With the introduction of Meta-CEL™, an
entirely new frontier has been established in creatine/muscle-building
supplement technology. Meta-CEL contains a unique, proprietary blend of two
revolutionary complexes blended in exact scientific amounts to bring you the
most advanced muscle-building formula ever developed.
Quite simply Meta-CEL attempts to gather the new
era of creatine transport science, derived from human, animal, and in vitro
(test tube) investigations. Here's a look at what's in it and the science
behind each ingredient:
PhosphitolTM
Complex
Creatine Monohydrate
To date, no other forms of creatine, e.g.
creatine citrate, creatine pyruvate, creatine-magnesium complex, have
convincingly shown superior real-world results in comparison to creatine
monohydrate. Moreover, these "designer" forms of creatine cost more.
One of the most thoroughly tested dietary supplements overall, and perhaps the
most exhaustively tested sports nutrition ingredient outside of carbohydrates,
is creatine monohydrate. Until several studies show that a different form
of creatine is superior to creatine monohydrate when it is directly compared to
creatine monohydrate, and that "superiority" is defined by
significantly greater increases in fat-free mass and/or muscular performance,
the jury rests. There is no compelling reason, scientific or rational, to use a different
form of creatine than the monohydrate. Period. All other forms of creatine may
be considered ineffective until proven effective and superior to creatine
monohydrate.
InzitolTM (D-Pinitol)
This cousin of the nutrient inositol was first
characterized in sugar pine trees. It is classified as a cyclitol, a sugar
derivative that serves to protect plants from harsh environmental conditions. It
is also present in soy meal, at a concentration of about 1% by weight, and is
abundant in citrus fruits and legumes. Animal and muscle cell studies with D-pinitol
have shown it to have insulin-mimicking effects, suggesting that it exerts the
same actions as insulin independent of the presence of insulin. However,
human studies in subjects with insulin resistance have yet to show a positive
effect on insulin sensitivity. Based on the promising animal and muscle cell
studies, we were asked by Humanetics, marketers of Inzitol® pure D-pinitol, to
undertake a pilot study to assess D-pinitol's ability to increase whole body
creatine retention in people who had not been using creatine and comparing it to
other creatine cocktails.
Led by Dr. Rick Kreider, we had subjects take one
of the following four times daily for three days:
5
grams of dextrose with one 500-mg capsule of corn starch (placebo)
5
grams of creatine monohydrate with one 500-mg capsule of corn starch (CM)
Creatine
monohydrate plus alternating servings of one 500-mg capsule of corn starch or
Inzitol, for a total of 1,000 mg of D-pinitol/day (LDP)
Creatine
monohydrate plus one 500-mg capsule of Inzitol (HDP)
Pre-loading
with one 500-mg capsule of Inzitol twice daily for 5 days (before starting
creatine monohydrate supplementation), followed by 5 grams of creatine
monohydrate with alternating servings of one 500-mg capsule of corn starch or
Inzitol (Preload)
All of the different capsules and powders were
prepared to look and taste the same. Each group was comprised of four subjects.
As in the study above, whole body creatine retention was measured exactly the
same way, but we collected 24-hour urine over each of the three days, which
involved a total of 60 grams of creatine monohydrate ingestion among those
receiving creatine monohydrate. Despite "claims" of creatine causing
excessive urination, we found no differences in total urine volume among any of
the groups, while creatinine excretion also did not differ. To our surprise, we
did find the low dose pinitol (LDP) group to show the greatest average whole
body creatine retention: 50 of the 60 grams ingested, or 83%. The groups broke
out as follows:
Supplementation regimen: Creatine retained
(whole body)
Placebo:
0%
CM:
61%
LDP:
83%
(To date there are no studies that have shown whole body creatine retention of
this magnitude!)
HDP:
61%
Preload:
78%
The low-dose Inzitol and Preload Inzitol regimens
were essentially equal and were statistically superior to the high-dose Inzitol
or straight creatine monohydrate regimens. Given the convenience and economic
advantage of using the low dose Inzitol + creatine monohydrate regimen
(500 mg twice daily), there does not appear to be any reason to employ the
Preload regimen.
This preliminary study is limited by having only four
subjects per group, but it does suggest that adding Inzitol to a creatine
monohydrate loading regimen would produce greater gains, in both fat-free mass
and skeletal muscle performance. This is based on the relationship of greater
creatine retention leading to greater performance. Although we did not measure
blood insulin concentrations, we would not expect it to have changed, based on
previous studies. These results lend additional support to the theory that D-pinitol
does indeed have insulin modulating or mimicking effects, independent of insulin
"spikes." Alternatively, D-pinitol may be exerting an unknown effect(s)
on creatine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, resulting in increased
accumulation of creatine in muscle cells.
Pushing Creatine Gains Even
Further...
If we were to peer into the muscle cell membrane,
we would see what resembles a Saturday night at an exclusive dance club/bar.
Inside the building is where all the action is taking place, but what's making
the action happen are the VIP's gaining entry into the club. Creatine is a VIP
during the loading stage, and when a creatine transporter "sees"
creatine in the crowd, the revolving door is opened and creatine is ushered
inside (much to the dismay of the others anxiously waiting in line). Creatine
transporters are a series of closely related proteins that weave in and out of
muscle, intestinal, and brain cell membranes. When they are abundant and in
contact with the "outside" world, namely the world of chemicals
floating in the blood, they can be stimulated by various agents. Welcome insulin
and beta-adrenergic receptors.
PotentinTM
Compound
Synephrine and other phenolamines present in
Citrus species extracts (e.g., Citrus aurantium) have been advocated as
thermogenic, appetite-reducing, and body-composition-altering agents. The
phenolamine synephrine is a "fraternal" chemical twin of the naturally
occurring neurochemical epinephrine (a.k.a. adrenaline), but does not appear to
share the same trait of causing a "fight or flight" experience, at
least in relation to blood pressure elevation. The rationale behind the use of Citrus-derived
synephrine and other phenolamines is that they are weak stimulators of alpha-
and beta-adrenergic receptors. These are the same cellular receptors (from a
variety of tissues) that are stimulated by ephedrine. To date, the only Citrus-derived
phenolamine shown to stimulate human beta-adrenergic receptors appears to be
synephrine.
Creatine transport into muscle cells in vitro
is potently stimulated by insulin and agents that stimulate beta-adrenergic
receptors, the latter known as beta-adrenergic agonists (BAA's). What is the
link between insulin and BAA's? Both appear to turn on a "pump" that
spins with the creatine transporter revolving door, the sodium/potassium ATPase
(Na+-K+ ATPase). This muscle membrane pump works in synchrony with, and
"next door" to, creatine transporter proteins. This "dual
door" control, when activated, produces substantial increases in creatine
transport and retention within cells, so far shown in vitro. What is intriguing
is whether weak BAA's like synephrine would increase whole body creatine
retention above that from using creatine monohydrate alone...
Elemental Creatine
Transporter Cofactors: Sodium and Chloride
Creatine transporters, as stated above, also
localize in the intestines and thus are the "first line" of creatine
transport. Because of the not uncommon experience of intestinal distress (loose
stools, diarrhea) among a minority of creatine users, especially during the
loading phase, one wonders whether optimizing creatine transport conditions
within the gut could make a distinctively positive difference. Using animal
intestinal segments and cells, intestinal creatine transport has recently been
shown to have a critical requirement for a specific ratio of sodium and chloride
ions - a 2:1 ratio - and no apparent requirement for potassium. Because
creatine transporter proteins are sodium and chloride dependent transporters,
the provision of an optimal ratio of sodium and chloride, but not at an amount
posing a concern for sodium-sensitive individuals, may foster greater gut
tolerability during loading or single high-dose creatine monohydrate
supplementation. Additionally, this transporter cofactor ratio may push
absorption to the theoretical maximum of 100% of an oral dose.
The Mission of Meta-CEL
The defining signature of any sports nutrition
product is not its ingredients, their amounts, or the research behind them on an
individual basis, but the sum of the parts - does the product you buy work? No
other question is relevant and no other question deserves attention. Thus, MAS
will be the subject of an ongoing human research program targeting real-world
outcomes - fat-free mass, muscular strength and other performance variables, and
secondary subjective outcomes like muscle pump sensation, soreness, and
definition. The only way to claim any product works is to test it, in the hands
of exercise science experts. This is the mission of Meta-CEL — the Muscle
Augmentation System.
