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Myostatin Pseudo-Science
By Dave Ramirez
I must admit that over the last 20 years, I have always embraced with excitement any new piece of information that could help me reach my physique goals faster. Especially, if that information was interesting, seemed logical, and had good science behind it.
Recently, a couple of ads for a fascinating muscle-enhancing ingredient came across my desk. It was for a compound called a myostatin inhibitor. Myostatin, according to the ads, is a naturally occurring gene that produces a protein in the body whose sole function is to regulate muscle growth. The ads mention how scientists have discovered that the less of this myostatin protein your body produces, the easier it is for you to build muscle…not just existing muscle, but also NEW fibers of muscle tissue!!! This is a truly fascinating discovery.
Perhaps, the most eye-catching part of one of the ads were the photos of two bulls—one which looked like the Mr.Olympia of cattle next to a friendly looking, small boned bull. Another ad showed two mice: one that looked like a naked Mighty Mouse, the other a common lab mouse. Also impressive was the before and after picture of a man who had lost over 25% body fat in just 16 weeks. All of these subjects apparently experienced explosive muscle growth by simply having their myostatin proteins suppressed or inhibited. “Wow!” I thought—this could be the greatest discovery since creatine!!!
So, I decided to pick up the phone to order my personal supply of these new myostatin inhibiting supplements that our competitors were promoting. As I had the phone in my hand, ready to dial, a little voice in my head told me, “put the phone down.” The logical side of my mind had just punched the emotional side of my mind in the stomach. So, I hung up the phone and proceeded to research this exciting, breakthrough ingredient before I purchased my first bottle. Read on…you may be surprised at what I discovered:
Schwarzenegger-like bull – the muscular bull in the photo of the one ad is known as a Belgian Blue Bull. Its musculature is attributed to the selective breeding of English Shorthorn bulls with Belgian cows, much in the same way as dogs are selectively bred to possess certain physical characteristics. The Belgian Blue breed was first crossbred in the 1800’s. The smaller cow in the corresponding photo is of a Holstein dairy cow. So, the photos are of two entirely different breeds of cattle which do not have any kind of a “before and after” relationship.
Naked Mighty Mouse – this mouse had its genes manipulated in a laboratory to inhibit its myostatin. This is known as a transgenic mutation or manipulation process. This muscular mouse did not become muscular as a result of consuming the “myostatin inhibitor” supplement the ad promotes.
Before and After Man – it is peculiar that the man in the ad, who is a well known professional bodybuilder, lost over 25% body fat in only 16 weeks. Was this done with the use of anabolic steroids? Why would this man need steroids if the supplement yields “explosive muscle growth—literally overnight!”?
The Science – most of the myostatin inhibitor products reference a study by a researcher named A.C. McPherron. Go to the National Library of Medicine and pull up the studies for free like I did. The website is http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi You will notice that these myostatin studies were done on transgenic animals, not ones that consumed any kind of oral supplement.
The Secret Myostatin Inhibiting Compound[b/] – So, what exactly is in the new myostatin inhibitor supplements that so many supplement companies are now promoting? Drum roll please…….it is an active ingredient known as Cystoseira canariensis. Sounds scientific right? Well, this is the Latin name for a type of blue-green marine algae found in the Canary Islands.
Oddly enough, I couldn’t pull up a single study showing the muscle bursting benefits of consuming any kind of algae. So, I contacted Dr. Zakir Ramazanov, a renowned researcher whose expert work on algae has been published in prestigious, peer-reviewed journals such as Plant Physiology and Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences to see what he had to say.
In short, he informed me that even though a fraction from the algae Cystoseira canariensis, named Fraction C, possesses unique affinity toward myostatin propeptide activity, the mysterious ingredient possesses no activity towards muscle stimulation or growth. Even if the ingredient were effective, you would be hard pressed to consume enough to elicit a positive effect. In fact, according to Dr. Ramazanov, even if you consumed 2 lbs of Cystoseira canariensis (a ridiculously high amount equivalent to over a dozen bottles!) every single day, you would not get enough of the Fraction C to make a difference.
So, do these supplement companies know something we don’t? Do they really believe what they are telling us? Or is it a case of clever smoke-and-mirror manipulation and outright deception? As I have learned over the years, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Stick with reliable supplements, a high protein diet, and intense workouts to reach your physique goals. Save your money and leave the algae for the small algae-eating bottom feeder fish and crustaceans of the marine world. They’ll thank you for it!
By Dave Ramirez
I must admit that over the last 20 years, I have always embraced with excitement any new piece of information that could help me reach my physique goals faster. Especially, if that information was interesting, seemed logical, and had good science behind it.
Recently, a couple of ads for a fascinating muscle-enhancing ingredient came across my desk. It was for a compound called a myostatin inhibitor. Myostatin, according to the ads, is a naturally occurring gene that produces a protein in the body whose sole function is to regulate muscle growth. The ads mention how scientists have discovered that the less of this myostatin protein your body produces, the easier it is for you to build muscle…not just existing muscle, but also NEW fibers of muscle tissue!!! This is a truly fascinating discovery.
Perhaps, the most eye-catching part of one of the ads were the photos of two bulls—one which looked like the Mr.Olympia of cattle next to a friendly looking, small boned bull. Another ad showed two mice: one that looked like a naked Mighty Mouse, the other a common lab mouse. Also impressive was the before and after picture of a man who had lost over 25% body fat in just 16 weeks. All of these subjects apparently experienced explosive muscle growth by simply having their myostatin proteins suppressed or inhibited. “Wow!” I thought—this could be the greatest discovery since creatine!!!
So, I decided to pick up the phone to order my personal supply of these new myostatin inhibiting supplements that our competitors were promoting. As I had the phone in my hand, ready to dial, a little voice in my head told me, “put the phone down.” The logical side of my mind had just punched the emotional side of my mind in the stomach. So, I hung up the phone and proceeded to research this exciting, breakthrough ingredient before I purchased my first bottle. Read on…you may be surprised at what I discovered:
Schwarzenegger-like bull – the muscular bull in the photo of the one ad is known as a Belgian Blue Bull. Its musculature is attributed to the selective breeding of English Shorthorn bulls with Belgian cows, much in the same way as dogs are selectively bred to possess certain physical characteristics. The Belgian Blue breed was first crossbred in the 1800’s. The smaller cow in the corresponding photo is of a Holstein dairy cow. So, the photos are of two entirely different breeds of cattle which do not have any kind of a “before and after” relationship.
Naked Mighty Mouse – this mouse had its genes manipulated in a laboratory to inhibit its myostatin. This is known as a transgenic mutation or manipulation process. This muscular mouse did not become muscular as a result of consuming the “myostatin inhibitor” supplement the ad promotes.
Before and After Man – it is peculiar that the man in the ad, who is a well known professional bodybuilder, lost over 25% body fat in only 16 weeks. Was this done with the use of anabolic steroids? Why would this man need steroids if the supplement yields “explosive muscle growth—literally overnight!”?
The Science – most of the myostatin inhibitor products reference a study by a researcher named A.C. McPherron. Go to the National Library of Medicine and pull up the studies for free like I did. The website is http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi You will notice that these myostatin studies were done on transgenic animals, not ones that consumed any kind of oral supplement.
The Secret Myostatin Inhibiting Compound[b/] – So, what exactly is in the new myostatin inhibitor supplements that so many supplement companies are now promoting? Drum roll please…….it is an active ingredient known as Cystoseira canariensis. Sounds scientific right? Well, this is the Latin name for a type of blue-green marine algae found in the Canary Islands.
Oddly enough, I couldn’t pull up a single study showing the muscle bursting benefits of consuming any kind of algae. So, I contacted Dr. Zakir Ramazanov, a renowned researcher whose expert work on algae has been published in prestigious, peer-reviewed journals such as Plant Physiology and Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences to see what he had to say.
In short, he informed me that even though a fraction from the algae Cystoseira canariensis, named Fraction C, possesses unique affinity toward myostatin propeptide activity, the mysterious ingredient possesses no activity towards muscle stimulation or growth. Even if the ingredient were effective, you would be hard pressed to consume enough to elicit a positive effect. In fact, according to Dr. Ramazanov, even if you consumed 2 lbs of Cystoseira canariensis (a ridiculously high amount equivalent to over a dozen bottles!) every single day, you would not get enough of the Fraction C to make a difference.
So, do these supplement companies know something we don’t? Do they really believe what they are telling us? Or is it a case of clever smoke-and-mirror manipulation and outright deception? As I have learned over the years, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Stick with reliable supplements, a high protein diet, and intense workouts to reach your physique goals. Save your money and leave the algae for the small algae-eating bottom feeder fish and crustaceans of the marine world. They’ll thank you for it!
