Written by Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D.
22 October 2017

EGGS-BOOST-MUSCULAR-PERFORMANCE

How Eggs Boost Muscular Performance

 

 

I can’t remember how many times over the years I’ve cracked open an egg, separated the protein-loaded egg white from the egg yolk, and only consumed the egg white. Why? Because I was trying to maximize my protein intake while minimizing fat consumption, to boost muscle mass without increasing body fat. I was also concerned about my long-term health— and the discovery several decades back that high blood cholesterol levels were strongly associated with an increased risk for heart disease compelled me to avoid foods that contain cholesterol, especially whole eggs. Yet, since then a large body of scientific evidence has shown only a weak relationship between cholesterol consumption and blood cholesterol levels,1 while other studies have found that moderate egg consumption was not associated with higher risk of heart disease.2,3 One reason for the lack of association between egg consumption and heart disease is that eggs are a good source of many nutrients that may actually counterbalance a slight increase in the risk of heart disease. In addition, more recent studies have shown that not only are eggs loaded with compounds that decrease cardiovascular risks, but they also possess an abundance of molecules that boost testosterone and increase muscular performance.

 

Fact #1: Eggs Contain Compounds That Boost Testosterone Production

While most of the protein found in eggs resides within the egg white, the egg yolk contains some protein that actually has a greater relative amount of the amino acid L-aspartate, which significantly increases testosterone levels4 after being converted to D-aspartate within the testes and pituitary gland. This influence was clearly shown in a study by Topo et al., where they gave 24 middle-aged men a daily dose of three grams of D-aspartate for 12 days, with 20 others receiving a placebo. In the subjects receiving D-aspartate, testosterone increased by 42 percent relative to the placebo group. Interestingly, this same group also exhibited a 33 percent increase in luteinizing hormone (LH), which is the hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that directly stimulates testicular production of testosterone.

Egg yolks are also an extremely rich source of the muscle-building vitamin D, where several lines of evidence specifically show that increased vitamin D intake produces greater testosterone levels. One recent study looked into the affect of vitamin D on testosterone levels,5 where researchers followed 200 male subjects for an entire year. The men in the study were split into two groups, with one group being given approximately 3,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily, while the other group was given a placebo. The vitamin D supplemented group experienced a significant increase in their testosterone, while the placebo group did not experience any change to their baseline testosterone.

 

Fact 2: Eat The Yolk To Get Yoked

Because the egg yolk contains fat, many cut out egg yolks from their diet to decrease body fat and enhance their physique. However, the egg yolk is also loaded with certain fatty acids, like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), that effectively increase levels of the physique-enhancing testosterone. Conjugated linoleic acid is a mixture of polyunsaturated fatty acids derived from the essential omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid. An investigation by Macaluso et al.7 looked at the influence that CLA had on testosterone levels in humans before and after lifting weights. In this study, 10 resistance-trained male subjects completed three weeks of resistance training— with some subjects receiving six grams of CLA per day while the other subjects received a placebo. The results showed that taking CLA in combination with resistance exercise caused a large increase in total testosterone. Although this study suggests that CLA promotes testosterone synthesis, the precise molecular mechanism was not elucidated. Conversely, another study by Chen et al.8 uncovered some of the molecular details concerning CLA’s ability to increase testosterone production. Chen et al. demonstrated that CLA inhibits the activity of the aromatase enzyme, leading to greater quantities of testosterone.

 

Fact #3: Egg Consumption Increases Muscular Force and Endurance

Neurons, or nerve cells, are the fundamental components of the nervous system that transmit signals from the brain throughout the body. Signals from the brain are propagated down the nerve via electrical signaling, where they are ultimately converted at the nerve ending into chemical signaling by way of small chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters. One of many tissues regulated by nerve cells is muscle, where the nerve ending sends the neurotransmitter acetylcholine to adjacent muscle cells— triggering muscular contraction. Because more acetylcholine increases the number of muscle cells that contract, greater acetylcholine levels should trigger greater muscular contraction. Interestingly, egg yolks are loaded with the compound choline, which is one of the biosynthetic precursors of acetylcholine— and studies have shown that choline consumption increases the production of acetylcholine.9 Therefore, egg consumption should also lead to greater levels of acetylcholine, generating stronger muscular contractions— ultimately increasing muscle strength and size.

While eggs have been inappropriately labeled over the years as unhealthy and may contain unwelcome fat for someone trying to get extremely ripped and lean, they clearly possess a wide variety of nutrients that potently support muscle growth— making them an ideal food for those trying to maximize muscle growth and strength.

 

For most of Michael Rudolph’s career he has been engrossed in the exercise world as either an athlete (he played college football at Hofstra University), personal trainer or as a Research Scientist (he earned a B.Sc. in Exercise Science at Hofstra University and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Stony Brook University). After earning his Ph.D., Michael investigated the molecular biology of exercise as a fellow at Harvard Medical School and Columbia University for over eight years. That research contributed seminally to understanding the function of the incredibly important cellular energy sensor AMPK— leading to numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals including the journal Nature. Michael is currently a scientist working at the New York Structural Biology Center doing contract work for the Department of Defense on a project involving national security.

 


 

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