Twelve weeks supplementation with an extended-release caffeine and ATP-enhancing supplement may improve body composition without affecting hematology in resistance-trained men

A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Resistance Training on Whole-Body Muscle Growth in Healthy Adult Males

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to study all published clinical trial interventions, determined the magnitude of whole-body hypertrophy in humans (healthy males) and observed the individual responsibility of each variable in muscle growth after resistance training (RT). Searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library from database inception until 10 May 2018 for original articles assessing the effects of RT on muscle size after interventions of more than 2 weeks of duration. Specifically, we obtain the variables fat-free mass (FMM), lean muscle mass (LMM) and skeletal muscle mass (SMM). The effects on outcomes were expressed as mean differences (MD) and a random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regressions determined covariates (age, weight, height, durations in weeks…) to explore the moderate effect related to the participants and characteristics of training. One hundred and eleven studies (158 groups, 1927 participants) reported on the effects of RT for muscle mass. RT significantly increased muscle mass (FFM+LMM+SMM; Δ1.53 kg; 95% CI [1.30, 1.76], p < 0.001; I² = 0%, p = 1.00). Considering the overall effects of the meta-regression, and taking into account the participants’ characteristics, none of the studied covariates explained any effect on changes in muscle mass. Regarding the training characteristics, the only significant variable that explained the variance of the hypertrophy was the sets per workout, showing a significant negative interaction (MD; estimate: 1.85, 95% CI [1.45, 2.25], p < 0.001; moderator: -0.03 95% CI [−0.05, −0.001] p = 0.04). In conclusion, RT has a significant effect on the improvement of hypertrophy (~1.5 kg). The excessive sets per workout affects negatively the muscle mass gain.

Extraction of Green Tea Phenolics Using Water Bubbled with Gases

Water was bubbled with gases including nitrogen (N₂ ), oxygen (O₂ ), hydrogen (H₂ ), carbon dioxide (CO₂ ), and air for 10 min and phenolics from green tea leaves were extracted using the prepared gas-bubbled water. To retain the gases in water, the extraction conditions were maintained in an air-tight container at room temperature under magnetic stirring. Radical scavenging ability, total phenolic content, and phenolic profiles of the extracts were analyzed, and gas-bubbled water was examined to explain the differences in phenolic contents. Overall, green tea infusion prepared from H₂ -bubbled water contained significantly high levels of total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity compared to other gas-bubbled waters including N₂ , O₂ , CO₂ , and air (P < 0.05).Control samples and those bubbled with CO₂ showed the lowest antioxidant activities in green tea infusion. However, green tea extracts with O₂ bubbling showed the lowest catechin content. Green tea leaves treated with hydrogen gas-bubbled water had much greater damage to their surface morphological properties compared to the other groups, which may explain the higher yield of phenolic compounds. Overall, hydrogen gas-bubbled water showed better extraction yield of phenolics from green tea leaves than other gas-bubbled water. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Green tea or green tea infusion has diverse health beneficial functionality due to the presence of phenolic compounds. In this study, different gases including nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide were treated in water and these gas-bubbled water were used to extract phenolics from green tea leaves. Among them, hydrogen-bubbled water extracted the highest phenolic contents from tea leaves and showed the highest in vitro antioxidant ability in green tea infusion compared to other gas-bubbled water. This new knowledge could help to produce green teas with higher antioxidant activity in beverage industry.