Q & A by Dr. Mauro DiPasquale

Hi Dr. Pasquale, I was reading an article on muscle precursor cell activation from m.h.p. Can you please read it and tell me whether you think it is real or not? Thanks!

Some big words but they are all fluff. Like a lot of scurios supplement companies, they try and amaze and confuse with the terminology. But in the end it’s all smoke and mirrors. For example their N-(2-(5-Methoxyindol-3-Y)ethyl)acetamide is simply melatonin, 3′,4′,5,7-Tetrahydroxyflavan-3-Ol is quercetin, and Uncaria Tomentosa is cat’s claw. That’s not to say that these ingredients are useless, but they won’t do what they say as far as muscle precursor cell activation and proliferation. I make use of them in my formulations, but I put in a lot more useful ingredients as well. For example have a look at my Ghboost. As you’ll see I use Alpha-GPC and melatonin in the formulation. But you’ll get more of an anabolic and body composition effect from one bottle of :: GHboost :: than an unlimited number of bottles of Cyclin-GF.

Actually the Cyclin-GF formulation is very poorly done as some of the ingredients could actually be counter productive. And like all such products, they’re way overpriced for what you’re getting. But they’re not alone in their deceptive strategies.

Another example is MuscleTech’s Aplodan. This product has two active ingredients:

• 1,2-Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic Acid
• 2-(Carbamimidoyl-Methyl-Amino) Ethoxyphosphonic Acid

These two ingredients translate into:

• Alpha lipoic acid
• Creatinol-O-phosphate

It’s bad enough that they try to confuse you with the chemical names but they also make outrageous unsubstantiated claims for this product. But their “patented” creatinol-O-phosphate ((2-(Carbamimidoyl-Methyl-Amino) Ethoxyphosphonic Acid)), a creatine analog that, along with 1,2-Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic Acid (alpha lipoic acid) is being touted as a “dormant muscle fiber activator” that is taking “The Bodybuilding World by Storm.”

Creatinol-O-phosphate or COP has some outdated research associated with it that proves nothing about using the compound orally. In fact some of the information in these studies done 3 decades ago have some disturbing information that suggest that the use of COP may in fact be counter productive in that it may decrease creatine and phosphorylated creatine in muscle, and may result in some other side effects.

Now if I wanted to do that I’d introduce a new product called BeReallyHuge, which will without a doubt introduce a new paradigm on anabolic muscle building and fat burning. In this new product I’d have the following ingredients:

• 2-(carbamimidoyl-methyl-amino) acetic acid
• 1,2-Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic Acid
• (2R,3R,4S,5R,6R)-2-[(2S,3S,4R,5R)-3,4-dihydroxy-2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl) oxolan-2-yl]oxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol

Impressive isn’t it. In fact, however, the three main ingredients in BeReallyHuge are ones that most of us are familiar with:

• Creatine
• Alpha Lipoic Acid
• Sucrose (table sugar)

All of these are simply parlor tricks that are meant to make you think you’re getting something really different than the other supplements on the market, and to make you believe that they’re worth their exaggerated prices.

And you have to love their case study with the before and after picture – the guy who gained 32 lb of lean muscle mass in just 30 days. That’s really blatant marketing and a total farce. It’s obvious that the changes you see in this chap are due to extensive drug use, unless it was the hair dye he used to change his blond hair in the before picture to dark brown hair in his after picture.

Have you heard about Hemogex™ which claims that it is a Powerful Growth Hormone and IGF-1 Inducer and Elevator?

I have to say, “in my opinion”, it’s a scam. Putting it in 5cc vials and making you think you’re getting something exotic and special (like the Europeans did and do with their vials) allows them to sell the product at an exorbitant price for what’s in them. Each vial contains a paltry amount of ingredients – compare it with my GHboost, which does work. And the ingredient that they’re placing all their hype on is the GHRP-2. The good news is that GHRP-2 stimulates ghrelin, which in turn stimulates the secretion of GHboost, and also stimulates appetite so that you gain weight – and not necessarily muscle weight either (this could be bad news). The bad news is that GHRP-2 is not biologically active when taken orally, even with their “scientific Polylipid breakthrough” that they hype in their ads.

And how do I know that it’s a scam (in my opinion)? I tested it early last year on two people. I gave them the Hemogex for 4 weeks and looked at any changes in levels of GH and more importantly IGF-I, which is a more reliable indicator of GH secretion. After 4 weeks of supplementation with Hemogex there was no significant improvements in either parameters. I did the same with Rejuvenate 2000 and four other putative GH boosters and also got either no or minimal results. A pilot sample of the new GHboost V 4 gave dramatic results on GH and IGF-I levels after 4 weeks, in a few cases increasing both from negligible levels to supraphysiological levels.

And BTW, I guesstimated the amount of each ingredient in the product and even giving them the benefit of the doubt about cheapening out, concluded that the ingredients in 20 vials of Hemogex likely cost less than $5. Their list price is around $180 – enough to pay for all their fancy packaging, marketing and advertising and make a tidy profit even if they discount it heavily.

I am sick to death with eating Tuna and was wondering if Shrimp would be a high protein source alternative? Most ‘fish’ facts
don’t include any information regarding shrimp so I was wondering why that is?

Shrimp has always been considered a high cholesterol food, delectable yes but not so heart friendly. The truth will surprise you.

Myth: Shrimp means cholesterol.

Fact: Shrimp do have a significant cholesterol load but moderate consumption is totally ok. A serving of seven large shrimp contains about 78 milligrams.

But this cholesterol load should be taken in context. Scott Fisher, R.D., director of the Active Training and Nutrition Center in Englewood, New Jersey had noted that shrimp’s cholesterol content is no more than that of lean meat. The American Heart Association guidelines
recommend a cholesterol limit of 300 milligrams a day. With this in mind, people should not hold back on having the crustacean as part of a heart healthy diet.

Fact: we get most of excess cholesterol from what our body processes out of saturated fats. Metabolic Diet consider saturated fats (bad fats) as a main source of cholesterol that, along with simple carbohydrates, dieters should move away from.

According to Dr. William P. Castelli, medical director of the Framingham Cardiovascular Institute, shrimp and lobster, are ‘excruciatingly low in saturated fat’.

Source:

http://www.seafood.com/news/current/88194.html

:: Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale :: is one of the most influential voices on diet, performance and athletic training in the world. His innovative work in finding safe nutritional alternatives to anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs has won him praise from athletes, trainers and fitness experts around the globe. Dr. Di Pasquale was a world-class athlete for over 15 years, winning the World Championships in powerlifting in 1976 and world games in 1981.