ZMA and anabolic factors

Research suggests that ZMA has significant anabolic benefits—do you know what they are?

A study conducted at Western Washington University (Bellingham) involving NCAA football players was key to clarifying how ZMA affected anabolic factors.

The researchers had the players take ZMA or a placebo every night during an eight-week spring training program.

What happened to the players?

At the end of the testing period, they reported that the athletes who took the supplement experienced an increase of more than 30% in testosterone levels and an increase of approximately 5% in levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).

In addition, those who took the placebo experienced a 10% decrease in testosterone levels and a decrease of more than 20% in IGF-1 levels during their training period.

On the other hand, those who took ZMA achieved improvements in their anabolic hormone levels and significantly greater gains in strength and power, along with better sleep quality, than the placebo group.

Better sleep quality also helps with muscle recovery after difficult workouts, and this was a determining factor in why those who did not take the supplement reduced their anabolic levels relative to their catabolic levels.

How does zinc work in ZMA ?

These benefits occurred in the ZMA group despite the fact that dietary analyses found that all the athletes consumed much more than the recommended zinc intake.

In addition to the study in question, several other studies have also found that zinc and magnesium offer powerful anabolic properties.

• A 2007 study from Selcuk University (Konya, Turkey) reported that four weeks of zinc supplementation in men increased testosterone levels at rest and after exercise.
• The same researchers also found similar results for zinc supplementation and testosterone levels in an earlier study involving competitive wrestlers.

The literature also shows that zinc depletion reduces athletes' muscular endurance; this means that maintaining optimal zinc levels is essential to their ability to complete multiple repetitions with a given weight.

How does magnesium work in ZMA?

The same American research team that conducted the research on ZMA also discovered in an earlier study that when subjects took magnesium supplements while following a seven-week leg-training program, their leg strength increased by 20% more than that of those who took a placebo.

It is also suggested that both zinc and magnesium reduce cortisol, a catabolic hormone.

• German research found that athletes who take a magnesium supplement for four weeks can maintain healthy cortisol levels at rest and after a triathlon or athletic competition.
• Brazilian research also reports that athletes who regularly take zinc or ZMA while following a training plan maintain a healthy cortisol balance.

What about the other hormones?

ZMA may also increase growth hormone (HGH) levels, although indirectly, by improving sleep quality due to magnesium's ability to normalize and extend slow-wave sleep during stages 3 and 4.

• This is critical because deeper sleep may help raise HGH levels, which peak during the night.
• In addition, muscle regeneration occurs during sleep, which is extremely important for hypertrophy.

On the other hand, zinc is also critical for maintaining thyroid hormone production, which is important for maintaining your metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn each day) and your ability to burn fat.

Research confirms that when a diet is low in zinc, thyroid hormone levels and metabolic rate decrease.

Several studies have also shown that one month of ZMA supplementation can increase thyroid hormone levels in both novice and intermediate athletes.

It seems that zinc is not only critical for thyroid function, but also for maintaining leptin hormone levels; this hormone is also important for keeping your metabolic rate high and reducing appetite, which will ultimately help you maintain an attractive body composition if you train hard.

 

Source

• Journal of Exercise Physiology – 2000: Effects of a Novel Zinc-Magnesium Formulation on Hormones and Strength