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By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES

Before we begin, we need to clarify something.   With the release of our new product, K20, people have been asking a lot, and I mean a lot of questions on testosterone, and how it affects performance, body composition, and everyday life.  Here is a checklist to go through.

Are you middle-aged?

If yes, proceed on to question 2.  If you are in your 30’s, read on because some research has pinpointed 30 as an age where there might be a decline in your testosterone.  If you are in your 20s, read the article and take notes, because this can happen to any man and at any age.

Have you noticed an increase in body fat and a similar decrease in muscle mass?

If yes, proceed to the next question.

Have you noticed a decrease in sex drive or sexual function?

If yes, proceed to the next question.

Have you noticed more times of depression or a decrease in cognitive function (i.e. decrease in memory, thought processes, and perception)?

If you are nodding your head in agreement, you might be falling victim to the aging process.   Just yesterday, in fact, I walked into a room and totally forgot what I went in for!

As we age, systems in our bodies start to decline.   Sometimes it takes longer to remember something, or when getting up in the morning it takes a little longer to “wake up” the muscles.

Men, sometimes as early as 30, can start to see a decline in testosterone levels.  Mainstream media has labeled this phenomenon “male menopause,” or “andropause.”  The fact is, due to no fault of our own, the body ages.   Our hormone levels start to decline.  It is a natural process which happens as we get older.  To say our bodies are not functioning at optimal levels is untrue.   They are, it is just part of getting old.

Let’s get something out of the way about this stage.  There are two terms used interchangeably when referring to declining testosterone levels: andropause and viropause.   Why are they wrong?  The reason:

Andropause – IS NOT like menopause.  Andropause does not result in a cessation of menses.  So andropause is inaccurate when describing declining testosterone.

Viropause – there is only a decline in testosterone, not a decline in virilization.

So now you might be asking, what should we call it?

Research called this stage ADAM, PADAM, and AAAD.  Let me go over these with you:

ADAM – refers to androgen deficiency in the aging male.

PADAM – refers to partial androgen deficiency in the aging male.

AAAD – refers to aging associated androgen deficiency.

These terms are better suited to describe declining testosterone levels due to aging.

So what does it all mean?

Guys, as we age, testosterone declines.   Not everyone experiences declining testosterone levels.   Some men at the age of 80 still have similar levels as when they were 20, or even 30.  However, it is a pretty safe bet to assume you might experience declining testosterone at some point.

Older men who have serum testosterone levels below the normal range in young men who have androgen deficiency, are considered to have age-associated declines in testosterone.  This can be due to co-morbid illnesses, and medications used to treat them.

With declining testosterone levels, there might also be a decline in fertility.  Even though there is a decline in fertility, the sperm itself is not affected.    At any age, the sperm appear to be as fertile as someone who is 20 years old!  Good news if you want to have more kids!

Aging does have an affect on fertility, but not on the sperms’ ability to fertilize an egg.   Aging decreases the amount of sperm produced and how fast they swim.   The good thing: even though there are less sperm, the quality stays intact.   Besides the natural aging process, there are three reasons why fertility and sperm production has decreased over the years.  They are:

• Increased population – the world is growing!  In 2008, there were 6.64 billion (and more today) people worldwide.

• Exposure to radiation – even low levels of radiation can alter our bodies.

• Population stress – there is physical and psychological stress associated with the increasing number of people.

The age you start to notice it the most: as young as 25 and 40, and beyond.   Research is starting to pinpoint some of the reasons why.

Our testes have specialized cells which are responsible for testosterone production.   When stimulated by luteinizing hormone (LH), these specialized cells, called Leydig cells, produce testosterone, androstenedione, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).  When we age, we see a decline in the number of Leydig cells found in the testes.  Result: decreased free testosterone and testosterone production.

An increase in LH can be a sign of testicular dysfunction.   Primary testicular dysfunction alters the number of Leydig cells.  It can also lead to:

• Impaired testicular perfusion

• Impaired steroid synthesis

• Decrease testosterone output due to Hcg stimulation

Another system responsible for testosterone production is the hypothalamic-pituitary system.  Dysfunctions here can lead to a failure to maintain testosterone levels even when there are plenty of Leydig cells and gonadotrophs available.

Our bodies age.  It is a natural process which can decrease testosterone levels.   There is no set age – some report as young as 20, but definitely more common in people over the age of 40.    There is a decrease in specialized cells which are responsible for testosterone production.  Other systems in the body that raise testosterone levels can also become impaired, making it less likely to keep free testosterone levels high.

Combating age-associated declines in testosterone can be an uphill battle.   Reducing stress levels, having regular sex, and maintaining a good fitness program lead to increased testosterone levels.  Another natural way to increase testosterone levels is by using herbs and plants, which are used by many all over the world, and can help increase testosterone levels.    Even though age plays an important role in testosterone levels, it is never too early (or late) to try to increase your testosterone levels naturally.

By Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD, CSCS

Have you ever wondered why krill oil was brightly colored red instead of yellow like other marine omega-3 lipids? Well, this red shade is not only pretty to look at, but it can help you burn more fat and increase your athletic endurance – added benefits we’re all looking for.
This pigment responsible for giving krill oil its unique color is a special red carotenoid called astaxanthin. If that isn’t just a mouthful enough to say, it has also has been demonstrated to have a laundry list of pharmacological effects including as an antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory agent.  But, what we’re going to focus on here is fat loss and endurance.

Sources of Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a colorful antioxidant that occurs naturally in a few different foods – mainly of marine sources. It’s the primary reason some fish and seafood are colored red; the pink flesh of salmon is a perfect example. However, you have to be careful.  Many farmed fish are given a synthetic version of astaxanthin in their diet, or their flesh is dyed with it before being sold in the market because astaxanthin is lacking in farmed fish feed. In the wild, salmon and other fish get astaxanthin naturally from the microalgae they eat. In fact, microalgae is the greatest naturally-occurring source of astaxanthin;  shrimp, krill, and salmon are red from eating it.

Another place to get astaxanthin in human diets is from bright yellow egg yolks, but again, this usually comes from a synthetic form of astaxanthin fed to chickens.  Organic chickens are fed natural compounds containing astaxanthin, so that’s your best bet. Most red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables are colored due to other natural carotenoids, like beta-carotene. The best way for humans to get astaxanthin naturally is to eat a diet of wild salmon, trout, seafood, and organic chicken eggs, and take supplements rich in astaxanthin, like krill oil.

Fat Loss, Endurance and You

A group of Japanese researchers recently demonstrated that mice given astaxanthin in several different doses, along with a high-fat diet, had significantly lower body weight and body fat levels compared to mice fed a high-fat diet of the same calorie level. Astaxanthin also reduced liver weight, liver triglyceride content, and blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. What this means is that when added to a high-fat, high-calorie diet, astaxanthin prevented mice from becoming overweight with a fatty liver and high blood fat levels.  The way astaxanthin did this was not by reducing the digestion of absorption of dietary fat, but instead by increasing the usage of fat as an energy source. This was supported by a decrease in the respiratory exchange ratio  (RER), which indicates that fat was used for fuel, instead of carbohydrates.

Mice can run on treadmills too!
In another Japanese study, mice were given astaxanthin along with a daily exercise routine (and if you’ve never seen mice run on a treadmill, you’re really missing out). They were divided into four groups: sedentary, sedentary plus with astaxanthin, running exercise, and exercise plus astaxanthin. After four weeks the animals in the exercise groups were placed on a treadmill to test a range of physical parameters. Similar to the study above, astaxanthin increased fat usage during exercise and accelerated the normal decrease in body fat that occurs with regular exercise. It did this by increasing the movement of fats into the mitochondria for energy production via enhanced carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) activity (a transport protein for fat located on the cell membrane).  What this means is that astaxanthin supplementation spared muscle glycogen (a normal fuel source for exercise) and used fat stores instead.
Finally, mice given astaxanthin in doses of either 1.2, 6, or 30 mg/kg body weight for 5 weeks, along with regular swimming exercise, were shown to have a significant increase in exercise time to exhaustion (meaning they swam longer) than mice given a placebo. Blood lactate levels (a marker of exercise fatigue) were lower in the animals given astaxanthin, while blood non-esterified fatty acid and glucose levels were higher (indicating that astaxanthin spared blood energy sources). Overall, astaxanthin improved swimming endurance when given for only a short period of time.

What Dose is Needed for Humans?
Many people criticize animal research as being irrelevant to humans, but that’s not entirely correct. True, we’re a different species, but our enzymes, muscle function, and metabolisms are scarily similar. Plus, there are only so many humans you can poke holes in before someone starts to get suspicious. But I digress…
The doses used in these animal studies can be converted to human doses. All of the studies above used the same astaxanthin doses. At the lowest level of 1.2 mg/kg for mice, this translates to a dose of 0.1 grams (100 mg) for humans. At the minimum, humans can still take a dose of 0.012 grams (12 mg) of astaxanthin from all dietary sources and see results over no astaxanthin at all, because research with humans have shown this dose to be effective for reducing blood triglyceride levels, and increasing healthy blood HDL cholesterol levels. Further, doses have been suggested to accumulate over time, since it is fat soluble, so lower doses would act as higher doses with longer durations of supplementation.

The organizing principles of good nutrition that will take
this area of your bodybuilding and training efforts to the
next level!

1. Place A High Priority On Eating:

You must place a very high priority on the way you eat if
you want to take your physique to the next level. The way
you eat is far more important than the way you train. You’re
in the gym for about an hour a day. It’s what you do during
those other 23 hours of the day that are going to make the
biggest impact on your progress.

2. Burn More Calories:

You must burn more calories than you eat if you want to
lose body fat. It doesn’t matter if almost all of the food you
eat is good, healthy food, you must burn more than you eat
or you’ll get fat.

3. Don’t Look For The “Perfect” Diet:

Stop looking for the “perfect” diet. Nothing worth having in
life comes without some sacrifice. Eating the way you must
to build the body you want will be no exception.

In the long run, it’s the challenges that we face that makes
what we have rewarding. How enjoyable would life be if
everything was easy? When you start adhering to a particular
eating regimen, anticipate the discipline, sacrifice, and
discomfort that comes with the pursuit of any worthwhile
goal.

4. Keep It Simple:

Keep your diet simple. That way, you’ll give yourself a
better chance to follow through and ultimately achieve
successful results. If you must make your diet more complex,
do so on the weekends only.

5. Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals:

Eat smaller, more frequent and well-balanced meals spaced
evenly throughout the day. Your body will use the nutrients
in your food more efficiently. You’ll build more muscle and
prevent body fat this way.