Nelson Montana said:
Of course, you can always just take an extra pill but we made up for it with the selenium since that works synergisticly with 7 keto to convert T4 into T3. (drveejay, I'm sure you can find something on this! 
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How to Boost Your Stagnant Metabolism
(from Ironman Magazine, February 1999)
by Daniel Gwartney, M.D.
Losing bodyfat is one of a bodybuilder’s main goals—and possibly the most frustrating. After long periods of dieting you often hit a plateau. What happens when fat loss comes to a screeching halt? You redouble your efforts. You fumble around with your diet, supplements, cardio and so on, trying to increase your caloric expenditure and metabolic rate.
Despite the best intentions, however, many of those efforts are self-defeating. People who are trying to lose weight often experience a decrease in basal metabolic rate, or BMR, which is the number of calories you burn at rest. The frustrating part is that it happens following long periods of low-calorie dieting; stimulant use, including ephedra and caffeine; and excessive physical activity. Do any of those scenarios sound familiar?
The decrease in BMR is directly related to the level of thyroid hormone activity, which refers to the levels of two hormones released by the thyroid gland, thyroxine, or T4, and triiodothyronine, or T3. T4 is a low-activity thyroid hormone, and T3 is a highly active one. The overall thyroid hormone activity involves the total amount of thyroid hormones and their relative proportions. Optimal thyroid activity depends on necessary levels of the hormones and the rate of conversion of T4 to T3.
Most thyroid hormone is released in the form of T4 and needs to be converted to T3, a process that takes place in the liver and is regulated by the caloric intake, rather than caloric expenditure. In simple terms, if you are bringing in lots of fuel—i.e., food—you can turn up the heat, literally and figuratively. If, however, you aren’t bringing in enough calories, your body turns its thermostat down and you burn fewer calories. It makes sense, especially if you think of long-term survival.
So what can you do? Some advances have been made in terms of useful training methods and supplements. You can do your cardiovascular work first thing in the morning, possibly after consuming 200 to 400 milligrams of caffeine, along with plenty of water. Unfortunately, some of the effective thermogenic supplements have been taken off the market. The ECA (ephedrine, caffeine, aspirin) combinations provided good results for many people, but some people abused them. Most of the other so-called fat-burners lack much promise.
Some products have been shown to be effective, including essential fatty acids, soy-protein isolates and the use of low-glycemic-index carbohydrates. New, theoretically thermogenic combinations are being introduced almost daily, including such agents as yohimbine, tyrosine and phenylalanine. Typically, they are added to ECA or a chemically related compound like synephrine or pseudoephedrine, so we may end up seeing the same problems. All of those products, with the exception of soy-protein isolates, interfere with thyroid activity. The main ingredient is an herb that has received little attention in Western medicine, though it’s been used in Ayurvedic medicine for many centuries. Commiphora mukul contains a class of active compounds known as guggulsterones,(1,2,3,4,5,6) and, while there isn’t a great deal of published research on the compounds, what there is indicates that guggulsterones, specifically guggulsterones Z and E, have thyroid-stimulating activity.(5,6) Subjects in those studies showed an increase in thyroid hormone levels and an increase in the conversion of T4 to T3. They showed lower cholesterol and blood triglyceride levels as well, further indicating increased thyroid activity.
The stack should also contain phosphates, which are found in such high-energy compounds as ATP and phosphocreatine. Thyroid activity is closely linked to the amount of energy you have, so it’s a good idea for everyone to take an ample amount of phosphates daily. Numerous studies have shown the effect of phosphate supplementation on metabolic rate. Of particular interest is a study published in 1996, which demonstrated that phosphates can prevent a decrease in T3 and an increase resting metabolism in subjects who are on low-energy diets.(7) That, in addition to phosphates’ positive effects on creatine storage, buffering lactic acid and increasing ATP, firmly establishes the value of including phosphates in the stack.
The product contains niacin, selenium and magnesium. Niacin plays a role in supporting the cofactors necessary for energy production, such as NAD(H) and NADP(H). More than 200 enzymes require NAD and NADP. NAD is involved in energy production, while NADP(H) is used in a variety of processes, including fatty acid synthesis, glutamate oxidation and antioxidant activity. Niacin has also been shown to decrease cholesterol levels. Some people are sensitive to the flushing effect of high doses of niacin, but the effect is short-lived, and it’s possible to build up a tolerance with continued usage.
Selenium is a mineral that has received a great deal of attention in recent years. Selenium appears to have a major regulatory role on the enzyme 5’-deiodinase, which converts T4 to T3.(9) Low levels of selenium can impair thyroid conversion—but excess selenium also has a negative effect on thyroid conversion.
Magnesium is present in more than 300 identified enzymatic reactions.(10) It’s involved in glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and creatine phosphate production, among others. Magnesium even has a role in protein synthesis. Subjects in a 1992 study showed increases in strength and lean body mass after weeks of magnesium supplementation.(11)
There are a lot of valuable products available to bodybuilders these days. Thyro Stak is the first supplement designed to optimize thyroid function and metabolic control, and, as such, it can be help you break through those maddening diet plateaus.
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References
1 Griffin, J., and Ojeda, S. Textbook of Endocrine Physiology, 3rd. ed. New York: Oxford University Press. 1996
2 Nityanand, S., et al. (1989). Clinical trials with gugulipid. A new hypolipidaemic agent. J Assoc Physicians India. 37.5:323-328.
3 Gopal, K., et al. (1986). Clinical trials of ethyl acetate extract of gum gugulu (gugulipid) in primary hyperlipidemia. J Assoc Physicians India. 34.4:249-251.
4 Agarwal, R., et al. (1986). Clinical trials of gugulipid—a new hypolipidemic agent of plant origin in primary hyperlipidemia. Indian J Med Res. 84:626-634.
5 Tripathi, Y.B., et al. (1984). Thyroid stimulating action of Z-guggulsterone obtained from Commiphora mukul. Planta Med. Feb(1):78-80.
6 Tripathi, Y.B., et al. (1988). Thyroid stimulating action of Z-guggulsterone: mechanism of action. Planta Med. 54(4):271-277.
7 Nazar, K., et al. (1996). Phosphate supplementation prevents a decrease of triiodothyronine and increases resting metabolic rate during low-energy diet. J Physiol Pharmacol. 47.2:373-383.
8 Kohrie, J. (1994). Thyroid hormone deiodination in target tissues—a regulatory role for the trace element selenium? Exp Clin Endocrinol. 102.2:63-89.
9 Englisch, R., et al. (1995). Induction of glucose transport into rat muscle by selenate and selenite: comparison to insulin. Diabetologia. 38.1 (suppl):A133.
10 Shils, M.E.; Olson, J.A.; and Shuke, M. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger. 1994. 164-184.
11 Brilla, L.R., and Haley, T.F. (1992). Effect of magnesium supplementation on strength training in humans. J Amer Col Nutr. 11.3.
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