scholarly journals A Dietary Supplement Containing Chlorophytum Borivilianum and Velvet Bean Improves Sleep Quality in Men and Women

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. IMI.S9720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron G. McCarthy ◽  
Rick J. Alleman ◽  
Zach W. Bell ◽  
Richard J. Bloomer

Background Impaired sleep quality is commonplace within industrialized societies, as evidenced by the increasing number of prescription sleep aids available. Certain herbal preparations have been suggested to provide a natural benefit to sleep; however, limited controlled data are available documenting this benefit. In the present study we tested the effect of an experimental dietary supplement, containing the active ingredients Chlorophytum borivilianum and Velvet bean, on sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Methods Eighteen healthy and active men and women, with evidence of impaired sleep quality, consumed the supplement daily for 28 days. The PSQI was administered before and after the intervention period. As indicators of safety, resting heart rate and blood pressure were measured, and a complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, and lipid panel were determined. Results Sleep quality was influenced by the supplement, as evidenced by an improvement in every category of the PSQI questionnaire ( P < 0.05), with most category scores improving approximately 50% from pre to post intervention. No adverse outcomes were noted with use of the supplement, as indicated by no change in resting heart rate, blood pressure, or any bloodborne parameter. Conclusions An investigational dietary supplement containing the active ingredients Chlorophytum borivilianum and Velvet bean improves sleep quality in men and women. Additional placebo controlled trials are needed to corroborate these findings in individuals with self-reported sleeping difficulty.

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. NMI.S8566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron G. McCarthy ◽  
Robert E. Canale ◽  
Rick J. Alleman ◽  
Jacob P. Reed ◽  
Richard J. Bloomer

Background We have recently noted an acute increase in circulating free fatty acids and glycerol, as well as resting metabolic rate, when men and women ingested the dietary supplement OxyELITE Pro™ in a single dose. We have also noted a reduction in appetite when subjects were treated with this supplement for 14 consecutive days. It is possible that such findings may favor body weight and fat loss over time. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of this dietary supplement on weight loss and associated markers using an eight week intervention. Methods Exercise-trained subjects were randomly assigned in double blind manner to ingest either the dietary supplement (n = 16; aged 22.8 ± 0.7) or a placebo (n = 16; 22.5 ± 0.5) every day for eight weeks. Body weight, body composition, skinfold thickness, serum lipids, and appetite were measured as the primary outcome variables. As measures of supplement safety, a complete blood count and comprehensive metabolic panel were performed, and resting heart rate and blood pressure were measured (pre and post intervention). Results No interactions or main effects were noted for our primary outcome measures ( P > 0.05). However, when comparing pre and post intervention values for the supplement, significant decreases were noted in appetite, body weight, body fat percentage, and skinfold thickness ( P < 0.05), while increases were noted for total and HDL-C, as well as for resting heart rate ( P < 0.05). No changes were noted for placebo from pre to post intervention ( P > 0.05), with the exception of an increase in HDL-C ( P < 0.05). Blood pressure and bloodborne safety variables were not differently impacted by supplement or placebo ( P > 0.05), with the exception of monocytes, for which an interaction effect was noted ( P = 0.04). Conclusion These data indicate that the dietary supplement OxyELITE Pro™ may assist in weight and body fat loss in a sample of exercise-trained men and women. The supplement does not result in any adverse effects pertaining to resting blood pressure or bloodborne markers of safety; however a small increase in resting heart rate is observed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. NMI.S8567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron G. McCarthy ◽  
Tyler M. Farney ◽  
Robert E. Canale ◽  
Rick J. Alleman ◽  
Richard J. Bloomer

Background Dietary supplements are often marketed to increase lipolysis and thermogenesis, with the proposed end result being weight loss and body fat reduction. It was the purpose of the present investigation to study the acute effects of a weight/fat loss supplement within a sample of healthy human subjects. Methods Twelve subjects (men 24.8 ± 4.3 yrs; women 22.8 ± 0.4 yrs) ingested a dietary supplement (OxyELITE Pro™) or a placebo, on two separate days in a double-blind, cross-over design. Blood samples were collected immediately before ingestion, and at 60 and 120 minutes post ingestion, and analyzed for plasma glycerol and free fatty acids (FFA). Breath samples were collected immediately before ingestion and at 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes post ingestion, for a measure of kilocalorie expenditure using indirect calorimetry. Area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded at all times and rate pressure product (RPP) was calculated. Results AUC was greater for supplement compared to placebo for glycerol (22.74 ± 1.98 μg · mL-1 · 2 hr-1 vs. 15.76 ± 1.36 μg · mL-1 · 2 hr-1; P = 0.001), FFA(1.62 ± 0.07 mmol · L-1 · 2 hr-1 vs. 0.78 ± 0.12 mmol · L-1 · 2 hr-1; P < 0.0001), and kilocalorie expenditure (149 ± 7 kcal · 2 hr-1 vs. 122 ± 8 kcal · 2 hr-1; P = 0.005). Heart rate ( P = 0.02), systolic blood pressure ( P < 0.0001), and RPP ( P = 0.002) were higher for supplement compared to placebo. Conclusion Ingestion of OxyELITE Pro™ resulted in an increase in blood markers of lipolysis, as well as metabolic rate, during a two-hour post ingestion time period. An increase in hemodynamic variables was also observed. These findings are in reference to a sample of healthy men and women who were naïve to treatment with the dietary supplement. Additional work is needed to determine if the acute changes observed here would persist with chronic use of the supplement and possibly lead to weight/body fat loss over time.


2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Whited ◽  
Kevin T. Larkin

Sex differences in cardiovascular reactivity to stress are well documented, with some studies showing women having greater heart rate responses than men, and men having greater blood pressure responses than women, while other studies show conflicting evidence. Few studies have attended to the gender relevance of tasks employed in these studies. This study investigated cardiovascular reactivity to two interpersonal stressors consistent with different gender roles to determine whether response differences exist between men and women. A total of 26 men and 31 women were assigned to either a traditional male-oriented task that involved interpersonal conflict (Conflict Task) or a traditional female-oriented task that involved comforting another person (Comfort Task). Results demonstrated that women exhibited greater heart rate reactions than men independent of the task type, and that men did not display a higher reactivity than women on any measure. These findings indicate that sex of participant was more important than gender relevance of the task in eliciting sex differences in cardiovascular responding.


Author(s):  
Giselle Sarganas ◽  
Anja Schienkiewitz ◽  
Jonas D. Finger ◽  
Hannelore K. Neuhauser

AbstractTo track blood pressure (BP) and resting heart rate (RHR) in children and adolescents is important due to its associations with cardiovascular outcomes in the adulthood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine BP and RHR over a decade among children and adolescents living in Germany using national examination data. Cross-sectional data from 3- to 17-year-old national survey participants (KiGGS 2003–06, n = 14,701; KiGGS 2014–17, n = 3509) including standardized oscillometric BP and RHR were used for age- and sex-standardized analysis. Measurement protocols were identical with the exception of the cuff selection rule, which was accounted for in the analyses. Different BP and RHR trends were observed according to age-groups. In 3- to 6-year-olds adjusted mean SBP and DBP were significantly higher in 2014–2017 compared to 2003–2006 (+2.4 and +1.9 mm Hg, respectively), while RHR was statistically significantly lower by −3.8 bpm. No significant changes in BP or in RHR were observed in 7- to 10-year-olds over time. In 11- to 13-year-olds as well as in 14- to 17-year-olds lower BP has been observed (SBP −2.4 and −3.2 mm Hg, respectively, and DBP −1.8 and −1.7 mm Hg), while RHR was significantly higher (+2.7 and +3.7 bpm). BP trends did not parallel RHR trends. The downward BP trend in adolescents seemed to follow decreasing adult BP trends in middle and high-income countries. The increase in BP in younger children needs confirmation from other studies as well as further investigation. In school-aged children and adolescents, the increased RHR trend may indicate decreased physical fitness.


2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 779-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiromi Mori ◽  
Isao Saito ◽  
Eri Eguchi ◽  
Koutatsu Maruyama ◽  
Tadahiro Kato ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 05 (02) ◽  
pp. 137-154
Author(s):  
Marcello Finardi Peixoto ◽  
Mario Luis Ribeiro Cesaretti ◽  
Agostinho Tavares

1994 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-29
Author(s):  
P W King-Lewis ◽  
A J Allsopp

AbstractThe effects of 16 weeks at sea upon selected parameters of health and physical fitness were investigated in 30 male volunteers (from a total crew of 48 men) prior to, and immediately following deployment. The 30 subjects were assigned toeither an exercise group, ‘Ex’ (n=12), or a non-exercising group, ‘Nil ex ’ (n = 18), according to their reported participation in vigorous training or sports. Body mass index (BMI), calculated from height and weight, revealed that prior to deployment 13 of the 30 subjects (two in the Ex group) had a BMI over 25 kg.m−2 (i. e. overweight), and a further three subjects (all ‘non-exercisers’) had values of 30 kg.m−2 or more (obese). In addition, the diastolic blood pressure of two subjects was in excess of 95 mmHg and five subjects had resting heart rates above 89 beats per minute. Retrospective comparisons between the Ex and Nilex groups revealed a significantly lower percentage body fat (P<0.01) and a faster rate of cardiac recovery (P<0.05) following a standardised bout of exercise in the Ex group, albeit that these individuals were significantly younger (mean age of 24 years) than those in the Nilex group (32 years). Following deployment, in the Nilex group, comparisonof pre- and post values showed that resting heart rate was elevated (P<0.01) on return from sea. Similarly, in the Nilex group heart rate while performing the standardised exercise about was also elevated (P<0.05) on the second test occasion. In the Ex group, heart rate measures during and foJlowing exercise indicated a significantly slower rate of recovery (P<0.05) on the second test occasion.


Author(s):  
Tao Huang ◽  
Wenxiu Wang ◽  
Jingjia Wang ◽  
Jun Lv ◽  
Canqing Yu ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives To examine the direction, strength and causality of the associations of resting heart rate (RHR) with cardiometabolic traits. Methods We assessed the strength of associations between measured RHR and cardiometabolic traits in 506,211 and 372,452 participants from China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) and UK Biobank (UKB). Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were used to make causal inferences in 99,228 and 371,508 participants from CKB and UKB, respectively. Results We identified significant, directionally-concordant observational associations between RHR and higher total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein, C-reactive protein (CRP), glucose, body mass index, waist-hip ratio (WHR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) after the Bonferroni correction. MR analyses showed that 10 beat/min higher genetically-predicted RHR were trans-ethnically associated with a higher DBP (beta 2.059 [95%CI 1.544, 2.574] mmHg in CKB; 2.037 [1.845, 2.229] mmHg in UKB), higher CRP (0.180 [0.057, 0.303] log mg/L in CKB; 0.154 [0.134, 0.174] log mg/L in UKB), higher TG (0.052 [-0.009, 0.113] log mmol/L in CKB; 0.020 [0.010, 0.030] log mmol/L in UKB) and higher WHR (0.218 [-0.033, 0.469] % in CKB; 0.225 [0.111, 0.339] % in UKB). In the opposite direction, higher genetically-predicted SBP, TG, glucose, WHR and lower high-density lipoprotein were associated with elevated RHR. Conclusion Our large-scale analyses provide causal evidence between RHR and cardiometabolic traits, highlighting the importance of monitoring heat rate as a means of alleviating the adverse effect of metabolic disorders.


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