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Creatine powder? L-carnitine? As a man, you are faced with a huge selection of different nutritional supplements, but how do you choose? What are they? If you want to find out what other men are taking, then here are some common men’s supplements. L-carnitine L-carnitine was discovered in Russia in 1905 by the scientists Gulewitsch & Krimberg . It was first found in meat extracts, and is now known to be present in a wide range of different tissues, including the muscles, heart and brain. L-carnitine is actually made in the kidneys and liver from lysine and methionine, which are amino acids . Interestingly, there are actually two different forms of the carnitine molecule, which are mirror images of each other. L-carnitine is the one which is found in supplements, whereas d-carnitine has no biological function . L-carnitine is typically available in 500 mg tablets or as a liquid. Creatine First discovered by Michel Eugène Chevreul in 1832 , creatine is a major constituent of lean skeletal muscle tissue, making up about 4% of the total mass. In fact, the name creatine is derived from the Greek word for “flesh”. Creatine is a small molecule which is made from 3 amino acids; L-arginine, glycine, and L-methionine . Creatine supplements are available both as powders and pills, and are often stirred into fruit juice. Lycopene Lycopene is a bright red pigment that is found in tomatoes and in other vegetables such as carrots (in fact, it is known as a carotenoid, and is related to beta-carotene). It is available as gel capsules and as a liquid, with the dosage size varying by manufacturer. Don’t take the whole bottle at one shot, though, as it can turn your skin orange in high doses ! L-glutamine L-glutamine is an amino acid, and is one of the 20 standard amino acids in the genetic code . It is one of the building blocks of many different proteins, and is found in high concentrations in blood. Flaxseed Oil Flaxseed oil, which is also known as linseed oil, is made by pressing the seeds of the flax plant. Flax has been used by humans for thousands of years; in 2009 30,000 year-old processed flax fibres were found in a cave in Georgia ! Flax oil contains high levels of alpha-linoleic acid, which is an omega-3 fatty acid. [1]Robert S. Harris (1957). “Vitamins and hormones, Volume XV” http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mq-rBBVTmYEC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=Gulewitsch+%26+krimberg&source=bl&ots=i404Ir1HT8&sig=3hZ8VJjJO2hM8h5gld9cQ6m33Uk&hl=en&ei=tvZfTfScKJCH4gaKprDGCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Gulewitsch%20%26%20krimberg&f=false [2]Steiber A, Kerner J, Hoppel C (2004). "Carnitine: a nutritional, biosynthetic, and functional perspective". Mol. Aspects Med. 25 (5-6): 455–73 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15363636 [3]^ A. J. Liedtke, S. H. Nellis, L. F. Whitesell and C. Q. Mahar (1982). "Metabolic and mechanical effects using L- and D-carnitine in working swine hearts". Heart and Circulatory Physiology 243 (5) http://ajpheart.physiology.org/content/243/5/H691.abstract [4]Gajja S. Salomons, Markus Wyss (2007). Creatine and creatine kinase in health and disease http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HjU1FYjjoRcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Creatine+and+creatine+kinase+in+health+and+disease&hl=en&ei=3ABgTev_Boev8gPElIVa&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDwQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false [5]Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “Creatine". http://www.bidmc.org/YourHealth/ConditionsAZ.aspx?ChunkID=21706. [6]American Cancer Society. “Lycopene” http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/DietandNutrition/lycopene [7]National Institutes of Health. “Table of Standard Genetic Code” http://helixweb.nih.gov/gcode.html [8]Richard Harris (2009). “These Vintage Threads Are 30,000 Years Old”. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112726804&sc=fb&cc=fp Interactive European Network for Industrial Crops and their Applications. “Linseed Oil” http://www.ienica.net/crops/linseed.pdf
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supplements, nutrition, health, exercise, creatine, l-cartinine, men,
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