. 2009)
Although no study has directly examined the effect of exercise timing on postprandial TAG in patients with type-2 diabetes, there is evidence that exercise performed the day prior to a high fat meal has no effect on postprandial TAG responses (Dalgaard. 2004; Gill. 2007), while post-breakfast aerobic exercise reduced the postprandial TAG response (Tobin. 2008). Taken together, it appears that aerobic exercise may have its most powerful effect to lower postprandial glucose and TAG responses when performed after a meal, possibly because of slowed gastric emptying and/or greater skeletal muscle glucose and TAG uptake and utilization at this time.

The question that remained was: Is the same true for resistance training?

Since resistance exercise (RE) has a more pronounced long(er)-lasting effect on ones metabolism than aerobic training, the researchers from the University of Missouri tested the hypothesis that post-dinner RE, compared to pre-dinner RE, would in fact be more effective at improving two clinically important postprandial risk factors (glucose and 109 TAG) for CVD at a time of day when they are typically highest in obese patients with type-2 diabetes.

The standardized test workout consisted of the following exercises (in this order): leg press, seated calf raises, seated chest flyes, seated back flyes, back extensions, shoulder raises, leg curls, and abdominal crunches. All exercises were performed for three sets (1-2 min rest between sets) of 10-repetitions for each RE. During this session, the first set for each exercise was a warm-up set and the weight used was 50% of the participants 10-RM. After the warm-up set, the weight for the next two sets was the participants previously determined 10-RM.
Figure 2: Postrandial lipid response in the obese type II diabetics (Heden. 2014)
As you can see in Figure 2 the scientists suspicion was right, the postprandial workout (M-RE) had significantly more pronounced beneficial effects on the lipid metabolism of the type II diabetic subjects who consumed a standardized breakfasts (English muffin, cheddar cheese, one large egg, ham, hash brown, ketchup, and apple or orange juice) lunch (white bread, ham, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, a granola bar, and apple or orange juice) and dinner meals (spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce with beef added, garlic bread, a lemon lime flavored soda, and 1.5 g of acetaminophen (to assess gastric emptying)) containing ~50% carbohydrate, 35% fat, and 15% protein.

Similar effects were observed for the insulin and glucose responses (see Figure 3) which were significantly improved and should thus complement the beneficial effects of the reduced triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels.
Figure 3: Changes in postprandial insulin and glucose levels (Heden. 2014)
Bottom line: Before we get to the actual interpretation of the result let me briefly point out that it would probably have been at least as effective if the subject had not been fed bull**** like ketchup, mayonnaise, granola bars, and purportedly healthy, but de facto obesogenic fruit juices. The unfortunate truth, however, is that 99% of the type II diabetics still eat like this. For them, the use of resistance training after each meal may be a possible, but unquestionably not practical way to ameliorate the unwanted cardiovascular side effects.

In view of the fact that most diabetics dont work at all, I am 100% convinced that the results of the study at hand have zero practical significance - even I wouldnt go work out after dinner only to lie in bed hungrily, thereafter, And if I did, I would raid the fridge later at night - certainly not a practice thats heart healthier than working out before dinner.

Speaking of which: Working out before dinner would also mean working out after lunch and could thus effectively help the increase in triglycerides and glucose after lunch. Not too bad either, right? | Comment on Facebook!
References:
  • Colberg, Sheri R., et al. "Postprandial walking is better for lowering the glycemic effect of dinner than pre-dinner exercise in type 2 diabetic individuals." Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 10.6 (2009): 394-397. 
  • Dalgaard, Marian, Claus Thomsen, and Kjeld Hermansen. "Effects of one single bout of low-intensity exercise on postprandial lipaemia in type 2 diabetic men." British Journal of Nutrition 92.03 (2004): 469-476.
  • Gill, Jason MR, et al. "Effect of prior moderate exercise on postprandial metabolism in men with type 2 diabetes: heterogeneity of responses." Atherosclerosis 194.1 (2007): 134-143.
  • Heden, Timothy D., et al. "Post-dinner resistance exercise improves postprandial risk factors more effectively than pre-dinner resistance exercise in patients with type 2 diabetes."
    Journal of Applied Physiology (2014). Ahead of print.
  • Krook, Anna, et al. "Reduction of risk factors following lifestyle modification programme in subjects with type 2 (non?insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus." Clinical physiology and functional imaging 23.1 (2003): 21-30.
  • OGorman, Donal J., and Anna Krook. "Exercise and the treatment of diabetes and obesity." Endocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America 37.4 (2008): 887-903.
  • Tobin, L. W. L., Bente Kiens, and Henrik Galbo. "The effect of exercise on postprandial lipidemia in type 2 diabetic patients." European journal of applied physiology 102.3 (2008): 361-370.
  • van Dijk, Jan-Willem, et al. "Exercise and 24-h glycemic control: equal effects for all type 2 diabetic patients?." Medicine and science in sports and exercise (2012).


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Friday, January 1, 2016

More BFR Lovin Can the Cortisol GH Response to Blood Flow Restriction Explain the Strength Gains Were Seeing

"Cuffed up and ready to grow"? Yes, but STRONGER, but not necessarily bigger - thats at least what the latest research seems to suggest. Research thats bringing us back to the influence of exercise induced changes in growth hormone, cortisol and co, we all love so much ;-)
If youve read my article "Strength ? | Size ? - Thats the Result of 7 Weeks With Three Additional Sets of Blood Flow Restricted High Rep + Low Intensity Squats & Bench Presses in Well-Trained Athletes" (read more), you will be aware that the previously reported strength increases in response to the addition of 3 sets of blood flow restricted high rep, low intensity work are dearly bought.

The price youll have to pay for theses strength increases is a reduced increase in muscle size thats particularly pronounced for the pectoralis major (the large chest muscle), where doing those three extra-sets leads - irrespective of whether youre "all cuffed up" or not - to a reduction(!) in muscle size (as measured by chest circumference).

Obviously we cannot explain the catabolic effects,....

... by taking a look at the results of another recently published study on blood flow restriction. What the results Eonho Kim et al. present in their most recent paper in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine could tell us, though, is whether the positive effects on strength development are mediated by BFR-induced changes in the expression of "anabolic" hormones.
Important note: The previously reported negative effects on muscle size are negative effects that ar brought about by the "pump sets" at the end of the workout - they are not negative effects of BFR.
As the scientists from the University of Oklahoma point out, the purpose of their study was to determine whether there was an acute hormone response to exercise differed between low intensity blood flow restricted resistance exercise and traditional high-intensity resistance exercise in college-aged women.

Suggested: "Anabolic Workouts Revisited: Testosterone, GH, Prolac- tin & Co - Effects of Workout Type, Volume & Density" | more
As a seasoned SuppVersity veteran youll know that "acute" is not "chronic" and that these acute differences in "hormone response" are difficult to place. Based on the results of the only currently available study with useful data on the relation between the expression of "anabolic" and purportedly "catabolic" hormones on the one hand, and the increase in muscle size and strength in response to classic 12-week resistance training program (see Table 1), we should watch out for increases in cortisol, only (!).

The allegedly catabolic stress hormone, of which most people forget that it is eventually a glucocorticoid and allows you to train without having to have a glucose infusion at hand, is the only  hormone with significant (p = 0.03) positive correlations (r = 0.29) with the strength gains of the 56 young men who participated in the 2012 study by West & Phllips (West. 2012).

What about the cuffed up ladies in the study at hand, then?

If we assume that (a) the acute post-workout increase in cortisol is actually an indicator of chronic strength increases and (b) that this is the same for men and women, we should see higher glucocorticoid levels in the 13 healthy women (aged 18-25 yrs), who participated in the Kim study, when they trained with cuffs, then we do, when they train without cuffs.
Figure 1: Relative changes (pre vs. post) in lactate, growth hormone, hematocrit and cortisol in response to leg presses and leg extensions with (1x30, 2x15 @20% 1RM) and without (3x10 @80% 1RM) blood flow restriction (Kim. 2014)
Well, what should I say? The increases in cortisol, we predicted based on our analysis of the West study are there! The cortisol expression differed significantly between the two training conditions, in the course of which the 13 ladies performed ...
  • Dont forget to read more about the "anti-size" effects of BFR" | more
    5 minutes of warm up on a cycle ergometer, plus
  • high intensity leg presses and extensions
    for 3x 10 @ 80% 1RM, or
  • BFR leg presses + extension
    for 1x30, 2x15 @ 20% 1RM with
  • 1 minute rest between sets and exercises.
During the BFR condition the participants wore an elastic cuffs (50 mm width) on the proximal thighs. The initial cuff pressure was set between 40 and 60 mm Hg, then inflated to 120 mm Hg for 30 seconds then released. The cuff pressure was increased by 20 mm Hg incrementally until the target pressure of 200 Hg was reached as described by previously published studies (Abe et al., 2006; Yasuda et al., 2006). Since the cuff was deflated and removed after the completion of the two lower body exercises, the total time of vascular restriction was "only" about 10 minutes.
Block Periodization - Training revolution or simple trick to break out of the comfort zone? If its the latter, it will almost certainly produce increased cortisol levels before you will see any increase in performance.
Bottom line: While the study at hand does not answer whether the increases in cortisol are corollary or causatively involved in the performance increases, the results Kim et al. present in their latest paper are 100% in line with my argumentation in my previous article "All About Cortisol, Fat Loss, Body Composition and the Efficacy & Safety of 7-Keto & Co" (read more).

The cortisol spike after a workout is there for a reason; and even though its probably not causally involved in the performance gains in this and the performance and size gains in the West study, it is at least a good indicator that youre breaking out of the comfort zone, where adapational processes would be unnecessary.

Futthermore, the increase in glucocorticoid receptors on immune cells in response to heavy exercise (Fragala. 2011) would support the notion that the anti-inflammatory effects of cortisol, the fitness freaks often tend to overlook are critically involved in the pro-anabolic immune response to exercise. In conjunction with systemic and, more importantly, local changes in GH (in the study at hand BFR lead to a significant GH increase), IGF-1 and its splice variants, an adequate glucocorticoid response could even be causally involved in the training-induced performance gains.
Reference: 
  • Abe, Takashi, Charles F. Kearns, and Yoshiaki Sato. "Muscle size and strength are increased following walk training with restricted venous blood flow from the leg muscle, Kaatsu-walk training." Journal of Applied Physiology 100.5 (2006): 1460-1466. 
  • Fragala, Maren S., et al. "Glucocorticoid receptor expression on human B cells in response to acute heavy resistance exercise." Neuroimmunomodulation 18.3 (2011): 156-164. 
  • Kim, Eonho, et al. "Hormone Responses to an Acute Bout of Low Intensity Blood Flow Restricted Resistance Exercise in College-Aged Females." Journal of Sports Science and Medicine 12 (2013): 91-96.
  • West, Daniel WD, and Stuart M. Phillips. "Associations of exercise-induced hormone profiles and gains in strength and hypertrophy in a large cohort after weight training." European journal of applied physiology 112.7 (2012): 2693-2702.
  • Yasuda, T., et al. "Electromyographic responses of arm and chest muscle during bench press exercise with and without KAATSU." International Journal of KAATSU Training Research 2.1 (2006): 15-18.


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