The Truth About Artificial Sweetner: Sucralose

Alarmingly, the rate of obesity in the United States continues to rise. To aid in battling obesity, many individuals use low-calorie artificial sweeteners as a substitute for high-calorie foods.

Read Part 1 Saccharin

ReadPart 2 Aspartame

Sucralose was accidentally discovered in 1976 by Tate & Lyle, a British sugar company. A graduate student misunderstood a request for “testing” of a chlorinated sugar as a request for “tasting.”

Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar and contains no calories. Sucralose was approved by the FDA in 1998 for use in 15 food categories, including a tabletop sweetener under the brand name Splenda. It is used in beverages, chewing gum, frozen desserts, fruit juices, and gelatins. In 1999, the FDA expanded its use as a general-purpose sweetener in all foods.

Sucralose is a sucrose molecule in which three of the hydroxyl groups have been replaced by chlorine atoms. Although sucralose is made from table sugar, it adds no calories because it is not digested in the body. Most of the sucralose given orally to mice, rats, dogs, and humans passes through the gastrointestinal tract and is eliminated.

Sucralose gives me
the bubble guts :(

Toxicology studies of sucralose show little effect. Cases studies have been reported on sucralose consumption and the increased incidence of migraines triggered by sucralose.

Many of the studies on product safety have been conducted by companies that produce these products and are not generally available to consumers. A Medline search of publications from 2000 to 2008 using the key words “artificial sweeteners,” “sweetening agents,” “toxicity,” “toxicology,” “safety,” and “consumer product safety” resulted in only one study available to readers of primary product safety data. Groups that believe the safety of these substances has not been demonstrated point to the length of studies, sample sizes, and lack of controls.

Susceptible populations for the potential deleterious effects of artificial sweeteners include diabetics, children, pregnant women, women of childbearing age, breastfeeding mothers, individuals with low seizure thresholds, and individuals at risk for migraines.

The use of artificial sweeteners remains controversial. Their consumption has been shown to cause mild to serious side effects ranging from nuisance headaches to potentially life-threatening cancer. Recent reports of selected sweeteners suggest they are not efficacious in weight loss and may promote weight gain. Because artificial sweeteners are in more than 6,000 products, including foods, medications, and cosmetics, it is impossible to completely eradicate them from daily encounters.

Plyometrics for Beginners

First formalized in the early 1960’s as a scientific training system by Dr. Yuri Verkhoshansky. The earliest published use of the term seems to be in a Soviet publication in 1966. Dr Verkhoshansky favored the term ‘shock method’ to distinguish between naturally occurring plyometric actions in sport and the training system he devised to develop speed-strength. Plyometric training has been demonstrated to improve jumping ability Such “bounce” training is widely utilized in strength programs designed to develop power or speed-strength.

Plyometrics are a form of explosive exercises that creates what called a Stretch Reflex in the muscle. The muscle goes from an eccentric action to a concentric action quickly. The nervous system is highly excitable during this action. The goal is to improve how quickly an athlete can apply force to the ground or another object and move either the body, as in sprinting or jumping, or a ball or implement, as in throwing or hitting. 

With youths and beginners, the variables of maturation and experience compound the problem of determining when and how to begin a plyometric training program. Even thought the actual purpose of plyometric training or shock training, as it is originally referred to, was initially intended to be done at higher intensities, it can and should be modified so that even the pre-adolescent athlete can participate in activities that require quick jumping. Examples of these would be jump rope, hop scotch, and Ladder drills. It is important to understand that the athlete must have a solid strength foundation in order to advance into more intense plyometrics. But even youngsters can participate in lower level plyometrics A maximum squat of 11⁄2-2 times body weight has been recommended by some Eastern Bloc authorities as a prerequisite for plyometric training. This goes along with traditional training patterns which normally follow the sequence of maximal force development preceding speed or plyometric training in the yearly cycle.

However, Eastern Bloc literature concerning youth strength training utilizes various forms of “bouncing” activities starting as young as 7-8 years. A squat of 11/2- 2 times a child’s body weight as a prerequisite for such training is highly questionable and was probably never intended for such a population. Maximum strength activities are not recommended for pre-pubescent or pubescent athletes, yet plyometric activities can be utilized throughout childhood. The key to all of this is proper training loads, dependent upon age and stage of biological development Even among mature athletes, a minimum strength level necessary to begin a plyometric program has been questioned. This is not to say that maximum strength training is not necessary, for it occupies a very important part of power development. Plyometric training should be taught using very basic drills and gradually progress to a more advanced level that is suited and needed for the particular athlete or group of athletes.

Prior to beginning any plyometric program the coach should instruct all athletes on the proper techniques of landing and jumping. Even though, during plyometric exercises there isn’t much time spent on the ground, Landing is the most important aspect of keeping the athletes safe. The following drills are all simple to learn and teach and allow athletes of any age athlete to learn coordination while improving upon the foundation of plyometric training.

Line Drills

Ladder Drills   

Low Box Drills 

Speed, strength, agility, power, stability and conditioning are vital components to success in any athletic competition. With this in mind, Muscle Driver USA has carefully selected each product in this catalog for its ability to help improve sports performance. Whether you’re trying to make your athletes stronger, faster or more explosive, you can trust our expert staff to suggest the right products to meet your needs. CLICK HERE.

The Truth About Artificial Sweetners: Aspartame

Artificial sweeteners are present in many foods consumed by Americans. Their use is beneficial in that they provide sweetness, increasing the palatability of foods without the added sugar and resulting calories, an important adjunct to weight loss and diet regimens. Most artificial sweeteners are not metabolized by the body and are therefore considered safe. However, scientists disagree about safety because the metabolites of the “non-metabolized” compounds have been shown to produce deleterious effects in mice, rats, and dogs.

Read Part 1 Saccharin

In 1965, a chemist at G. D. Searle was studying new treatments for gastric ulcers. Accidentally, a small amount of the compound landed on the chemist’s hand. Without noticing the compound, the chemist licked his finger and discovered a sweet taste. After realizing it was from the powder intermediate and believing it was not likely to be toxic, he again tasted the intermediate and found it was indeed sweet aspartame.

Aspartame was first approved by the FDA in 1981 as a tabletop sweetener; in 1996, it was approved as a general-purpose sweetener in all foods and drinks. Since its approval, aspartame has been used in more than 6,000 products by hundreds of millions of people in countries all around the world. It is 200 times sweeter than sucrose and is marketed under the brand names Equal and NutraSweet. Aspartame can be found in a wide variety of prepared foods (e.g., carbonated and powdered soft drinks, chewing gum, confections, gelatins, dessert mixes, puddings and fillings, frozen desserts, and yogurt), tabletop sweetener, and some medications (e.g., vitamins and sugar-free cough drops).

Because it contains phenylalanine, the FDA has mandated packaging bear a warning label to prevent individuals with the rare genetic disorder phenylketonuria from ingesting this substance. The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board has not issued upper tolerable intake levels for either aspartate or phenylalanine based on available data and models of chronic exposure (Institute of Medicine, 2005). Phenylalanine is an amino acid used as a building block for proteins. Individuals who suffer from phenylketonuria lack or have insufficient amounts of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase, required to breakdown phenylalanine. Without the presence of this enzyme, phenylalanine accumulates. Phenylalanine buildup can significantly alter human brain function. All children are screened for this rare disorder in the United States.

Click for a close up look at the WARNING label on pure Aspertame

Upon ingestion, aspartame is broken down into its components, aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. These components are then absorbed into the blood and each is metabolized. It has been hypothesized that neither aspartame nor its components accumulates in the body. These components are used in the body in the same ways as when they are derived from common foods. Following a single aspartame dose of 34 mg/kg, 12 normal adults demonstrated no increase in plasma or red blood cell aspartate concentrations; however, phenylalanine concentrations doubled within an hour and returned to baseline in 4 hours. One of its metabolites, methanol, has been shown to further metabolize into formaldehyde and formic acid.

By far, aspartame has been the most controversial artificial sweetener because of its potential toxicity. Numerous websites are devoted to removing aspartame from all sources immediately. New research provides evidence of the carcinogenic potential of this compound. Research using rats, has demonstrated a significant increase of malignant tumors in males, an increase in the incidence of lymphomas and leukemias in males and females, and an increase in the incidence of mammary cancer in females. These results reinforce and confirm previous research that also demonstrated the carcinogenicity potential of aspartame and the increased carcinogenetic potential if exposure occurs during gestation. It is notable that the dosage tested approximated the acceptable daily intake for humans.

In other published reports, women ages 40, 32, and 26 all experienced migraines while chewing a popular gum with aspartame additive. In all cases, the migraines were relieved after cessation of product use. The headaches were reproducible by reintroducing the gum. Phenylalanine doses in the first few years of life produced irreversible brain damage in monkeys. Another report was of a 10-year-old girl who developed a decline in platelet count, coupled with enlargement of the liver and spleen, and a marked increase in histiocytes in the bone marrow. A dramatic  normalization followed when additives were eliminated from her diet.

Diet beverages may represent the optimal use of intense sweeteners in weight control because they have the advantage of reducing the energy density of the product to zero. Studies indicate some modest weight loss has been shown when artificial sweeteners are used, but they go on to note that they are not appetite suppressants. However, additional research indicates it is not only the amount of calories contained in these substances that can have an effect on obesity and metabolism.

For example, the cycle of sweetness and obesity may be difficult to break. Researchers have equated the addictiveness of sweets to that of cocaine in rats. Their findings demonstrated increased intake of no-calorie sugar substitutes could promote increased food intake and body weight gain.

The Truth About Artificial Sweetners: Saccharin

Since their discovery, the safety of artificial sweeteners has been controversial. Artificial sweeteners provide the sweetness of sugar without the calories. As public health attention has turned to reversing the obesity epidemic in the United States, more individuals of all ages are choosing to use these products. These choices may be beneficial for those who cannot tolerate sugar in their diets (e.g., diabetics). However, scientists disagree about the relationships between sweeteners and lymphomas, leukemias, cancers of the bladder and brain, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, autism, and systemic lupus.

According to a 2007 survey from the Calorie Control Council, 86% of Americans use low-calorie, reduced-sugar, or sugar-free foods and beverages. To date, the FDA has approved five sugar substitutes for use in a variety of foods with another pending. In the United States, the three most common primary compounds used as sugar substitutes are saccharin (e.g., Sweet’N Low), aspartame (e.g., Equal and NutraSweet), and sucralose (e.g., Splenda). In many other countries, cyclamate and the herbal sweetener stevia are used extensively.

Saccharin, marketed as Sweet’N Low, the first artificial sweetener, was discovered serendipitously, as were most artificial sweeteners. In 1879, Constantine Fahlberg was researching the oxidation mechanisms of toluenesulfonamide (if someone knows what that means, please leave a comment :-) while working at Johns Hopkins University. During his research, a substance accidentally splashed on his finger; he later licked his finger and noticed the substance had a sweet taste. Since that time, a number of compounds have been discovered and used as food additives for their sweetener properties. Saccharin has been in use since 1900 and obtained FDA approval in 1970.

Saccharin has no calories and is 300 times sweeter than sugar and sweetens various products, including soft drinks, baked goods, jams, chewing gum, canned fruit, candy, dessert toppings, and salad dressings. Saccharin is also used in cosmetic products (e.g., toothpaste, mouthwash, and lip gloss), vitamins, and medications. Saccharin is not absorbed or metabolized. It is excreted, unchanged, via the kidneys. Because saccharin is not metabolized, the FDA considers this compound safe.

Exposure studies of saccharin provide both positive and negative results, including the potential to induce cancer in rats, dogs, and humans. For these studies, animals were exposed to the compound of interest, in this case saccharin, at all stages of development (i.e., in utero, during lactation, and in feed as an adult). These studies clearly demonstrated that when rats were exposed to diets containing 5% or 7.5% saccharin from the time of conception to death, an increased frequency of urinary bladder cancers was found, predominantly in males.

In a 2007 trial of 132 rats, they indicate virtually all rats preferred saccharin over intravenous cocaine.

The results of the above study resulted in the prohibition of saccharin in Canada and a proposed ban in the United States. This proposed U.S. ban was withdrawn in 1991, but foods containing saccharin were required to carry a warning label. This warning label was placed on all products containing saccharin to indicate “saccharin is a potential cancer causing agent.” Future research showing the safety of this product led to this decision being overturned in 2000.

Top 5 Yoga Poses For Athletes

Yoga focuses on improving your physical, mental and spiritual well-being. The goal of yoga is to harmonize your body, mind and spirit through a combination of poses, meditation and breathing exercises. Unifying your body, mind and spirit allows you to achieve a sense of wholeness, peace and self-realization. In addition to achieving inner peace, practicing yoga has many physical and mental benefits. For example, the physical exercise involved in yoga can increase your strength and flexibility. Yoga is also a very effective tool for relieving stress, calming your mind and allowing you to achieve complete physical and mental relaxation. 

Anyone can practice yoga, regardless of age or fitness level. If you have a physical limitation, you can modify yoga to meet your needs. For instance, people with limited mobility can perform yoga while sitting in a chair. Almost everyone can find yoga useful, since yoga provides such a wide variety of benefits. For example, people who work in offices can perform stress-relieving practices to give their overworked minds a break. Athletes and dancers can perform strengthening practices to restore their energy and improve their stamina. Children can practice yoga to improve their attention span and concentration. Seniors can also practice yoga to feel strong and improve their strength and flexibility.

Top 5 Yoga Poses

1. Pigeon Pose helps to open and increase the flexibility of your hips. This pose also helps to strengthen your back, stretch your thighs and increase the flexibility of your groin.

2. Child’s Pose is a seated forward bend that stretches and releases your spine and lower back. Make sure you do not rest your weight on your neck and forehead. You should also be able to breathe evenly while performing the pose. Child’s Pose is a simple pose that is comfortable and safe for almost everyone. However, you should avoid this pose if you have knee problems or high blood pressure.

3. Downward-Facing Dog Pose lengthens your spine and provides an intense stretch to the back of your legs, with an emphasis on stretching your calves. As you perform the pose, keep your shoulder blades wide and your spine lengthened. You should also try to establish one straight line with your arms and spine and another with your legs, but make sure you do not lock your elbows or knees. To form these straight lines, try visualizing your body making an upside down V shape.

4. Cobra Pose develops strength and flexibility in your spine and back, with an emphasis on your lower back. 

5. Knee Down Twist improves the flexibility of your spine. Performing this pose also opens your chest and shoulders, while stretching your lower back and hips. As you perform Knee Down Twist, only lower your knee as far as is comfortable for you. It is more important to keep both of your shoulders on the floor than to lower your knee all the way to the floor. As you hold the pose, allow your body to soften and release further into the twist with each exhalation.

You can create a personal yoga practice to meet your needs. Make sure the poses you select include forward, backward and twisting movements of the spine, as well as shoulder and hip movements

FOCUS: THE KEY TO SUCCESS

Hard work is a key to success. However, winning is more than just working hard. It’s working smart. It’s having a direction and focus. It’s having a plan and working the plan. A plan involves defining what has to be done, how to go about doing it, who will do it, and setting time lines. With winning teams it’s very much about everyone working the plan together. Working the plan is an expression of organization, direction, and cooperation. It involves a coordinated effort by a group of people directing their energy efficiently and effectively.

When Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach, was asked by a prominent industrialist, “What makes a winning team?” Lombardi said, “The players have to know their jobs.” First you need to tell people exactly what is expected of them. “Once you know specifically what you want your team to be doing in the future, then you need to measure it.

Focus is a key to success. Winning teams share a winning focus. There’s an awareness of where they’re going, what has to be done, and a belief in their capability as a group to execute the plan. Focusing on what the competition is doing can be limiting. Instead, focus primarily on what you are working to create, and how you are trying to improve relative to an absolute standard of excellence.

The pattern of defining what has to be done, communicating it to team members, rehearsing, executing the plan, and then assessing and adjusting is key to success in most endeavors. As the coach said, “The players have to know their jobs.”

Focus is key to superior performance, and the plan is a blueprint for focus.

PROTEIN: THE PRINCIPLES OF EVERYDAY EATING FOR ATHLETES

The protein needs of athletes have been hotly debated for many years. In the past, strength athletes have argued that more was better for growing muscles, whereas endurance athletes almost ignored protein, focusing mainly on carbohydrate to fuel exercise.

It is clear that protein requirements are increased by exercise— first, to account for the small contribution of protein to muscle fuel, and second, to account for any extra muscle that is laid down to increase muscle size and strength or repair damaged tissue. Many athletes will still be met by the general recommendation of 1g of protein per kilogram of body weight—e.g. 60 g for a 60 kg athlete. But athletes whose daily training sessions are lengthy and intense (burning up a significant total of protein fuel), or who are in a muscle-gain stage of their programs, will require an increase in their protein allowance. Athletes who are growing will need to cover these physiological requirements as well. However, don’t go rushing for a protein powder yet—although protein requirements increase in absolute terms (you may need more total grams of protein), the extra energy in your diet to fuel exercise should automatically allow you to eat more protein without having to consciously emphasize protein foods. In other words, your growing appetite and the more food that you will be required to eat should cover the increased protein needs.

Lean animal protein foods are able to supply all the body’s essential amino acids, as well as calcium (dairy foods) and iron (meats and shellfish). They may also be good sources of omega-3 fats—especially fish. Common sense should tell you that it doesn’t take half a cow to make up your daily protein needs—cereal with skim milk for breakfast, a chicken sandwich for lunch and a small steak for dinner will provide over 60 g of protein. In fact, the only athletes really at risk of failing to meet these guidelines are those who eat very restricted diets—low in energy, low in variety, or low in both.

Vegetarian Protein Sources

Another reason for athletes to be less concerned about the total amount of protein they eat is the growing evidence that the timing of one’s protein intake is a more critical factor in optimizing the results of training. When protein is eaten in the hour or so after a resistance/weights workout, there is a substantial increase in protein synthesis in the muscle. The same with endurance exercise. The exciting news from recent studies is that gains made by this strategic timing of protein intake around training sessions are real and stand out even from the results of eating protein throughout the day.

But be aware that you don’t need a lot of protein to provide all the building blocks for post-training protein synthesis. In fact, if you eat too much you will end up increasing the use of protein as a fuel. That’s not smart use of a relatively expensive nutrient. - Strategic intake of a protein-rich food or snack after key training sessions or competitive events promotes recovery and adaptation. It is the most effective way for an athlete to address the increased protein requirements imposed by exercise. - 10–20 g of a good-quality protein seems the ideal size of a protein recovery snack. There is a substantial increase in protein synthesis with a 10 g protein serve, but the response seems to level out at 20–25 g. In fact, more than 25 g of protein will lead to increased use of protein as a fuel source, which negates the purpose of consuming protein. - The ideal timing and pattern of a recovery snack is not known. However it makes sense to start protein intake within the hour after a key workout or event. If you have large energy needs, you may want to add a recovery snack before and after a strenuous workout.