Popular Diets: Are Any of Them Right for You?

by Doug Kalman MS, RD, FACN
 
With summer upon us, it's time to shed the weight that we gained over the winter. Winter weight gain happens as a result of too many hardy soups and for others it is simply from a change in the mood that is a result of shorter days (less exposure to the sun). Couple this with the constant barrage in newspapers, or on sweeps week television concerning diets and the result can be one confused consumer. We hear about the supposed dangers of the effective Atkins diet, more about the sensation about the Zone diet and Sarah, the Duchess of York encouraging people to follow the Weight Watchers plan. As a health specialist, I am constantly asked my opinion of the Atkins, Zone and Weight Watchers plans. With this in mind and knowing the weight loss is a concern after holiday eating causes the scale to go in the wrong direction I thought it best to do a review of each of these diets. This article will reveal what the current body of literature says and point you in which diet is right for you depending upon your motivation and diet needs.

"A" is for Atkins

We all know of the late Dr. Robert Atkins, the warm, non-confrontational Cornell Medical trained cardiologist. Dr. Atkins rose to national prominence in 1972 with the publication and embrace of his first book, “Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution” published by Bantam Books. This book shook the seams of the low fat is best mantra all throughout the New York social circles and medical practitioners everywhere. People liked the idea that they could eat meat, red meat and tons of it while skimping on the rice or bread, but peppering their foods with natural, creamy butter. However, some physicians and dietitians decry that the Atkins approach was a slow nutritional suicide. Who is right? We still do not know, but what is a fact is that millions of people have lost weight and enjoy utilizing the Atkins principles. To learn more if the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ is correct for you, a brief, but thorough review is required.

Besides the fact that Dr. Atkins has been on almost every major talk show, featured in magazines and articles in various newspapers, one wonders what does the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ (ANA) really offer? To learn more, I read some of his books, extensively viewed the website and interviewed various staff from the Atkins Research Foundation. Dr. Atkins believes that his system is your best bet for improving your energy levels, appearance and feelings of well being. With this in mind, Dr. Atkins believes that if you follow his ANA you have laid the groundwork for a lifetime of better health. Can it be true? Is this the diet for an exercising individual or just for the overweight/obese person looking to shed the extra weight?

The ANA is a four-phase eating plan that is used in conjunction with vitamin and mineral supplementation along with regular exercise. We know that exercise is good for us and we know that almost 90% of the country does not get all of their needed vitamins and minerals through foods daily, so is there anything special about the Atkins plan? In short, yes, but we will get into the benefits a little later in this article.

The Four-Phases:

When a person is initiated on the ANA, they are instructed to restrict all carbohydrates consumption to no more than 20 grams per day. This is Phase One. The Atkins staff encourages you to eat all of your carbohydrates from salad and other non-starchy vegetables. To visualize what 20 grams of carbohydrate look like, picture 4 teaspoons of table sugar and walla, you have met your Atkins daily quota of carbohydrates. In actuality, if you were to eat 20 grams of carbohydrate from just vegetables, this would approximate out to three cups per day. Along with eating all of the fish, fowl, shellfish, meats and eggs along with limited cheese servings (because of the carbohydrate content), one can feel full and satisfied quite easily. Dr. Atkins also notes that you can use healthy cooking oils for cooking (not frying) as well as for dressings. The staff warns you to not lose more than a pound per day on the induction diet. It is also noted that pregnant or nursing women and those with kidney disease should not be on this diet.

The Phase Two part of the diet is known as “Ongoing Weight Loss”. On this Phase, an Atkins dieter can slowly start adding back in carbohydrate to their diet. The key word is gradual, as in only five grams of carbohydrate can be added to the diet weekly until you reach a weight loss plateau. At the plateau, one is advised to reduce their carbohydrate intake by five grams. The question that I have, is what is so magical about reducing my food intake by 20 calories? (Carbohydrates are 4 calories per gram).

To better understand the Phase Two aspect of the ANA, this is where you “find yourself”. This phase is meant to be used once you have lost 15 or so pounds or after two-weeks on Phase One, whichever comes first. Finding yourself means adding back in wholesome carbohydrates (more vegetables, some fruits, but absolutely no bread or white rice). This is also where you can consume more cheeses (regular, cottage or yogurt style) and you are highly encouraged to keep a food diary. The goal with a food diary is to analyze trends, in Atkins case, the good doctor wants you to become cognizant of how many grams of carbohydrate you take in and at what gram level do you start gaining weight back. With the plethora of calorie counting books out there, finding one as a guidebook or even using websites such as www.fitday.com to do your own nutrient analysis becomes very easy.

The third phase (Phase 3) is one where you again increase your carbohydrate intake, with the very real goal of making your weight loss slower and more gradual. Remember while eating meats, fish, shellfish, eggs, dairy coupled with seeds, nuts, healthy oils, fruits and nuts and vegetables you have to find out what ratio of carbohydrate to both proteins and fats is your magic dial in for mild weight loss and energy enhancement.

The final phase (Phase 4) is one where you have reached your goal weight and now are fine-tuning the ANA to meet the goal of weight maintenance. The Atkins Nutritional Principals dictate that by following his approach, you will lose weight, maintain your weight loss, achieve good health and prevent or reduce your risks of disease. Sounds like a winner, doesn’t it?

What does the research say?

Our government, while being somewhat concerned with the country’s collective health, does not always stay on top of the latest thought in nutritional sciences for promoting health. In fact, until recently, the National Institutes of Health has refused to sponsor any “diet” studies that were not based on the guidelines of organizations such as the American Heart Association or the National Cancer Institute. It was only within the past two years that the NIH has agreed (due to public pressure) to fund studies comparing the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ against the standard nutritional advice for diet and weight loss. Keep in mind that this occurs for many reasons, some of these reasons being political and financial influences by food companies. Take for example the recent Institute of Medicine (National Academy of Sciences) report; many members of the IOM were directly sponsored by the Mars Corporation (as in M&M’s). While in totality, the IOM report is good for giving guidelines about how much of each macronutrient; it also stated that 25% of your carbohydrate intake could be from sugar. Hmm, I wonder if a certain candy company influenced that non-scientific recommendation.

In 1999 Dr. Atkins opened a not-for-profit research foundation (Atkins Foundation). The foundation approves grants for research and currently is headed up by Dr. Atkins and consultant, Dr. Abby Bloch. The Atkins Foundation has currently funded more than five clinical studies all worthy of review.

The first study ongoing at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York is open to any person who follows are controlled carbohydrate diet. This study is a national registry for weight loss by those who use the Atkins style approach. It is nicknamed the “CCARBS” and currently is following 6,088 people. If you follow a controlled carbohydrate diet, and would like to share your experience contact C.J. Segal-Isaacson, Ed.D. at the university.

Duke University Medical School also has ongoing studies comparing the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ to the American Heart Association Step One diet in overweight adults with high blood cholesterol issues (risk factors for heart disease). The first study was recently published in the American Journal of Medicine. The published study demonstrated that the Atkins Diet, when followed as directed led to a ~10% body weight loss over 6 months with a concomitant reduction in blood lipid levels (cholesterol, LDL and triglyceride). Ninety-five percent of the participants lost weight and adhered to controlling carbohydrate intake to 40 grams or less daily. Another Duke study is pending scientific publication.

Dr. George Blackburn and colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston (part of the Harvard Medical System) is currently conducting an Atkins funded study. Their study will compare the effects of the Atkins study to a standard low-fat diet approach for weight loss and other markers of health. Being that this study is being done at the prestigious Harvard School of Public Health, the results, if favorable to the ANA will receive a lot of press.

Gary Foster, PhD, a behaviorist at the University of Pennsylvania along with colleagues James Hill of the University of Colorado and others are conducting a multisite one-year study also comparing the ANA to the low-fat, high carbohydrate approach. Results from the first 6 months were published recently at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO). Dr. Foster reported that the Atkins group had more favorable changes in body weight and blood lipids than the standard recommendations given by cardiologists.

Jeff Volek, PhD, RD of the University of Connecticut has published three studies to date and received grants from the Atkins Foundation. Dr. Volek, a prolific researcher has tested the ANA in lean healthy people and in overweight/obese adults as well. The results of his studies are consistent, the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ helped with fat loss, weight loss and the preservation of muscle mass in both lean and overweight adults. There were also favorable effects on markers of cardiovascular health. The University of Connecticut laboratory has also tested the ketogenic diet and its effect on the ability to do stressful exercise. The data was not so supportive for the ability of a low-carbohydrate diet to enhance exercise performance or duration, but this is not the main purpose or universal finding of low carbohydrate diets and exercise. It should be noted that this diet has also been found to cause an increase in the amount of fat that is burned during exercise.

Finally, Bonnie Brehm, PhD of the University of Cincinnati presented results of a study comparing the ANA to a standard low-fat diet in 53 overweight women for 6 months. The Atkins Foundation did not fund this study. However, if you understand the ANA versus the typical low-fat diet, you would not be surprised to learn that those on the Atkins diet lost significantly more weight and body fat than the low-fat group. In fact, the weight loss and fat reduction was almost double that of the low-fat group. The results were presented at the national conference of the American Dietetic Association.

So, is Atkins for you?

My first thought is that anyone who eats according to the ANA will lose weight. It is pretty simple, eat vegetables as your main source of carbohydrates, utilize lean and not so lean meats, fish, shellfish, poultry, eggs and the like for protein and employ healthy fats such as nuts, natural seeds and pressed oils and walla your fat is gone. But, is this diet doable for life? Yes, you can slowly add some carbohydrate in the forms of dairy or fruit back into your diet. But, what happens at holiday time or when there is a birthday, do you “just say no” to the high-carbohydrate cake? It is true that the diet when employed as laid out on the website or even in the book, Dr. Atkins Age Defying Diet, it can be rather healthy, however, will it impair your ability to exercise and exercise hard?

W is for Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers is a program that is more hands on the either the Atkins Diet or the soon to be reviewed Zone nutritional plan. Weight Watchers has been around for 40 years, started on Long Island by Jean Nidetch in her home in 1963; the company now has classes in about 30 countries (mostly in the Americas and Europe). European investment firm Artal Luxembourg owns 94% of Weight Watchers. (It bought most of H.J. Heinz's interests in the company). Weight Watchers went public in November 2001.

From a financial point last quarter, Weight Watchers attendance in North America was up an impressive 26%, driving revenue up 23%. This helps explain why analysts have been bumping up earnings estimates so much. No one expects those kinds of gains to continue throughout the year. But it’s a sign all that government harping about obesity-related health problems, not to mention a new federal tax deduction for Weight Watchers fees (in actuality, any physician referred weight loss plan), may be having an impact.

The company has also introduced a new “Winning Points” system that’s popular because it doesn’t require odd diets. Instead, dieters are given points for certain types of food and activities and told to do the math. “Their point system is designed around the reality that you will do things in your everyday life like go out to eat and buy your favorite food in the supermarket,” says Philip Ruedi, an analyst with T. Rowe Price, which owns Weight Watchers shares.Weight Watchers most current and widely lauded program is one where based upon your height and weight (with your goal weight in mind), you are assigned a certain point range that you are allowed to eat daily. Each point corresponds to a combination of the calorie value of the food along with the fat and fiber content. This is really an ingenious way of helping people to watch their fat intake, while being rewarded for eating high fiber foods. The mantra is really that no foods are off limits, but eating out of your point zone is. In fact, if you exercise, you get to add points to your allotment, if you eat less than your maximum points you can bank them for the week. This plus/minus system of points makes it easy to deal with an upcoming event where you know that you may eat more than what you should. The new Weight Watchers system helps the enrollee to maintain a balance in his or her overall average caloric intake.

Weight Watchers provides (for a fee) food diaries, point books and checkbook size booklets and meetings where you can go for support. The system is a good one, based on understanding that weight is bigger issues than just what you eat, it can also be what is eating you and got you overweight to start with. The Weight Watchers scientific advisors (many medical doctors, dietitians and obesity researchers) have helped to craft a plan designed for weight loss of two pounds per week. While that may not sound like a lot, we know that the slower you lose weight, the longer you keep it off. Dr.Winick, the medical director of Weight Watchers along with others have attempted to structure what they believe to be a safe program for lifetime eating and minimizing the risk of developing any health complications. In essence, the Weight Watchers program is not about watching or subscribing to a specific macronutrient ratio for success, but eating a little less than what you need while striving for behavioral health and incorporating exercise for long-term success.

If you do not like meetings, Weight Watchers has set up an excellent interactive online coaching system (“Weight Watchers at Home”), which is marketed more to men than women, but can benefit both sexes. For additional support, Weight Watchers offers a magazine, online tracking systems, corporate meetings (where they set up at your place of business) and free newsletters which incorporate recipes, news and tips for success.

Is there published science?

For the past few years Weight Watchers has been giving out research grants through the American Society for Nutritional Sciences. Anyone can apply for the grants, but they are targeted to physician researchers.

In 2001 Michael Lowe, Ph.D. of Hahnemann University published the results of a phone survey study of participants of Weight Watcher programs. Dr. Lowe interviewed 1002 people about their weight loss experiences, with 258 face-to-face interviews. The study revealed that five years after starting the program, 20% were within 5 pounds of their goals weight, ~43% were maintained a weight loss of at least 5% of their body weight. Furthermore, 18.8% of the study pool maintained a weight loss of 10% or more of their body weight. In short, Dr. Lowe (a consultant to Weight Watchers) summarized that “the long-term prognosis for weight maintenance among individuals who reach goal weight in at least one commercial program (Weight Watchers) is better than that suggested by existing research”. In essence, Dr. Lowe found that if you continue to practice what was successful for you to start with, your chances for maintaining the weight loss are very good.

In a study out of the New York Obesity Research Center, researchers found that those who participated in Weight Watchers as compared to those following a self-help weight loss plan were more successful over six-months at losing weight and improving cardiovascular disease risk factors. Dr. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, a scientific advisor to Weight Watchers worked on this study.

Two other published studies have examined the benefit of the Weight Watchers structured program for obese breast cancer patients and in people who have experienced weight gain as a side effect from a medication for schizophrenia. For most of the readers, these two applications or scenarios do not fit.

The skinny on Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers is a great plan and program for many, the question is, will you benefit from it? In reality, the answer all depends upon commitment to follow the guidelines and stick with the program. They have set it up for success, accounting for exercise and even the occasional indulgence. Depending upon your goal, this could be the program for you.

If it is Z, than we must cover The Zone Diet

The Zone diet is one promulgated by Barry Sears, Ph.D. Dr. Sears, a trained scientist has long believed that the balance of hormones (glucagon and insulin) were the key to weight management and health. When the first Zone book came to press and public awareness, it garnered in a whole new school of thought for weight loss. Dr. Sears explained the “hows” and “whys” of his theories and made biochemistry and integrated nutrition come alive to the reader. Millions of people bought his book “Enter the Zone,” published in 1995 by Regan Books. Now, millions flock to the www.zoneperfect.com <http://www.zoneperfect.com/> website. The website does not really explain the diet per se, but offers recipes, helpful hints, a list of certified instructors, where you can buy the prepackaged tasty Zone Perfect meals, bars, shakes and other supplements. However, viewing the website, one can easily see how many people become active in the online Zone community.

The Zone Diet is one of 40% carbohydrate (of the low glycemic variety), 30% protein and 30% fat. Of all of the diets reviewed herein, this is the one closest to the recent recommendations by the Institute of Medicine. According to the staff, food should or can be viewed as a drug and instead of counting calories (as many dieters do), we should concentrate on using food to manipulate insulin levels. Have too high of insulin levels or many insulin spikes throughout the day and you will gain weight, fat weight to be precise.

Like the Atkins plan, the Zone Diet utilizes four keys (Atkins is four phases) in order to Enter the Zone. The four key elements to the program are 1) the Zone diet, 2) the use of monounsaturated fats, 3) supplementation with Omega-3 fatty acids and 4) exercise. The Zone diet asks you to eat mostly lean protein and natural carbohydrates such as fruit and fiber rich vegetables. Grains – breads, rice, pasta and the cereals are a no-no. According to the Zone website, the diet is designed to feed our genetic makeup. I do not know about you, but every now and then, my genetic makeup wants ice cream or even a corn muffin.

The Zone plan asks you to recall that every meal selection would begin with protein and that the portion of protein should be equal to your palm in width and thickness. The diet also dictates that carbohydrates are either favorable or unfavorable. If you eat favorable carbos, you get to have two big fists worth (about 2 cups), while if you want to eat an unfavorable one, you are limited to an amount equal to your fist. An example of unfavorable is pasta, whereas mixed vegetables are a straight shoot winner. In terms of dietary fat, Zoners are encourages to add a few nuts, some olive oil or a couple of olives to balance dietary fat. If your protein source is high in fat (as in salmon), you can skip the added fat. The program also asks you to eat five times per day and to never let more than five hours pass between a meal or snack. If using the estimated or eyeball method is not restrictive enough for you, you can use the “block” system of nutrient counting also promoted by the Zone books.

What about published studies?

Interestingly enough, many of the published studies on the 40/30/30 diet are not sponsored by Dr. Sears or the Zone Perfect company, but rather the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) or Kraft (who owns the Balance Bar company).

Recently, Jarvis of Kingston University tested if one-week in the Zone would have any effect on exercise performance. Specifically, the research team was attempting to determine if eating the Zone way could enhance VO2 max or in time trials (running to exhaustion). The results found that the diets aids in weight loss (can be a positive), but had no effect on VO2 max and a negative effect on aerobic endurance. After one week in the Zone, the runners were only able to run 92% of the timed distance that they did previously. One should keep in mind that one week of any diet or program is not long enough to really assess if there is a performance benefit.

A research group from Oklahoma tested three different diets for 12-weeks in order to see which one was best for weight loss and retention rates. The data revealed that all diets (An Atkins like diet, the Zone and a conventional low-fat diet) caused similar amounts of weight loss, but the Zone dieting group had the greatest amount of dropouts. This may have been due to the detail of sticking to the Zone food prescription.

Dr. Layman’s laboratory has found that the 40/30/30 diet provides a greater anabolic response in the blood than the standard high carbohydrate diet. His data can be interpreted as if having to choose a diet; the 40/30/30 diet at the right caloric value may give you a better chance for enhanced recovery and muscle growth when compared to the Food Pyramid recommendations. This study confirmed findings from the same lab in 2001 (the study was sponsored by both the NCBA and Kraft). If you couple the Layman studies with one by Professor Johnston of the Arizona State University who has found that the 40/30/30 diet causes a greater amount of post-prandial calories to be burned by the body, than it is easier to understand why people lose weight on the Zone diet. The reason is a combination of the thermogenic effect and greater control of insulin and anabolic amino acids in the blood.

In another study sponsored by Kraft Foods, Dr. Nancy Lewis found that a 40/30/30 diet while yet being high in protein has no deleterious effects on calcium status thus should not lead to any great concern about bone health. The study compared the 40/30/30 diet to a standard high carbohydrate diet.

Since this is a magazine that focuses on active people, I searched high and low to find a study on the Zone diet in athletes that was for a time period longer than one week. Protein researcher Nancy Rodriguez at the University of Connecticut has conducted a “Zone” study in runners measuring the effects of a high protein intake on muscle protein turnover. The Zone diet was compared to one providing half the amount of protein. Subjects ate the diet for a preset amount of time and then were exercise tested after a 75 minute run. The results strongly indicate that the Zone diet reduced muscle damage and helped to maintain post-exercise insulin levels better than a lower protein diet. Thus, the authors concluded that this diet might be beneficial for runners.

Two other studies also point out that the higher protein intake (around 30-40%) were safe for weight trained athletes and those engaged in aerobic exercise. There were no negative effects on kidney function or other markers of health, while those on the Zone like diet lost more than double the amount of weight then those on a high carbohydrate diet.

The Zone for Home

Now, with the advent of a microwave, the Zone Perfect Company offers Zone meals (takes the thinking out of the equation) as well as bars, shakes and other goodies. There are also companies that do Zone catering (such as the Balance Company in Miami) on both coasts of this great country.

So which diet is for you?

This question is not so simple to answer. My best answer is, any diet that is one that you can be consistent with is the one for you. The Atkins diet is great for inducing weight loss, but menu wise can become kind of a challenge after the first two months or so, Weight Watchers is the most complete for dealing with the emotional and behavioral aspects of weight control and the Zone is the most time consuming in order to make your meals balanced by Dr. Sears prescription.

The real answer is to do whichever of these diets that fit your lifestyle AND does not negatively impact your exercise performance, mood states and energy levels. Of course, one can always seek counsel of a Registered Dietitian (RD) for a more individualized approach, but that is up to you.

In short, the Atkins diet has not really been tested in athletes, although one study by Dr. Stephen Phinney from 20 years ago suggest that it will not negatively impact performance after the first month. Weight Watchers was never designed for the athletic person, but the modern day plan does adjust for this. Weight Watchers does not stick to a specific macronutrient plan, but a points system, which means you, can tailor it to your belief system. Finally, the Zone is well thought out, but in reality can be a little hard to follow. Again, the answer is, whichever diet or lifestyle fits your makeup and personality is the one for you.

Douglas Kalman MS, RD, FACN is a Director at Miami Research Associates www.miamiresearch.com, active in www.sportsnutritionsociety.org and a consultant to NIKE.

Getting the Most Out of Creatine

by Robert Thoburn

Supplementing your diet with creatine can pump your muscles up and make them stronger. This, we know.

What’s less clear, however, is how best to use creatine supplements. For instance, should you use creatine on an off-and-on basis --‘cycling’, as it’s termed in bodybuilding lingo? Or should you just keep taking it every day without a break?

Now, I could try to theorize my own answer to the questions posed above, but it would just be that –a theory. I might only end up leading you down the garden path. To avoid this, I decided to ask someone who knows a lot more about the science behind creatine supplementation than I do. That someone is Dr. Darren Burke from St. Francis Xavier University in Canada.

Dr. Burke has published numerous scientific papers on creatine monohydrate. You can find them in research journals like Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, among others. Creatine monohydrate is the most common form of creatine sold today. It is also the form that you’ll find in every container of Labrada creatine and Kwik Size.

The Best Way to Use Creatine

Recently I asked Dr. Burke what he thought was the best way to use creatine. With his approval, I share Dr. Burke’s useful insights below:

“Cycling [i.e., on-and-off use of] creatine is a good idea but not cycling as is typically practiced with steroids. Once loading has taken place, creatine should be taken for 2-3 days at a time and then not for 2 days. It is optimal if one of the off days is a rest day and the other days when creatine is taken are exercise days. This allows for the down-regulation of the receptors to return to normal.

Furthermore, if an individual practices a creatine-free diet for as little as 2 weeks and follows this with creatine loading there is greater uptake and increased performance and transient reperfusion hypertrophy (muscle pump). We just completed this study and will be sending it for publication in January.”

‘The Rundown’

Is it all just a blur? Here’s a quick summary for you to clear the fog with:

The ‘loading phase’ of creatine supplementation usually amounts to taking around 20-30 grams of creatine per day (5-6 servings of 4-5 grams) for 5 days. This allows your muscles to quickly become saturated with creatine. Once you’ve finished the loading phase, Dr. Burke suggests taking creatine 2-3 days at a time following by 2 days off.

The 2-day ‘off’ period (i.e., no creatine supplementation) essentially allows your muscles to ‘re-sensitize’ themselves to creatine. This makes it work better when you begin your next 2-3 day period of supplementation. Dr. Burke suggests that the two off days fall on your rest days, i.e., the days when you don’t workout.

Is it worth spending your $$ on other forms of creatine?

Earlier I mentioned that creatine monohydrate is the most common form of creatine found in the marketplace today. It’s the tried and trusted standard –the one that has been subject to by far the most scientific studies.

As creatine sales have flattened, many supplement marketers have introduced ‘new and improved’ forms of creatine in an effort to preserve their (possibly dwindling) market share. But are these other forms of creatine any better than good ole’ creatine monohydrate?

I asked Dr. Burke about creatine citrate, in particular. This form of creatine, often sold as an effervescent formula (think ‘Alka-Seltzer’) has been claimed to be better absorbed than creatine monohydrate.

Dr. Burke remarks that “Citrate molecules have better absorption across physiological membranes and therefore creatine citrate might seem to be better; however, we have tested and found pretty much 100% absorption of creatine monohydrate in our research. I would not expect there to be any noticeable difference in absorption and also muscle saturation and definitely no difference in performance or hypertrophy.”

Di-creatine malate

Another form of creatine that’s enjoyed a recent surge in popularity is di-creatine malate. You can think of it as offering the same muscle-pumping and –strengthening benefits as creatine monohydrate, but in a more ‘gastrointestinal-friendly’ manner. That is, di-creatine malate won’t upset your tummy.

‘The Rundown’

There is no evidence that creatine citrate will work any better than the less expensive standard, creatine monohydrate. If creatine monohydrate bothers your stomach, try using di-creatine malate. More to come in future articles.

Until next time, I'm Rob Thoburn. Keep it the good work!

Rob is the author of The R.O.B. Report, the No Mistakes Nutritional Guide, and numerous other books and articles. His much-anticipated book, “FF”: How to lose fat and win muscle in 14 days” is to be released on May 15.

Visit www.robthoburn.com to contact Rob, get his FREE bodybuilding newsletter and more.