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Supplementation with EMIQ makes leg muscles bigger
Two years ago we wrote about a Japanese animal study that suggested that the quercetin analogue EMIQ has an anabolic effect. Indeed, laboratory animals are not people. But now Japanese researchers at the University of Tsukuba have published a human study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Study
The Japanese divided 40 young male football players into 2 groups. The men trained almost daily, but did not work out with weights on a structural basis.
Both groups received a daily shake with 20 grams of whey for 4 months in addition to their regular diet, but only one group received a shake also containing 42 milligrams of EMIQ.
EMIQ
EMIQ is a modified version of rutin, next to to chlorogenic acid, the most common antioxidant in a healthy diet. It's a kind of pro-drug - you can see EMIQ as a quercetin analogue with extremely high bioavailability.
According to in vitro studies, EMIQ - well, quercetin actually - not only has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, but may also activate the PGC-1-alpha signal molecule. [PPAR Res. 2017;2017:3235693.] As a result, cells start to produce more mitochondria, which may cause muscle tissue to decay less quickly.
Results
When the researchers looked at the participants' body as a whole, supplementation with EMIQ did not cause a significant change in the fat-free mass and fat mass.
Click on the figure above for a larger version.
The researchers also specifically looked at the test subjects' leg muscles. And then they did see a significant effect. The men who received shakes with both whey and EMIQ had built up more muscle mass.
Conclusion
"The present study evaluated only young male athletes because participants included were American football players of the university", the researchers write. "Thus, there is a risk of age-related bias as age can be a factor affecting muscle hypertrophy. Further studies on other participants based on these limitations may clarify the effectiveness of EMIQ."
"Our findings suggest that EMIQ exerts antioxidant effects, improving lower limb muscle mass in American football players."
Source:
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2019) 16:39.
More:
EMIQ, an anabolic compound based on quercetin 22.12.2017
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