Questions & Answers

Dear Joe: I want to start eating better. What do you think about juicing?

Answer: I think anything you can do to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet is a wise choice. Juicing has been a popular practice for years and several fine brands of juicers are currently on the market. One issue that jumps out at me though is that most juicers remove the fiber from food. Soluble fiber has been shown to lower cholesterol and insoluble fiber might reduce some forms of cancer. Rather than juicing foods, have you considered blending them? One advantage to blending fruits and vegetables is that you get to keep the fiber. In addition, you probably already have a blender in your kitchen right now so you won't have to buy an extra appliance. Blenders are probably easier to clean as well. While any blender might work, the machine I use is called the Vita-Mix^®. To get you started, try this recipe, a favorite of mine. Blend together the following:

• 1 orange
• 1 cup of red, seedless grapes
• 1 handful of baby carrots  
• 1 handful of frozen blueberries
• 4 frozen strawberries
• 1 cup crushed ice

Blend until the contents are liquefied. You may need to add a little water depending on the power of your blender. Trust me. This will taste better than anything in the store and will go a long way to helping you eat healthier.

Dear Joe: What can you tell me about Myostatin and its role in muscle growth? Are there any supplements that can block the effects of myostatin?

Answer: Myostatin is an inhibitory growth factor. In other words, it limits muscle growth. This is actually a good thing because you don't want your muscles growing out of control. Research on animals (mostly rats) does show that when you inhibit myostatin, muscles get bigger and stronger without strength training. This has led to the development of supplements that are touted to block myostatin. Here's the scoop: In the studies conducted to date, researchers injected a special antibody (like a "terminator" antibody) that sought out and inactivated myostatin. There is currently no peer- reviewed evidence on any dietary supplement claiming to block myostatin in humans. The blocking of myostatin may one day prove beneficial to people suffering from diseases such as cancer, HIV, sarcopenia and maybe even astronauts during long-term space voyages. However, we are not at that point yet. If you are thinking about using a myostatin-blocking supplement, I should mention that at least one study so far has found that exercise naturally inhibits myostatin in humans. Food for thought.
 

Dear Joe: Does muscle weigh more than fat?

Answer: This is a common misconception. Muscle and fat weigh the same. Think of it this way, if you had a pound of muscle and a pound of fat, which would weigh the most? They would both weigh one pound. Muscle is denser than fat and takes up less space. This is why your body weight might increase on a strength training program, while your clothes continue to fit better.
 

Dear Joe:  If I work out, can I eat as much as I want and still lose weight?

Answer: While I am sure there are people in the world who can probably do this, I would not recommend this approach to losing weight.  One of the reasons for this is that the calories you expend during exercise may be outweighed by the calories you consume. For example, if you exercise for an hour and expend 500 calories, but then eat a big 3000 calorie dinner, this, combined with whatever else you have eaten during the day will have voided the net calorie loss created by exercise. While it is possible for some to have their cake and eat it too, so to speak, I would personally stick to the traditional watch what you eat and exercise method of weight loss, just to be on the safe side.
 

Dear Joe: Do vitamins give you energy?

Answer: This is a common misconception. Vitamins do not directly give us energy because they have no calories (calories are energy). Vitamins do however help us extract energy from food.

Dear Joe:  Is it true that exercise in the morning will burn more body fat than exercise later in the day?

Answer: I can find no good scientific evidence substantiating the notion that morning exercise is better for fat loss than exercise in the evening—or any other time of the day for that matter. If working out in the morning works for you, great. Go right ahead and do it. If you have to exercise during your lunch hour, terrific.  Heck, I even see people jogging around my neighborhood at midnight and at 5 AM! The Bottom line is to exercise when you can and make it consistent. Don't worry about when others say you should exercise.
 

Dear Joe: How do fish oil supplements help?

Answer: Overall, fish oil supplements seem to reduce many heart disease risk factors, which is very good! Fish oil supplements (the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA) seem have been shown to reduce blood fats (triglycerides), lower cholesterol, make blood less "sticky", reduce inflammation in the body and lower blood pressure. Other lines of evidence hint that fish oils may reduce rheumatoid arthritis pain and may even help depression.  

Dear Joe: On the elliptical trainers and treadmills at the gym, I see the term "METs" on the control panel.  What does METs mean? Should I be worrying about it?

Answer: METs can be a confusing concept but I think I can explain it pretty easily. METs stands for "Metabolic Equivalents" Basically it's nothing more than just a fancy way of expressing how hard you are working out. Right now as you are reading these words, you are basically "working out" at an intensity of about 1 MET. Anytime you increase your activity level, your MET level goes up.  So if you are on a treadmill and it says you are exercising at 5 METs, this means that you are burning calories five times faster than when you are just resting quietly or sleeping. So, should you be worrying about METs? That's up to you.  If you are happy with what you are doing, great. If you want to give yourself a little challenge or compare how well you perform on one piece of equipment verses another, then maybe you want to consider taking a peek at METs once in a while.  The bottom line is no matter what you do, remember to have fun because that's the most important thing!
 

Dear Joe: Who should not use creatine?

Answer: The decision to use creatine monohydrate, one of the most popular muscle- building supplements today, is a personal decision. The most consistent side effect from creatine use is a gain in water weight. Based on this, people for whom I feel creatine is not appropriate include cyclists, marathon runners, triathletes, jockeys, gymnasts, wrestlers (high school and college, not professional wrestlers) or any sport where weight is an issue because the added weight can slow you down. I am also not a fan of junior high school athletes using it either. While this is speculation on my part, I wonder how creatine affects blood pressure. The research so far shows creatine does not elevate blood pressure but most of that research is based on those with normal blood pressure. I'd like to see research on those with high blood pressure. Until I do, I wouldn't recommend creatine for people with blood pressure problems just to be safe. For those who want to experiment with creatine, only 2 to 3 grams a day are all that's needed.

Dear Joe: How much protein should I be eating?

Answer: The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is based on your weight and is set at 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight. This can also be stated as about 0.4 grams per pound. Protein need is increased if you exercise on a regular basis. While the optimum amount of protein for regular exercisers is not well established it is generally thought to be a little higher than the RDA, somewhere in the 1.2-1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight range.
 

Dear Joe: If I eat too much protein will it hurt my kidneys?

Answer: While this is possible, if you have healthy kidneys and if you are eating protein from food, I think it is unlikely you will hurt your kidneys. The possibility exists that protein from concentrated protein supplements might increase this risk but I think this possibility is also small especially if you are only using the supplement once or twice a day. Most experts recommend that people not consume more than 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to minimize stress on the kidneys as well as to prevent protein from taking the place of eating other healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Because I'm more conservative than Rush Limbaugh when it comes to supplements, I would go even lower than 2 grams per kilogram of body weight than this to minimize any possible negative effects.
 

Dear Joe: Is it true that we can only absorb 40 grams of protein from any given meal?

Answer: I discuss this urban legend in my book Nutrition Essentials: A Guidebook for the Fitness Professional. I don't see any good proof of this in the scientific literature.  Animal protein is 99% absorbed by the body. That being said, eating too many calories from any food—including protein— will be stored as excess fat.  

Dear Joe:  Is it true that we excrete water-soluble vitamins?

Answer: As a rule we tend to not store large amounts of the water soluble vitamins (vitamins C and the Β complex family of vitamins). An exception to this general rule is vitamin B12 where an estimated 5 years reserve might be stored in the body.

Dear Joe: What's the scoop on "coral calcium"?

Answer: Despite the hype, coral calcium has not been shown to prevent osteoporosis or treat or cure any disease. Some evidence suggests that coral calcium may be absorbed a little better than calcium carbonate (maybe because of its slightly higher magnesium content). This is interesting but that doesn't mean it is better in the long run. Some research has noted lead contamination in some coral calcium products. The bottom line for now is that coral calcium doesn't have a lot of scientific evidence to back up its claims and I'm looking forward to seeing more research conducted on it.
 

Dear Joe: Can androstenedione increase my testosterone level?

Answer: Probably not. Many studies have been done on the pro-hormone androstenedione and they find that it does not increase testosterone levels in men—even when combined with a strength training program. Some evidence finds that andro may increase estrogen levels in men by as much as 80%. It may also decrease good cholesterol levels, which means it may contribute to heart disease. Androstenedione has not been shown to increase muscle size or muscle strength in men.

Dear Joe: What can you tell me about glutathione?

Answer: Glutathione is a molecule made in your body that takes part in a number of chemical reactions and it is an antioxidant. Glutathione is also found in fruits, vegetables and meat and you can also purchase it as a nutritional supplement. There isn't much research on glutathione preventing any disease but it is being studied on people infected with HIV. It is noteworthy to remember that most of the research is on injected glutathione where it has been shown to decrease the toxicity associated with some types of chemotherapy. Research does find that when taken orally, (about 3 grams a day) glutathione does not raise blood glutathione levels very much. This might mean that glutathione is broken down in the stomach and doesn't get into the body intact. There is at least one study noting that when lab rats were given a liquid that contained glutathione, that less flu viruses were found. This is interesting and more research is needed to see if this applies to humans as well. Glutathione is probably safe in healthy people to use and doesn't appear to have any serious side effects. If you're thinking about using a glutathione supplement, here is some food for thought: studies find that when you exercise, you naturally increase your cellular glutathione levels.
 

Dear Joe: When I use the elliptical machine at the gym, I noticed that I can peddle both forwards and backwards. Is there an advantage to peddling backwards?

Answer: One of the big advantages of peddling backwards on the elliptical trainer is that it gives you variety so you don't get bored—and that's a good thing. Going backwards also works the leg muscles differently which tends to cut down on overuse injuries. Another advantage of moving backward on the elliptical trainer is that it may burn a few more calories, if you are not used to it. However, once you get accustomed to the backwards motion, the calorie burn will probably be the same as when you move in the forward direction.

Dear Joe: I don't want to use steroids. What's the best way to naturally raise my testosterone levels?

Answer: Well first off, you're very smart not to use steroids! The best way to naturally increase testosterone levels is to start lifting weights. Weight lifting is by far the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth today and provides a myriad of benefits, just one of which is its ability to raise levels of the anabolic hormone, testosterone. Exercises that might be best for this are those that use a lot of muscle at the same time. For example, exercises like the leg press, chest press and seated row will be better at raising testosterone than biceps curls and triceps extensions. I also suggest that you choose a weight that you can lift for about 10 repetitions. If you are new to strength training, its wise that for the first few months you use lighter weights that you can lift for 15-20 times. This is because heavy weight lifting may overstress unconditioned muscles and increase your risk of injury. If you've never lifted weights before or are not sure on the proper way to do it, I highly suggest you get your doctor's permission first and hire a qualified personal trainer who can show you the best and most efficient way to achieve your goals.

Dear Joe: Is it better to train abdominals every day or every other day?

Answer: This question is as controversial as Big Foot and UFOs. One side of the argument advocates that abdominal exercises such as crunches can be performed every day because the abs contain a high percentage of slow twitch (type I) muscle fibers which recuperate quickly from exercise. Others view abdominal exercises as a type of resistance training where you are essentially lifting a percentage of your body weight. The normal recommendation for resistance training is to take 24-48 hours of rest to give the muscle time to grow stronger. Both sides make sense to some degree and I've not seen any study that found one way was better than another. Because no one exercise routine can produce optimal results for everybody, try both for a few weeks and see which one works best for you.

Dear Joe: Is it better to do strength training before cardio when I work out?

Answer:  The theory behind doing strength training first in your workout is that if you exhaust your muscles with aerobic exercise then this might limit how strong you are when you lift weights. This makes sense especially if your goal is to get as strong as possible. In fact, if this is your goal, I suggest you do aerobic exercise on days when you're not strength training. For those who want to lose weight, I suggest alternating workouts where one month you do the cardio first, followed by strength training. A month later reverse the routine by doing the strength training first, followed by cardio. This will keep your body guessing, which will probably result in more calories used during exercise. It will also kick your butt!

Dear Joe: What's Functional Training?

Answer: Functional training is an exercise philosophy which can be summed up this way: "Train movements, not muscles". Functional training focuses on the brain-muscle connection and targets movement patterns that need to be enhanced. The better your brain is at recognizing a movement pattern, the better it is at activating the muscles that are needed for that movement to occur. Functional training is very popular in athletics but I think it also has its uses for the other 99% of us who will never win a gold medal at the Olympics. For example, in a former life, I used to work with many older adults, helping them to exercise properly. I remember one woman who used to exercise regularly and could lift 150 lbs on the leg press—a pretty impressive feat for a 70-year-old person. One day though, after slipping and falling down, she discovered that she was too weak to get up off the floor. The leg press is a fine piece of equipment and while it trains the same muscles used when getting up off the floor, it doesn't perfectly mimic that activity. So, after learning of her difficulty, I took her aside and worked with her for a few weeks, helping her get off the floor. At first she couldn't do it without my help but after two weeks, it was a piece of cake! This is the essence of functional training.

Note: If you're a senior citizen reading this and curious as to whether you can get up off the floor without help, please don't do this alone. Have somebody with you and if you have any medical conditions, please see your doctor before starting any exercise program.

For answers to over 100 questions, get the downloadable e-book, Health and Wellness Q & A .

About Joe Cannon: Joe Cannon, MS, CSCS, is an exercise physiologist, personal trainer, writer and health educator. He is the author of Nutritional Supplements: What Works and Why. A Review from A to Zinc and Nutrition Essentials, a Guidebook for the Fitness Professional. If you have a question to ask Joe, email him directly at JoeCannon@rcn.com or visit his official website www.Joe-Cannon.com