| |
| Join Anabolicminds.com!! Register Today! |
 |
03-25-2008, 02:22 PM
| #1 |
| Registered User  | Sodium and Anabolism Here's an interesting article about the effects of sodium. This was posted today over at IM and I thought I'd post it over here for you guys and to get some more thoughts. I thought it was a good interesting read and it certainly goes against what we've generally been told to believe. Sodium - Anabolic The “Sodium - Anabolic”Connection! One of the most powerful anabolic stimuli may be sitting right on your dinner table. Bodybuilders are constantly fed conflicting information regarding nutritional intake. This information, dished out mainly by the magazines, is primarily manipulated to sell you supplements. Yes, the magazines do have a vested interest in supplements. More space is devoted to marketing their supplements, either through articles or ads (in many cases these are one in the same), than is devoted to non-promotional productive training and nutritional information. Sad but true. Unfortunately you have to learn to see through the monetarily motivated bullshit. The Sodium Dilemma As a whole, bodybuilders who think they are serious about their diet, generally cut out all extra sodium intake. Most are under the false notion that sodium will make them fat, cause them to retain extra water (as if this were a bad thing), cause high blood pressure or is just overall an unhealthy mineral. None of which is true. First off, sodium does not cause hypertension. This is a disease sodium can aggravate but not manifest. Secondly, sodium will not make you fat in any way, shape, or form. Thirdly, sodium is an essential nutrient your body can’t live without. Many functions in the body are "sodium-dependant". They require the presence of sodium. Many amino acids are transported by sodium carriers. Just recently the results of a major 10 year study were released vindicating sodium as the unhealthy mineral. In fact this study revealed that individuals with higher sodium intake had a lower mortality rate. That's right. Those that consumed a diet low in sodium actually died at an earlier age than those with higher sodium intakes. That pretty much throws a serious monkey wrench into the generally accepted thinking on sodium now doesn't it? With these fallacies out of the way let's see how we can manipulate our sodium intake to help increase muscular size and strength. Sodium and Muscle Growth Sodium is the primary positively charged ion in extra-cellular fluid. Sodium regulates blood volume, acid-base balance, muscle and nerve function and ATP-hydrolyzing activity in skeletal muscle. Potassium is the primary positively charged ion in intracellular fluid. Potassium regulates intra-muscular fluid levels, muscle and nerve function and ATP-hydrolyzing activity in skeletal muscle. As you can see, sodium and potassium perform very similar functions with the major difference being in the intra and extra-cellular fluid regulation. Most everyone is aware that sodium has an effect on subcutaneous (under the skin) fluid retention. Potassium has its effect on fluid inside the muscle cell. What most don’t realize is that these two minerals are constantly striving for equilibrium. When one gets out of line with the other your system will strive to adjust to the underlying situation. When you cut your sodium intake, your body will quickly compensate by holding more sodium in and releasing potassium out thereby decreasing fluid inside the muscle cell. When you increase your sodium intake your body will compensate by holding more potassium in (increasing intra-muscular fluid) and increasing the excretion of sodium. Sodium, potassium and the balance between the two can have a prominent impact on muscle size and anabolism (increased cellular fluid inside the muscle cell promotes an anabolic response in muscle tissue) as well as strength through increase joint leverage. Also, elevated sodium and potassium levels will tend to prevent soft tissue injuries so common in heavy training. Sodium's Influence Increases muscle size through an increase in muscle cell fluid volume. Increasing cellular fluid increases protein turnover and overload stimulated lean tissue accrual. Increased intra and extra-cellular fluid increases joint leverage positively impacting strength for greater muscle overload. Increased intra and extra-cellular fluid decreases muscle strains and helps protect soft and connective tissue from injury. Many critical amino acids are "sodium-dependant". This means they actually have to attach to a sodium molecule to enter the muscle cell. Getting Enough You can get enough potassium from a good multi-mineral supplement. Bananas are also an excellent source and are highly recommended. Each bite has about 100 milligrams of potassium. Sodium is another story. The typical athlete that eats a disciplined diet low in fat is probably not benefiting from proper sodium intake as he should. Forget the myth of avoiding table salt. Don’t be afraid to use salt liberally. This is important. I know, over the years the media has pounded the “avoid salt” routine down your throat but you must understand, not only this is geared towards the “average person” - if you train and eat like a bodybuilder, you are not an average person - it's opposite of what recent science has shown to be healthy. Remember, the low/no sodium approach will limit the rate at which you can put on muscle from both a fluid balance standpoint and through hormonal suppression effects. One of the key effects of steroids, especially the high androgenic ones, is their ability to promote the retention of sodium. This sodium retention is believed to be a major contributor to the muscle growth experienced while on steroids. This is a relatively new area of research. The medical community can’t seem to agree on just how and why steroids work and this appears to be an area that has been seriously overlooked. Sodium and potassium are regulated by aldosterone. Aldosterone is produced in the adrenal cortex. Steroids have a direct influence on the adrenal cortex which also produces cortisol and other glucocorticoids. See a connection? We will have much more on the groundbreaking research into The “Sodium -Anabolic” Connection in the near future. In the meantime, for a serious anabolic jolt, simply increase your sodium intake by salting your food a little more. It doesn't take a ton of salt. Just get in the habit of salting your food at every meal. Steadily increase the amount you use over a one month period. You'll be bigger, stronger, and much less susceptible to progress halting injuries. And guess what? It costs only about 27 cents for a 3 month supply. "He who makes a beast of himself, gets rid of the pain of being a man." |
|     |
 |  |
|
03-26-2008, 12:35 AM
| #2 |
| Board Supporter  | Take it with a grain of salt... http://www.chemo.net/disclosu.htm About LifeForce Hospitals LifeForce Hospitals International is a development stage research company. None of its products have been approved for marketing by the Food and Drug Administration or other foreign regulatory agencies (exc.) Mexico. The products discussed in this website are either presently being investigated in clinical trials subject to a United States IND or applicable foreign authority submissions, or are in pre-clinical research and development. LifeForce Hospitals has not submitted an NDA to the FDA or equivalent application to any other foreign regulatory authorities for any of its products and the products have not been determined to be safe or effective in humans for its intended use. This website is not intended to provide medical advice. In addition to historical information, this website, including the press releases posted to the website, contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, uncertainties related to the LifeForce Hospitals’ early stage of development and clinical trials and dependence on collaborative and licensing arrangements, which may cause actual results to differ materially. |
|
| |
|
03-26-2008, 12:59 AM
| #3 |
| Gold Member  | Interesting. I keep my sodium normal. i don't worry if its too low or high really. i don't deliberately eat sodium on purpose . i won't avoid a food because it has 35 % sodium though. any more information on sodium, anabolic effects and safety and whether its legit studies? |
|
| |
|
03-26-2008, 01:25 AM
| #4 |
| Board Sponsor Board Sponsor  | Post #7 and #10 you guys might find interesting(maybe it's just me?). http://www.mindandmuscle.net/forum/i...5990&hl=sodium Ryan Avant Research Representative www.AvantResearch.com Avant Research at NutraPlanet rpen22@AvantResearch.com |
|
| |
|
03-26-2008, 02:35 AM
| #5 |
| Gold Member | yeah I thought it was the opposite. So Lower it while putting in excess calories and up it while cutting.(with the exception of contest..cut it out and take potassium) Thats my comprehension. Is that what you got out of it rpen? |
|
| |
|
03-26-2008, 03:06 AM
| #6 |
| Board Sponsor Board Sponsor | Yeah, that appears to be what Spook was saying. Ryan Avant Research Representative www.AvantResearch.com Avant Research at NutraPlanet rpen22@AvantResearch.com |
|
| |
|
03-26-2008, 08:11 AM
| #7 |
| Registered User   | I know potassium regulates the heart beat and too much can cause problems (like death!). Does anyone know the safe limit? Is a multi or two a day enough to get positive results? |
|
| |
|
03-26-2008, 10:25 AM
| #8 | |
| Registered User | Quote:
"He who makes a beast of himself, gets rid of the pain of being a man." | |
|
| |
|
03-26-2008, 10:26 AM
| #9 | |
| Registered User | Quote:
"He who makes a beast of himself, gets rid of the pain of being a man." | |
|
| |
|
03-26-2008, 11:27 AM
| #10 |
| I Know Nothing!! Board Moderator  | There's a lot of talk in alternative medicine about sodium and a lot of practioners will have hypoadrenal patients consume LOTS of sea salt everyday. I AM watching you. Pirate, Poet, King of Despair. |
|
| |
|
03-26-2008, 03:20 PM
| #11 | |
| Gold Member | Quote:
I've looked over youtube and cannot find this show. I watched it on MTv years ago(like I think i was 22) and can't remember everything this guy did. I do remember his Dad shaved his ass. | |
|
| |
 | ||
