News from Beverly International

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Beverly International's e-newsletter. Our goal is to help you achieve a greater understanding of the supplement industry as a whole and to become a "smarter" consumer of BI supplements in particular.

Practical

This section provides practical information that you can use today to save time and money when buying bodybuilding supplements.

Winning the "Numbers Game"

It's called the "numbers game": One company develops a supplement containing 40 g of protein per serving. A competitor tries to steal market share by offering a product containing 50 g, followed by a third exclaiming "60 grams!" and so on. Year after year the numbers continue to rise and consumers continue to buy.

Often what's increasing is not the amount of protein per gram of product but rather the serving size; e.g. the dimensions of the scoop (or other serving instrument) and/or the number of scoops per serving. Whatever the case, this marketing tactic helps companies make money by hooking more consumers into buying. But are the larger servings of protein necessary to build muscle?

No. According to some of the world's leading scientists, 15-20 g of protein per serving is more than enough to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis. We explore this matter in more detail in "Networked", below.

Product Smart

A Q&A section devoted to helping you become an expert in the effective use of BI products.

Q: If I chew the tablets in Super Pak, will it work better?

A: No. The tablets in Super Pak are not designed for chewing. This is intentional. It serves to slow down the release of the micronutrients inside each tablet so that they can be absorbed and utilized by your body more efficiently. For the best results, therefore, the tablets should not be chewed. Swallow each component of Super Pak with water one at a time, preferably at mealtime. For more information, refer to the Super Pak product description at the BI Web site. Click Here to read more about Super Pak.

Q: Should I take Muscle Synergy before I train or after?

A: BI has found that how many tablets of Muscle Synergy you take each day is what's most important, not when you take them. Most Muscle Synergy users spread their daily allotment of tablets (16 for athletes < 200 lb, 24 for athletes 200 lb and heavier) out over the day. The result is that at least one serving is likely to be taken in close proximity to training.

Jacob Wilson, a PhD candidate at Florida State University, has conducted several studies on HMB. Wilson's research suggests that even a single 3-g dose of HMB taken pre-training without prior loading may reduce, or even prevent, exercise-induced muscle damage, and accelerate recovery. To experience the full range of benefits offered by HMB, however, you may need to load with it for several (e.g. 3) weeks.

Taking one of your daily servings of Muscle Synergy pre-training may also enhance nitric oxide (NO) availability during resistance exercise workouts. Dr. William Caldwell (PhD) is a professor and chairman at the Medical College of Georgia. He explains that during resistance exercise the activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), the enzyme that synthesizes NO, increases. In turn, this increases the demand for arginine. Caldwell's research suggests that the combination of arginine and citrulline (found in Muscle Synergy) can lead to greater increases in arginine and NO levels than taking arginine alone. For more information, refer to the Muscle Synergy product description at the BI Web site. Click Here to read more about Muscle Synergy.

Networked

Discussing the latest supplement issues with the world's leading scientists and manufacturing experts.

What's the "optimal" amount of protein per serving?

Stimulating muscle protein synthesis is an essential requirement of building muscle. So how large a serving of protein is required to stimulate it maximally? To get to the bottom of this matter, Rob Thoburn contacted several scientists known around the world for their research on dietary protein and its effects on muscle protein synthesis:

· Dr. Mike Rennie (PhD), Professor of Clinical Physiology, University of Nottingham and Editor-In-Chief Elect of the Journal of Physiology

· Dr. Doug Paddon-Jones (PhD), Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, University of Texas Medical Branch

· Dr. Stu Phillips (PhD), Professor and Associate Chair of Graduate Studies in the Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University

Dose-response studies conducted by Rennie and others and validated by Phillips indicate that a serving of 15-20 grams of protein (equivalent to approx. 6.50in6 g of essential amino acids) is sufficient to stimulate muscle protein synthesis maximally, whether consumed post-training or at rest. Importantly, the muscles appear to be refractory to any further stimulation for 3-5 hours. "Hence our normal eating pattern," explains Rennie.

So if a serving of 15-20 g of protein is enough to stimulate muscle protein synthesis maximally, how often can we repeat this? The scientific consensus seems to be that 5-6 times a day is probably the limit. Does this mean you should never eat more than 15-20 g of protein at a meal? No. Phillips reminds us, "You've got to eat something."

Paddon-Jones agrees. "It seems perfectly reasonable to consume 40 g or more of protein per meal to help meet your energy demands (20% of total energy from protein seems very reasonable and could easily equate to 3 meals of ~40 g of protein)." Both scientists add that even if 15-20 g (or some other amount) stimulates muscle protein synthesis maximally, consuming more protein than this at a meal may still provide benefits in terms of satiety, for instance. In turn, this can improve your ability to control body fat and body weight.

One final note: Phillips says that females may require even less protein to stimulate muscle protein synthesis maximally. The studies conducted by him and his colleagues involved 80-90 kg (176-198 lb) male subjects.

Questions or comments? Please send them to: bevnut@beverlyinternational.net

For more information about Rob Thoburn, visit www.robthoburn.com.

Thanks for reading our BI Newsletter. At Beverly International education and helpfulness are our core values. We know that our BI clients are the best and smartest in the industry and we sincerely hope that the info in this e-newsletter feeds your mind, body, and passion.

Sincerely,

Roger & Sandy Riedinger

Beverly International