ProLine Sports, Nutrition and Equipment Blog

EP-NO Natural Blood Builder from Dedicated Athlete

Wanted some feedback from anyone who has used this product before. There doesn't seem to be a ton of buz about it on the web, so I'm looking for any endurance athletes that are or have used this during their course of training. Below, I've included information about the supplement straight from www.dedicatedathlete.com

EP-NO is a synergistic blend of natural absorbable heme and non heme-iron, meaning the sources of iron will metabolize easier in the body making it more effective. EP-NO also conatins Vitamins B12, B6, Zinc, Folic acid and Biotin. EP-NO contains 70% natural ingredients and is a product which will not make you toxic or ill.

Endurance athletes (such as cyclist's, triathletes and marathon runners) need more iron than most people, possibly due to accelerated destruction of red blood cells, muscle injuries, loss of iron through sweat, and insufficient time to reabsorb iron.

EP-NO Key ingredients:

Vitamin B12(methylcyanocobalamin)

Necessary for our nervous systems to function properly, Vitamin B12 nourishes the outer covering of our nerves called the myelin sheathe, promoting healthy conduction of energy throughout the entire nervous system. By protecting our nerve cells, B12 indirectly influences our ability in all aspects of the central nervous system. B12 aids in the normal formation of the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout our bodies.

B12  also helps metabolize iron, carbohydrates, and fats and is needed for proper digestion and absorption of other nutrients from food by aiding the formation of the powerful chemical signal in our brains acetylcholine, Vitamin B12 supports memory and learning capabilities as well.

Why athletes use Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 has long been held in high regard for its purported capacity to increase energy, and while this claim is largely anecdotal, there is no disputing the potentially crippling effects on performance and energy that a B12 deficiency could produce. While serious deficiencies are not a common occurrence in normally healthy people, an athlete's body is taxed by intense workouts and dietary modifications that prevent the comparison to the "average" adult.

While available as an individual vitamin supplement, sufficient B12 can be gained from a complete Vitamin B complex. Given the increased stresses on the bodies of athletes in intense training, this should provide a good "insurance" level.

Carmel, R., "Subtle and Atypical Cobalamin Deficiency States," Am J Hematol 34.2 (1990) : 108-14.

Ellis, F.R., and Nasser, S., "A Pilot Study of Vitamin B12 in the Treatment of Tiredness," Br J Nutr 30.2 (1973) : 277-83.

Pennypacker, L.C., et al., "High Prevalence of Cobalamin Deficiency in Elderly Outpatients" (see comments), J Am Geriatr Soc 40.12 (1992) : 1197-204.

Markle, H.V., "Cobalamin," Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 33.4 (1996) : 247-356.

Toxicity of Vitamin B12

None known. Well tolerated even at high dosages.

Beet Root:

Biosynthesis and radical scavenging activity of betalains during the cultivation of red beet (Beta vulgaris) hairy root culture.

Group of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Plovdiv.

Betalains biosynthesis and antiradical scavenging activity were investigated during cultivation of four hairy root cultures of Beta vulgaris, obtained from different cultivars (Bordo, Egyptian, Detroit 2 and Detroit Dark Red). The best producer of betalains was a hairy root culture from Beta vulgaris cv. Detroit Dark Red (13.27 mg/g dry weight total pigment production). The ethanol extract, derived from roots of the same culture grown for 15 days under submerged conditions, showed a high antiradical activity (83% of inhibition of the stable DPPH.).

Plasma membrane of Beta Vulgarious shows high water channel activity regulated by cytoplasmic pH and a dual range of calcium concentrations.

Laboratorio de Biomembranas, epartamento de Fisiologia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155 Piso 7, (C1121ABG) Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Plasma membrane vesicles isolated by two-phase partitioning from the storage root of Beta vulgaris show atypically high water permeability that is equivalent only to those reported for active aquaporins in tonoplast or animal red cells (Pf=542 microm s(-1)). The values were determined from the shrinking kinetics measured by stopped-flow light scattering. This high Pf was only partially inhibited by mercury (HgCl2) but showed low activation energy (Ea) consistent with water permeation through water channels. To study short-term regulation of water transport that could be the result of channel gating, the effects of pH, divalent cations, and protection against dephosphorylation were tested. The high Pf observed at pH 8.3 was dramatically reduced by medium acidification. Moreover, intra-vesicular acidification (corresponding to the cytoplasmic face of the membrane) shut down the aquaporins. De-phosphorylation was discounted as a regulatory mechanism in this preparation. On the other hand, among divalent cations, only calcium showed a clear effect on aquaporin activity, with two distinct ranges of sensitivity to free Ca2+ concentration (pCa 8 and pCa 4). Since the normal cytoplasmic free Ca2+ sits between these ranges it allows for the possibility of changes in Ca2+ to finely up- or down-regulate water channel activity. The calcium effect is predominantly on the cytoplasmic face, and inhibition corresponds to an increase in the activation energy for water transport. In conclusion, these findings establish both cytoplasmic pH and Ca2+ as important regulatory factors involved in aquaporin gating.

Liver Extract:

Liver extracts are “a decent source of iron and B vitamins that may have some use as an adjunctive treatment for iron deficiency anemia.” In the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Murray and Pizzorno cite one study whose hepatitic subjects saw a reduction in liver enzyme levels following liver extract supplementation. This decrease in enzyme levels, Murray and Pizzorno say, suggest that liver extract is “effective in treating chronic hepatitis.” Similarly, The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (Therapeutic Research Faculty, 2003) notes liver extract’s ability to “stimulate liver cell proliferation in experimental animals after partial hepatectomy.” Michael DiPalma, N.D., in Nature’s Medicine (Rodale, 1999) advocates liver extract supplementation for anemics, saying that it contains “all the things that your body needs to rebuild blood.”

The desiccated liver powder comes from fresh, hormone-free beef liver. It contains all the factors occurring in low-heat non-defatted beef liver. It is pure liver and has nothing added.

[CLINICAL RESEARCH ON THE HEMOPOIETIC ACTION OF NUCLEOSIDES ASSOCIATED WITH LIVER EXTRACT, VITAMIN B COMPLEX AND VITAMIN B 12.]

[Article in Italian] Will be available in English

[PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON A NEW LIVER EXTRACT WITH CARDIOSTIMULATING ACTIVITY.]

[Article in Italian] Will be available in English

Fujisawa K. Therapeutic effects of liver hydrolysate preparation on chronic hepatitis: a double-blind, controlled study. Asian Med J.

Ohbayashi A, Akioka T, Tasaki H. A study of effects of liver hydrolysate on hepatic circulation. J Therapy.

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Washizuka M, Hiraga Y, Furuichi H, et al. [Effect of liver hydrolysate on ethanol- and acetaldehyde- induced deficiencies].  Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi.

Nordic Skiing Marathon Race Nutrition

More from First Endurance. We thank them

Nordic Skiing Marathon Race Nutrition Tips
by Neal Henderson MS, CSCS

Training and racing a cross country ski marathon well is quite a challenging task. In addition to the rigors of actually training for the event, preparing your skis with the right wax, and knowing how to pace yourself appropriately, comes the daunting task of staying fueled and hydrated in one of the world's most energetically demanding sports. Energy expenditure (in terms of Calories per minute) for trained cross country skiers has been shown to be among of highest of any athletes in any sport. This is due to the fact that both the upper and lower body musculature are highly involved in Nordic skiing. Both classical (AKA diagonal stride) and freestyle (AKA skating or skate skiing) styles are contested in cross country ski races, and there is very little difference in the energy demand in both techniques. One of the main differences between the two techniques is that freestyle skiing tends to be a little faster than classical skiing in most situations. A typical cross country ski marathon will be between 40 and 50 kilometers (24.8 and 31 miles) long, and while the top athletes may finish the event in just under 2 hours, most athletes take at least 2-3 hours or more to complete the race.

In racing marathon distance events, the concept of pacing is crucial to your overall performance. When you ski at a moderate pace you might expend between 600 and 800 calories per hour for averaged size men, or 400-600 calories per hour for an averaged size woman, and that energy will come from burning a mix of carbohydrate and fats. As you work harder, energy expenditure will increase to 900-1200 calories per hour for men, and 650-900 calories for women, with the overwhelming majority of it (75-95%) coming from carbohydrate metabolism. This can cause a problem in sustained skiing, as men typically have about 350 to 450 grams of carbohydrate (or 1400-1800 calories) and women typically have 250-350 grams of carbohydrate (or 1000 to 1400 calories) stored and available for use by the muscles IF they have topped off muscle glycogen stores. If you do the math, an athlete might only have about 1.5 hours of stored carbohydrate energy available at the start of a marathon event. This means that taking in fuel during the race is absolutely necessary to maintain race effort for the duration of the event. Also, this brings to light the importance of improving your ability to burn fats as a fuel.

To improve the ability to burn fat as a fuel, you need to increase the amount of mitochondria in the muscle...as it is within the mitochondria that fatty acids and carbohydrates are oxidized - or broken down with oxygen to get energy. This is typically referred to as aerobic metabolism. To improve your body's ability to generate energy from the aerobic system, a high volume of training at relatively easy intensities is required. Some coaches and athletes refer to this type of training as LSD - or long slow distance or Base training. Whatever you call it, training like this is necessary to improve both aerobic capability, as it is to building the musculoskeletal integrity necessary to tolerate more intense training. Years of endurance training continue to improve the aerobic system, and this is why it takes many years of training to reach a peak of endurance capability. So, one of the important things to remember as it relates to cross country ski marathon training is that you need plenty of aerobic training to be able to improve the body's ability to burn fat so that you can make your carbohydrate stores last longer.

Fueling during a cross country ski marathon is challenging in trying to maintain your pace and rhythm and stay on a fueling scheduling. Recommended carbohydrate intake ranges between 30-50 grams per hour for women and smaller men, and 40-80 grams per hour for men and larger women. I do believe that some athletes will be capable of ingesting more than this, but most research shows that absorption of carbohydrate at rates greater than this is unlikely. In addition to the need for carbohydrate, hydration is still a factor in winter endurance sports. Just because you aren't seeing your sweat doesn't mean that you aren't sweating. I recommend skiers to try to establish their fluid losses by doing pre/post ski weight checks, but the general idea of ingesting 16-32 ounces of fluid should be a starting point. Because of the lower temperatures typical of Nordic ski races, a fluid replacement drink with sodium will help keep the fluids from freezing. I am a big fan of using hydration packs while skiing, as it's easy to grab the hose and stick is in your mouth - even with your poles and straps. Using water bottles is a bit more challenging, and usually requires un-buckling at least one pole strap. As a practical note to help keep a hydration pack hose from freezing, after you finish taking a drink exhale air back into the hose, and blow all of the remaining fluid back into the reservoir. This will minimize the possibility of the hose freezing up completely and blocking your next attempt at a drink, and will also give you a few pre-pressurized sips or gulps the next time you drink.

If your fluid intake isn't helping you reach your total carbohydrate intake goals, I would recommend adding energy gels...or some other non-solid carbohydrate fuel. Beware of taking anything from feed stations - as often it has been sitting in the cold for a while, and might not be able to be eaten in a frozen state. If you are carrying gels, or other energy foods, try to tuck them into your clothing so they are next to your skin...but easily accessible. Putting energy gel packs in your gloves is not recommended - but stuffing them inside the forearm of your outfit is a good idea. Remember to adjust your intake based on not just your goal time - but how long the race is taking you in the early going. One marathon that I did in 2006 resulted in a spectacular bonk over the final 5K...and I lost 5 places in the final 1km! The cause of my unraveling was failing to adjust for the snow conditions which were deteriorating and skipping an unmanned aid station with 10K to go because I wasn't patient enough to stop and fill up my own cup of sports drink. Not stopping for a 30-second nutrition stop ended up costing me several minutes. So, hopefully you can learn from my mistakes!