nicotine and cardiovascular effects/exercise

    "...Three randomized controlled trials have examined the efficacy and safety of NRT in patients with cardiovascular disease (Working Group, 1994; Tzivoni et al., 1998; Joseph et al., 1996). Although each study examined different endpoints, none showed significant differences in the rates of death, myocardial infarction, frequency of angina, arrhythmia, or withdrawal from therapy due to adverse events, comparing NRT to placebo. In one trial, smoking concurrently while using transdermal nicotine was not associated with an increase in adverse events (Joseph et al., 1996). Two of the trials showed a statistically significant increase in cessation rates with active treatment (Working Group, 1994; and Tzivoni et al., 1998); however one failed to demonstrate the efficacy of transdermal nicotine to accomplish long-term abstinence from smoking (Joseph et al., 1996).

A meta-analysis of adverse events, recorded in the course of 35 trials to evaluate the efficacy of nicotine patches, also failed to document a difference in the rate of acute myocardial infarction between active (n=5501) and placebo (n=3752) treatment groups (Greenland et al., 1998). A more recent meta-analysis (Mills et al., 2010) included 120 studies (92 randomised clinical trials and 28 observational studies) for a total of 177,390 individuals, and found no increased risk for myocardial infarction or death from NRT (for a review on adverse effects and tolerability see also Hays & Ebbert, 2010). The majority of these studies, however, specifically excluded patients with cardiac disease at baseline. A secondary analysis of subjects in the Lung Health Study, a randomized, controlled trial for the prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, demonstrated that cardiovascular deaths were associated with continuing smoking, but not among those who used nicotine gum for five years. The use or dose of nicotine gum, or concurrent smoking and gum use, was not associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity or mortality (Murray et al., 1996). A case control study of acute myocardial infarction, stroke and death in the UK found no evidence of increased risk in the 56 days after starting NRT for smoking cessation (Hubbard et al., 2005)."

Effect of transdermal nicotine administration on exercise endurance in men

Nicotine is widely reported to increase alertness, improve co-ordination and enhance cognitive performance; however, to our knowledge there have been no attempts to replicate these findings in relation to exercise endurance. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects nicotine might have on cycling endurance, perception of exertion and a range of physiological variables. With local ethics committee approval and having obtained informed consent, 12 healthy, non-smoking men (22 ± 3 years; maximal O₂ uptake, 56 ± 6 ml kg⁻¹min⁻¹, mean ± S.D.) cycled to exhaustion at 18°C and 65% of their peak aerobic power, wearing either a 7 mg transdermal nicotine patch (NIC) or a colour-matched placebo (PLA) in a randomized cross-over design; water was available ad libitum. Subjects were exercising at approximately 75% of their maximal O₂uptake with no differences in cadence between trials. Ten out of 12 subjects cycled for longer with NIC administration, and this resulted in a significant 17 ± 7% improvement in performance (P < 0.05). No differences were observed for perceived exertion, heart rate or ventilation. There were no differences in concentrations of plasma glucose, lactate or circulating fatty acids. In the absence of any effect on peripheral markers, we conclude that nicotine prolongs endurance by a central mechanism. Possible modes of action are suggested
-Mundel T, Jones DA: Effect of transdermal nicotine administration on exercise endurance in men. Exp Physiol2006, 91:705–713

testosterone and diet

Testosterone diffuses from the testes into the bloodstream for transport to target tissues. Approximately 1% to 2% of all testosterone circulates in the blood as free T, while the other 98% to 99% is protein-bound. Most protein-bound T is strongly associated with SHBG (60%), while the other 38% fraction is bound to albumin. Only the albumin-bound and fT forms are available for binding at target tissues, and are thus called bioavailable T (bioT).1Advancing age is accompanied with changes in testosterone binding due to an increase in SHBG.2

References:

Dandona P, Rosenberg MT. A practical guide to male hypogonadism in the primary care setting.Int J Clin Pract. 2010;64:682-696. PMID: 20518947.

Kaufman J-M, T'Sojen G, Verleulen A. Androgens in male senescence. In: Nieschlag E, Behre HM, eds. Testosterone: Action, Deficiency, Substitution. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 2012: Chapter 16.

Testosterone and cortisol in relationship to dietary nutrients and resistance exercise (

Volek et al., 1997)

Effects of replacing meat with soyabean in the diet on sex hormone concentrations in healthy adult males(Habito et al., 2000)

 Body composition and hormonal responses to a carbohydrate-restricted diet (Volek et al., 2000)

Intensive insulin therapy increases sex hormone binding globulin in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients (Tong et al., 2013)

Lower serum testosterone is independently associated with insulin resistance in non-diabetic older men: the Health In Men study (get it? H.I.M.) (Yeap et al., 2009)

Food energy

The energy value per gram of various food components includes:

• fat – 37 kJ (9 Cal) – not all fatty acids may provide the same amount of energy
• alcohol – 29 kJ (7 Cal)
• carbohydrates – 16 kJ (4 Cal) – not all carbohydrates may provide the same amount of energy
• protein – 17 kJ (4 Cal)
• dietary fibre – 13 kJ (3 Cal) – if fermented by bacteria in the large intestine
• water – 0 kJ (0 Cal).
• SINCE 1 KILOWATT HOUR => ENERGY USED BY 10 X100WATT BULBS TURNED ON FOR 1 HOUR=3600 KILOJOULES= 3600/37~97 GRAMS OF FAT