In this day and age, when people are almost addicted to fitness, supplements have become a staple in an individual’s life. Along with the healthy diet and consumption restriction, people are also focusing heavily on supplements to give them the needed vitamin boost and strength.
In this excerpt below, we will be talking about the rise of ecdysterone supplements. If you are well-updated in the world of supplements, especially if you are a part of the fitness crowd, you should be hearing this term.
Let us understand more about this, how it is helping your body, and what minor side effects you should look out for.
What Is Ecdysterone?
Ecdysterone comes from the term Ecdysteroids. These are a class of hormones whose compound is similar to androgen. Androgen is two of the most important hormones found in individuals (especially men), and they are responsible for sexual development and muscle growth.
Ecdysterone is an anabolic agent which makes up most performance-enhancing steroids. However, this is not a steroid, and you will get the energy and performance boost without the regular side effects and controversy of steroids.
It has a good structural similarity to testosterone. Therefore, if you want to get the strength of testosterone but not at an extreme level, you can try using Ecdysterone.
What Are The Benefits Of Ecdysterone
Why is there a rise in Ecdysterone supplements? What are the health benefits and additional strengths we are getting? It is better to understand this and then make an informed decision about whether you would want to add this supplement to your workout regime.
Before we go further with the decision, a fair disclaimer, there is a limited number of research based on this subject, so most of these benefits are potential.
1. Increase In Athletic Performance
For an athletic person, the two things which are most important are quick recovery from any fatigue after a vigorous workout, making some of the best, and building muscle mass.
Researchers believe that both these can be achieved with the help of ecdysterone supplements. Some experiments have also seen an increase in game time with less fatigue when used by young men.
It is the muscle strength that is highly enhanced by the consumption and hence helps in more exercise time with less cramping and muscle pulls. There was a time in Russia when beta-ecdysone (an ecdysterone supplement) was called the ‘Russian Secret.’ It was allegedly believed that Russian Olympic athletes consumed this to improve performance.
2. Assisting In Muscle Building
This is one common benefit many have seen in this supplement. For example, if you try to put on muscle mass and then tone it, there is a possibility you have a vigorous workout regime.
If you are under an ecdysterone supplement, it can help you to gain muscle mass quickly because of the increase in protein synthesis in your body. Some researchers have also proven that this can increase the anabolic ratio in the body. This, in turn, can lead to the following benefits:
– An increase in red blood cell production.
– bone growth & remodeling.
– An increase in muscle cell formation.
3. Assist In Insulin Sensitivity
This is a ‘maybe’ point, and there is still research and experiments going on to prove this to be a certain benefit of the supplement. There have been cases where ecdysterone has helped with the metabolism in individuals, including hyperglycemia (high blood sugar, also known as type 2 diabetes) and even insulin resistance of the body.
It can help individuals trying to cut down their diet and have a new workout regime to get rid of obesity. Researchers have also seen that even if one consumes a high-fat diet once in a while, the supplement can help break that down during exercise and cause less fat to accumulate in the body.
Should You Take Them!
Now, the real question arises if you are an athlete or working out to fulfill your fitness goal this year, should you be taking these supplements?
It will not lead to kidney or liver issues, which most steroids have. Some of the common side effects that individuals have noticed on continuous consumption are a change in mood, a decrease in libido, and trouble sleeping.
If you wish to add this supplement to your diet, it is better to ask your dietician first. However, this has not been considered a steroid or drug.