Muscle & Fitness Australia — November 2017

GETTY IMAGES (2); EDGAR ARTIGA

EAT NSWE

Percentage that a diet rich
in tomatoes – a fruit loaded
with the antioxidant
lycopene – may help cut
the risk of skin cancer.

YES, WHEY

BCAAs HELP BUILD MUSCLE –

BUT DON’T STOP THERE

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are

used to increase muscle mass and battle

fatigue, but a new study published in

Frontiers in Physiology found that they

may not work so well on their own.

Researchers put 10 trained lifters

through experiments in which they

downed a BCAA drink or placebo and

did 1RM leg extensions and leg presses.

They then took muscle biopsies and found that

although the BCAAs did increase muscle protein

synthesis by 22%, it was a lot less than when a whey

protein supp with similar BCAAs was taken. In that

case, the muscle synthesis response doubled. The

study’s conclusion: athletes interested in enhancing

muscle growth should not rely on BCAAs alone.

PSYCH 101

ALL IN THE MIND
Your mind is a powerful thing – and
a new study has found that it can
even trick you into eating more.
UK researchers fed two groups of
people the exact same three-egg
omelette for breakfast, but told
one group their meal was a more
substantial four-egg omelette, while
the other was told it was only a
two-egg omelette. The group that
thought they were getting less
breakfast consumed more calories
throughout the day and reported
feeling hungrier, simply because
they thought they had eaten less.

EAT RIGHT

A VEGIE DIET

DOESN’T MEAN YOU

ARE HEALTHIER

Vegetarians who ate starchy

stuff like potatoes, sweets

and packaged foods had the

same risk of cardiovascular

problems as omnivores.

Meanwhile, vegetarians who

ate whole grains, fruits and

vegies had a much lower

risk of heart disease. (Journal

of the American College

of Cardiology)

NOT SWEET

SUGAR HIGHS

MAY LEAD TO MENTAL WOES

A new study of more than 7000 men and

women found evidence that men

with a high sugar intake –

more than 67 grams daily –

had a 23% increased

chance of having a

mental disorder after

five years compared

with those who

consumed less

than 39.5g a day.

36 MUSCLE & FITNESS / NOVEMBER 2017

DIABETES

MEAT THE CONTENDERS

It’s not just sugar you need to watch out for if you’re at risk

of diabetes. A new study from Duke-NUS Medical School

in the US has found that a higher intake of red meat and

poultry is associated with significantly increased risk of developing

diabetes. Why? The researchers believe it’s partially due to the

higher content of haem iron in these meats, but also due to other

chemicals that are present in red meat (but not in poultry). While

you don’t need to become a vegan, reducing your red meat intake

and upping other protein sources such as fish, tofu and legumes

is a smart way to ensure better overall health.