Anything in here I shouldn't be taking?

[Atty]

I'm wondering if my daily supplements and what-not is at all contradicting (taking something that is being undone by something else.)

I start off my morning with a protein shake with a fat burning protein (its basically a very clean protein powder with fat burning supplements mixed in, buy it from my gym) and a Chromium Picolinate, a Doctor recommended it to me to help boost the metabolism. Then with my meals I take Tonalin CLA, a fatty acid that makes fat cells in the body easier to burn for energy. I take two more doses Chromium's throughout the day and then have an after work out shake with the fat burning protein. I also take No-Xplode before my work out for a bit of a kick.

Anyone see anything wrong with this? I'm keeping a clean diet, a good work out schedule, good amounts of cardio and other physical exercise, and paying attention to how I feel.


Edit: Also considering starting to take Fish Oil and Glucosamine.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Picolinate, doctor prescription ...fine
No-Xplode, common supplement ...fine
Protein Shake - good

"fat burning" supplements and "fat burning" acid? hmmm

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

sounds pretty expensive. if ur not getting jitters and the money isn't an issue i don't see why not. i'd track your stats to make sure they actually do something though.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Usually the only supplements I'll encourage are a multivitamin, fish oil, creatine, glucosamine/chondroitin (if necessary), and protein powder. You can destroy the weight room even moreso with the help from these. Your doctor's recommendation was to get something that helps with weightloss? I'm not sure what self-respecting doctor would do that really. I think you can do this by yourself just like many others that have done it before you. Also, NO-Xplode is kinda ehhh since it hasn't really been proven to do anything. I just don't want you to think you have to have these supplements for progress. I say keep it basic. Multi, fish oil, glucosamine, protein, and creatine (if you'd like). That's just my opinion though.

 

[Atty]

The No-Xplode doesn't help me progress but it gives me a nice energy kick and I can actually tell that I've got more endurance through my work out. For instance, my chest day today was as usualy, 4 sets of flat bench, 4 of incline, 4 decline, and then flys, when I was off NO I was drained by my first decline set, with NO I was still energized during my run after the work out.

The doctor didn't prescribe the Picolinate but he suggested it. I got the Picolinate and CLA for free and am nearing my end, not sure if I'm going to keep taking it after this though, I'm going to go three weeks or so and see, with the same diet, if I'm still losing the same amount of weight per week (within reason) and progressing as normal, if after that I'm not I'll start one or both up again, if I am still going strong I'll stop taking both.

Also, the CLA has been shown to help reduce fat by making it easier to burn for energy, from all the studies I've read, its something our bodies get naturally from meats and cheeses but in order to get a healthy amount we'd have to intake a grotesque amount of those foods per day.

 

[Vampiyer]

y0. I just joined here but I've been a member at the Hardforums for over 8 years (different name), and I've lurked this place for just as long.

Remember that your multivitamin will contain some chromium (probably also as picolinate or as polynicotate). You can supplement additional chromium, but I'd recommend backing down on the dosage. I use AOR orthocore (from either unique nutrition or relentless improvement) for reference. It is pricey, but it seems to have the best researched combination of ingredients. The Coq10, R-ALA, complete vitamin A/E profiles, and exclusion of SIRT1 inhibiting niacinamide (not a big deal unless you're a supplement nerd) are rare..

I'm not too keen on products like NOxplode, but if I were to use one I'd choose something like Millenium Sports "Ragnarok" (sold at nutraplanet) because of the superior ingredient profile and the inclusion of an antioxidant blend. One of the main objectives of these products is to boost Nitric Oxide production - which means increased free radicals and a need for antioxidants to protect from mitochondrial DNA damage (and other damage). Also: I'll admit that they do produce a good pump - they work.

Other than that... a High EPA/DHA fish oil (natural factors rx omega is a good one at iherb), and maybe acetyl L-carnitine (ALCAR) would help with fatty acid oxidation (based on the actual metabolic pathway for beta-oxidation which feeds directly into your krebs cycle). ALCAR can be dosed 2-3x daily at up to 500mg per dosage.

A good whey protein isolate is desirable. BCAA supplementation does help, but if you're getting enough protein then you can save your money unless you're really getting serious about this.

I do support the use of creatine, but don't overdose it. Your NoXplode already has it in there anyway.

About CLA: There are 2 primary isomers of this.

The trans10cis12 isomer is marketed for anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects (and improved insulin sensitivity).

However, according to a randomized double-blind controlled trial (favorable test conditions I'd say), in obese men: "Unexpectedly, t10c12 CLA increased insulin resistance (19%; P < 0.01) and glycemia (4%; P < 0.001) and reduced HDL cholesterol (-4%; P < 0.01) compared with placebo, whereas body fat, sagittal abdominal diameter, and weight decreased versus baseline, but the difference was not significantly different from placebo. The CLA mixture did not change glucose metabolism, body composition, or weight compared with placebo but lowered HDL cholesterol (-2%; P < 0.05)."

Basically... this is bad, and the results have been reproduced (also in mice). It is not conclusive, however.

The cis-9,trans-11 isomer is next up (form included in most supplements / diet):

"RESULTS: ... Compared with placebo, c9,t11 CLA decreased insulin sensitivity by 15% (P < 0.05) and increased 8-iso-prostaglandin F(2alpha) and 15-keto-dihydro-prostaglandin F(2alpha) excretion by 50% (P < 0.01) and 15% (P < 0.05), respectively. The decreased insulin sensitivity was independent of changes in serum lipids, glycemia, body mass index, and body fat but was abolished after adjustment for changes in 8-iso-prostaglandin F(2alpha) concentrations. There were no differences between groups in body composition. CONCLUSIONS: A CLA preparation containing the purified c9,t11 CLA isomer increased insulin resistance and lipid peroxidation compared with placebo in obese men. Because c9,t11 CLA occurs in commercial supplements as well as in the diet, the present results should be confirmed in larger studies that also include women."

- again, this does not look good. It is also not conclusive.

I don't want to quote another study, but t10c12 was found to increase oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers in obese men, which seems closely related to the induced insulin resistance, suggesting a link between the fatty acid-induced lipid peroxidation seen in this study and the insuline resistance.

My advice: avoid CLA and stick with fish oil + ALCAR which have been proven effective. Unfortunately... marketing dominates many of the studies found in the supplement industry...

Side Note: there are a few conflicting studies suggesting induced chromosome damage from chromium picolinate (which is why some people prefer polynicotate), however the research is too lacking to suggest consistent mutagenicity.


Cliff Notes: I'd avoid CLA. I'd take whey protein isolate. I'd take a good multivitamin + high epa/dha fish oil + acetyl L-carnitine. Creatine is fine, and vasodilating (PUMPS) workout supplements are fine as long as you have some antioxidant protection. Additional chromium is probably fine, but I'd reduce the dosage to be on the safe side.

I'm sorry... as I said I'm a supplement-nerd (and a bit of nerd for all sciences). Please forgive the lack of brevity...

That's about it.