I'd suggest milk thistle and Sesathin as protective measures over Cycle Support by the merit of cost as well as efficacy WRT liver protection.
Sesathin (sesamin) will also potentiate the enhanced nutrient partitioning supplied by Epidrol which will lead to more fat oxidized.In turn,this makes the Epidrol cycle more profitable.It is also a potent anti-imflammatory which will ease the pain of joint discomfort induced by the steroid.
http://www.nutraplanet.com/product/now-foods/silymarin-300-mg-100-caps.html
Here is the write up on Sesa,with supporting references proving claims.
Every so often, as our understanding of human health and the body’s needs evolves and improves, we gain new perspective on a natural compound’s unusually exceptional benefits to the wellness of those who consume it. If the body is a temple, as that ancient adage tells us, then compounds like the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil and the polyphenols and catechins contained in green tea can be considered the pillars that support and strengthen it throughout the years, that lend it beauty and hold it aloft even in the face of external and internal stressors. Today, we are here to induct a new member into this highest echelon of nature’s miracle health-providers: SesaThin™, a product which promotes fat-loss and powerfully lowers cholesterol and blood triglycerides, while also providing potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory protection to its users. So follow along, as we detail the intricacies of nature’s wondrous leanness and longevity lignan(s)—SesaThin™.
Super Fish Oil?
The active ingredient in SesaThin is sesamin(/episesamin), a naturally-occurring sesame lignan that’s effects on lipid metabolism represent a virtual metabolic dream come true. Although not a fatty-acid like the omega-3s in fish oil, sesamin acts just like certain fish fats as a ligand for PPARalpha (peroxisome proliferator receptor alpha), a type of ligand-activated transcription factor in human cells which plays an important role in fat-metabolism (1,2,3), fat-storage (1,2,3), glucose homeostasis (3), and inflammation (3,4). In fact, studies have shown that sesamin elevates fatty acid oxidation as much as 10-fold over normal levels via PPAR-alpha activation that is significantly more potent than what can be attained with fish oil (5,6,7). Obviously, it goes without saying that SesaThin’s ability to increase fatty acid utilization while suppressing fat-storage (1,7,8,9) carries a host of benefits, not the least of which is a significant correlation between leanness, PPARalpha expression, and improved long-term health (3,5,10,11,12).
SesaThin: The Key to Overall Metabolic Well-Being
Truly, SesaThin’s effects on fatty acid metabolism are nothing less than remarkable. Nonetheless, to say SesaThin is ‘just a fat burner’ is akin to calling filet mignon ‘just beef.’ No, SesaThin’s metabolic effects are diverse and far-reaching, and show promise combating everything from Metabolic Syndrome (Syndrome X) to atherosclerosis to high cholesterol (3,4,11,12,13,14,15,16,17).
For one, SesaThin’s ability to reduce lipid synthesis will help to maintain or even heighten high leptin and insulin sensitivity (13,14), even during periods of carbohydrate consumption (18). This will directly improve your body’s ability to send nutrients to the right places like the brain and skeletal muscle for cellular energy demands, while antagonizing the potential for insulin resistance and adipose (fat) storage. After all, fibrates, a class of hypolipidemic drugs which act as PPARalpha agonists just like SesaThin have been found to significantly improve serum glucose, insulin, and leptin levels caused by diet-induced obesity (19). They have also been demonstrated to dramatically improve insulin sensitivity and the diabetic condition of MKR mice, which have a mutation in the IGF-1 receptor, rendering them Type II diabetic (20).
Today, in our modern era of convenience stores and super-sized value meals—factors which tend to leave the average Western diet rife with high-insulemic, calorie-dense foods that overstuff cells and maul insulin sensitivity—SesaThin’s effects in this regard are most welcome. If we backtrack momentarily to reconsider Type II diabetes, a condition which is strongly correlated to insulin resistance and obesity (and also now represents 5% of the United States population (21)), one starts to see that SesaThin is not just a novelty for gym-goers and health-nuts—it should be considered a staple supplement for anyone seeking health and physical well-being well into old age.
Wait, it Gets Better
In a study on oxidative stress published in 2001 in the journal Pharmacological Review (22), the study’s researchers note quite presciently that, at the time, “a vast amount of circumstantial evidence implicates oxygen-derived free radicals (especially superoxide and hydroxyl radical) and high-energy oxidants (such as peroxynitrite) as mediators of inflammation, shock, and ischemia/reperfusion injury.” Since then, our fledgling understanding of anti-oxidant/oxidant status, or REDOX, in the human body has improved to the point where researchers point to an ‘optimal balance’ of ROS (reactive oxidant species) and anti-oxidants as key components in guarding the body against the ill effects of lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, cell-damage or apoptosis, and a host of other age, disease, or injury-related conditions (23).
So how does SesaThin figure into all of this? Well, given what we know thus far about the wondrous anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of SesaThin, it is not hard to speculate that its principal actives (the lignans sesamin and episesamin) will go a long way in helping one maintain that ever-so-crucial ‘optimal balance’ in REDOX function. For one, SesaThin’s ingredients have been shown to suppress excess superoxide formation and hypertension in stressed animal models (24,25) by protecting and maintaining proper function of endothelial elements like nitric oxide (NO) (26 ). This lead scientists to conclude that the “antioxidative propert[ies] of sesamin may apply to the prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases, such as diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and atherosclerosis” (24).
Additionally, sesamin has been shown to decrease lipid peroxidation in response to fish oil consumption (perhaps the only negative result of fish oil supplementation we know of), while increasing serum vitamin E levels and preventing its metabolism (27,28). Furthermore, studies show that vitamin E and sesamin work in synergy when combined to reduce systemic oxidative stress (28,29). But SesaThin doesn’t just stop with free radicals—it also provides anti-oxidant protection against oxidative-stress prompted by everything from exercise (30) and alcohol (31) to high-sodium diets (28), which, given our society’s present love of processing and preserving foods, probably includes yours’ and that of just about everyone you know. Other evidence suggests that it may help significantly in maintaining healthy blood-pressure levels as well (32).
If one looks at SesaThin’s ability to positively modulate cholesterol, the picture looks even brighter. First and foremost, SesaThin markedly decreases triglyceride (TG) formation and increases TG uptake and fatty acid oxidation (5,9), while decreasing cholesterol levels (16,17,33). And be prepared to cue the “you gotta’ be kidding me’s”, because it’s actually a little better than that. SesaThin seems to actually increase HDL cholesterol (the good stuff), while putting your LDL (the bad stuff) to bed without its toys (16,17,33).
In fact, just 100mg per day of SesaThin (1/15th of a regular daily dosing of SesaThin) has been clinically demonstrated to be modestly, but significantly hypocholestemic in humans (34). Morever, SesaThin also antagonizes inflammation (10,12,35), both in the liver and through the body, particularly through its ability to suppress the notorious anti-inflammatory prostaglandin PGE2 (35). Thus, in addition to being greatly beneficial for general health, these factors make SesaThin a must-use for those with certain lifestyles – particularly thos with high stress, anabolic steroid users, or regular stimulant or alcohol (ab)users.
To summarize, SesaThin™
* Increases fat burning
* Decreases fat storage
* Protects against obesity and obesity-related conditions
* Combats elevated cholesterol
* Is a potent anti-oxidant
* Is a potent anti-inflammatory
* Is hepato(liver)-protective
* Is stimulant Free
So, for your physique and your health, we proudly bring you SesaThin™.
References
1. Zhang J et al. Human skeletal muscle PPAR expression correlates with fat metabolism gene expression but not BMI or insulin sensitivity. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 286: E168-E175, 2004.
2. Gibbons G et al. The functional efficiency of lipogenic and cholesterogenic gene expression in normal mice and in mice lacking the peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha). Adv Enzyme Regul. 2002;42:227-47.
3. Erol A. PPARalpha activators may be good candidates as antiaging agents. Med Hypotheses. 2005 Jan;65(1):35-8.
4. Okamoto H et al. Inhibition of NF-kappaB signaling by fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha ligand, presents a therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2005 May-Jun;23(3):323-30.
5. Ashakumary L et al. Sesamin, a sesame lignan, is a potent inducer of hepatic fatty acid oxidation in the rat. Metabolism. 1999 Oct;48(10):1303-13.
6. Takashi et. al. Sesamin, a sesame lignan, as a potent serum-lipid lowering component. JARQ 37(3), 151-158.
7. Sampath H, Ntambi JM. Polyunsaturated fatty acid regulation of gene expression. Nutr Rev. 2004 Sep;62(9):333-9.
8. Gibbons G. Old fat, make way for new fat. 2005, Nature Medicine vol. 11: 722-723.
9. Ide T et al. Sesamin, a sesame lignan, decreases fatty acid synthesis in rat liver accompanying the down-regulation of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2001 Nov 30;1534(1):1-13.
10. Poynter M et al. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha activation modulates cellular redox status, represses nuclear factor-kappaB signaling, and reduces inflammatory cytokine production in aging. J Biol Chem. 1998 Dec 4;273(49):32833-41.
11. Pineda Torra I, Gervois P, Staels B. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha in metabolic disease, inflammation, atherosclerosis and aging. Curr Opin Lipidol. 1999 Apr;10(2):151-9.
12. Jeng K et al. Sesamin and Sesamoline: Nature’s Therapeutic Lignans. Current Enzyme Inhibition(1), 2005; 11-20.
13. Stannard et al. Insulin resistance and elevated triglyceride in muscle: more important for survival than "thrifty" genes? J Physiol. 2004 Feb 1;554(Pt 3):595-607. Epub 2003 Nov 7. Review.
14. Ziegler Q et al. [Macronutrients, fat mass, fatty acid flux and insulin sensitivity] Diabetes Metab. 2001 Apr;27(2 Pt 2):261-70. Review. French.
15. 43. Hirose N et al. Inhibition of cholesterol absorption and synthesis in rats by sesamin. Journal of Lipid Research 1991, Vol 32, 629-638.
16. Nakabayashi A, Kitagawa Y, Suwa Y, Akimoto K, Asami S, Shimizu S, Hirose N, Sugano M, Yamada H. alpha-Tocopherol enhances the hypocholesterolemic action of sesamin in rats. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1995;65(3):162-8.
17. Ogawa H, Sasagawa S, Murakami T, Yoshizumi H. Sesame lignans modulate cholesterol metabolism in the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol Suppl. 1995 Dec;22(1):S310-2.
18. Ide T. Interaction of dietary fat types and sesamin on hepatic fatty acid oxidation in rats. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2004 Jun 1;1682(1-3):80-91.
19. Toruner F. et al. Effects of PPARgamma and PPARalpha agonists on serum leptin levels in diet-induced obese rats. Horm Metab Res. 2004 Apr;36(4):226-30.
20. Kim H et al. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha agonist treatment in a transgenic model of type 2 diabetes reverses the lipotoxic state and improves glucose homeostasis. Diabetes. 2003 Jul;52(7):1770-8.
21. Muhammad S. Epidemiology of diabetes and obesity in the United States. Compend Contin Educ Dent. 2004 Mar;25(3):195-8, 200, 202;
22. Fry F et al. Multifunctional redox catalysts as selective enhancers of oxidative stress.
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23. McCord J et al. SOD, oxidative stress and human pathologies: a brief history and a future vision. Biomed Pharmacother. 2005 May;59(4):139-42. Epub 2005 Mar 22.
24. D. Nakano, M. Takaoka, Y. Kiso and Y. Matsumura. Antihypertensive Effect of Sesamin Vascular Disease Prevention, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2004; 233-241
25. Ohto U et al. Crystal structure of a humanized Fab fragment of anti-tissue-factor antibody in complex with tissue factor. J Synchrotron Radiat. 2004 Jan 1;11(Pt 1):105-8. Epub 2003 Nov 28.
26. Matsumura et al. Effects of sesamin on altered vascular reactivity in aortic rings of deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt-induced hypertensive rat. Biol Pharm Bull. 2000 Sep;23(9):1041-5.
27. Ikeda S. et al. Dietary sesame lignans decrease lipid peroxidation in rats fed docosahexaenoic acid. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2003 Aug;49(4):270-6.
28. Parker R et al. Cytochrome P4503A-dependent metabolism of tocopherols and inhibition by sesamin. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2000 Nov 2;277(3):531-4.
29. Hemalatha et al. Dietary sesame oils inhibits iron-induced oxidative stress in rats [corrected] Br J Nutr. 2004 Oct;92(4):581-7. Erratum in: Br J Nutr. 2004 Dec;92(6):1017.
30.Ikeda T. et al. Protective effect of sesamin administration on exercise-induced lipid peroxidation. Int J Sports Med. 2003 Oct;24(7):530-4.
31. Akimoto K, Kitagawa Y, Akamatsu T, Hirose N, Sugano M, Shimizu S, Yamada H. Protective effects of sesamin against liver damage caused by alcohol or carbon tetrachloride in rodents. Ann Nutr Metab. 1993;37(4):218-24.
32. Noguchi T. et al. Effects of vitamin e and sesamin on hypertension and cerebral thrombogenesis in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2004 Dec;31 Suppl 2:S24-6.
33. Hirose N et al. Inhibition of cholesterol absorption and synthesis in rats by sesamin. Journal of Lipid Research 1991, Vol 32, 629-638.
34. Hirata F et al. Hypocholesterolemic effect of sesame lignan in humans. Atherosclerosis. 1996 Apr 26;122(1):135-36.
35. Chevali S et al. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid increases TNF-alpha, and decreases IL-6, IL-10 in response to LPS: effects of sesamin on the delta-5 desaturation of omega6 and omega3 fatty acids in mice. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 1998 Mar;58(3):185-91.
