Chee Keong Chen

Bone Mechanical Properties and Mineral Density in Response to Cessation of Jumping Exercise and Honey Supplementation in Young Female Rats

This study investigated effects of cessation of exercise and honey supplementation on bone properties in young female rats. Eighty-four 12-week-old Sprague-Dawley female rats were divided into 7 groups: 16S, 16J, 16H, 16JH, 8J8S, 8H8S, and 8JH8S (8 = 8 weeks, 16 = 16 weeks, S = sedentary without honey supplementation, H = honey supplementation, and J = jumping exercise). Jumping exercise consisted of 40 jumps/day for 5 days/week. Honey was given to the rats at a dosage of 1 g/kg body weight/rat/day via force feeding for 7 days/week. Jumping exercise and honey supplementation were terminated for 8 weeks in 8J8S, 8H8S, and 8JH8S groups. After 8 weeks of cessation of exercise and honey supplementation, tibial energy, proximal total bone density, midshaft cortical moment of inertia, and cortical area were significantly higher in 8JH8S as compared to 16S. Continuous sixteen weeks of combined jumping and honey resulted in significant greater tibial maximum force, energy, proximal total bone density, proximal trabecular bone density, midshaft cortical bone density, cortical area, and midshaft cortical moment of inertia in 16JH as compared to 16S. These findings showed that the beneficial effects of 8 weeks of combined exercise and honey supplementation still can be observed after 8 weeks of the cessation and exercise and supplementation.

The Eurycoma Longifolia Freeze-Dried Water Extract-Phystaï Does not Change Normal Ratios of Testosterone to Epitestosterone in HealthyMales

Eurycoma longifolia is traditionally known for its adaptogenic properties and often used for the general well-being and increased performance in daily life. Methods: In a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 40 Malaysian men aged 30-55 years performed a battery of physical testings during which the ratio of Testosterone (T) to Epitestosterone (E) was analyzed. The daily intake was 300 mg of the freeze-dried water extract of Eurycoma longifolia root (Physta®, Biotropics Malaysia) or placebo for a period of 12 weeks. Results: At the end of the study the T/E-ratio in the herbal group ranged from 0.03 to 2.95 and was not significantly different from values at baseline (p=0.49). Further, the ratio-values for E. longifolia compared to placebo did not change over time. The weight lifting force which measures muscular strength using back & leg strength test, increased significantly from baseline to end of the study in the herbal group by approximately 14 kg (p=0.0166). Conclusion: The ratios of testosterone to epitestosterone did not change during a 12-weeks E. longifolia intake. The data suggest that this herb does not exhibit “doping”- like effects. Instead, muscular strength improved significantly in the back and leg with E. longifolia supplementation rendering this herb good for physical performance minus the doping effects.