Nutrition & Health OnLine Magazine: Questions & Answers

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

By Davey Dunn

Q. I have been lifting weights for about 25 years but lately I have been getting a lot of pain in my joints. Do you know any supplements that might help?

A. Actually I know two that usually do wonders for arthritic pain: Flax Oil and Glucosamine Sulfate. I compare ingesting Flax Oil to putting oil in you car. Just like your car, the human body needs lubrication between it's moving parts or they will wear out. The first sign of wearing out is arthritic pain. Years ago you would have received plenty of natural lubrication from essential fatty acids in your normal diet but not so today with the manufacturing practices used to prepare most foods. The easiest remedy is to take 1000 to 3000 mg of Flax Oil each day to make up the deficiency of essential fatty acids in your diet.

Glucosamine Sulfate has been shown in research to help regenerate damaged cartilage which is what cushions your joints.¹ When your cartilage wears out your bones begin to rub and deteriorate which causes a lot of pain. Try taking 1500 mg of Glucosamine each day along with the Flax Oil and see if the pain starts to subside. It generally takes at least 1-3 months to start seeing results so be patient. I know several people who were told they needed to have joint replacement surgery who began taking this combination and had great results. Give this combination a try and see if it helps.

Q. I am trying to improve my physique by gaining muscle while also losing some bodyfat. I keep hearing about meal replacements. Should I be using one?

A. In general, when you refer to a "Meal Replacement" you are talking about a product that contains approximately 40 grams of protein and 20 grams of carbohydrates per serving. Meal replacements are in vogue right now because certain supplement companies are pushing them like crazy because of their high profit margin. For some people a meal replacement product may in fact be the perfect meal but other people may need something different entirely. The biggest question you need to ask before running out and buying a meal replacement is what do "I" need from a meal with the key word being "I".

What a lot of people do not seem to realize is that just about all of the powders in a health food store can actually be used as a "Meal Replacement". It all depends on the needs of the individual purchasing the product. If you have a high metabolism or participate in a strenuous sport like football then 20 grams of carbohydrates in a meal is not going to be enough. You would be much better off using a weight gainer which has about 100 grams of carbohydrates and 25 grams of protein per serving. If, on the other hand, you are trying to lose bodyfat, as it sounds like you are, then ingesting extra calories from carbohydrates will not help your cause. You would be much better off to use straight protein as your meal replacement. Two scoops of most protein powders will contain about 40 grams of protein, which is almost identical to a can of Tuna Fish. Isn't a can of Tuna Fish a meal? Of course it is and so is two scoops of a protein powder.

One other consideration to keep in mind when talking about a "Meal Replacement" is the amount of protein per serving. In their attempts to one up each other, supplement companies keep increasing the amount of protein per serving. I have seen some as high as 52 grams. Makes a lot of sense considering the average male can only absorb about 20 grams at any one time.² You might be able to utilize as much as 30 to 40 grams if it is taken as part of a post workout meal but 52 grams per serving is ridiculous. My recommendation on most meal replacement products is to only use half a serving per meal unless it is right after training in which case you can go ahead and take a full serving.

Do you have a Question for Davey Dunn?

¹c. Donaldson, S. Hulley, J. Vogel, et al., "Effect of Prolonged Bed Rest on bone Mineral" Metabolism, 19 1970:1071-84.

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