milk thistle very underrated supplemnetn
This is a very underrated supplement, good for your liver health and is a powerful antioxidant. It decreases inflammation and is good for your skin.
Typically roiders take this to protect their liver because steroids wreak havoc on the liver lol. It basically protects your liver and also keeps it healthy. Your liver is the largest solid organ in your body. It is responsible for cleansing your body of toxins and cleansing your blood etc.
Thatās all cool but I mainly want better muscle recovery, gainz, body comp, etc.
I will get into the studies that stuck out to me:
bodycomp:
Effects of Silymarin Supplementation on Leptin, Adiponectin and Paraoxanase Levels and Body Composition During Exercise: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Clinical Trial | Jundishapur Journal of Natural Pharmaceutical Products | Full Text
Summary: They gave SM to some men who did either endurance training (ex. running) or strength training (ex. weightlifting) exercises and some who didnāt exercise at all. They looked at different things like body weight, how much body fat they had and how well their body used oxygen.
They concluded that taking SM along with exercise improved body composition (meaning how much fat or muscle is in the body) and adiponectin levels (healthy substance).
Effect of silymarin on gluconeogenesis and lactate production in exercising rats - PubMed
Summary: This study found that SM reduced the expression of some proteins in the liver that were related to making more glucose (sugar) in the body during exercise. It also increased the expression of a protein in the muscle that helps the body burn fat for energy. The study suggests that SM could help improve the way the body handles energy during exercise, which can improve endurance. So youāre basically burning more fat during exercise while increasing your endurance.
recovery/strength/performance:
Effect of Silymarin Supplementation on Physical Performance, Muscle and Myocardium Histological Changes, Bodyweight, and Food Consumption in Rats Subjected to Regular Exercise Training - PMC
Summary: Scientists wanted to see if SM could help rats who were doing regular exercise to get stronger and recover faster. They gave some rats SM and others a different vitamin before making them exercise for eight weeks. Afterward, they looked at the rats muscles and hearts to see if the SM made a difference. They found that the rats who got SM were able to exercise better, their muscles looked healthier and they were better able to recover after exercising. The rats who got SM didnāt gain more weight or eat more food than the other rats. So, they think that SM might be able to help people get stronger and recover faster if they do regular exercise.
Effect of Silymarin Supplementation in Lung and Liver Histological Modifications during Exercise Training in a Rodent Model - PMC
āSM increased alveolar and bronchial muscle size, improve vascularization, and reduced tissue inflammation. In liver, SM promoted the reduction of lipid content. Conclusion: SM supplementation may improve inflammation in pulmonary tissue after 8 weeks of the ET treadmill program, improve cell recovery, and reduce intrahepatic lipid content.ā
Summary: Basically, the rats had bigger muscles in their lungs and less inflammation (swelling). Their liver also had less fat in it. This means that SM might help your body recover from exercise and stay healthy, especially if you exercise a lot.
The effect of silymarin supplementation on the serum levels of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein following a single bout of aerobic exercise in healthy men
Summary: The results showed that after doing the exercise, all of the men had more inflammation in their bodies compared to before the exercise. However, the men who took SM had less inflammation than the men who took the placebo. The men who took a higher dose of SM had even less inflammation than the men who took a lower dose.
So, the researchers found that taking SM before exercise could reduce inflammation in the body, especially if a higher dose is taken.
Okayā¦ now ROI is obviously crazy here. SM just shot up to my top 3 supplements. It might be in the Taurine realm.
This is where it gets a little freaky, so:
testosterone:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233856254_What_Are_The_Effects_of_Silibinin_on_Testicular_Tissue_of_Mice
Summary: They found that the mice who got the highest amount of silibinin (found within SM) had bigger cells in their testicles and had more testosterone in their bodies. The study suggests that silibinin might be able to help improve the testicles and hormone levels in male mice.
LOLL wtf
It starts to get even more freaky
There is a popular bodybuilding supplement called Turkesterone that supposedly has anabolic effects, such as increasing muscle mass and strength. The theory for Turkesterone, is that itās an agonist of the estrogen receptor beta (ERB), which could then boost testosterone, increasing anabolism and thus increasing muscle growth. This is similar to Ecdysterone.
Effects of silymarin flavonolignans and synthetic silybin derivatives on estrogen and aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation - PubMed
This study suggests that SM and some of its components can act as an estrogen receptor agonist. The study did not distinguish between estrogen receptor alpha and estrogen receptor beta, but it is possible that it binds to estrogen receptor beta.
Silymarin is a selective estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) agonist and has estrogenic effects in the metaphysis of the femur but no or antiestrogenic effects in the uterus of ovariectomized (ovx) rats - PubMed
This study investigated the effects of SM on estrogen receptors in rats. The study found that SM binds exclusively to estrogen receptor beta (ERB), but not to estrogen receptor alpha, which is responsible for estrogenic effects in the pituitary, liver, and uterus.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.01903/full
Thisstudy suggests that silibinin (the major active component of SM), which is extracted from the milk thistle plant, has an estrogen receptor beta (ERB) selective binding. The researchers found that silibinin upregulated ERB expression.
Connect the dots:
Selective estrogen receptor-Ī² activation stimulates skeletal muscle growth and regeneration - PubMed
Summary: They found that when they gave the animals treatments that activated the ERB receptor, the muscles healed better and faster. This happened because the ERB receptor helped to activate special cells in the muscles called satellite cells, which are important for repairing injured muscles. The ERB receptor also helped to reduce inflammation in the muscles and increase the growth of new muscle cells. The researchers suggest that activating the ERB receptor could be a way to help people with muscle injuries heal faster and better.
Then you can go down the rabbit hole of ERB, but Iām too lazy to keep it going.
I donāt know man, I donāt know, lol. Quite a rabbit holeā¦
Let me use this supplement and see hahaha. Itās also very safe
