$$Enhancing Mitochondrial Function: AOR's MITO CHARGER sponsored by Cognitive Nutr.$$

[bloodsimple1234]

Thanks!

You're def. caring to provide your parents the best in multi-vitamin insurance. Smart choice and I am sure it will pay off for them... you are right btw about putting most companies to shame... I don't even think most people know the half of it... bb'ing companies have generally been improving, but still they have a lot of catching up to do as many informed consumers such as health professionals, etc... still think this industry is a joke.

and the majority of the industry is a joke.It is scary enough what we find out and know,that isn't even half of what really goes on.

[CognitiveNutrition]

At least someone does!!! lol, yeah time consuming, but I enjoy getting the beneficial info out for some reason... I really enjoy supporting great companies and products so we can continue to see better and better products in the future. I could just say Mito Charger is a fantastic product and AOR is a super company, but backing it up with some science and info really brings the message clear.

I`ve been reading this research for a long time so when a formula like this comes along, it is obvious to me the product is heavily based on science and a log worthy product. I have been educating and explaining this kind of thing to my family for quite some time as well so with aging parents, it really is important that I get things right. My dad is 70 and very healthy, while mom is late 60`s and equally healthy. Both have recently begun Mito Charger, but have been using many health-related products such as Ortho Core for many years on my suggestion. I`m always on the look out for the best and continually AOR`s formulas stand out as easy first choices.

btw, once again, big thanks to Steve of Cognitive Nutrition for supplying me the product and making this log happen!

Where are you Steve?

Peter posting as a man obsessed...with Antiaging!!

I've been away from BB again for a while it takes alot of my focus to spend time here and sadly I'm pretty overwhelmed with work as it is. Great idea for a log and bringing some antiaging class to the board. It's not all about muscles if you don't live long enough to enjoy your life!

[bloodsimple1234]

Peter posting as a man obsessed...with Antiaging!!

I've been away from BB again for a while it takes alot of my focus to spend time here and sadly I'm pretty overwhelmed with work as it is. Great idea for a log and bringing some antiaging class to the board. It's not all about muscles if you don't live long enough to enjoy your life!

Steve!!! what's up? im out of Picamilon!!!

how is everything? haven't seen you around in a while.



agreed,what a concept Peter has right? actaully caring about your health!

[CognitiveNutrition]

Steve!!! what's up? im out of Picamilon!!!

how is everything? haven't seen you around in a while.



agreed,what a concept Peter has right? actaully caring about your health!

It's a travesty to your GABAergic system!!

All in all not so bad. Aside from a slipped disc I manage. About to produce a brand new beta product that may blow people's minds away, but first need to try it out size up the effects and dose. If it works as well as I hope it's going to be a very novel item.

Heh Peter caring about health matters?? That's not the Peter I know. The one I know eats at McDonalds, smokes and drinks heavy, and his only vitamins come from energy drinks.

[Peter LeDrew]

It's a travesty to your GABAergic system!!

All in all not so bad. Aside from a slipped disc I manage. About to produce a brand new beta product that may blow people's minds away, but first need to try it out size up the effects and dose. If it works as well as I hope it's going to be a very novel item.

Heh Peter caring about health matters?? That's not the Peter I know. The one I know eats at McDonalds, smokes and drinks heavy, and his only vitamins come from energy drinks.

Damn, need some updates!

Hope your feeling better Steve. Look forward to hearing more about your new project.

I ate McD's too much last year actually and a big reason I have lost some weight is no fast food, or at least very little.

[Peter LeDrew]

Loving Mito Charger... energy, mood, productivity and gym activity are all very good. Strength has actually gone up a good amount too.

Weight is fairly steady around 215-216lbs and I am pretty lean despite doing a semi-bulk and not restricting myself very much with food selections and amount. I think Mito Charger would shine in a cut or recomp so I def. look forward to 2010 when that is my goal and I continue use of MC.

Edit: See my Benagene posts below... could be a number of reasons Mito Charger could play a role in my lack of fat gain on this bulk... benagene, R-LA and Alcar have all been promising for controlling fat gain and lean mass maintenance/gain.

Bench is now up to 225lbs for 12, 235lbs for 8-9 reps and last night I hit 270lbs for 4. I actually didn't expect to increase strength at all.

I posted some info in the science section on Uridine which is also found in Mito Charger. I'll get this in here soon plus more.

[Peter LeDrew]

Just another very interesting part of the Mito Charger formula: http://www.benagene.org/


Peer-reviewed science documents benaGene brand Thermally Stabilized Oxaloacetate's ability to increase lifespan 25%, p< 0.001.

benaGene functions as a natural "Calorie Restriction Mimetic", stimulating the same life extending pathways that have been shown to increase health span and lifespan in animal tests.

Human clinical trials confirm the ability of benaGene to lower fasting blood glucose levels and increase glucose uptake by tissues (reduce insulin resistance), similar to those changes seen in calorie restriction.

benaGene is a new concept in supplements, a natural compound that turns on favorable genes to help slow aging, normalize and stabilize glucose functioning, and down-regulate the molecular pathways that create and store fat.



Benagen is known as a calorie restriction mimetic... Calorie restriction is the only proven way to increase lifespan in animals and of course that doesn't exactly tie in well with the bodybuilding lifestyle. Most people enjoy food so looking for such compounds that activate longevity genes is a new focus for scientists... eg. Benagene (Oxaloacetate) and Trans-Resveratrol.




benaGene News

November 2009

Freely Available journal article at "Open Longevity Science" (2009) "Oxaloacetic Acid Supplementation as a Mimic of Calorie Restriction." In the article, we review not only our previously published work, but also the work of many other researchers that document oxaloacetate supplementation to reduce fasting glucose levels, it's action as a powerful antioxidant, protection of mitochondrial DNA (a big plus), and protection of eye, brain and pancreas tissues. There is also in-vitro evidence that very small amounts of oxaloacetate builds intracellular "junk" within human lung cancer cells which prevents them from reproducing, even after the oxaloacetate is removed from the cells. Normal cells continue to divide normally with oxaloacetate. We further provide a case study of a 73 year old diabetic woman who reduced and stabilized her glucose levels by taking oxaloacetic acid. In 75 days she reduced her fasting glucose levels by 24%, reduced her insulin resistance by 34%, and reduced the amplitude of her glucose "swings" by 55%. Persons with normal glucose functioning will see an increase in glucose uptake by the muscle tissue, and only a small drop in fasting glucose levels (fyi, mine was about 8%). Fasting glucose levels tend to stabilize even in persons with normal glucose functioning. The information all points to the use of oxaloacetic acid as a calorie restriction mimetic.




Oxaloacetate supplementation increases lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans through an AMPK/FOXO-dependent pathway
David S. Williams 1,2 , Alan Cash 1 , Lara Hamadani 1 and Tanja Diemer 1,2
1 Departments of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, UCSD School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92130, USA
2 Departments of Ophthalmology and Neurobiology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Correspondence to David S. Williams, Departments of Ophthalmology and Neurobiology, 200 Stein Plaza, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, UK. Tel.: +1 (310) 825 9546; fax: +1 (310) 825 1117; e-mail: dswilliams@ucla.edu
Copyright Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/The Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland
KEYWORDS
Caenorhabditis elegans • calorie restriction • lifespan
ABSTRACT

Reduced dietary intake increases lifespan in a wide variety of organisms. It also retards disease progression. We tested whether dietary supplementation of citric acid cycle metabolites could mimic this lifespan effect. We report that oxaloacetate supplementation increased lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans. The increase was dependent on the transcription factor, FOXO/DAF-16, and the energy sensor, AMP-activated protein kinase, indicating involvement of a pathway that is also required for lifespan extension through dietary restriction. These results demonstrate that supplementation of the citric acid cycle metabolite, oxaloacetate, influences a longevity pathway, and suggest a tractable means of introducing the health-related benefits of dietary restriction.


Oxaloacetic Acid Supplementation as a Mimic of Calorie Restriction
pp.22-27 (6) Author: Alan Cash

doi: 10.2174/1876326X00903020022




Abstract:
The reduction in dietary intake leads to changes in metabolism and gene expression that increase lifespan, reduce the incidence of heart disease, kidney disease, Alzheimer's disease, type-2 diabetes and cancer. While all the molecular pathways which result in extended lifespan as a result of calorie restriction are not fully understood, some of these pathways that have resulted in lifespan expansion have been identified. Three molecular pathways activated by calorie restriction are also shown to be activated by supplementing the diet with the metabolite oxaloacetic acid. Animal studies supplementing oxaloacetic acid show an increase in lifespan and other substantial health benefits including mitochondrial DNA protection, and protection of retinal, neural and pancreatic tissues. Human studies indicate a substantial reduction in fasting glucose levels and improvement in insulin resistance. Supplementation with oxaloacetic acid may be a safer method to mimic calorie restriction than the use of traditional diabetes drugs.


Curr Biol. 2007 Oct 9;17(19):1646-56. Epub 2007 Sep 27.

An AMPK-FOXO pathway mediates longevity induced by a novel method of dietary restriction in C. elegans.
Greer EL, Dowlatshahi D, Banko MR, Villen J, Hoang K, Blanchard D, Gygi SP, Brunet A.

Department of Genetics, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.

BACKGROUND: Dietary restriction (DR) is the most effective environmental intervention to extend lifespan in a wide range of species. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the benefits of DR on longevity are still poorly characterized. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated by a decrease in energy levels, raising the possibility that AMPK might mediate lifespan extension by DR. RESULTS: By using a novel DR assay that we developed and validated in C. elegans, we find that AMPK is required for this DR method to extend lifespan and delay age-dependent decline. We find that AMPK exerts its effects in part via the FOXO transcription factor DAF-16. FOXO/DAF-16 is necessary for the beneficial effects of this DR method on lifespan. Expression of an active version of AMPK in worms increases stress resistance and extends longevity in a FOXO/DAF-16-dependent manner. Lastly, we find that AMPK activates FOXO/DAF-16-dependent transcription and phosphorylates FOXO/DAF-16 at previously unidentified sites, suggesting a possible direct mechanism of regulation of FOXO/DAF-16 by AMPK. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that an energy-sensing AMPK-FOXO pathway mediates the lifespan extension induced by a novel method of dietary restriction in C. elegans.

PMID: 17900900 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Benagene and genomic changes: http://www.benagene.org/genomic_changes


While R-Lipoic acid is great for blood sugar and is in nice dosing in Mito Charger, Benagene is a newer compound yet to break the mainstream and achieve similar accolades. Hopefully with the promising research done already http://www.benagene.org/glucose_management
we have found another effective safe, natural compound.


One effect that might be noticeable for me already is the possible weight control properties of benagene. http://www.benagene.org/weight_management


In a nine week study, Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to either 1) unrestricted feeding (ad lib. feeding) where the mice could eat as much as they wanted or, 2) unrestricted feeding with benaGene supplementation. After 2.5 weeks, the mice eating the benaGene supplement did not gain as much weight as the control group. This is due to the production of beneficial proteins that block fat creation and increase fat use, which results in a lower overall weight as compared with the control group. The weight "span" of the benaGene supplemented mice also changed--- Low weight mice gain weight, overweight mice lose weight, with an overall average lower than the control group. This is consistent with a decrease in insulin resistance.

So B-gene combined with all the other ingredients sure stands to reason I could be on a semi-bulk and not be gaining fat mass. Honestly, strength has gone up and my diet has been very lax, but the fat gain just hasn't been there. I am def. curious about this possibilty.


So far I have covered Acetyl L-carnitine, R-Lipoic acid and now benagene in length and we are just at the tip of the iceberg with Mito Charger!!! What a fascinating and amazing product from AOR. No wonder I am so not impressed with a large % of products that hit the supplement industry... look what they have to live up to!

[Peter LeDrew]

After doing some reading over the past couple weeks on Uridine supplementation I came across some very interesting info and studies. Never head much before, esp. here so I felt this was worthy of sharing.

From wiki:
Harvard researchers report that supplementation in rats with a combination of uridine and EPA/DHA omega-3 fatty acids has antidepressant activity equivalent to that of commonly prescribed antidepressant medications, such as Prozac and other SSRIs.


Some pubmed ninja work:

Biol Psychiatry. 2005 Feb 15;57(4):343-50.

Antidepressant-like effects of uridine and omega-3 fatty acids are potentiated by combined treatment in rats.
Carlezon WA Jr, Mague SD, Parow AM, Stoll AL, Cohen BM, Renshaw PF.

Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA. carlezon@mclean.harvard.edu

BACKGROUND: Brain phospholipid metabolism and membrane fluidity may be involved in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. We showed previously that cytidine, which increases phospholipid synthesis, has antidepressant-like effects in the forced swim test (FST) in rats, a model used in depression research. Because cytidine and uridine both stimulate synthesis of cytidine 5'-diphosphocholine (CDP-choline, a critical substrate for phospholipid synthesis), we examined whether uridine would also produce antidepressant-like effects in rats. We also examined the effects of omega-3 fatty acids (OMG), which increase membrane fluidity and reportedly have antidepressant effects in humans, alone and in combination with uridine. METHODS: We first examined the effects of uridine injections alone and dietary supplementation with OMG alone in the FST. We then combined sub-effective treatment regimens of uridine and OMG to determine whether these agents would be more effective if administered together. RESULTS: Uridine dose-dependently reduced immobility in the FST, an antidepressant-like effect. Dietary supplementation with OMG reduced immobility when given for 30 days, but not for 3 or 10 days. A sub-effective dose of uridine reduced immobility in rats given sub-effective dietary supplementation with OMG. CONCLUSIONS: Uridine and OMG each have antidepressant-like effects in rats. Less of each agent is required for effectiveness when the treatments are administered together.



Brain Res. 2007 Nov 28;1182:50-9. Epub 2007 Sep 21.

Oral supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid and uridine-5'-monophosphate increases dendritic spine density in adult gerbil hippocampus.
Sakamoto T, Cansev M, Wurtman RJ.

Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, is an essential component of membrane phosphatides and has been implicated in cognitive functions. Low levels of circulating or brain DHA are associated with various neurocognitive disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD), while laboratory animals, including animal models of AD, can exhibit improved cognitive ability with a diet enriched in DHA. Various cellular mechanisms have been proposed for DHA's behavioral effects, including increases in cellular membrane fluidity, promotion of neurite extension and inhibition of apoptosis. However, there is little direct evidence that DHA affects synaptic structure in living animals. Here we show that oral supplementation with DHA substantially increases the number of dendritic spines in adult gerbil hippocampus, particularly when animals are co-supplemented with a uridine source, uridine-5'-monophosphate (UMP), which increases brain levels of the rate-limiting phosphatide precursor CTP. The increase in dendritic spines (>30%) is accompanied by parallel increases in membrane phosphatides and in pre- and post-synaptic proteins within the hippocampus. Hence, oral DHA may promote neuronal membrane synthesis to increase the number of synapses, particularly when co-administered with UMP. Our findings provide a possible explanation for the effects of DHA on behavior and also suggest a strategy to treat cognitive disorders resulting from synapse loss.




Alzheimers Dement. 2008 Jan;4(1 Suppl 1):S153-68. Epub 2007 Dec 21.

Oral administration of circulating precursors for membrane phosphatides can promote the synthesis of new brain synapses.
Cansev M, Wurtman RJ, Sakamoto T, Ulus IH.

Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Although cognitive performance in humans and experimental animals can be improved by administering omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the neurochemical mechanisms underlying this effect remain uncertain. In general, nutrients or drugs that modify brain function or behavior do so by affecting synaptic transmission, usually by changing the quantities of particular neurotransmitters present within synaptic clefts or by acting directly on neurotransmitter receptors or signal-transduction molecules. We find that DHA also affects synaptic transmission in mammalian brain. Brain cells of gerbils or rats receiving this fatty acid manifest increased levels of phosphatides and of specific presynaptic or postsynaptic proteins. They also exhibit increased numbers of dendritic spines on postsynaptic neurons. These actions are markedly enhanced in animals that have also received the other two circulating precursors for phosphatidylcholine, uridine (which gives rise to brain uridine diphosphate and cytidine triphosphate) and choline (which gives rise to phosphocholine). The actions of DHA aere reproduced by eicosapentaenoic acid, another omega-3 compound, but not by omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid. Administration of circulating phosphatide precursors can also increase neurotransmitter release (acetylcholine, dopamine) and affect animal behavior. Conceivably, this treatment might have use in patients with the synaptic loss that characterizes Alzheimer's disease or other neurodegenerative diseases or occurs after stroke or brain injury.




Brain Res. 2007 Nov 28;1182:50-9. Epub 2007 Sep 21.

Oral supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid and uridine-5'-monophosphate increases dendritic spine density in adult gerbil hippocampus.
Sakamoto T, Cansev M, Wurtman RJ.

Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, is an essential component of membrane phosphatides and has been implicated in cognitive functions. Low levels of circulating or brain DHA are associated with various neurocognitive disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD), while laboratory animals, including animal models of AD, can exhibit improved cognitive ability with a diet enriched in DHA. Various cellular mechanisms have been proposed for DHA's behavioral effects, including increases in cellular membrane fluidity, promotion of neurite extension and inhibition of apoptosis. However, there is little direct evidence that DHA affects synaptic structure in living animals. Here we show that oral supplementation with DHA substantially increases the number of dendritic spines in adult gerbil hippocampus, particularly when animals are co-supplemented with a uridine source, uridine-5'-monophosphate (UMP), which increases brain levels of the rate-limiting phosphatide precursor CTP. The increase in dendritic spines (>30%) is accompanied by parallel increases in membrane phosphatides and in pre- and post-synaptic proteins within the hippocampus. Hence, oral DHA may promote neuronal membrane synthesis to increase the number of synapses, particularly when co-administered with UMP. Our findings provide a possible explanation for the effects of DHA on behavior and also suggest a strategy to treat cognitive disorders resulting from synapse loss.

[Peter LeDrew]

FASEB J. 2008 Nov;22(11):3938-46. Epub 2008 Jul 7.

Dietary uridine enhances the improvement in learning and memory produced by administering DHA to gerbils.
Holguin S, Martinez J, Chow C, Wurtman R.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 43 Vassar St., 46-5023, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

This study examined the effects on cognitive behaviors of giving normal adult gerbils three compounds, normally in the circulation, which interact to increase brain phosphatides, synaptic proteins, dendritic spines, and neurotransmitter release. Animals received supplemental uridine (as its monophosphate, UMP; 0.5%) and choline (0.1%) via the diet, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 300 mg/kg/day) by gavage, for 4 wk, and then throughout the subsequent period of behavioral training and testing. As shown previously, giving all three compounds caused highly significant (P<0.001) increases in total brain phospholipids and in each major phosphatide; giving DHA or UMP (plus choline) produced smaller increases in some of the phosphatides. DHA plus choline improved performance on the four-arm radial maze, T-maze, and Y-maze tests; coadministering UMP further enhanced these increases. (Uridine probably acts by generating both CTP, which can be limiting in phosphatide synthesis, and UTP, which activates P2Y receptors coupled to neurite outgrowth and protein synthesis. All three compounds also act by enhancing the substrate-saturation of phosphatide-synthesizing enzymes.) These findings demonstrate that a treatment that increases synaptic membrane content can enhance cognitive functions in normal animals.



Behav Brain Res. 2008 Aug 5;191(1):11-6. Epub 2008 Mar 18.

Chronic administration of DHA and UMP improves the impaired memory of environmentally impoverished rats.
Holguin S, Huang Y, Liu J, Wurtman R.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 43 Vassar Street, 46-5023, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Living in an enriched environment (EC) during development enhances memory function in adulthood; living in an impoverished environment (IC) impairs memory function. Compounds previously demonstrated to improve memory among IC rats include CDP-choline and uridine monophosphate (UMP). Brain phosphatidylcholine (PC) synthesis utilizes both the uridine formed from the metabolism of exogenous CDP-choline and UMP, and the choline formed from that of CDP-choline. It also uses the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) DHA, a precursor for the diacylglycerol incorporated into PC. DHA administration also improves cognition in young and aged rodents and humans; its effects on cognitively impaired IC rats have not been characterized. We have thus examined the consequences of administering DHA (300 mg/kg) by gavage, UMP (0.5% in the diet), or both compounds on hippocampal- and striatal-dependent forms of memory among rats exposed to EC or IC conditions for 1 month starting at weaning, and consuming a choline-containing diet. We observe that giving IC rats either dietary UMP or gavaged DHA improves performance on the hidden version of the Morris water maze (all P<0.05), a hippocampal-dependent task; co-administration of both phosphatide precursors further enhances the IC rats' performance on this task (P<0.001). Neither UMP nor DHA, nor giving both compounds, affects the performance of EC rats on the hidden version of the Morris water maze (P>0.05), nor the performance by IC or EC rats on the visible version of the Morris water maze (all P>0.05), a striatal-dependent task. We confirm that co-administration of UMP and DHA to rats increases brain levels of the phosphatides PC, PE, SM, PS, PI, and total brain phospholipid levels (all P<0.05), and show that rearing animals in an enriched environment also elevates brain PC, PS, and PI levels (all P<0.01) and total brain phospholipids (P<0.01) compared with their levels in animals reared in an IC environment. These findings suggest that giving DHA plus UMP can ameliorate memory deficits associated with rearing under impoverished conditions, and that this effect may be mediated in part through enhanced synthesis of brain membrane phosphatides.



J Nutr Health Aging. 2009 Mar;13(3):189-97.

Synapse formation is enhanced by oral administration of uridine and DHA, the circulating precursors of brain phosphatides.
Wurtman RJ, Cansev M, Ulus IH.

Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. dick@mit.edu

OBJECTIVE: The loss of cortical and hippocampal synapses is a universal hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and probably underlies its effects on cognition. Synapses are formed from the interaction of neurites projecting from "presynaptic" neurons with dendritic spines projecting from "postsynaptic" neurons. Both of these structures are vulnerable to the toxic effects of nearby amyloid plaques, and their loss contributes to the decreased number of synapses that characterize the disease. A treatment that increased the formation of neurites and dendritic spines might reverse this loss, thereby increasing the number of synapses and slowing the decline in cognition. DESIGN SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTION, MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: We observe that giving normal rodents uridine and the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) orally can enhance dendritic spine levels (3), and cognitive functions (32). Moreover this treatment also increases levels of biochemical markers for neurites (i.e., neurofilament-M and neurofilament-70) (2) in vivo, and uridine alone increases both these markers and the outgrowth of visible neurites by cultured PC-12 cells (9). A phase 2 clinical trial, performed in Europe, is described briefly. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Uridine and DHA are circulating precursors for the phosphatides in synaptic membranes, and act in part by increasing the substrate-saturation of enzymes that synthesize phosphatidylcholine from CTP (formed from the uridine, via UTP) and from diacylglycerol species that contain DHA: the enzymes have poor affinities for these substrates, and thus are unsaturated with them, and only partially active, under basal conditions. The enhancement by uridine of neurite outgrowth is also mediated in part by UTP serving as a ligand for neuronal P2Y receptors. Moreover administration of uridine with DHA activates many brain genes, among them the gene for the m-1 metabotropic glutamate receptor [Cansev, et al, submitted]. This activation, in turn, increases brain levels of that gene's protein product and of such other synaptic proteins as PSD-95, synapsin-1, syntaxin-3 and F-actin, but not levels of non-synaptic brain proteins like beta-tubulin. Hence it is possible that giving uridine plus DHA triggers a neuronal program that, by accelerating phosphatide and synaptic protein synthesis, controls synaptogenesis. If administering this mix of phosphatide precursors also increases synaptic elements in brains of patients with Alzheimer 's disease, as it does in normal rodents, then this treatment may ameliorate some of the manifestations of the disease.

[Peter LeDrew]

Adding to this discussion...

From wiki:

Uridine is found in a variety of foods. Sugarcane extract is rich in nucleosides, especially uridine. Tomatoes also (about 500-1000 mg. of uridine per kilogram of dry matter).

Brewer's yeast is also a good source of uridine, as yeast is high in RNA (ribonucleic acid), which after digestion is broken down into ribosyl pyrimidines (uridine and cytidine), which are absorbed intact. About 3 percent of yeast (dry weight) results in digestion uridine products. This assumes the usual 9% RNA content found in Brewer's yeast. Alternatively, drinking beer also results in increased plasma uridine.[5] The ingestion of one liter of beer results in increased plasma uridine at a level that is comparable to those reached after ingestion of CDP-choline (citicoline) (as in [6], the increase is measured as a percent change relative to baseline plasma uridine). Alternative uridine/cytidine sources include other high RNA foods such as organ meats (liver, pancreas, etc) or broccoli [4]. High RNA foods may result in high blood purine levels, which may increase uric acid production in humans, which may aggravate conditions such as gout. Because of this, it has been suggested that the RNA content of yeast products should be chemically reduced if these products are to be consumed in high amounts as a source of protein (50 grams or more per day). However, such processing is expensive, and as of today (2008), it seems that commonly available Brewer's yeast products are not RNA-reduced. Consumption of moderate amounts of yeast (5 grams per day) should provide enough uridine for improved health, while minimizing possible side effects such as increased uric acid production.


Believe it or not BSN is one of the 1st companies I have seen utilize nucleotides in their new NO-Xplode NT and EPOZINE-O2 NT. As well, with some searching I found a product called nubound which is based around the science of nucelotides.

http://www.nubound.net/index.html
http://www.nubound.net/nutrition.html
http://www.nubound.net/nuc_0228.shtml

[MrOneEyedBoh]

Nice!

[Fredrickson]

Big thanks to Steve from Cognitive Nutrition for sponsoring this log with Mito Charger from Advanced Orthomolecular Research. I also purchased some Cognitive Nutrition PEA 750mg to give some brief feedback on.

I also use numerous other AOR products including Ortho Core as my multi source, Ortho Mind for cognitive health, Advanced Whey, Greens n' Berries, Ortho Glucose II, Ortho Liver II, Advanced Biotics, Vitamin D3 Liquid and more... AOR has done a tremendous job on many of their newest formulations in the past year or two. As much as I have liked them in the past, they continue to strive to new heights.

My feeling about AOR products . . . These are "me too" products, and as I live in the USA, I'd like to see people support products made in the States.

Buy American made products, not imported products. Its the only way we're going to get out of this mess we're in!

[Peter LeDrew]

My feeling about AOR products . . . These are "me too" products, and as I live in the USA, I'd like to see people support products made in the States.

Buy American made products, not imported products. Its the only way we're going to get out of this mess we're in!

As far as I know there is an AOR USA as well employing Americans in the industry. I use and support USA companies all the time, so I'd like to think that partnership mentality is there for both sides. I don't know why you feel that way as I rarely hear Canadians saying such things.

Now to think of it, this log using Mito Charger is a perfect example. Mito Charger is only made in USA as the carnitines are 'mostly' unavailable for purchase in Canada. I believe my Mito Charger product might actually have an American flag on the label indicating so. "eek:

As far as your comment to being a 'me too' product!?!
Products such as Mito Charger speak for themselves... highly innovative, unique and effective science-backed formulas. You can't find anything that can compete with this right now and at such an amazing price, def. not!

You should get your facts straight before making such strong statements. Mito Charger is an amazing formula and one of the best products or the best one product I have ever used/seen period. It is also an American product that most Canadians cannot purchase unless ordering from the US or travelling to the USA to do so... just as hundreds of thousands did yesterday for the black friday sales.

[Peter LeDrew]

Compiled by Advanced Orthomolecular Research (AOR) of Canada


Benfotiamine and the "Caramelization of the Flesh"


Advanced Glycation Endproducts, or ?AGEs? as they?re appropriately called, are the end result of the complex chemical process through which the structure of proteins is warped by exposure to sugars or by other, much more reactive molecules. AGE chemistry is the cause of the ?browning? you see when you roast a chicken or make toast, but the same ?browning? chemistry is at work in your body every day of your life. In your arteries. In your kidneys. In your heart, your eyes, your skin, your nerves. In every cell, the sugar that your body uses for fuel is busily at work at this very moment, caramelizing your body through exactly the same chemical processes that caramelize onions or peanut brittle.


Glycation math is simple: more sugar equals more AGEd proteins. As a result, people with diabetes begin to feel the effects of glycation at much younger ages than do people with more normal blood sugar levels. Watching people with diabetes age is like watching ?normal? aging played on fast-forward. Slowly, imperceptibly, AGE reactions create chemical handcuffs, which gum up your proteins, deactivate your enzymes, trigger unhealthy biochemical signaling in your cells, and damage your DNA. Aging you.


Make that: AGEing you.

Two Ways to AGE
There are two major ways that AGEs can form inside the body. One way is through a simple series of chemical reactions known as the ?Maillard Pathway,? known from food chemistry for a century.

But more recently, scientists have come to understand another pathway of AGE formation ? a distinctly biological pathway, which only occurs within your cells because of the body?s metabolism of carbohydrates.

When blood sugar levels rise, some key kinds of cell ? including- nerve cells (neurons) and the cells that make up the fine blood cells of the retina of the eye and the filtering units (glomeruli) of the kidney ? are also flooded with glucose. The resulting high sugar levels within these cells cause a logjam in the normal cellular metabolism of glucose. This backlog results in a buildup within the cell of super-reactive glucose-metabolic intermediates known as triosephosphates. And once that happens, the excess triosephosphates attack the surrounding proteins, lipids, and DNA, causing AGE damage from within the heart of the cell. It?s these cells that are thus the most vulnerable to the complications of diabetes.

Drugs do exist which can inhibit the formation of AGE, but none are available on the market as yet, and one of the most promising candidate (aminoguanidine) has shown signs of toxicity in human trials and appears to have been abandoned by its developers. On the other hand, some companies are selling supplements marketed as ?AGE-inhibitors.? But while many of these herbs and other nutrients may be valuable, and may even inhibit AGEing in a test tube, there?s no evidence that most of these ?AGE-blocking? ingredients have any effect on AGEing in your body at the dosages used. Examples include thyme extract, inositol, acetyl-L-carnitine, and a whole host of antioxidants (including NAC and flavonoids, such as quercetin and resveratrol).

[Peter LeDrew]

TPP: Our Hero in Chains!


There is a nutrient that could, in theory, pack a potent wallop against the AGE onslaught: Thiamin Pyrophosphate (TPP), the active coenzyme form of the B-complex vitamin thiamin. In 1996, researchers showed that TPP could step in to stop AGE formation at the most important point in the process: the late, irreversible conversion of Amadori products into full-blown AGEs. What?s more, TPP can exert a two-pronged AGE-inhibiting effect in the body, because boosting TPP in cells stressed by high glucose concentrations opens up an important biochemical ?safety valve? in the normal metabolism of blood sugar through an enzyme known as transketolase. Activating transketolase allows the body to shunt excess triosephosphates into a safe alternative metabolic pathway, preventing the logjam that leads to the buildup of triosephosphates and the formation of AGE.

Unfortunately, this does not mean that loading up on regular thiamin (vitamin B1) will free you from glycation?s sticky shackles. The problem is that your body?s ability to absorb and metabolize conventional thiamin supplements is very limited. In fact, no matter how much thiamin you take, you don?t materially increase plasma levels beyond what you get from the first 12 milligrams of the dose. And then getting thiamin into the cells to do its job is just as tricky.

You might think that you can get around this problem by taking supplements containing TPP itself, instead of plain old thiamin. Unfortunately, as part of the normal cellular absorption process, specific enzymes actually strip TPP of its phosphate groups. As a result, you get no additional AGE-battling benefit from taking preformed thiamin pyrophosphate instead of standard thiamin. In fact, when you take supplements based on TPP itself, studies show that thiamin levels and biological activity are actually lower than if you take the same amount of regular thiamin!


Benfotiamine: the TPP Solution
Fortunately, an effective way to boost thiamin pyrophosphate in your cells does exist: Benfotiamine (S-benzoylthiamine-O-monophosphate). Benfotiamine is the most potent of the allithiamines, a unique class of thiamin-derived compounds present in trace quantities in roasted crushed garlic and other vegetables from the Allium genus (such as onions, shallots, and leeks). Benfotiamine?s unique open-ringed structure makes it able to pass directly through cell membranes, readily crossing the intestinal wall and being taken straight into the cell.

As a result, your body absorbs Benfotiamine better than thiamin itself, and levels of thiamin and TPP remain higher for longer. Thiamin absorption from Benfotiamine is about five times as great as from conventional thiamin supplements. And the effect is even more impressive at the tissue level: brain and muscle, for instance, take in five- to twentyfive-fold as much thiamin in the form of allithiamines as they do of an equal amount of regular thiamin. And Benfotiamine is even more bioavailable than the other allithiamines, including thiamin tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide/TTFD. Yet Benfotiamine is actually less toxic than conventional thiamin supplements!

By effectively increasing levels of thiamin itself, Benfotiamine dramatically boosts AGE-fighting thiamin pyrophosphate and cell-shielding transketolase activity in your body.

[Peter LeDrew]

Shielding Nerve Structure


While most ?anti-AGE? supplements rely on test-tube ?browning? experiments as the ?evidence? of efficacy, Benfotiamine has been proven in multiple real-world human and animal studies to reduce AGE formation and support tissue structure and function in diabetics.

Most impressively, many randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trials have proven that Benfotiamine powerfully supports nerve function in diabetic neuropathy. In one trial, 24 people suffering with diabetic neuropathy took either Benfotiamine (plus doses of common B6 and B12 similar to those used in multivitamins) or a look-alike dummy pill, spread out into three pills over the course of the day, for twelve weeks. The participants started with 320 milligrams of Benfotiamine per day for the first two weeks, followed by 120 milligrams for the rest of the trial. Before and after the trial, the function of patients?s nerve cells were tested using nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and vibratory perception threshold (which tests the nerves?s sensitivity by determining the lowest level at which vibrations applied at key nerve sites are first felt).

At the end of the trial, the vibration perception threshold had ?clearly? improved by 30% in those who had taken the Benfotiamine supplements, while it had worsened in the placebo group by 5% at one site and by 32% at another. At the same time, people taking Benfotiamine experienced statistically significant improvements in nerve conduction velocity from the feet, even as this aspect of nerve function deteriorated in those taking the look-alike pills!

The power of Benfotiamine to improve vibratory perception threshold and nerve conduction velocity have been confirmed in other trials. Clinical trials have also shown that Benfotiamine supports nerve function in diabetics as measured by many other methods. For instance, Benfotiamine users experience a 50% reduction in diabetic nerve pain, along with an increased ability of the nerves to detect an electrical current, respond to electrical stimulation, and regulate the heartbeat. Similarly, Benfotiamine prevents this loss of control from happening in the first place in diabetic dogs. In another human clinical trial, a B-vitamin combination using Benfotiamine as its thiamin source was put head-to-head with a B-complex supplement that included a mega dose of conventional thiamin. Benfotiamine proved its effectiveness on several of these key parameters, while the standard thiamin pill failed.

These benefits are not due to changes in blood sugar levels (either fasting, or after a meal, or averaged over several months (as measured by HbA1c), or improvements in metabolic benchmarks. They are the direct results of Benfotiamine?s AGE-fighting, metabolic-balancing powers.


Benfotiamine in Other Vulnerable Tissues
More recently, new studies have begun to document Benfotiamine?s ability to shield other tissues from AGE damage. One just-published study tested the ability of thiamin and Benfotiamine to protect diabetic rodents? retinas from the ravages of AGE.

The researchers then gave one group of diabetic rodents Benfotiamine supplements, and left another group unsupplemented, keeping a third group of nondiabetic animals as a control group. Nine months later, they examined the animals? eyes, testing the level of AGE in their retinas, examining metabolic abnormalities of the cells, and looking for acellular capillaries (the dead husks left behind when the cells of the tiny blood vessels of the eye die).

Benfotiamine supplements normalized AGE levels in the diabetics? retina, as well as several key metabolic parameters within the diabetic animals? cells ? without influencing body weight or blood sugar (as measured by HbA1c). More importantly, Benfotiamine prevented the AGE-associated retinal damage. After nine months of diabetes, diabetic animals had suffered three times as many acellular capillaries as were found in healthy animals. But with the protection afforded by Benfotiamine, the number of acellular capillaries in the supplemented diabetics was indistinguishable from that of their normal, healthy cousins!

And there?s another AGE-related disease that researchers believe Benfotiamine may fight: the loss of kidney function which accompanies ?normal? aging, and which is accelerated by diabetes. Dr. Paul Thornalley of the University of Essex has just completed a study designed to see if Benfotiamine will protect diabetic rodents against kidney damage. While the results have not yet been published, Dr. Thornalley has indicated that both megadose thiamin and Benfotiamine caused clear-cut reductions in the leakage of protein ? with Benfotiamine showing itself to be the superior intervention. A second study is now underway to see if Benfotiamine will actually improve kidney function in diabetic animals with pre-existing kidney damage, as it has already been shown to do in the nerves of diabetic animals and humans.

[Peter LeDrew]

The End of an AGE

These are not test-tube studies. The results experienced when taking Benfotiamine occur not merely in labs, but in lives: in the bodies and in the health of living things, from experimental animals to human beings. In Benfotiamine, we finally have a proven way to protect tissues from the AGE assault.

[Peter LeDrew]

Serving Size: 6 Capsules

R(+)- Lipoic Acid 150 mg
Co-Enzyme Q10 100 mg
Rhodiola Rosea (min. 3% rosavins, 1% salidroside) 150 mg
Benfotiamine 150 mg
Oxaloacetic acid (Benagene) 100 mg
D-Uridine 50 mg
Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Extract 100 mg
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) 1500 mg


I have only skimmed the surface of these ingredients with regards to the existing science backing their use in Mito Charger. I will soon discuss some research on CoQ10, Rhodiola and Gynostemma.

Effects noticed so far: Increased energy, mood, libido and I look 20yrs younger!

Seriously except for that last one, I am noticing all this and loving MC right now. I pop 3 caps in the morning first thing with a light meal with some fish oil and/or olive oil. Helps the fat soluble absorption of CoQ10 and Benfotiamine and perhaps a couple other ingredients.

I then take 2-3 caps around mid-day for another Mito-BOOST!

Stress levels are low and training levels are high in the strength/recovery dept.

There is an obvious lack of fat gain while eating out when on the road for work and an overall recomp effect without really working at it. This should work stellar on a cut phase as well.

I'd love to test my blood sugar, blood pressure and some blood work on this, before and after as I am certain it will positively effect all 3 as much or more than any 1 product out there right now marketed to do so.

Mito Charger is hands down one of my most important products now and dear to my heart in health and life, for many long enjoyable years to come.

[Peter LeDrew]

Popped 4 caps an hour ago and mood is just amazing on this. Seems it is really one of the most noticeable effects on Mito Charger right now when everything is taken into account.

This is an important aspect as are the other many health benefits, but I have always been prone to some meloncholy esp. at this time of the year with the cold weather we get. The fact that there are no sides and it is not a stim is simply awesome. For me the SAMe experience was a huge life changing event belief it or not and I would put Mito Charger supplementation near SAMe in terms of mood and energy. SAMe is expensive so dialing in a nice moderate dosing scheme between these two great supplements is something I will be doing for a LONG time.

This could very well be my least popular log, but def. one of my favorites, right up there with my MAN sports and AEN Intrastack logs some years ago. While already familiar with the ingredients and science, I have also come across some new studies reinforcing the benefits of the Mito ingredients. I am almost on my second bottle, but will continue for another little while discussing the ingredients and benefits.

[bloodsimple1234]

who cares,to me it might be one of your most interesting logs!


some people want to see 20 lbs in 4 weeks and if not,they don't hang out much.

I for one am enjoying it fully!

[Peter LeDrew]

who cares,to me it might be one of your most interesting logs!


some people want to see 20 lbs in 4 weeks and if not,they don't hang out much.

I for one am enjoying it fully!

Thanks!

Well that is purely bs or wishful thinking if someone says they put on 20lbs in 4 weeks... well fat possibly, but you can go to the KFC forum for that!

I do think Mito Charger would be awesome in a cut and could well be amazing for that purpose. I will find out sometime in 2010. The mitochondria may well be a first-line target in the war against fat and can be used to our advantage with smart supplementation.


Either way, I hope some people are lurking and learning something... I know I am and have been, but I can see how something with a name like Super Muscle Booster 2300 would recieve more attention on this bb'ing forum.

On a note that may interest the muscle-hungry bb'ers... I hit 245lbs for 10 solid reps last night and I somehow was able to do 17 wide grip lat pullups on the same night. Just an amazing workout for me. I did use NO-Xplode NT pre-workout and was impressed with the energy, pump, etc... could it have been the Mito Charger 'kicking' in or could it be the one pack of BSN's latest version of NO-Xplode? Maybe a combination of both?

Here is my ongoing experience with NO-Xplode as I begin to wrap up my Mito Charger log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=120661871

[blumnblam]

BORING PRODUCT TITLE. NEEDZ MOAR HORMONES AND NEEDS TO END IN -BOL. 40 LBS IN 2 WEEKS OR NEGZ.

Hadn't seen this log til now, this is the kind of log that is far more interesting to me than another pre-workout or stim-fat burner log.

I'm subscribed in this for bottle 2.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) vs. L-Carnitine Tartrate, any difference? I mean, I'd assume that ALCAR is better (based on what I remember of the cell), but... yeah.

Felt any difference in appetite?

[dsade]

subscribed.

[Peter LeDrew]

BORING PRODUCT TITLE. NEEDZ MOAR HORMONES AND NEEDS TO END IN -BOL. 40 LBS IN 2 WEEKS OR NEGZ.

Hadn't seen this log til now, this is the kind of log that is far more interesting to me than another pre-workout or stim-fat burner log.

I'm subscribed in this for bottle 2.

I don't think you are alone really. The health approach to bodybuilding is gaining popularity all the time and I see the health stuff crossing over into this industry more and more. There's no denying the two go hand in hand, bb'ing gains and health. My immunity has been amazing for this time of year (knock on wood) and I have seen excellent results in the gym. I like the BOL's though! T-Bol, E-Bol and C-Bol for instance... nice Thermolife formulas imo... the hormonal bol's can kiss my butt though.

I'll be using bottle 2 and more in future logs for sure... HGHup/Drive is next and then a heavy cut sometime in January with Nutec's Lean Rescue.

Mito Charger at around 2-3 caps 5x/week will be a permanent staple for me once I am done this log.

[dsade]

This is a truly underappreciated approach to muscle gain, fatloss, and even productivity.

[bloodsimple1234]

This is a truly underappreciated approach to muscle gain, fatloss, and even productivity.

not for a few of us,for a long time now people never really paid attention to my approach.

I never get sick,flu,etc and people wonder how I am able to do so much even at a young age.Taking care of your body is number one!

[dsade]

not for a few of us,for a long time now people never really paid attention to my approach.

I never get sick,flu,etc and people wonder how I am able to do so much even at a young age.Taking care of your body is number one!

Totally agree...that's why I released some of the products that I did.

However, not a threadjack...

Pete - have you tried adding Methylcobalamin, pantothenic acid, niacin, and folic acid at the same time as this product?

[bloodsimple1234]

Totally agree...that's why I released some of the products that I did.

However, not a threadjack...

Pete - have you tried adding Methylcobalamin, pantothenic acid, niacin, and folic acid at the same time as this product?

see now who are you talking to? myself or Peter?

[Peter LeDrew]

This is a truly underappreciated approach to muscle gain, fatloss, and even productivity.

Totally agree...that's why I released some of the products that I did.

However, not a threadjack...

Pete - have you tried adding Methylcobalamin, pantothenic acid, niacin, and folic acid at the same time as this product?

Truely appreciate your input here. I know it is the very informed folk who will most appreciate this kind of formula. It is one of a kind and something I am extremely excited to implement for a very long time to come!

I do get some B's, mostly from Ortho Core which I sometimes use around the same time as Mito Charger. I do know the newest formula of AOR's Advanced B Complex is unbelievable as it now has every B in the coenzyme form:

SUPPLEMENT FACTS:
Serving Size: 3 Capsules

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B1 (Benfotiamine) 100mg
B2 (Riboflavin-5-Phosphate) 7.5mg
B3 (Niacin – from Inositol Hexanicotinate) 345mg
B5 (Pantethine) 300mg
B6 (Pyridoxal-5-phosphate) 100mg
B12 (Methylcobalamin) 1000mcg
Folic Acid (5-Methyltetrahydrofolate) 1000mcg
Biotin 500mcg
Choline 600mg
Inositol 384mg

I haven't tried this newest version yet, but will eventually get some. I do know Dr. Bruce Ames is big on many of the ingredients in Mito Charger as he is in the B's in preventing genetic based diseases.


I just returned from another very productive workout hitting Legs and Shoulders with some intense cardio at the end. Strength and energy have been really great lately and I am pushing weight and reps at or near my highest levels ever really. Weight is up some as I am semi-bulking, but I don't think I have added much in the way of bodyfat.

[dsade]

That advanced B formula looks amazing...best forms of just about every one.