Obesity and similar health concerns might be incredibly prevalent in the United States, but so are eating disorders and steroid abuse among people who are trying to find the easiest ways of preventing obesity. Unfortunately, a few studies have shown that the majority of steroid users refuse to accept the adverse side effects of steroid use and abuse. Therefore, instead of continuously conducting research that always frustratingly fails to convince people that steroid use and abuse is ineffective or even dangerous, some scientists are now trying to find a healthier alternative to steroids. Interestingly, they might have found that a little bit of grape juice before and after working out could be a good option for people looking to enhance their exercise routine.
Fruit juices are generally frowned upon among people trying to build muscle or lose weight because these drinks contain a lot of processed sugars and lot of calories. However, studies show that calorie counting is not necessarily an effective way of preventing weight gain. It is better to pay attention to the quality of the calories being eaten. Empty calories can lead to weight gain, but high calorie content foods can still be beneficial as long as they are foods that will provide the body with healthy nutrients.
Still, it is true that anyone who wants to look and feel good should try avoiding the processed sugars often found in fruit juices. Therefore, the only type of grape juice that actually has potential to be really healthy is juice that has no added sugars (meaning the labels will same something like “100 percent juice”). This type of grape juice will still be high in sugar content, but it will contain only natural sugars that do not have adverse effects in the same way that processed sugars do. Meanwhile, the other ingredients in the grape juice can act as an ergogenic aid.
Ergogenic aids are supplements that that people use in order to elevate workout performance. Among male athletes, anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), a synthetically produced derivative of testosterone, are a very common choice for boosting athleticism, even though its use is linked to a number of adverse side effects on the user’s mental and physical health. The most common of these side effects include decreased sperm production, infertility, hair loss, gynecomastia (breast growth), high cholesterol, poor body image, depression, aggression, hostility, paranoia, and certain types of cancer. It can also increase an individual’s risk of cardiovascular diseases because of the way it can negatively impact the body’s cholesterol levels.
Most people who use these steroids are not even competitive athletes. Studies show that AAS is now extremely prevalent among adult men who simply use the drug to look more muscular. AAS users also tend to be well educated and, on average, they research the drugs they are taking more often than other types of drug users. Their research is usually inaccurate because they stick to unreliable anecdotal evidence. However, despite the scientific evidence that contradicts much of their research, these people continue to use AAS, claiming that the negative associations with AAS are exaggerated by the media, by politicians, and by their untrustworthy doctors.
The United States actually heavily regulates the use of AAS, but there are slight variations of some types of AAS that are not heavily regulated. These variations often show up in nutritional supplements. Androstenedione, for example, is known to boost testosterone levels and is even legal in some sports. The United States has trouble regulating it because research has not proven that it increases muscle growth unless the user is already a serious athlete engaging in a lot of strength training. Since most users are not competitive athletes, these supplements probably do little to promote muscle growth. However, the lack of scientific evidence to show that it works has not stopped claims that androstenedione increases muscle mass, increases strength, and decreases fatigue. Another common nutritional supplement ingredient is creatine, which is used among a lot of professional athletes and is especially helpful for exercises that do not require too much endurance. It promotes the storage of a type of molecule in muscles that are thought to increase how much energy a muscle has. However, it also causes a number of side effects, including bloating, weight gain, muscle cramps, high blood pressure, kidney diseases, and other problems with the renal system.
To combat the use of sports supplements, recent studies have indicated that some healthier alternatives can be used as ergogenic aids. One study saw workout enhancement in people who spent 28 days drinking 350 milliliters of grape juice before exercise and 350 afterwards. The performance boost was especially prevalent in recreational runners by making it take longer before the runners got tired. Overall, runners saw a performance increase of up to 15%.
However, grape juice is not just for runners. Its high antioxidant content can help anyone who is exercising. It has also some vitamin B, which is known to help people stay energized. It contains potassium and calcium, which can supply people with the electrolytes that athletes lose while sweating. Some also believe that people who drink grape juice can lose weight more easily than those who do not.
Other grape products will have similar healthy effects, especially grape products made from red grapes. Some grapes also have phenolic compounds, which can help fight off infections and potentially prevent cancer. Even red wine has long been shown to provide people with a number of health benefits. It can help to improve heart health, improve cholesterol, and manage diabetes. All of these advantages can make it easier for people to lose weight and promote muscle growth.
While grape juice most likely is not as powerful as AAS can be in some people, the side effects associated with grape juice are definitely less adverse than the side effects associated with steroids. More research must be conducted before anyone knows exactly how much grape juice can lead to the ideal effects. However, it is clear that steroids are not the only way for people to boost their workout performance.
