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KNOW Your BCAAs, GROW Like Never Before
If you follow enough workout warriors on social media, you’re probably familiar with a common genre — the video clip of someone customizing their own pre- or post-workout supplement formula. Some of these efforts are misguided, but others are genuinely enlightened, particularly when it comes to pre-workout formulations.In these short clips, you might see a suitably well-trained individual creating their own pre-workout formula from scratch or starting with a standard-issue pre-workout and augmenting it with extra ingredients, such as arginine-AKG, creatine monohydrate, beta alanine, glutamine, and/or BCAAs.There's a good reason for this. While many people believe that garden-variety pre-workout formulas contain all the necessary ingredients to support both training performance and recovery, the truth is a little more complex. Manufacturers will often tout a lengthy laundry list of ingredients in their pre-workout formulas, but then microdose these ingredients so meagerly that they offer no real performance benefit. Or they will simply omit some highly useful co-factors entirely. In fact, some of the category's biggest sellers contain little more than stimulant content in various forms. (For a true all-in-one pre-workout formula that contains individual performance co-factors in science-based dosages sufficient to facilitate enhanced power, endurance and intensity, look no further than BioQuest's Fusion Force.)One particular under-supplied ingredient in most pre-workout formulas is branched-chain amino acids or BCAAs. This is unfortunate because BCAAs not only provide a ready source of fuel your muscles can tap into to postpone fatigue and maintain work output, they also help support muscle recovery after high-intensity training. Powering Productivity Before, During and After Your WorkoutBCAAs -- the branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine -- are considered essential because, unlike non-essential amino acids, your body cannot make them. You need to get them from your diet. They are also unique in that they are metabolized directly by muscle tissue during high-impact exercise. Of the three BCAAs, leucine offers the most performance and recovery benefit.When you begin to exercise, your muscles tap into muscle glycogen (a stored form of carbohydrates) for fuel, but this stored energy doesn't last very long. When these are diminished, your muscles will turn to blood glucose to keep going. (This is where isoleucine and valine, which help support blood sugar levels, both play an important role.) Blood glucose is derived from carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Carbohydrates and fats fuel the majority of your energy needs at the outset of exercise, but as your exercise interval lengthens, your body will scavenge proteins from existing muscle tissue. BCAAs make up a great proportion of the total amino acid content in skeletal muscle and are readily catabolized during exercise. Indeed, BCAAs may provide as much as 20% of your body's energy needs in the course of your workout.When your high-intensity workout is completed, you've inflicted considerable damage to muscle tissue. This damage must be repaired and your body will endeavor to add more muscle mass to survive future bouts of exercise-induced stress. The availability of leucine is absolutely crucial during this post-exercise juncture, as it is the trigger for the protein synthesis that is the engine for muscle recovery and growth.Clearly then, BCAA supplementation -- especially leucine -- would appear to offer valuable benefits for highly active people. Science supports this notion. In a study published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine in 2017, researchers sought to evaluate the effect of a 12-week leucine-rich amino acid supplementation in combination with moderate training. In the study, 48 healthy subjects exercised for 30 minutes three times per week and received either a leucine-rich amino acid supplementation or a placebo. Before and after supplementation, subjects performed an exhaustive eccentric exercise protocol. Maximal concentric strength and safety assessments were performed before exercise and after 3, 24, 48 and 72 hours.The researchers found that the supplementation with leucine resulted in reduced loss of strength at zero and 3 hours after downhill walking compared with the placebo. They concluded that the "principle findings show that leucine-rich amino acid supplementation can counteract the negative effects of eccentric exercise. The treatment resulted in a reduction of exercise-induced strength loss." (1 Reule CA, et al)BCAAs also offer a prominent benefit in the form of post-workout recovery. In another study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, highly trained resistance athletes were provided 20 grams of BCAAs per day for seven days before and four days after completing a damaging bout of exercise. The ratio of the provided BCAAs was 2:1:1 (leucine: isoleucine: valine).A number of variables were measured including changes in force production, markers of muscle damage in the blood, muscle soreness, vertical jump performance, and thigh and calf circumference. The damage bout caused significant changes in nearly all variables. In particular, changes in creatine kinase (a marker of damage found in the blood) were significantly improved when BCAAs were ingested when compared to placebo. In addition, the recovery of the ability to produce maximal force was also improved to a greater extent in the BCAA group. The authors of the study concluded that providing BCAAs before and after damaging exercise can reduce the recovery time. (2 Howatson, Hoad et al.) Supplementing with BCAAsWhen adding BCAAs to your supplement regimen, sufficient dosing is critically important. As we've said, most pre-workout formulas simply don't supply BCAAs in amounts that provide performance or recovery benefits. The solution to this problem is simple. Just add additional BCAAs to your pre-workout drink taken 30 to 45 minutes before training and then add some more to the water bottle or shake cup you take out onto the gym floor with you.Of course, proper sourcing of precious BCAAs is also important. ProSource has always led the way when it comes to ingredient purity, potency and power, and that is true for BCAAs as well.ProSource's Mega BCAA, available in both powder and capsule formats, contains vastly superior, premium-grade aminos, provided in the preferred ratio of 2:1:1 leucine, isoleucine and valine. And it provides them in an 8-gram per serving dosage designed to fully energize, protect and build muscle tissue. Like all ProSource sports nutrition supplements, Mega BCAA Powder and Capsules are made with the absolute highest quality ingredients available industry-wide to ensure maximum purity, potency and results!Scientific References1 Reule CA, Scholz C, Schoen C, et al. Reduced muscular fatigue after a 12-week leucine-rich amino acid supplementation combined with moderate training in elderly: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 2017.2 Howatson, G., M. Hoad, et al. (2012). "Exercise-induced muscle damage is reduced in resistance-trained males by branched chain amino acids: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study." J Int Soc Sports Nutr 9(1): 20.Use as directed with a sensible nutrition and exercise program. Read and follow all product label instructions and warnings thoroughly before use. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
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Power Peak Performance with a Beta Alanine and Creatine Combo
The perfect workout — the ultra-productive workout that most efficiently generates new muscle mass — is all about volume and duration. Volume is obvious; the more weight you can lift, the more power you can generate, the stronger you are, the bigger you can get. Duration doesn’t refer to the length of your workout — a session that goes on much beyond 45 minutes to an hour actually becomes counterproductive — but rather to the length of each set. The key is to maintain proper form on each rep, while postponing fatigue and putting off that last rep as long as possible until you finally have nothing left to give.That last brutal rep — the rep to absolute failure — is especially important because it facilitates the release of lipase, a pancreatic enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of fats for energy. Those last difficult reps also promote the release of testosterone and growth hormone which will aid in increasing lean body mass, fat burning and recovery. Finally, that last rep is stressing and damaging muscle fibers that your body will have to rebuild bigger and stronger to meet the extreme physical challenges that lay ahead. Unfortunately, most training individuals don't attain any of these benefits because they're lifting too little and giving up too soon.Modern sports nutrition science, however, offers a dramatic edge to serious athletes looking to increase workout productivity, specifically in the combination of supplemental creatine monohydrate and beta alanine.A Perfect Synergy for Dramatic Muscle Growth IncreaseIf power and duration are the keys to an ultra-productive training session, then creatine monohydrate and beta alanine are paired perfectly to help you get to your goal.Creatine monohydrate, of course, is second only to whey protein in its importance to athletes seeking to increase strength and muscle mass. It supports muscle cell volumization by literally pulling water into the muscle cell, making muscles bigger and fuller. Bigger and fuller muscles can generate more force potential. Proper cellular hydration also facilitates the Kreb's cycle, the process whereby muscle cells convert nutrients like carbohydrates and fat into ATP, which in turn facilitates the contractions that make exercise possible. Creatine, especially in its monohydrate form, has been associated with positive effects on strength and power increase, training capacity, muscle mass, and overall cell hydration and volumization in literally hundreds of clinical studies conducted all around the world. Creatine has functioned as the wellspring of muscle strength and power increase for generations of successful athletes.This brings us to duration. If creatine has you covered for short, intense bursts of power, then beta alanine has you covered for stamina. A naturally occurring beta amino acid, beta alanine plays a rate-limiting role in carnosine production by interacting with histidine. High muscle carnosine levels improve muscle performance through their ability to buffer skeletal muscle pH (acidity) during high intensity, fatiguing exercise. By counteracting the negative effects of lactic acid formation, beta alanine allows your muscles to delay the onset of fatigue, increasing endurance and forestalling muscle failure.Creatine monohydrate and beta alanine appear to be the perfect one-two punch for peak performance and growth, and clinical science backs this up. In one ten-week study, published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, collegiate football players experienced significant increases in strength after supplementing with a combination of beta alanine and creatine, as compared to placebo-controlled test subjects. In the same study, the subjects who took beta alanine along with creatine also lost body fat and gained muscle, without altering their diet or training program. [Hoffman 1] Supplement with High-Potency, Super-Premium Forms of Both Creatine and Beta AlanineClearly, creatine monohydrate and beta alanine, working together in perfect tandem, have significant benefits to offer hard-training athletes. Adding them to your regimen can be as simple supplementing with each individually. Indeed, ProSource offers both products in highly potent, super-premium formats. ProSource Creatine Monohydrate is 100% Creapure® sourced from Alzchem of Germany, the world leader in superior creatine manufacturing. This ultra-pure, micro-crystallized creatine monohydrate is unsurpassed in providing the muscle volume and strength-increase results you're seeking. Likewise, ProSource Beta Alanine is 100% sourced with CarnoSyn® brand carnitine, well-established as the gold standard in the industry, and reliably pure and potent to ensure maximum efficacy. Or you can take both creatine monohydrate and beta alanine in precise ratio (with added co-factors) via an advanced, super-premium pre-workout like BioQuest's Fusion Force®. The creatine in Fusion Force® is the same 100% Creapure® found in ProSource's stand-alone brand, and Fusion Force's beta alanine is 100% CarnoSyn® sourced. The ultimate multi-pathway pre-workout performance optimizer, Fusion Force® supports every aspect of performance and muscle growth, while delivering its key ingredients in optimal potencies.One of Fusion Force's key active ingredients, betaine, has been associated with cell-volumizing and power-enhancing qualities much like those of creatine monohydrate. Betaine anhydrous, also known as trimethylglycine, is an amino acid derivative of choline that helps support cell hydration and volume during the dehydration, stress, and metabolite accumulation associated with high-intensity exercise. Fusion Force also provides a powerful matrix of precision-targeted essential aminos, dynamic energy-boosting compounds, muscle pump potentiators, and fat mobilization co-factors. The result is a true all-in-one performance optimizer that functions as an ideal solution for athletes seeking a vitalizing surge of strength, stamina, energy and training intensity that will help you attain peak physique enhancement.Scientific References1 Jay Hoffman, Nicholas Ratamess, Jie Kang, Gerald Mangine, Avery Faigenbaum, Jeffrey Stout. Effect of creatine and beta-alanine supplementation on performance and endocrine responses in strength/power athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006 Aug;16(4):430-46. Use as directed with a sensible nutrition and exercise program. Read and follow all product label instructions and warnings thoroughly before use. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
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Research Update -- Researchers Identify Creatine as Key to Many Aspects of Health and Wellness
Here at ProSource, we often make the point that creatine monohydrate is one of the most investigated and researched compounds in sports nutrition history. Every day, all around the world, studies are ongoing regarding creatine's efficacy in supporting not just muscle volumization and growth in response to resistance training, but also with regard to numerous other physiological processes. Indeed, so much investigation is underway at any given time that the sheer scope of it all is hard to imagine.In recent months, however, the picture of creatine monohydrate as a versatile wonder nutrient for health and overall well-being has gotten much clearer. It turns out that creatine, long a staple in the daily regimens of well-trained athletes seeking greater strength and enhanced performance, has a whole lot more to offer.A Definitive and Comprehensive Systemic Review Casts Creatine in a New LightIn a tremendous feat of research and scholarship, two esteemed academics in the sports nutrition field have compiled a systemic review of 1,322 published, peer-reviewed clinical studies that highlight the many benefits of creatine monohydrate supplementation. The review was authored by Prof. Richard Kreider of Texas A&M University and Prof. Jeffrey Stout of the University of Central Florida, published in the journal Nutrients, and presented at The International Conference on Creatine in Health and Disease in March of 2022. It collates an enormous amount of science documenting the role creatine plays in promoting general health and well-being at any age, preventing loss of muscle mass in old age, improving cognitive function, facilitating glucose management, protecting the heart, supporting anti-inflammatory effects, strengthening the immune system, and promoting mental as well as reproductive and skin health [1 Kreider and Stout].As the authors of the review point out, creatine's potential for supporting and enhancing such a broad spectrum of effects shouldn't be surprising, because creatine doesn't simply regulate the energy balance in muscle cells, it does so in all the body's cells. "Creatine plays a critical role in cellular metabolism, particularly during metabolically stressed states, and limitations in the ability to transport and/or store creatine can impair metabolism," the authors state. "Moreover, increasing availability of creatine in tissue may enhance cellular metabolism and thereby lessen the severity of injury and/or disease conditions, particularly when oxygen availability is compromised."This of course is in addition to creatine's primary benefit for athletes -- increasing anaerobic energy capacity and decreasing protein breakdown, thereby leading to increased muscle mass and physical performance. The widening scope of creatine's potential health benefits opens a vista of therapeutic uses for creatine which researchers are just beginning to fully explore. Many people, particularly athletes already delighted with creatine's physique and performance enhancing power, believed that creatine's story had already been told. The truth is, the story is just beginning to unfold. Creatine Monohydrate Inventory Tightens Up WorldwideNot surprisingly, given the multiplication of creatine's potential health and wellness benefits, supplies of this essential nutrient have become tougher to come by. This scarcity has only been compounded by production and merchandizing supply chain breakdowns across the world. Athletes everywhere have grown increasingly frustrated by this new scarcity and by the startling prices increases that have resulted.Even here at ProSource, which introduced the world's first reasonably priced, superior-quality creatine in the 1990s and has remained the industry leader in this category ever since, access to creatine supply has grown difficult. Indeed, after years of offering the highest-quality Creapure® Creatine Monohydrate at prices that were literally half of our competitors, we briefly ran out of ProSource Creatine stock for the first time ever.Fortunately, being a pioneer and industry leader in creatine retailing has its advantages. ProSource has been able to maintain its vital supply lines with AlzChem Germany, makers of Creapure®, the ultimate premium brand of creatine worldwide, while our competitors remain cut off. Some of those competitors will remain out of stock for the foreseeable future, while others will attempt to market vastly inferior, impurity-laden, virtually useless Chinese creatine at inflated super-premium prices.In stark contrast to these disreputable retailers, we now have 100% Creapure® Creatine Monohydrate bearing the ProSource brand available for purchase once again. And fitness-conscious people delighted at ProSource Creatine Monohydrate's reappearance will notice another thing as well. Its price is still well below what competitors were charging for creatine monohydrate even before the recent supply shortage.At ProSource, our commitment to the research, manufacture and retailing of the world's best and most fairly priced sports nutrition supplements is rivaled only by our desire to see our customers achieve their physique and performance goals. Making the world's finest Creapure® creatine monohydrate available to our loyal customers during these difficult times is just another example of that commitment.Scientific Reference1 Richard B. Kreider and Jeffery R. Stout. Creatine in Health and Disease. Nutrients. 2021 Feb; 13(2): 447. Use as directed with a sensible nutrition and exercise program. Read and follow all product label instructions and warnings thoroughly before use. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
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Inflation, Protein Prices and Protein Values
This will come as a surprise to precisely no one, but inflation has been heating up to levels not seen in this country in forty years, and consumers are feeling the pain in their wallets. This is true whether you’re buying gas or bread or just paying the rent. It’s also true if you’re serious about your fitness and nutrition, and you regularly purchase protein supplements.Many of the reasons for the sharp increase in protein-related costs are common to the general economy. Supply chain issues continue to frustrate manufacturers in all industries. In the protein trade, it’s more expensive to feed dairy cows, harder to find the workers who will process whey protein and transport it to market, and even getting tubs and lids and other packaging materials is becoming more difficult. At the same time, for some manufacturers, borrowing is more expensive, which makes expanding operations to meet demand more difficult.Compounding the problem in the protein category is the fact that demand for whey protein powder is growing by leaps and bounds across the world as new economies emerge in China and India and Africa, giving rise to new legions of consumers looking to eat better and live healthier. Market experts predict that whey prices will persist at historically high levels until new cheese and whey processing capacity comes online over the next five years.So. There’s the bad news. Times are hard. But when it comes to protein retailing, times are harder for some than others. Why? Because the vast majority of protein manufacturers / retailers have a long list of expenses, of which actual product manufacture is just one item. Big in-house marketing departments, superstar brand endorsers, point-of-purchase sales materials, and social media influencers cost money too. ProSource's competitors live in a world where prices are increasing from supplier to brand, then from brand to retail store, and finally from the store to the consumer.And believe us, it shows. When we visit our local chain-store supplement retailer to see how our competitors are faring, we are just dumbfounded by the retail prices we are seeing. Two-pound tubs of the most generic whey protein concentrate and isolate blends are edging past $40. Five pound tubs? $80 and more! Imagine if these tubs contained actual superior-quality 100% whey isolate or the most advanced forms of hydrolyzed whey. Faced with rising costs and raw materials shortages, many manufacturers face the risk of pricing themselves out of existence and forcing customers to seek alternative protein sources. Other less scrupulous manufacturers will soon be up to their old tricks again, such as protein spiking. This deceitful practice -- which entails measuring the nitrogen content of lesser ingredients like glycine, taurine or even maltodextrin and using that deceptive figure to stand in for whey protein content -- was a problem even during more prosperous times. Expect it to rebound with a vengeance in the coming months. Is the forecast all doom and gloom? No, because there’s a better way.The ProSource Brand: A Lean, Direct Manufacturing and Retailing Model Perfect for Hard TimesAt ProSource, we'd like to say we saw all this coming and decided to streamline our costs accordingly well in advance. But the truth is, we never had any desire to compete with the oversized category giants who, themselves, mostly got bought up years ago by many-times-larger corporate conglomerates anyway.Our first priority was -- and will always be -- you the individual consumer. That's why we rooted out every production and marketing cost that wasn't directly targeted at supplement research, advanced manufacturing protocols, and ingredient purity and potency. That's why we warehouse our products in our own climate-controlled facility and ship our products directly to you. All the savings gained by these operating efficiencies are passed on to you in the form of lower prices on higher-quality products. Which means we're better placed than any of our competitors to navigate the coming economic storm and continue to be your trusted supplier of the world's best proteins. Original NytroWhey -- The 100% Whey Isolate That Started It AllWatching whey protein prices streak upward, it's amazing to consider that a few decades ago whey was considered a valueless by-product of cheesemaking. Manufacturers literally discarded it. It took modern research to identify whey as a food product possessed of a protein biological value superior to that of fish, beef or chicken. And then many more years to discover and refine processing methods that would render whey protein palatable and pleasing in texture.Then Original NytroWhey ushered in the modern era of whey isolate formulas by making superior whey protein absolutely delicious. The whey isolate in Original NytroWhey is precision-manufactured using high-performance, ultra micro-filtration processing, a precise and complex synthesis that involves ceramic cold filtering that delivers the purest, most bioavailable protein available, preserving the alphalactalbumin, lactoferrin, and glycomacropeptides that are essential catalysts for enhancing bioavailability, and boosting growth and recovery. NytroWhey's 100% whey isolate content was far superior in muscle-building power and its gourmet-quality flavor made it an instant sensation.And that remains true today, as vast numbers of nutrition- and fitness-conscious consumers purchase Original NytroWhey in convenient 4-lb tubs that are arguably the single greatest value for your dollar in the protein category. NytroWhey Ultra Elite -- Unprecedented Muscle-Building Power and ValueWhen seeking maximum protein value for every dollar you spend, the price tag isn't the only label you should be reading. The nutrition facts panel is where you need to look to find REAL protein value, both per serving and per dollar.NytroWhey Ultra Elite has long been the world's foremost premium whey protein for serious fitness enthusiasts and athletes. It attained this status by virtue of an advanced whey isolate blend consisting of three state-of-the-art protein technologies: A superior-quality crossflow-microfiltration whey protein isolate loaded with critical growth catalysts primed for muscle support. A cutting-edge hydrolyzed whey protein rich in the low-molecular-weight di- and tripeptides that drive elevated levels of growth. And finally, a leucine peptide technology that is a precision-targeted driver of instant protein synthesis, putting your muscles on the road to recovery and growth after an intense workout.The combination of these three proteins places NytroWhey Ultra Elite far above every other protein designed for muscle mass maintenance and growth. Their purity and potency -- completely free of fillers, impurities and spiking agents so common in other commercially available brands -- also ensures that NytroWhey Ultra Elite mixes better and tastes better than all of its competitors. At a price comparable to the simple whey isolate/concentrate offerings of our competitors, NytroWhey Ultra Elite is a protein value of a different kind -- a super-premium muscle fuel that provides maximum growth and transformative power per dollar spent. That value is a direct result of the ProSource consumer-focused merchandising model.A Guarantee of Sports Nutrition Value During Tough Inflationary TimesWhen prices rise and budgets get tight, as they are today, it's tempting to cut back on quality and assume you'll get by somehow. But this is a false assumption, as fewer dollars spent on nutrition of little or no real value is no savings at all.Fortunately, there is another choice, and that is to go with a long-established brand and a company whose commitment to excellence and value you can trust. Whether you're a long-time loyal ProSource customer or just discovering us today, know that we're earning our reputation every day as the serious athlete's #1 sports nutrition source by providing you the ultimate combination of quality and value. Use as directed with a sensible nutrition and exercise program. Read and follow all product label instructions and warnings thoroughly before use. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
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The Most Advanced and Comprehensive Joint Support Formula Ever Created
The way some of our competitors’ products stay exactly the same, year in and year out, you’d think there was no such thing as the advancement of sports nutrition science. In fact, of course, that science is evolving continually by leaps and bounds all the time.A good example of this progress is in the category of joint support formulations. Take a trip to any fitness supplement outlet near you and you’ll see rows of mostly identical formulas consisting of glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. There’s nothing wrong with these two compounds; they have a long documented history of providing basic support of connective tissue.Here at ProSource, we have our own variation of this basic formula, Ultra Glucosamine And Chondroitin, though of course ours is sourced from much higher-quality ingredients than those generic products on store shelves. ProSource’s Ultra Glucosamine And Chondroitin is an excellent choice for active, fitness-conscious people and athletes on a budget.But there’s a whole other level of joint support technology available, made possible by recent scientific breakthroughs, for people who desire the ultimate comprehensive, multi-pathway support and feeding for super flexible, strong, resilient joints. This advanced science has been incorporated in the most complete and state-of-the-art joint support complex available to athletes -- ProSource's Extra Strength Joint Command.The Challenges of Providing Proper Care and Feeding of JointsCartilage is a rigid connective tissue that acts as a supporting framework for joints, located at the articulating surfaces of bone, and in joint spaces. Tendons and ligaments are extremely dense, fibrous and narrow bands of tissue that must be both very strong and very flexible at the same time. One characteristic each of these types of connective tissue share is that they receive very little actual blood flow. This makes them hard to feed and support, even as the types of compounds they require for recovery and repair tend to be trace elements in a typical diet.For years, sports nutrition science has emphasized two compounds for joint support supplementation -- glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. There are good reasons for this. Glucosamine, for instance, inhibits collagen degeneration as well as inflammatory processes that exacerbate cartilage damage. Research has shown that daily intake of 1500 mg of glucosamine provides a significant decrease in type II collagen degradation while maintaining collagen synthesis [1 Yoshimura, et al].Chondroitin, on the other hand, supports the retention of water in cartilage, which aids in pressure resistance. Chondroitin also has been shown to increase hyaluronic acid in joint synovial fluid, increasing the viscosity of that essential fluid. Research has shown that chondroitin sulfate can help promote collagen and proteoglycan production by stimulating chondrocyte metabolism, thereby inhibiting cartilage destruction (2 Ronca, et al.)This science is not particularly new, but it is well-documented. Athletes have benefited from it for years now, particularly when the source materials for glucosamine/chondroitin supplements are of the highest quality and provided in clinically indicated dosages, as they are in ProSource's Extra Strength Joint Command.Going Beyond the Basics to Protect and Strengthen JointsIn recent years, sports nutrition experts have isolated a number of other mechanisms of support for connective tissue. Among these are hyaluronic acid, curcumin, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), and boswellic acids. The challenge in each case has been to perfect a technology to deliver the required supportive nutrition in sufficiently bioavailable forms that will affect significant vitalization of joint structures.Hyaluronic acid is a good example. Hyaluronic acid is found within the synovial fluid and is known to be largely responsible for its lubricating properties. In fact, injecting the space between bones with hyaluronic acid is a commonly employed treatment option for joint degeneration. But what of a non-invasive, supplemental approach for supporting optimal joint lubrication and pressure-bearing stability? Extra Strength Joint Command contains a novel patented compound called HyaMax™, which is an orally available, natural, standardized hyaluronic acid supplement. The structure of HyaMax™ allows it to absorb water and expand 1000 times in volume, lubricating joints and muscles. Lubricating joints is conducive to the strength and flexibility of joints while cushioning and protecting bones. Research has demonstrated the highly effective therapeutic effect of hyaluronic acid on individuals, successfully restoring synovial fluid while providing anti-inflammatory effects [3 Moskowitz].Another promising technology, also incorporated into Extra Strength Joint Command, is called 5-LOXIN®. An enriched boswellia serrata extract with enhanced anti-inflammatory properties, 5-LOXIN® has been associated with significant improvement in research test subjects, demonstrating decreased swelling and reported levels of pain with increased range of motion and walking distance capability following eight weeks of supplementation [4 Kimmatkar, et al.]. (The herb boswellia has long been linked with relief from inflammation, but the highly concentrated form present in 5-LOXIN® has been shown to provide significantly greater effects than the herb alone.)Turmeric, a gold-colored spice common to curry dishes, has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicinal practices. Research, however, has identified curcumin as the active ingredient giving turmeric its supplemental efficacy, particularly with regard to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Unfortunately, a significant problem with curcumin-based formulations was the very low bioavailability of curcumin when it is administered orally. This problem has been successfully addressed with the formulation of Meriva®, yet another key active ingredient in Extra Strength Joint Command. This curcumin-phosphatidylcholine compound (standardized for 18-22% curcuminoids) features an advanced phytosome technology that enhances the bioavailability and anti-inflammatory support properties of curcumin. Long-term administration of Meriva® has been shown to decrease inflammation and pain while improving joint function with noteworthy tolerability of supplementation [5 Belcaro, et al.].Finally, OptiMSM® is a high quality source of methylsulfonylmethane, a natural analgesic that provides the body with organic sulfur to improve blood flow and decrease inflammation. A pilot clinical trial, published in the medical journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, reported that MSM improved symptoms of knee pain and physical function in test subjects in just 12 weeks without major adverse events [6 Kim, et al]. This advanced technology, along with a dosage of UC Type II collagen, completes Extra Strength Joint Command's multi-pathway support of anti-inflammatory action, flexibility support, and overall joint health.The New Science of Comprehensive Joint SupportA devastating rupture or tear of connective tissue is one of the worst injuries an athlete can encounter. Fortunately, supplementation with validated, precision-target nutrition for support of tendons, ligaments, and joints can help keep you injury-free on your journey to achieving your physique and performance goals. Enjoy true peace of mind as you pursue productive workouts, by providing unsurpassed care and feeding to your all-important joints with the widest, most comprehensive array of key joint support technologies -- found only in ProSource's Extra Strength Joint Command. 1 Yoshimura M, Sakamoto K, Tsuruta A, Yamamoto T, Ishida K, Yamaguchi H, Nagaoka I. Evaluation of the effect of glucosamine administration on biomarkers for cartilage and bone metabolism in soccer players. Int J Mol Med. 2009. 24(4):487-94. 2 Ronca F, Palmieri L, Panicucci P, Ronca G. (1998). Anti-inflammatory activity of chondroitin sulfate. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 6(Suppl A):14-21. 3 Moskowitz RW. (2000). Hyaluronic acid supplementation. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2(6):466-71. 4 Kimmatkar N, Thawani V, Hingorani L, Khiyani R. (2003). Efficacy and tolerability of Boswellia serrata extract in treatment of osteoarthritis of knee—A randomized double blind placebo controlled trial. Phytomedicine. 10(1):3-7. 5 Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, Dugall M, Pellegrini L, Ledda A, Grossi MG, Togni S, Appendino G. (2010). Efficacy and safety of Meriva, a curcumin-phosphatidylcholine complex, during extended administration in osteoarthritis patients. Altern Med Rev. 15(4):337-44. 6 Kim LS, Axelrod LJ, Howard P, Buratovich N, Waters RF. Efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) in osteoarthritis pain of the knee: a pilot clinical trial. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2006 Mar;14(3):286-94. Use as directed with a sensible nutrition and exercise program. Read and follow all product label instructions and warnings thoroughly before use. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
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