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Intro. |
Effects |
Parameters |
CV Factors |
Graphical Data |
Case Studies |
Graphical Data |
Summary |
Sixty-one (61) physically active persons, (13
females and 48 males ranging in age from 16 to 62 years; average age:
31.34 years) from diabetics exercising a few times a week to professional
boxers, ingested large amounts of Udo's Oil Blend for approximately
8 weeks (48 to 113 days; average: 58.56 days). No concurrent changes
were made to either their diet or their training. The initial dosage
was 0.3 grams of Udo's Oil Blend per kg of body weight daily for the
first 7 days; 0.45 grams per kg of body weight from day 8 to day 14;
and 0.6 grams per kg of body weight onward.
Measured in terms of energy, this represents an
extra 5.1 Kcal per kg of body weight that participants received daily
in the form of Udo's Oil Blend from day 15 onward.
The participants' subjective responses to ingestion
of Udo's Oil Blend in terms of:
- athletic performance,
- general well-being,
- and side effects
were obtained and compiled through questionnaires
and interviews. Participants were asked to fill out questionnaires
after 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and upon cessation of the trial. Interviews
were carried out after 4 weeks of supplementation and upon cessation
of the trial. Valid information on subjective responses was obtained
from 47 of the 6l persons who initially enrolled in the trial.
Thirty-five (35) out of the 47 participants, who
gave reliable feedback to the questionnaires and interviews, experienced
subjective improvement in athletic performance; 31 participants experienced
improvement in general well being. It should also be noted that 21
of the 47 participants did experience side effects from ingesting
the oil.
Athletic performance: subjective improvement:
Improvement in: |
No. |
stamina and endurance
|
27
|
strength
|
2
|
recovery time after
physical activity
|
29
|
inflammation
|
12
|
increases in lean mass
|
10
|
other
|
12
|
As shown, 3/4 of the participants experienced
improvement in athletic performance by ingesting Udo's Oil Blend.
The greatest effects seemed to be on stamina and endurance, as well
as a decrease in recovery time after training and competitions..
One runner went from running a total of approximately
90 km a week, to running a total of l47 km a week, without reaching
the point of overstraining. Previous attempts to increase the
total
km run per week to more than 90 km were unsuccessful because he
would overtrain and thus wear himself down.
A cyclist increased his 60-80 km a day to a
total of l00-l20 km a day without reaching the point of overtraining.
He also experienced a significant improvement in general well being,
including healing of permanent sitting sores and anal fissures.
One amateur boxer increased his stamina and
endurance and went from being able to do 1.5-hour training sessions
before getting exhausted, to doing 2.5-hour training sessions before
reaching exhaustion.
At gatherings with the Danish National
Triathlon Team, one triathlete was able to train intensively all day long
seven days in a row at Club La Santa Sport in Lanzarote without
exhausting himself. Before entering the trial, he had attended training
camps at Club La Santa Sport with the Danish national team several
times a year for several years in a row. At that time, he was only
able to train intensively all day long for 3-4 days in a row before
exhausting himself and hence being forced to train at a much lower
intensity for the remainder of the week. He went to Club La Santa
Sport with the Danish national team twice while participating in
the trial and experienced these improvements in stamina and endurance
as well as the decrease in recovery time. This enabled him to train
intensively all day for all 7 days both times, without reaching
the point of exhaustion.
Research shows that essential fatty
acids (EFAs) and some of the eicosanoids produced from several of these
EFAs can improve various biochemical and physiological reactions in
the body. These reactions play key roles in enhancing athletic performance.
This includes an increase in blood flow and oxygenation of tissues,
as well as an increase in the ability to absorb and utilize oxygen
(VO2 max) . These effects of EFAs on human physiology and
biochemistry could explain why so many of the participants in the
trial experienced improvement in stamina and endurance, as well as
a decrease in recovery time after physical exertion. The anti-inflammatory
effects of EFAs likely played a role in the decrease in recovery time
as well. Mild inflammation occurs in various tissues - muscles, joints,
connective tissue, etc. - after physical exercise when the immune
system becomes engaged in breaking down dead and damaged cells. If
this post-exercise inflammatory state becomes too pronounced, healthy
cells can also get damaged. Therefore the recovery time increases
because healthy tissue is also being destroyed by the immune system.
Consequently, an over-pronounced post-training inflammatory state
can occur due to the following:
The oil blend used in the trial
addresses all the above problems. Furthermore, EFAs increase the output of human
Growth hormone (hGh) after physical exercise and improve the binding
of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) to its receptors in cell membranes.
Human Growth hormone and IGF-1 are also involved in processes during
the recovery phase after physical exercise.
A 50-year old male participant in
the trial experienced the most dramatic decrease in inflammation. As a young
elite swimmer he had done a lot of weight resistance training. At
the age of 35 he injured both knees and one shoulder in an accident
and as a result suffered from continuous inflammation in both knees
and especially in the shoulder. He would sometimes have trouble
sleeping because of the pain in the shoulder. Although he continued
doing weight resistance training, the inflammation in his shoulder
severely limited the duration and intensity of the training.
When he entered the trial he could train
no more than twice a week, or the pain in the shoulder would become
too intense. He experienced significant decreases in inflammation
after using the oil blend for 4 weeks. After 8 weeks his knees and
shoulder were pain-free even when he trained intensively. He consequently
increased the number of workouts to 3 or 4 times a week without
the pain coming back.
- Three other participants, all males
older than 40 (two of them type II diabetics) had problems with sore, creaky
knees. These conditions either improved or disappeared altogether
after 8 weeks of supplementation.
- One (1) participant had problems with
hypermobile joints. The condition improved during the 8 weeks of the trial to
the extent that he could put stress on his joints, which would have
previously caused inflammation.
- Four (4) participants did not experience
any improvement in their inflammatory conditions. However, two (2) of
them did not carry on for the full 8 weeks of the trial. One (1)
participant dropped out of the trial after only 2 weeks because
she stopped playing basketball at top-level and was thus not exercising
at the same level as when she entered the trial. The other participant,
who had had knee surgery shortly before entering the trial, was
excluded from the trial because he started using powerful non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for his knee problem. The other
2 participants who did not experience any improvement in their inflammatory
condition often used over the counter NSAIDs. This could have possibly
dampened the potential anti-inflammatory effects of Udo's Oil Blend,
since NSAIDs, such as aspirin, block the conversion of long chain
derivatives of EFAs into eicosanoids, inflammatory as well as anti-inflammatory.
The observed anti-inflammatory
effects must
be attributed to an increased production of Series-1 and Series-3
eicosanoids from dihommo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) and eicosapentaenoic
acid (EPA). This also indicates that the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
and linoleic acid (LA) in Udo's Oil Blend were actually converted
into the above-mentioned long chain derivatives (GLA and EPA).
It is interesting to note that
several participants in the trial who experienced positive
anti-inflammatory effects from ingesting the oil blend were more than 40 years old and type
II diabetics. There is a general assumption that the conversion
of ALA and LA to long-chain derivatives (GLA and EPA) decreases
dramatically after the age of 40 or in the case of diabetes, and
that supplementation with relatively large amounts of pre-formed
GLA and EPA is required to impact eicosanoid production in such
patients. This was not the case with the older, type II diabetic
participants in the trial. The fact that they experienced such improvements
in their inflammatory conditions suggests they must have converted
ALA and LA into EPA and GLA in spite of their older age and being
type II diabetics.
This is another interesting observation since
the general assumption is that fat makes one fat regardless of
the quality or type of fat ingested. This did not prove to be
the case in this trial.
- The most dramatic increase in lean
mass occurred in a male type I diabetic. He had been underweight with a BMI
below 20 for several years, and had made several unsuccessful
attempts to put on weight. During the 3 months before entering
the trial he was training with boxing coach Ivor de Lima. His
fitness program aimed specifically at increasing lean mass. Both
protein powders and creatine were used concurrently but had no
significant impact on his weight or lean mass. The creatine did
however slightly improve his glycemic control and decreased the
recovery time after each training session. Four (4) weeks into
the trial using the oil blend and creatine concurrently, he had
put on 4 - 5 kg, primarily lean mass. Furthermore his glycemic
control was much improved. Consequently he cut his insulin dose
to half and changed to a slower acting type, in order to avoid
hypoglycemia. After completing the trial he went off the oil blend
and creatine twice. On both occasions he lost enough lean mass
that his BMI dropped to under 20, and lost glycemic control. To
avoid episodes of hyperglycemia he doubled the insulin dose and
changed back to a faster acting type again. On both occasions
he was able to regain glycemic control and to increase his lean
mass sufficiently to get his BMI above 20, by restarting on the
combination of creatine and Udo's Oil Blend.
- The runner mentioned above (who increased
his 90 km a week to l47 km a week), also experienced an increase
in lean mass by about 3 kg during the same time period.
- Another participant put on 3 kg,
mainly in the form of lean mass, while experiencing side effects in the
form of digestive upsets.
Although the general understanding
is that fat makes one fat, the above-mentioned increases in lean mass are easily
explained. EFAs can increase the production of human growth hormone
and the binding of IGF-1 to its receptors, which in turn stimulate
increases in lean mass. There are in fact positive accounts of EFA-enriched
protein formulas that have prevented emaciation in cancer patients
and even brought about an increase in lean mass, whereas the protein
formulas without the addition of EFAs could not prevent emaciation.
It is also possible that decreased
inflammation could lead to increased nitrogen retention since less tissue is
broken down by an overly pronounced post-exercise inflammatory state.
The fact that EFAs can increase lean mass adds an interesting perspective,
and challenges the generally accepted perceptions on weight loss.
Improvements in General Well
Being . . .
A good number of participants experienced improved sleep. They
either slept more soundly or had fewer problems falling asleep.
Improvement in
|
No.
|
sleep
|
15
|
concentration
|
14
|
energy levels
|
25
|
inflammation
|
6
|
mood
|
5
|
weight
|
8
|
skin
|
11
|
- The type I diabetic referred to above
slept so soundly, that he was able to dream and remember his dreams
in the morning. Before entering the trial he had problems sleeping
and rarely slept soundly enough to dream.
- One of the type II diabetic participants
had problems falling asleep before entering the trial, and his
condition was further complicated by the use of diuretics he took
to treat edema caused by hypertension. He therefore had to get
up several times during the night to go to the bathroom. After
entering the trial he no longer had problems falling asleep. Although
he still had to get up as often during the night to go to the
bathroom, he fell back asleep right away and was thus well rested
in the morning.
- Only one participant experienced
the opposite effect: He slept more lightly after entering the trial and woke
up more often during the night. However in spite of sleeping more
lightly and waking up more often, he did not feel less rested
in the morning.
- Some participants were able to function
on less sleep than before entering the trial without feeling more
tired.
There are several possible biochemical
explanations for the above. It is possible that supplementation with EFAs in
the form of Udo's Oil Blend either increased the synthesis of melatonin
at night time or, more likely, that the receptors for melatonin
in the central nervous system (CNS) worked better due to increased
membrane fluidity. Increased membrane fluidity, which can result
from the incorporation of more long-chain derivatives of EFAs (primarily
EPA, DHA and AA) into phospholipids, generally improves the functioning
of receptors for various signaling substances such as hormones,
including melatonin.
Several participants also experienced
improved concentration. This is most likely caused by the EFAs' positive
effect on the CNS as a whole. The CNS needs to be supplied with
sufficient amounts of DHA and AA for optimal mental functioning.
- One participant worked at an emergency
service center where he took incoming calls. While participating in
the
trial he felt much more calm and clear headed in stressful situations
such as when he had to process and relay information from several
incoming calls at once.
Some of the most dramatic cases were among the
type II diabetic participants.
- One participant reported "feeling young again". Before entering the trial he was often in low spirits and rarely
felt like doing anything or going anywhere. His mood changed during
the trial along with concurrent increases in his general energy
level. His mood changes were so obvious that the other type II
diabetics he worked out with, his wife, as well as his instructor
- boxing coach Ivor de Lima - noticed and commented on it.
Another type II diabetic had a similar
experience while participating in the trial.
- He went from being very quiet
and introverted, to being much more extroverted, active and
happy.
Moreover, he was no longer easily angered or irritated and had
much more mental energy that allowed him to keep up a grueling
daily regimen without getting burnt out. On weekdays he'd go
to
work during the day, then work out and take care of his cancer
stricken brother in the evening without breaking down mentally.
These effects on mood must once
again be attributed to supplying the CNS with sufficient EFAs for both
structural and functional needs, and the adequate conversion of
these EFAs into the long-chain derivatives that predominate in the
CNS, mainly DHA and AA.
As can be seen from the table above, several
participants in the trial also reported increases in general energy
levels. We can assume that this is attributable to the same causes
responsible for the observed improvement in stamina and endurance
accompanied by decreased post-practice recovery time. The most consistent
observation on the general increase in energy levels was the sudden
lack of need for an afternoon nap that participants used to take
when time allowed.
Some participants experienced
improved skin condition while participating in the trial. Although the participants
did not have any particular skin problems before entering the trial,
their skin did become less prone to dryness and itching after entering
the trial. Beneficial effects of EFAs on skin conditions are well
known and documented.
In most cases, the
side effects were short lived. There were mostly transient
cases of nausea or digestive problems when initially increasing
the dosage of the oil blend to 0.6 grams per kg of body weight
daily. In a few cases the dosage of the oil blend had to be reduced
to 0.45 grams or 0.3 grams per kg of body weight daily to curtail
the side effects.
Problem
|
No.
|
nausea
|
8
|
tiredness
|
10
|
dizziness
|
7
|
dysglycemia
|
4
|
increased weight
|
6
|
other
|
9
|
Only in 5 cases were the side
effects serious enough to stop the participants' participation
in the trial before completing the 8 weeks. Three (3) other participants - all kickboxers
- put on 1-2 kg of weight. It was not determined whether it was
lean mass or fat, however they went from being at the top of their
weight class to the bottom of the next weight class up, which was
unacceptable. Two (2) of them did experience a concurrent improvement
in athletic performance and general well-being. Another kickboxer
put on several kg of body weight. Again it was not determined if
it was lean mass or fat. However, since he went on vacation during
his participation in the trial, he was only able to keep up his
running training, and not his usual boxing practices and weight
resistance training, so the weight gain could be attributed to him
exercising less. Beside the weight gain, this kickboxer experienced
increased energy levels and a much reduced need for sleep.
The experiences with the diabetics
participating in the trial - one (1) participant being type I and four (4) participants
being type II - should be taken note of. The type I diabetic experienced
several episodes of hypoglycemia a few weeks into the trial and
had to decrease the amount of insulin to half the usual dosage,
and change from a fast acting form to a slow-acting form of insulin.
Although a decreased need for insulin in a type I diabetic can hardly
be considered a side effect, it is something that type I diabetics
should keep in mind when using Udo's Oil Blend, as it can cause
episodes of hypoglycemia in such patients.
The four (4) type II diabetic
participants experienced increases in non-fasting glucose levels when on the highest dosage
of 0.6 grams of the oil blend per kg of body weight. In all cases
this problem was resolved by lowering the dosage to between 0.3
and 0.45 grams per kg of body weight. Apart from increases in non-fasting
glucose levels, all type II diabetic participants experienced a
vast improvement in athletic performance and general well being,
even when taking the 0.6 grams of the oil blend per kg of body weight.
It is very likely that the increase
in non-fasting glucose levels observed in the type II diabetics is due to the changes
in energy metabolism, which can be induced by EFAs. Research shows
that an increase in the amount of EFAs in tissues can actually affect
energy metabolism so that more fat is burned concurrently with a
decrease in the rate of fat deposition. Concurrently, there is a
decreased oxidation of glucose along with an increased deposition
of glycogen. In type II diabetics, such a modification of energy
metabolism by supplementing with EFAs could very likely result in
increased non-fasting glucose: Since more fat is oxidized to provide
energy, fewer carbohydrates are used. This would result in higher
blood glucose levels unless the intake of carbohydrates is concurrently
decreased.
In general the side effects were of
a transient and non-problematic nature. When not, they were fully curtailed
by reducing the dosage of the oil blend. In several cases, participants
actually decided to live with the side effects because they were
outweighed by the benefits experienced.
The following
colored bar graphs further illustrate the measured
side effects and subjective benefits discussed above. Below is a link and brief description for each graph;
these graphs constitute page 7 of the study.
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