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Vo l u m e 4 6 , N u m b e r 4 , A p r i l 2 0 0 9
BUILD MUSCLE • BURN FAT • NO BULLSHIT!
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Research: Training By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD138
Research: Supplements By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD148
Research: Nutrition By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD190
Nutrition PerformanceLow-Sodium Diets Enhance Nitric Oxide And Enhances VasodilationBy Robbie Durand, MA192
Supplement Performance3,5 Tri-Thyroid Increases Uncoupling Proteins By Robbie Durand, MA198
Sports Supplement ReviewBetaStaxTM: More Powerful than Ephedra?By Robbie Durand, MA352
MuscleTech Research ReportTRAINING
www.musculardevelopment.com April 2009
NUTRITION & PERFORMANCE
FAT LOSS
DRUGS
HEALTH & PERFORMANCE
THE WORLD’S
BIGGEST
BODYBUILDING
MAGAZINE!
MD
22
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Research: Drugs By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD178
Future Pharmacy By Douglas S. Kalman, PhD, RD, FACN298
TestosteroneAnabolic Steroids: Drug Abuse and Pathology: The Latest ResearchBy Dan Gwartney, MD334
Anabolic Research Update By William Llewellyn338
Anabolic Edge By Jose Antonio, PhD342
The Anabolic Freak By David Palumbo362
Busted! Legal Q&A By Rick Collins, JDRETURN
OF THE
RUHLER!
226
312
Muscle Form+Function By Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM358
Extreme Muscle Enhancement By Carlon M. Colker, MD, FACN366
Iron Mike ‘The Liberator’ By Mike LiberatoreNEW!
372
The Predator By Kai Greene378
The True Victor By Victor Martinez382
Lee Priest Confirmed! By Lee Priest388
Mass With Class By Branch Warren396
Telling It Like It Is By Shawn RayNEW!
404
Branden Ray: Road To The USAs By Branden Ray408
The Big Bad Wolf: The People’s Choice By Dennis Wolf412
Erik ‘The House’ Fankhouser By Erik Fankhouser416
National Hero By Evan Centopani420
The Pro Creator By Hany Rambod424
Contest Guru By Chad Nicholls428
Trainer of Champions By Charles Glass126
Research: Health & Performance By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD168
Research: Sex By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD194
Muscle Growth Update By Robbie Durand, MANEW!
308
Bodybuilding Science What’s Best For IncreasingMuscle Mass and Strength: Linear or Reverse Linear Training Programs? By Robbie Durand, MA
324
No Juice Bodybuilding By Eric BroserNEW!
With Layne Norton354
Ask The Doc By Victor Prisk, MDNEW!
116
Research: Fat Loss By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD182
Fat AttackUsnic Acid And Other Uncouplers For FatLoss: Safety And ToxicityBy Dan Gwartney, MD
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FEATURES
24
Editor’s Letter By Steve Blechman28
Mail RoomWhere Our Readers Rave & Rant32
Who’s Hot! By Mike Yurkovic40
MD People52
The Romano Factor By John Romano68
musculardevelopment.com By Gregg Valentino82
Flex Critique By Flex WheelerNEW!
288
Major Distraction By John Romano318
Ramblin’ Freak By Gregg Valentino436
Web Directory438
Hot Shoppe By Angela T. Frizalone440
MD Marketplace By Angela T. Frizalone & Manda Machado470
The Last Word By John RomanoTIMEA
IS BACK!
288
ED NUNN’S
LOADED
GUNS 244
GEORGE
FARAH’S
UNTOLD
STORY! 276
BIG LOU
UNCHAINED
AFTER 30
YEARS! 214
MARK
OF A
CHAMPION!
260
MD’S INSIDE STACK
206
CYBER WARS: Is Dexter Jackson Destined To Be A One-Time Mr. Olympia?BY RON HARRIS214
LOU FERRIGNO:AFTER 30 YEARS, BIG LOU IS FREE TO TALK BY JOHN ROMANO226
RETURN OF THE RUHLER: MARKUS RUHL BY RON HARRIS244
BICEPS LIKE NUNN OTHERSuper-Heavyweight and Overall Nationals Champ Ed Nunn Has Some High-Caliber Guns BY RON HARRIS260
MARK OF A CHAMPIONMark Alvisi Is Next In Line For StardomBY RON HARRIS276
GEORGE ‘BULLETPROOF’ FARAHFrom Death’s Door To Success In The Pros: The Story He’s Never Told BeforeBY FLEX WHEELER
MD
23
I am so pleased and honored this month to have ‘Big Lou’ Ferrigno gracing our cover! For nearly 30 years, this bodybuild-ing icon, TV and movie star— second only in notoriety to Arnold Schwarzenegger in our world— has been off-limits to most of our industry because of his contractual obligations to Weider— and even they haven’t featured Lou on a magazine cover since 1994! I can’t believe that this bodybuilding legend— the biggest to ever compete in the Olympia— has been off the market for so long! You can’t imagine how happy I was when John Romano came up to me
and said, “Hey boss, how about we run a feature with Lou Ferrigno?” Are you kidding? If he could do that, I’d give Lou the cover! The rest is history.
On page 214, Lou talks about how he started his body-building career, the early years with Arnold, moving on to TV and starring in long-running shows such as “The Incredible Hulk” and “The King of Queens,” as well as his roles in major motion pictures, including his newly-released romantic comedy, “I Love You, Man,” starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jaime Pressly and Rashida Jones. So far Lou’s performance has gotten rave reviews!
His mainstream celebrity aside, Lou will always be thought of first and foremost as a bodybuilder who, at
age 42 in the early ’90s, made a remarkable comeback after being gone from the competitive arena for 17 years. The monster who came back from the ’70s was def-initely not a ’70s bodybuilder! He was, even by today’s standards, from another world. Lou is so far the only bodybuilder to ever compete in the Olympia at over 300 pounds! The transformation was nothing short of amazing, as the photos here can attest. Having Lou featured in MD after all these years on the sidelines marks a great day for bodybuild-ing and I’m so proud that he chose MD as the place to be seen once again.
Another giant in the bodybuilding world making a comeback is the ‘German Giant,’ Markus Ruhl. I guess he just couldn’t handle retirement and needed to come back to the stage to hear the crowd chanting “RUHL!” See what’s behind this landmark comeback on page 226.
Is Dexter Jackson destined to be a one-hit wonder? Can he still improve and hold off the likes of Victor Martinez, Phil Heath, Kai Greene and the rest gunning for his illustrious title? On page 206, the latest edition of Cyber Wars picks apart this freshman Mr. O, to see if he has what it takes to bag another one.
Super-heavyweight and overall Nationals Champ Ed Nunn has built some mighty high-caliber guns. What’s it like to train biceps like Nunn other? Turn to page 244
24
MDBy Steve Blechman Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
www.musculardevelopment.com April 2009
editor
’
s letter
BIG LOU
BREAKS
OUT!
www.fantamag.com
and find out.
On page 260, rising star Mark Alvisi makes his MD debut. Is Mark next in line for stardom? Will he be our next ‘big thing’? Can he over-come the competition and turn pro? See what he has to say.
Finally, what’s stronger than a speeding bullet? How about George ‘Bulletproof’ Farah? On page 276, in the exclusive story that he’s never told before, this ranking IFBB pro talks about his amazing journey from death’s door to his incredible success as a pro bodybuilder. I know you’ll be inspired by Farah’s unique story of survival and triumph against all odds. The rest of the book is jam-packed as usual with the best of the best in cutting-edge science, news and departments from the indus-try’s top experts and pros on building muscle and burning fat to help you build the body of your dreams!
See you next month!
Publisher/Editor-In-Chief
Steve Blechman
Senior Editor
John Romano
Senior Science Editor
Robbie Durand, MA Managing Editor Angela T. Frizalone Creative Director Alan Dittrich, Jr. Associate Editor Alan Golnick
Associate Art Director
Stephen Kolbasuk
Assistant Editor
Louise Powell
Contributing Editors
Carlon Colker, M.D.,Thomas Fahey Ph.D. Dan Gwartney, M.D.
Executive Assistant
Michele Gampel
Photographers
Chief Photographer: Per Bernal Mike Yurkovic, Dan Ray, Bill Comstock
Illustrators
Bill Hamilton, Fred Harper, Jerry Beck
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MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT (ISSN 0047-8415) is published monthly by Advanced Research Press, 690 Route 25A, Setauket, New York, 11733. Copyright ©2008 by Advanced Research Press. All rights reserved. Copyright under the Universal Copyright Convention and the International Copyright Convention. Copyright reserved under the Pan Am Copyright. Rate: $49.97 per year (USA); $79.97 per two years (USA); foreign: $79.97 per year. Nothing appearing in MUS-CULAR DEVELOPMENT may be reprinted, either wholly or in part, without the written consent of the publisher. Send edito-rial submissions to: MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT, 690 Route 25A, Setauket, New York, 11733. Stamped, self-addressed envelope must accompany all submissions, and no responsi-bility can be assumed for unsolicited submissions. All letters, photos, manuscripts, etc. sent to MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT will be considered as intended for publication, and MUSCU-LAR DEVELOPMENT reserves the right to edit and/or com-ment. Periodical postage paid at Setauket, N.Y. 11733, and at Glasgow, KY 42141. Postmaster: Send address changes to MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT, Box 834, East Setauket, NY 11733-9704. Advertising Office Phone: (239) 495-6899. PRINTED IN USA
Cover photo of Lou Ferrigno by Bill Dobbins. Photo of Timea Majorova is by Per Bernal
MD
25
April 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com
www.musculardevelopment.com April 2009
28
MDCelebrate Kenny
Kassel’s Life
I have known Kenny for 25 years and of course met him at a bodybuild-ing show. Drivbodybuild-ing here today, two song phrases came to mind. The first one is, “Only The Good Die Young” and the second one is “Dream Weaver.”
Kenny loved people and made him-self available every time he was asked, and volunteered the rest of the time. He trained, coached and gave confi-dence to competitors— with bookings for film, commercials and print work. There are many reading this who would not have reached the top if not for his groundwork. He helped so many across the globe achieve their
dreams.
For over 15 years, Kenny and I shared rooms while working all of the national NPC shows as well as the IFBB Olympia. There were times I would never see Kenny in the room, since Kenny would return so late and rise early to be of service, preferring to
stay up those three or four days to suck up every minute of it.
We all loved Kenny, too! His trustworthiness, his honesty, his passion. And he had the biggest heart in our sport. The simple fact is that Kenny made everyone feel warm and wel-come.
And boy did he love to talk! What a smile he brought us when he would approach us wearing his trademark sports jacket, floral shirt and black bag-gies. Kenny was a great master of ceremonies, taking time with each competitor to make sure he was pronouncing the name correctly. His voice was a gift.
As an expediter, his calming voice would make sure everyone felt confi-dent and relaxed. As a world-class pro-moter, Kenny brought the women’s sport up several notches and with myself, even saved the IFBB Ms. Olympia contest in 1999. Together we successfully promoted the women’s strength extravaganza, which at the time was the only show that was just for women and was also way ahead of its time.
As a coach, I wish I had a dollar for every quarter-turn that Kenny taught. I would tease him and ask him if he knew every woman competitor in America. Let’s just say it was a work in progress, doing very well.
Kenny has many awards from both the entertainment industry and the bodybuilding world. One year Ben Weider nominated him personally for the Silver Medal for the IFBB.
Kenny was a very special friend and we all learned so much from him. Just the day before his funeral, some-one called my gym looking for a model. Normally, I would call Kenny
ASAP. I then realized that I couldn’t, and I was frustrated, now realizing he really was gone.
Kenny, man, we love you and will always miss you.
Kenny Kassel
• IFBB & NPC official, show promoter
• Seminar promoter— dispensing information about how to market yourself, and how to break into the entertainment industry.
• Writer
• Professional announcer • Talent manager
• Casting agent
• Owner, Beautiful Talent Agency • Mentor for many women who compete in fitness/figure/bodybuilding
Bob Bonham, e-mail
room
MD Is Out Of This
World!
Everything you have been doing with the magazine/website is out of this world! MD is the reason why I stopped reading bodybuilding books and search-ing through random websites looksearch-ing for the true answers, ‘cause MD has them all— it’s a book in itself!
Every month, I swing by the office and grab a copy when it hits the main office, and the girls there are wonderful. They treat me with full respect and we chat it up all the time. It’s like you guys have your own little family there. I remember one time I was looking for the new MD before I went on my trip and couldn’t find it on the stands early. This was the first time I stopped by the main office to give it a shot. You were the only one there working late, and you not only gave me a copy, but you gave me six for free for the rest of my lifting buddies at the gym. You treat your read-ers with respect, and I believe this is one of the reasons why MD is the best/biggest bodybuilding magazine in the world, PERIOD!
Keep up all the good work! Happy New Year and God Bless, John Redeker
South Setauket, NY
Photographed by Mike Yurkovic
32
MD www.musculardevelopment.com April 2009Mary Alejo:
Fitness Model, Florida
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MD
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April 2009 www.musculardevelopment.comBr
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34
MD www.musculardevelopment.com April 2009Jillian Mabin:
NPC Figure Athlete, New York
Ch
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a M
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April 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com MD
35
Soleivi Hernandez: NPC Figure
Athlete, Texas
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www.musculardevelopment.com April 2009
40
MDBy TEAM MD
Team MD presents highlights from the 2009 IRONMAN PRO!
CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE! CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE!
MUSCULARDEVELOPMENT.COM
MD
People
www.fantamag.com
April 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com MD
41
www.musculardevelopment.com April 2009
42
MD CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE! CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE!MUSCULARDEVELOPMENT.COM
April 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com MD
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MD CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE! CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE!MUSCULARDEVELOPMENT.COM
April 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com MD
45
www.fantamag.com
THE WAY I SEE IT
The
Romano
Factor
By John Romano
500-WORD SUBMISSION FROM
THE MD ONLINE CREW…
405
by Gaoshang Xiongshou
The air is thick with the stench of toil and tangible discord. It may be cold… but I have warmed up. The dismal, washed-out color of the walls and ceiling tile give the place a feeling of dank depression. But that means nothing to me. I feel energized… electric… READY.
Why?
I am looking down at 405 pounds on the floor, ready to be relocated to the place of my choosing. I know… 405 pounds for a deadlift is not much. But this 405 means a lot to me.
It means that I am in a new place, and it is not the same place that I was at yesterday. It means that I made good on a promise to myself: fight past the pain of the pull; fight through the frustration of missing something along the way in my program that would eventually get me here. It means that I gave everything that I had, except excuses, and worked with the lit-tle bit that I was given, to make a reality that once only existed in my deep-est slumber.
It means that while everyone else did a set of whatever, and took ten minute rest breaks to talk about stuff that did not matter, I kept it moving, and dead weight on the floor was reborn and alive anew once I wrapped my hands around cold Olympic steel, and drove vertical. It means that the whispers I heard, and the evil looks shot at me as weight pounded the floor again, and again, and again… all of that was wasted energy… THEIR wasted energy, as something greater could have come from it, but they chose otherwise. They have nothing to show for it. I was not going to let anything stop me, and I have the proof of my conviction.
It means that my focus was on point… when it was game time, I took it to the wheels, quarters, nickels, and dimes as if my life depended on it. Forged from a desire… no guts, no glory. I would rather die than not meet my goal. Torn skin, cramped hands, and white lights dancing before my very eyes from overexertion… a small price to pay for the greatness that is progress. You have to want it. You have to feel it. You have to understand it. If not, you have to get out of the way of people like me, before you get run over.
I may have to use a mixed grip… use lifting straps, just in case… take an extra minute or two before the pull, and only get a single. But you know what? I am here… and I am not going anywhere, except up. 495, here I come…
Once again, it is my pleasure to welcome back Gaoshang Xiongshou, AKA GX, as this month’s winner of the MD online 500-word essay contest, with his article entitled simply “405.” In a hotly-contested 14-entry contest, GX managed to eek out his third win, which ties him with Warrior in the all-time winner’s list. So, please join me in enjoying…
www.musculardevelopment.com April 2009
52
MDTHE WAY I SEE IT, GX has been taking writing classes! Damn boy, what-chu been doin’? That was great! One of the hardest things to do while writing colorful prose is exercising restraint. So many times a perfectly good work is destroyed with overused, flowery descriptions. This was just right; just spicy enough to wake up the taste buds without burning your tongue. Excellent, excellent job.
Now, about the feat at hand— a 405 deadlift. Don’t let anyone convince you that 405 isn’t a respectable lift. That’s four plates on either side of an Olympic bar. That shit is heavy. I know there are lots more guys out there who can pull 600 plus, but, you know, it’s a matter of perspective. There are a whole hell of a lot more people to the left side of 405 than there are to the right. Anyone who can yank that beast is OK in my book. That’s a good lift, GX. Keep ’em coming!
MD
53
April 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com
O
ur own Patrick Arnold,founder of Ergopharm, has been raided by the DEA. (Ergopharm is the nutrition company that produces 6-OXO, the supplement that J.C. Romero claims caused a false positive on the drug test that got him suspended for 50 games.) And in a flash— a news flash that is— Patrick is aligned once again with the BALCO scandal and maligned in general.
As usual, there is a cadre of media crackpot ‘experts’ on the matter, lacing up their hip boots and shoveling bull-shit at a furious pace, paying no mind at all to the legitimacy of what they are reporting. Why should they? They have everything they need to weave the yarn: our national pastime; a famous, highly-paid baseball player who failed a drug test and denies any wrongdoing; and a convicted BALCO felon who made the stuff the ballplay-er is blaming for the failed test. It doesn’t matter what the rest of the words say between those paydirt items. What matters is that the reporters get to write them and the public gets to read them. Truth, accu-racy, plausibility, accountability and facts mean absolutely nothing. If the steroid scandal this country has weathered has taught us anything, it is the depth of journalistic bankruptcy in America.The following is a great example of what I mean.
If you’ve been following this Romero thing, you know that the Phillies reliever is claiming that he took a supplement made by a nutri-tion lab owned by “one of the more notorious chemists in the country.” The supplement— 6-OXO— is alleged to have caused Romero’s false posi-tive and almost immediately, Patrick’s company was raided by the Feds. Oh, yeah, and MLB banned 6-OXO after Romero failed his test— the quintes-sential knee-jerk reaction.
As of this writing, no one is sure if it was Romero’s drug test that was directly responsible for the raid on Ergopharm. However, the one thing that I am sure about is that makers of performance-enhancing supplements across this country better start getting
it through their heads that the govern-ment will in no way, shape, or form tolerate the idea that a grown man be allowed to raise his testosterone lev-els! To do so would be an egregious affront to national pride. All of us must never have a test level above a government official— which is some-where in the girly range— and, if you are an athlete, you should probably think about taking estrogen. What we’ve witnessed so far among profes-sional athletes is that smoking crack, wife-beating, torturing dogs and shooting people all receive less con-gressional attention and less adjudica-tion than any attempt to increase ath-letic performance.
If, and I mean IF a tainted batch of 6-OXO was the root of the DEA raid on Ergopharm, it is more than likely a simple and innocent case of cross-contamination. The idea that Patrick is this rogue mad scientist, intent on subverting the law to create an illegal substance through loopholes, is ludi-crous. But, for media whores looking for a John, this is juicy stuff. At least to them it is; ignorance is bliss.
6-OXO is not an anabolic steroid, an illegal precursor, or any other sub-stance that falls under the DEA’s juris-diction. It is a legal substance that inhibits estrogen to trigger the body to produce more testosterone — and God forbid a man should produce more testosterone! And an athlete, no less?Time to get out the rope, Patrick needs to be hanged— again.
Perhaps the best example of media whoring in this matter to date comes from a nasty little tart who pens caus-tic drivel for the Washington Post. In her latest shameless pandering to the uninformed, Ms. Sally Jenkins likens Patrick Arnold to a ‘king-pin dealer” who should be the one the feds seek to throw in jail. Not the likes of those poor cheating athletes who make tens of millions of dollars a year. Clearly Ms. Jenkins has seen “Scarface” one too many times. It’s the athletes who are breaking the law, buying drugs, taking them and cheating to win! A fact Jenkins conveniently misses.
Instead of chastising those
million-aire cheaters, Jenkins erroneously blames Arnold for being ‘back in the trade,’ turning out supplements ‘load-ed’ with the anabolic steroid andros-tendione. The only problem with that statement is that it ain’t so— Patrick never left the trade— Ergopharm has been in business for over 10 years. It’s also funny how she has turned what I think could only possibly be minute trace amounts— if any— into an amount described as ‘loaded,’ without ever seeing a lab assay report on the product. Media-wise, that doesn’t mat-ter; ‘loaded with anabolic steroids’ sounds much better than ‘possibly laced with minute trace amounts.’ And why bother using the word ‘allegedly?’ It only detracts from Jenkins’ drama.
But because Romero took the 6-OXO and failed a drug test, she is sat-isfied that cause and effect has been proven (something that is impossible in science but fares quite well in the media) and thus asks, “What is Arnold doing back on the streets, much less in the supplement business?”
I guess life in prison is her idea of justice in a performance-enhancing drug crime. Perhaps she’d be happi-er living in a place like Thailand, where they would support her dra-conian views. These indignant atti-tudes are further supported by her baseless claim that Arnold got a ‘sweetheart deal’ of just three month’s jail time for his BALCO con-viction, because he cooperated with the Feds in their ‘rabid pursuit of famous athletes.’ Really?
Apparently checking widely known facts isn’t Jenkins’ bag. I guess you can pretty much say the moon is made of green cheese if you work for the Washington Post and anyone will believe you. In reality, what the record shows is that Arnold got sen-tenced pursuant to the applicable U.S. sentencing guidelines as they then existed without ANY leniency for cooperation in any way, shape or form. Interesting items they stick in Cracker Jack boxes these days, ey Sally?
Oh, but Jenkins goes on and on bemoaning the harsh treatment of
ERGOPHARM FANS
FANATICS
The Way I See It—Romano Factor
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MDMarion Jones and the impending pos-sibility of Bonds’ sentence, like she’s on the public relations payroll of the suspected Cheating Athletes Union. How dare Kirk Radomski never receive a day in jail after his admitted 10-year drug dealing spree, just because he threw Roger Clemens under the bus? “Clemens is facing indictment for fibbing to Congress to save his reputation. Meanwhile, the man who headed a drug syndicate that dealt out steroids, speed and HGH over a decade, Radomski, is practically holding hands with prose-cutors.”
She then asks if reading this is making you feel like you’re standing on your head! It sure does! Jenkins consistently distorts her facts.
In conclusion, Jenkins surmises that, in all fairness to the investiga-tors, going after the high profile
ath-letes and saving baseball is a far more interesting line of work and that the light sentences for the dealers and harsh sentences for those poor ath-letes is nothing but a looking-glass approach. How can the inverse of any sensible anti-drug effort be effective? This is a great reason why ill-informed journalists should not write about subjects about which neither their experience nor common sense pre-vail. If she knew anything at all about her subject, she’d know this had been a looking-glass approach from the very beginning!
The sports doping model is the opposite of the traditional narcotics model, where the drug kingpins live in splendor and the users are strung-out junkies. In sports doping, the users can buy and sell the dealers 100 or 1,000 times over. But Jenkins can’t stop playing her violin for them.
Jenkins does make one cogent point and that is that the prosecutions of Clemens and Bonds have turned into “persecutions at the expense of any common-sense definition of jus-tice.” I’ll agree with that. But she could have made the point without shifting the blame onto Patrick Arnold and dis-torting or ignoring facts. Nevertheless, she ends her diatribe driveling on about how the jurors considering the Bonds and Clemens cases should ask themselves why, in light of much big-ger fish lying under oath with impuni-ty, “the real lowlifes walk free.” I chuckled when I read that last line. Ms. Jenkins, please define “lowlife.” I’ve read surveys which show that of all occupations, journalists— probably because of the unscrupulous writings of the worst of the lot— are held in the lowest esteem by the general pub-lic. I can see why.
THE WAY I SEE IT,Patrick Arnold is a scapegoat. And if there is any jus-tice in this world he will one day be able to sue the government and win himself tens of millions of dollars for the wrong that has been done to him. Sally Jenkins can kiss my ass. Do you
realize that after Arnold did his time, the government ruled the THG he was convicted of distributing was not an illegal anabolic steroid? Then why did he go to jail?
OK, well, perhaps it was not illegal to take THG at the time and perhaps making a substance of its nature was-n’t the best idea, but prison? For that? I hate to say it, but if anyone should be going to prison, it should be the guys using the THG to cheat! Ahhh… but cheating isn’t illegal, it’s just immoral. We can all deal with that. In the real world, morality is cashed in every day. People are afraid of cops and the law, but not God and their con-science.
It doesn’t help that mainstream media thinks it’s the guys making the chemicals that the rich athletes use who should go to jail. Actually, I think it’s the members of that media who sensationalize stories with fabricated facts and distorted truths who should be the ones to go to jail. They should start with Jenkins. Let’s assume for the moment that she was just too lazy and reckless to fact-check and that she actually made up stuff to make her article sound better. In that case, she cheated to win. She bamboozled the public to buy her line because she has bragging rights— she works for the Washington Post!
If Jenkins knew anything about the topic, or bothered to do any research, she would have found out that the metabolite of 6-OXO is very similar to the metabolite
Andro leaves in urine and it is the legal 6-OXO itself that could possibly cause a false positive for the banned pro-hormone. She might also have found out that during the manufacturing process of 6-OXO, minute trace amounts of Andro might be left as a byproduct; however, certain processes are used to remove it. With the sophisticated processes used today, only the slightest possible rem-nant could possibly be left in the finished product— if any. This would be an amount well below the level of what would constitute a tainted supplement and a far cry from anything that would kick out a false positive in a drug test.
At the very least, common sense should have pre-vailed at this point and made Jenkins wonder why Patrick would lace a very effective legal supplement with minute trace amounts of the weakest, most ineffective prohormone ever made? That pretty much shoots a gigantic hole in Jenkins’ sensational assertion that a ‘lowlife’ like Arnold is “back in the trade turning out sup-plements loaded with the anabolic steroid androsten-dione.” Yep, the truth will do that.
We rely on the integrity of the media to give us the news— the truth. And what do they do? What does Jenkins do? She makes shit up. She makes it up because her fabrication sounds good— it sounds sinister and nefarious, and that is what sells. If anyone should go straight to jail, it is reporters like Jenkins.
We rely on the integrity of the media to give us the news— the
truth. And what do they do? What does Jenkins do? She makes
shit up. She makes it up because her fabrication sounds good— it
sounds sinister and nefarious, and that is what sells. If anyone
should go straight to jail, it is reporters like Jenkins.
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MDAs
I sit and write this,Barack Obama is but one historic eve away from sitting himself behind the desk of the highest office in the land. Reflecting back on a grim day 40 years ago when Martin Luther King was assassinated, I can only marvel at the progress our society made with respect to its views on human equality.Tomorrow is going to be a day when America casts aside the hate that has negated the good ideas and intentions of hon-orable people merely because their skin was a different color. It will be a proud day indeed.
To Mr. Obama’s credit, he is a smart, young and vibrant man with fresh thoughts and new ideas that, if executed with alacrity, could bring this nation back from the brink. And while the idea of legalizing anabolic steroids is probably quite near the bottom of his to-do list— if it’s on it at all— I can only surmise that his intellect, common sense and respect for the constitution may one day have this mess turned around and worked out in our favor.
In an interview this past October on ESPN, Obama noted that this country is mired too deeply in economic woes and international threats to democracy to have Congress spend so much time debating the steroid issue. One must bear in mind that Obama’s Republican associate, Representative Henry Waxman, presided over two separate steroid hearings that totaled more time than Congress spent debating the war in Iraq, health care, or why the levies burst in New Orleans after Katrina hit. On the issue, Obama stat-ed, “We’ve got nuclear weapons and a financial meltdown to worry about. We shouldn’t be worrying about steroids as much as I think sometimes we do.”
While this attitude is a welcome departure from Congress as usual— and the 2004 state of the union address challenge that “steroids send
a bad message,” the next hope we have comes from Obama’s choice for White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. While Emanuel is known by the nickname ‘Rahmbo’ for his strong aggressive intensity— Obama even joked during a 2005 roast in honor of Emanuel, that he evokes many of the stereotypical characteristics of a steroid user— Emanuel’s significance is because of his brother.
Ari Emanuel owns the Endeavor Talent Agency, one of the top five entertainment agencies in Hollywood whose client list includes my good friend Christopher Bell, the guy who made the critically-acclaimed steroid documentary, “Bigger Stronger Faster.” I think there a good chance we can get Chris to bug his agent to get Ari to send a copy of the film to his brother, who will screen it for the President and hopefully show him that there is indeed a case for steroid reform. While that may seem far-fetched, it’s pretty damn plausible and hell of a lot closer than our cause has ever been to getting in front of a pos-sibly sympathetic president.
If, after watching the film, Obama finds cause to bounce some ideas off someone who has some experience in the matter opposite his congressional associates, Obama can talk to the guy who is making a biographical film about his wife and him. Screenwriter and outed HRT steroid user Tyler Perry is said to be producing a film detailing
the love story of Barack and Michelle Obama. How do we know Perry is on hormone replacement therapy? His name was leaked publicly in the Signature Pharmacy scandal. Perry would most proba-bly not only have a few good words for Obama about steroid reform, but also patient privacy issues and rouge district attorneys who operate outside their jurisdic-tion.
At Obama’s age, he is right in line to be eligible for HRT. Can you imagine a jacked president?There was one day no one could imagine an African-American one, so, don’t rule anything out.
THE WAY I SEE IT,this is about as far-fetched a scenario as could possi-bly exist— but it’s fun to think about. It’s also fun to try and push it along. Could Chris Bell get a copy of “Bigger Stronger Faster” into his agent’s hands? Of course he could. Could Ari be convinced that he needs to get that film over to his brother, the White House Chief of Staff? More than likely. Could the President’s right hand man get the Commander-In-Chief to watch the film? I would say there is a better-than-good chance that it could hap-pen.
If we got to that point, there is no doubt that the following might hap-pen. First, Obama could find the film, as nearly everyone else has, eye-open-ing and informative. If he did, he might decide to investigate further. Who knows, he might even get the idea to talk to his biographer about his HRT therapy. Perry might tell Obama how good he feels and show him his abs. Obama might go, Whoah!! Then the gears might start turning… Hmmmmmm… maybe steroids aren’t so bad after all?
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Obama said he was going to go through the national budget line by line and get rid of things that were old and ineffective.Topping the list of old,
WILL OBAMA
LEGALIZE JUICE?
The Way I See It—Romano Factor
The Way I See It—Romano Factor
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MDineffective and not to mention expen-sive follies that the government spent billions on was Dick Nixon’s drug war. Does anyone think that mess was effective? Mired in the remains of that drug war is the Steroid Control Act of 1990— championed, unfortunately, by our new Vice President, Joe Biden.
And therein lies the rub; they are not just going to reform the Steroid act. If Obama is to ring true to his pledge to overhaul the national
bud-get, then the entire drug war needs reform. The steroid war was waged specifically by Dan Lungren and Joe Biden. If you have seen any of Biden’s speeches to support his idea to control steroids, then you know this man is passionate about the cause— in fact, possessed might even be closer to the truth! Can Obama change his mind? Would he try? Good question.
If our new president sets out to
keep his promise, he first needs to hoist up the white flag and stop fighting the drug war. It is a line item on the national budget that needs to be addressed for its expense as well as its ineffectiveness. If he believes that steroids are not as bad as the vice president thinks they are, then we have a chance. There is probably a better chance of monkeys flying out of my butt, but it is a chance nonetheless.
$6 MILLION TEXAS STEROID TESTING
In
2007, Texas lawmakers appropriated $6 million to test between 40,000 and 50,000 public school ath-letes during a two-year period, which ends in June. The first 10,000 steroids tests found only four positive results. The program, conducted by National Center for Drug-Free Sports using a urine sample, is the largest and at $6 million, the most expensive in the country.High school athletics are a big part of most commu-nities and concerns about student athletes using steroids to enhance their athletic performance are mate— but in the grand scheme of things, how legiti-mate? With tough economic times ahead, the enormity of the expense, compared to the paucity of results, would indicate that the problem isn’t as big as Don Hooton thinks it is. And it would make better sense to use the money it would take to continue the testing pro-gram to fund other educational purposes.
If you remember, Don Hooton is the father of Taylor Hooton, the 17-year-old baseball player who committed suicide after he went off his light steroid cycle cold turkey and got on the anti-depressant drug Lexipro. In spite of the overwhelming data to support suicidal ideation resulting from treatment with Lexipro and none from steroids, Hooton declared that he doesn’t care what the intellectual argument is, he knows steroids killed his son.
Hooton appeared on Capitol Hill in front of Congress during the steroid hearings and blamed baseball for his son’s death. This coaxed millions of dollars from Bud Selig’s baseball coffers to fund the Taylor Hooton founda-tion, an organization that preaches steroid awareness to high school kids— of which the surviving Hooton is presi-dent. While preaching psychotropic drug awareness to clin-icians would clearly save more lives, keeping kids off juice is still a good idea. But spending $6 million to ferret out four positives among 10,000 athletes is a total waste of time, money and resources.
In light of the findings, Texas Governor Rick Perry said last week that steroids don’t appear to be a serious problem among Texas teens. Perry suggested that the program could possibly be scaled back and those funds used for more useful expenses. Hooton, of course, takes issue with the governor, stating that those results may
prove the program’s worth.
“This program isn’t designed to tell you if you’ve got a problem or not,” Hooton said. “This program is designed to be a deterrent. That we had low positive results sug-gests maybe the program is working just as it should be.”
The governor disagrees, stating “That may be a bit too much money, a bit too much work for the return. The good news is we’re finding out our kids aren’t anywhere near as enthralled with these enhancing drugs as some people seemed to believe two years ago.”
Hooton has a different take. He believes the low results either mean the tests are deterring use or that the tests, which search for 10 banned steroids, aren’t complete enough. Hooton cited a survey of Texas high school stu-dents, conducted by Texas A&M in 2007, which suggested that approximately 2 percent had used steroids. A
University of Michigan national study approximated usage at 2.7 percent in 2006.
Regardless of the fact that the legitimate scientific steroid community agrees those questionnaires are totally unreliable, Hooton, anticipating a flood of positive results, is still hopeful that his scheme will bear fruit. He said, “It’s too early for the state to conclude there isn’t a problem.” According to Hooton, his experts had only recently received the data from the first batch of test results and haven’t had time to completely review the protocol or the results. He has not yet received the second round of test results.
The Way I See It—Romano Factor
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MD“I’m disappointed at the stance that is being taken before all the results from the field are in,” Hooton said. “I was under the impression we’d get at least one full year of results with football players before there was any recom-mendation.”
THE WAY I SEE IT,you have to give Hooton props for keeping up the good fight. The bereaved dad is doing all he can to avenge his son’s death, just as I or any other father would do. However, the sad inevitable truth is that his efforts will ultimately prove futile. And to spend $6 mil-lion worth of Texas taxpayer money to try to make a point is an egregious affront to the student body as a whole, whose education and scholastic livelihood would be much better served if Hooton’s witch hunt was subverted.
Let’s be realistic. In the past 50 years, how many high school students have died as a DIRECT result of using steroids? Zero. Hooton can stand on his soapbox all day long, preaching the dangers of juice and the suicide that befell his only son, but the guy hasn’t got a shred of proof that the scientific community will
accept to confirm his assertion.There is just too much evidence to the contrary. The instances of suicidal ideation among adolescents treated with psy-chotropic drugs, specifically Lexipro, are undeniable in the scientific litera-ture. Of the other bereaved families list-ed on the Taylor Hooton Foundation website, none can claim that steroids were the direct culprits of their person-al tragedies with any credibility that the medical community can accept. No one knows what definitively causes teen suicide; the best we can do is guess. And a guess for steroids is a wild one.
As far as steroid testing as a deterrent goes, haven’t we proven yet in this country that there is no such thing as a deterrent? Texas employs the death penalty— does that mean there is a zero murder rate? Of course not. There is no effective deterrent. So, cross that idea off Hooton’s list as well.That $6 million has pretty much been wasted.
Now let’s step back a minute and look at what other dangers teens face and what we’re doing about it. Alcohol, tobacco, crystal meth, cocaine, heroin, painkillers and inhalants have all been proven to have a lethal effect on the user and teen use is certainly prevalent in high schools in Texas. How much is being spent on alcohol testing? Are any kids being tested for crystal meth? What about the other lethal drugs kids take?
I think the disconnect here is astonishing and a testa-ment to the axiom that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Hooton was able to make enough noise in Texas over the erroneous connection between his son’s suicide and steroids so that the state spent $6 million to find nothing. In light of other more prevalent dangers to high school kids, that money could easily have been better spent.
To put Hooton’s suicide into perspective— according to the 2004 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report, 15,000 emergency department visits concerning
drug-relat-ed suicide attempts were reportdrug-relat-ed in 2004; nearly half of all attempts involved pain medication— none involved steroids.The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reports that more than 60 percent of all suicides involve handguns. Anyone want to try and outlaw handguns in Texas? It would be easier to outlaw rocks on the moon. But kids are killing themselves! Go after the steroids, leave the guns alone? Come on.
What about tobacco? According to the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, almost 90 percent of smokers start-ed smoking before they were 18.Young smokers are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs and do poorly in school. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 5 million of the children now living in the United States are expected to eventually die prematurely of a smoking-related disease. How much money is being spent testing Texas kids for tobacco as a deterrent to them smoking? None.
Two percent of Dallas Independent School District stu-dents in grades 9 through 12 reported having tried heroin at least once, and 5 percent reported using some form of cocaine in the past 30 days during the spring 2005 survey. This is as much and more than reported using steroids according to Hooton’s statistics. Where is the high school heroin and cocaine testing as a deterrent to these drugs? There isn’t any.
What about the biggest killer of them all, food? The number of obese children has doubled during the last 20 years and the number of obese teens has tripled. An overweight child has a 70 percent chance of becoming an overweight adult. Serious health risks are associated with being overweight, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, certain cancers, breathing problems, arthritis and joint problems. Children who are overweight are at greater risk of social stigma and low self-esteem and they are less likely to succeed in school. In addition, the medical costs of obesity are high: Texas spent $10.5 billion on over-weight-related healthcare costs in 2003.
Almost 14 percent of high school students in Texas are overweight, whereas only 11 percent of high school stu-dents nationwide are overweight. Wouldn’t that $6 million Hooton spent on steroid testing have been better spent implementing mandatory weight training and physical fit-ness and nutrition regimens for high school kids?
Making it your life’s work to avenge your son’s death is a course I would certainly take if I had to bury my son. I can only imagine the feelings Don Hooton and his wife must deal with day in and day out. That said, as far as steroids go he’s barking up the wrong tree. Spending $6 million testing 10,000 kids to find four positives is proof that his battle should be kept to himself. I’m really sorry his son is dead, but, clearly, steroids didn’t kill him— and testing 50,000 kids for steroids isn’t going to bring him back. !
Let’s be realistic. In the past 50
years, how many high school
students have died as a DIRECT
result of using steroids? Zero.
Hooton can stand on his soapbox
all day long, preaching the
dangers of juice and the suicide
that befell his only son, but the
guy hasn’t got a shred of proof
that the scientific community
will accept.
By Gregg Valentino
muscular
development.com
SPONSORED THIS MONTH BY: www.musculardevelopment.com April 200968
MD“Sometimes I wonder if we’re just hosting a retard contest here and we ban the best ones.”
—John Romano
THAT WAS MY FAVORITE ‘QUOTE OF
THE YEAR’BY JOHN ROMANO,
REFERRING TO SOME MEMBERS OF THE
MDFORUM. IT’S “WAR OF THE
WORLDS”ON THE MD “NO BULL”
FORUM— CARBS vs. KETO-DIET— AND GET THIS: STEVE BLECHMAN COMES OUT SWINGING HARD!!! STEVE BLECHMAN TAKES ON DAVE PALUMBO & JOHN ROMANO, WITH A METAL CHAIRTO EACH GURU’S
HEAD—IT’S AN MD FREE-FOR-ALL, A
CYBER ‘STEEL CAGE’ MATCHWITH ALL SIDESTHROWING EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK AT EACH OTHER! THIS IS A MUST-READ!! YO, TRUST ME, IT’S A GOOD ONE!!! I’M GOING TO SIT THIS ONE OUT THIS MONTH, BECAUSE THIS IS SO GOOD, I WANT ALL OF YOU TO SOAK THIS IN— IF YOU REALLY LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READ-ING, GO TO
MuscularDevelopment.comAND
READ FOR YOURSELF, GET INVOLVED, THROW YOUR 2 cents IN OR JUST LEARN SOMETHING NEW! SEE YA THERE!! ENJOY THIS NOW!!!
Steve Blechman:Debate is healthy! It expands the mind and stimulates new thoughts. Debate is very much part of the scientific community; intellectual debate
is not a personal attack on one’s charac-ter. This thread about the carbohydrate debate has made me proud to be ‘The Boss’ of MD. The readers on the MD forum have listed educated responses why they feel that carbs are needed for optimum muscle mass gains…
Steve Blechman:Again, the point I am trying to make is that based on scien-tific research, zero-carb diets are not opti-mal for muscle growth!! Even if they con-tain adequate fats and
essential fats!! Insulin has also been well documented to suppress the stimulation of cortisol, a major catabol-ic hormone. With these facts presented, can you see why I do not condone a zero-carb ketogenic diet? I do advocate high protein, low-carb, and moderate fats. I just choose to think brief, periodic increases in insulin
are necessary for anabolic and anti-cata-bolic actions. Let’s just say regarding ketogenic diets, we agree to disagree!!! I believe you will find our up-to-date scientific review article next month in MD very informative and enlightening.
Steve Blechman: If fish oil at moder-ate doses inhibits COX-2, is there then an added effect by a daily intake of fish, olive oil, nuts oils (such as macadamia) and peanut butter?? This is the concern!! Can you imagine if you also took NSAIDs
(such as ibuprofen) on top of this? Scary!! I just can’t see this type of diet being opti-mal for maximum muscle growth!! Victor Martinez told me before the 2007 Mr. Olympia that he cut out fish as part of his Olympia prep. He said in the past it made him “look flat.”
Look at the diet of bodybuilders of the past. They ate steak, chicken breast, turkey and eggs (all low in omega-3). Eight time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman
lived on a low omega-3 diet of chicken and rice!! And for this year’s Mr. Olympia, I told Kai Greene to cut the 10 pounds of
fish daily!! Why can’t you just eat 1 pound?? Unfortunately, the
mentality of the bodybuilder today is that ‘more is better.’ Of
course this is not always so. Steve Blechman: I don’t know one Mr. Olympia
Champion who followed a zero-carb or no-zero-carb diet!! Lee Haney ate tons of carbs. Ronnie Coleman lived on chick-en and rice for his pre-competition diet. Dorian Yates in a recent interview said the following, “If I take very low carbohy-drates, I can’t walk, so obviously I need more carbohydrates. In the off-season I was on 2,000 grams of carbohydrates a day and 400-500 grams getting ready for a contest and my contest condition was better than most, for sure, so my body fat was very low on 400 grams of carbohy-drates.”
Romano:I have both dieted and bulked on both low-carb and high-low-carb diets. Few if any of the rest of you have. So, I’m going to go ahead and give you my observation: On a high-carb/low-fat bulking regimen I consumed 1,000 grams of carbs a day, 350 grams of protein and no added fat except for the 2 tablespoons of olive oil on my salad at night. I got big, my strength went up and I was fat as a pig ready for slaughter. I dieted on 500 grams of carbs, 250 grams protein and no added fat. My strength went way down, I had to do 3 hours of cardio each day, and I did get pretty shredded but I had no energy and I felt like shit.
NOTE TO CARB GUYS: I don’t want to know why, that’s just the way it was. Bulking on a low-carb regimen, I’m con-suming 450 grams of protein, 100 grams of carbs
immedi-ately post-training, 175 grams of fat— mostly from nuts and olive oil. My strength went up, I’ve stayed lean enough to have veins and striations in my legs all the time and I can see my abs— none of which was visible on 1,000 grams of carbs a day.
So far I’ve gained 15 pounds since starting this regimen 5 months ago. Prior to starting this, I dieted down using Dave’s diet. I ate no carbs at all except for whatever carbs were in the nuts and the veggies I ate. I dropped my fats to 100 grams, protein to 350 grams. And I only
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MDhad to do ONE hour of cardio. My body fat dropped at least as low, if not lower than it did eating carbs and doing three hours of cardio— and I never stopped my Sunday cheats. The pic of the side of my legs on my profile page was the result of this diet. I also had tons of energy, I got great workouts and felt awesome the whole time. If Dave didn’t pull me off the diet I’d still be on it. As opposed to the carb diet where I felt horrible, drained, no energy, shitty workouts and dreaded doing 3 bouts of an hour of cardio a day.
While quoting the literature might make you sound impressive, without the empirical knowledge to back it up your argument only holds half the water. Obviously, as long as there is a calorie deficit you will lose fat. Other factors such as drugs and genetics also play an important role. There is no doubt that carb diets work. It worked for me, but at the expense of losing three hours a day of my life on stair-climber and feeling like shit. I was just as full and hard without the carbs and I got to enjoy my life while dieting. I think before anyone denounces either diet with referenced research they should at least give them both a try. Research is great, practice is a whole other ball game. It’s interesting how followers of Dave’s diet— me includ-ed— have all gotten the results the carb guys— especially the
Boss— say are impossible. Dave:If you’re feeding someone high protein and moderate carbs, you can’t be giving your clients very many EFAs— if you did, they wouldn’t lose weight because there would be no calorie deficit. Something’s gotta go. Since carbs are unessential, that’s really the most logical choice.
Steve Blechman:I have no doubt that Dave’s very low-carb ketogenic diet works! It actually works in many people!! Some it doesn’t. What works for one person may not work for another!! All I am saying is that based on scientific research, a very low-carb ketogenic diet is not optimal for achieving maximum mus-cle growth in bodybuilders. Dave
agrees with me on this!! Very low-carb ketogenic diets are superior for fat loss but unfortunately at the expense of losing lean body mass!! I am also very concerned about the potential ramifi-cations of inhibiting COX-2 (and PGF-2), a major anabolic pathway that can inhibit protein synthesis and optimum muscle growth!! Look at the body-builders of the past. They ate steaks, chicken breast, turkey, eggs (all of which are low in omega-3 fatty acids). This diet certainly may not be the healthiest but it might be the one that produces the most gains in muscle size!!
Also many people are confused— fish oil (omega-3) and olive oil (omega-9) are healthy fats but are not
essential fats!!!!!!! In humans, essential fats are linoleic acid, linolenic acid,
and arachidonic acid!! Also fish oils do not lower
choles-terol!! In fact they slightly raise LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). They are though very effective for
lowering triglycerides and approved as a prescription
drug for that purpose. Romano:Bro, what are you talking about?
Omega-3 fats are essential.
Steve Blechman:I am correct!! You are confused!! You are not inter-preting the Wikipedia Encyclopedia correctly!! Look at the 2nd to last sen-tence in the Wikipedia statement you listed above. It states, “There are two families of EFAs: ω-3 (or omega-3 or n−3) and ω-6 (omega-6, n−6). Fats from each of these families are
essen-tial.”THIS IS CORRECT!!!! John, let me give you a lesson in nutrition:
ESSENTIAL FATS IN HUMANS Omega-3 Essential Fats: Linolenic Acid and Omega-6 Essential Fats: Linoleic Acid, Arachidonic Acid
John, in my previous post I said that fish oil (omega-3 fatty acid) and olive oil (omega-9 fatty acid) are NOT ESSENTIAL fats. This is correct. They are not essential fats in humans. Fish oils contain omega-3 fatty acids but they are NOT essen-tial in humans. Only linolenic acid is an essential omega-3 fat.
Check out any authoritative nutri-tion textbook. THIS IS STANDARD KNOWLEDGE!!! It is what it is. I hope you learned something today!! NOW get back to work, your articles need to get in before you come up to NY tomorrow for the Christmas party. We are having a set menu. You have a choice of fish, chicken, or steak. If I know you, you will proba-bly order the steak!!!! I look for-ward to seeing you in NY!!!
Romano:I guess we should clarify for the people who don’t know: fish oil, flaxseed oil, olive oil, etc., are com-prised of more than one fatty acid component. Fish oil, as a whole, is nonessential— but that’s not what you said. You said “omega-3 fish oil” which I took to mean the alpha linolenic acid COMPONENT of fish oil. You should have just said “fish oil” not “omega-3 fish oil.” The omega-3 component IS essential. Obviously fish oil contains components that are nonessential, but the component that you specified— omega-3— is essential. Alpha-linolenic acid is the parent omega-3 compound
musculardevelopment.com
“John, in my previous post I
said that fish oil (omega-3
fatty acid) and olive oil
(omega-9 fatty acid) are
NOT ESSENTIAL fats.
This is correct. They
are not essential fats
in humans. Fish oils
contain omega-3 fatty
acids but they are NOT
essential in humans. Only
linolenic acid is an essential
omega-3 fat. “
www.musculardevelopment.com April 2009
72
MDmusculardevelopment.com
found in fish that the body convertsinto DHA and EPA. That’s what I thought the standard knowledge was. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Steve Blechman: Slow down. Take a deep breath and listen to me carefully! You’ve got it completely wrong! You say above that “omega-3 fish oil which I took to mean the alpha-linolenic acid component of fish oil.“ John, fish and fish oil do not contain alpha-linolenic acid!! A rich source of alpha-linolenic acid is flaxseed oil. Canola and soy oil also contain small amounts. I am definitely going to buy you a good nutrition textbook for Christmas!!
Romano:Bro, I’m sure you’re right, you are just explaining it in a very confusing way. According to this entry from Wikipedia, the free encyclo-pedia: Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oil is recom-mended [1] for a healthy diet because it contains the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precur-sors to eicosanoids that reduce inflam-mation throughout the body. Fish do not actually produce omega-3 fatty acids, but instead accumulate them from either consuming microalgae that produce these fatty acids, as is the case with fish like herring and sar-dines, or, as is the case with fatty predatory fish, by eating prey fish that have accumulated omega-3 fatty acids from microalgae. Such fatty predatory fish like mackerel, lake trout, flounder, albacore tuna and salmon may be high in omega-3 fatty acids, but due to their position at the top of the food chain, these species can accumulate toxic substances (See biomagnifica-tion). For this reason, the FDA recom-mends limiting consumption of certain (predatory) fish species (e.g. albacore tuna, shark, and swordfish) due to high levels of toxic contaminants such
as mercury, dioxin, PCBs and chlor-dane.[2] There are vegetarian, DHA omega-3 products made from algae available if toxic contaminants are of concern. I hope the book you get me for Christmas is less confusing than the one you’re reading.
Dave: Guys, keep it simple! My original explanation should make the subject very clear in your minds. The real point here is that we need to ingest fats! Even Steve won’t deny that fact. This is why I feel that while dieting to maximize fat loss, HIGH PROTEIN/MODERATE FAT (coming predominantly from EFAs and heart-healthy monounsat-urates like extra-virgin olive oil and macadamia nut oil)/LOW-CARB (since they’re nonessential) is the most prudent way to go. OK, off to the MD CHRISTMAS PARTY! This should be a fun evening chock-full of debate! After a few glasses of wine, who’ll even remember what the debate was about???
Dave:Steve, I think we’re split-ting hairs here and doing nothing more than confusing people. We’re here to educate and simplify the sci-ence, not make it more difficult. Isn’t this why we teach sixth graders that when you breathe in, you take in OXYGEN and when you breathe out, you expel CO2 and water— and then, when you get to high school, you find out that OXY-GEN, and CO2 (as well as NITRO-GEN) are all contained in the same air we breathe IN and OUT? Then, in college, they teach us about the KREBS CYCLE and ATP. In medical school, they further that knowledge by discussing the intricate biochem-istry of the molecules.
Steve Blechman:Dave, Great seeing you at the Christmas Party last night. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I did happen to
catch you and John eating bread. That’s OK. Dave, how can you be Italian and not eat bread or pasta?? As far as low-carb ketogenic diets are concerned I agree they are effec-tive for weight loss. Unfortunately for athletes and bodybuilders they are not optimal for muscle growth or for preservation of lean body mass during dieting!!
Dave:BLECHMAN, aren’t you supposed to be doing your
RESEARCH BYTES?? Quit harassing LAYNE NORTON—LOL—I eat carbs— I’m not dieting to lose body fat. As for your FISH OIL theory of Muscle Inhibition, I’m not buying it. KAI GREENE added 35 pounds of muscle in 8 months last year eating 8 pounds of the stuff per day. I think that as long as you’re getting enough of both families of essential fatty acids, that will create optimal growth.
Steve Blechman:Dave, Kai Greene ate 10 pounds of tilapia a day. A recent Wake Forest University (American Dietetic Association, 108, 1178-1185, 2008) study found that farm-raised tilapia is very high in arachidonic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) and very low in heart healthy omega-3s. Arachidonic acid does not inhibit COX-2.
“Keep talking guys, I always yawn when I’m interested.” Ya know, if I really wanted to, I could make a monkey out of you all, but why should I take all the credit?
LISTEN UP: THIS SHIT GOES ON & ON, BACK AND FORTH FOR PAGES… IT’S DEFINITELY ALL IN FUN BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF REAL FRIENDLY BARBS BEING THROWN AROUND… LOTS OF KNOWLEDGE AND INTERESTING STUFF IS COM-ING OUT OF THIS TEAM MD’s FRIENDLY WAR… OOPS, I BETTER ZIP MY LIP, AND YOU BETTER GO SEE THIS STUFF FOR YOUR-SELVES…. OH SHIT THE BOSS JUST POSTED A REPLY TO PALUMBO’S COMMENT, I GOTTA GO CHECK IT OUT…SEE YA ON THE FORUM…
“War does not determine who is right... but instead who is left.”
