Supplement Science Study: NAC for Muscle Performance Increase
( Advanced Supplements & Exercise Science ) ..
In addition to recommending creatine and glutamine, I firmly believe that every recreational and competitive bodybuilder's diet arsenal should include a cocktail of antioxidants Some of the best-known antioxidants are vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and selenium, but one that
hasn't really gotten the attention it might deserve is N-acetylcystcine, or NAC.
First of all, what are antioxidants anti why should you take them? In essence, antioxidants help neutrahze free radicals - molecules that are highly unstable and can indiscriminately destroy cell membranes, resulting in cell damage NAC is lust one more in a long line of antioxidants
that may prove useful for all athletes A recent study in the Journal of wolecular Medicine (74:393 400, 1996) suggested that this compound may help preserve lean body mass and support higher levels of blood glutamine. Glutamine, in my opinion, is one of the more important amino
acids bodybuilders should take as a means of main taming and increasing muscle mass.
In another recent study that examined the effects of NAC on inspiratorv loading in oxygen-supplemented rats, scientists speculated that NAC administration would alter the course of respiratory muscle failure during loaded breathing Oxygen supplementation was administered to blunt
the hypoxemia (low oxygen levels) caused by respiratory loading, which allows scientists to impose a metabolic and tensile stress to the diaphragm and respiratory muscles In a way, it was a form of resistive exercise. Remember, the diaphragm is a skeletal muscle similar to your
biceps, triceps and quads.
The rats were assigned to one of four groups: 1) unloaded plus saline, 2) unloaded plus NAC. 3) loaded plus saline, and 4) loaded plus NAC. The NAC dose given was equivalent to 150 mg per 2.2 pounds of bodvweight, or about 13-14 grams for a 200-pound human. The animals' respiratory
muscles were loaded until breathing efforts came to a stop, then a comparison was made of the volume of inspired air and the pressure generated by the animals over time The diaphragm was dissected after respiratory arrest.
FREE RADICALS & SKELETAL MUSCLE FATIGUE
Researchers found that the NAC-supplemented rats were able to maintain higher inspiratory pressures and sustain higher volumes of inspired air. The NAC-treated animals could also tolerate loading much longer than the saline- treated animals before respiratory arrest. Also, the
degree of glutathione loss from the diaphragm was less in the NAC treated animals. This is important because glutathmonc is one of the most powerful antioxidants in our bodies. This study corroborates the findings of other studies that have suggested that free radicals may play a
role in skeletal muscle fatigue during exercise. Although NAC might be considered a weak free-radical scavenger by itself, the fact that it can help maintain levels of glutathione will also impact cellular function.
Regardless of how NAC works, this compound has real world applications. It has previously been shown to reduce muscle fatigue in limb muscles of humans who were administered closes similar to those used in the recent study, which means the use of approximately to grams of NAC about
an hour before exercise may help maintain your high intensity efforts in the gym before you suffer significant muscle fatigue. Even if the respiratory muscles are the ones spared fatigue, this by itself could he an important adaptation with regard tn exercise.
Those of us who've done high-volume work during compound movements such as the lunge, squat or bench press know that our respiratory muscles obviously get quite a workout. Whether or not that affects your performance isn't entirely known. Yet if your breathing seems less fatigued,
it would make sense that your overall performance would improve. Is NAC worth buying at a local sports-nutrition store? Perhaps. Rut I'd also suggest taking a healthy cocktail of the major antioxidants I've already mentioned.
|
