AdaptaPhase - Part II
Elite Soviet Athletes and Anti-Catabolic Adaptogens
By Ward Dean M.D. and Jim English
AdaptaPhase I, Daily Formula and AdaptaPhase II, Anti-Catabolic Formula are two new proprietary anti-stress herbal formulas available only from Vitamin Research Products. The last issue of Vitamin Research News presented part one of our exclusive interview with acclaimed Soviet Sports scientist and Olympic coach, Ben Tabachnik, Ph.D., discussing the science and benefits behind these state-of-the-art formulas. This month Vitamin Research News presents part two of our interview with Dr. Tabachnik as conducted by Ward Dean, M.D. and Jim English.
WD: Last month we talked about how stress affects us, as well as some of the popular methods people use to help them cope with stress. I know you had a comment on the ways many of us attempt to deal with excessive stress.
BT: Unfortunately, many methods people use to cope with stress just don’t work — most often these stress fighting techniques actually place even more stress on the body. For example, some people drink coffee or alcohol to reduce stress. Others smoke cigarettes or eat starchy foods like ice cream or candy for relief.
While these approaches may help reduce stress and offer some relief in the short term, in the long term these methods actually produce even more stress, and generally have long-term adverse effects. Traditional stress-relieving approaches which are effective and produce beneficial effects include exercise, yoga and meditation.
However, in Russia, we developed an entirely different approach for dealing with stress. Our scientists discovered that the best way to cope with stress is to improve adaptability by using herbal substances known as adaptogens (see Vitamin Research News, March 1999). If you improve your ability to adapt to stress, you will not suffer its ill effects, and you wont need to resort to using ice cream or coffee or smoking and alcohol. Adaptogens really can help you to reduce stress — they are a real answer to stress.
JE: How were adaptogens discovered?
BT: Russian research into adaptogens began with Professor (first name) Lazarev, who was deeply influenced by the work of Dr. Hans Selye. In the beginning, Lazarev tried synthetic drugs as a stress-reducing therapy. In fact, the first Russian adaptogen was a synthetic drug.
WD: Was that Diabazol?
BT: Yes. Diabazol was a synthetic adaptogen. After working with Diabazol, Lazarev next began searching for natural adaptogens. At this point, Russian scientists developed three specific criteria which a substance must meet to qualify as an adaptogen. First, the herb should be absolutely safe with no side effects, even when used for long periods of time. Second, it must have broad and nonspecific effects on the body. And third, it must have a normalizing effect to keep the body in balance while maintaining homeostasis and normalizing all functions.
JE: And most herbs don’t meet these three criteria?
BT: No, only a few herbs can be called adaptogens. For example, many herbs can be very effective in fighting stress, but still not be considered adaptogens.
WD: In a previous interview, you mentioned Siberian Ginseng, which is in our AdaptaPhase I Daily Formula. Could you explain the difference between Siberian and Panax ginseng?
BT: Yes. Eleutherococcus is called Siberian Ginseng in this country, even though its not from Siberia and its not Ginseng. In fact, the only thing these two Ginsengs have in common is that they’re from the same family, aralia. There are a number of reasons why Russian scientists decided to work with Eleutherococcus. First of all, eleutherococcus was affordable - we could never mass produce a formula if we had to use the more expensive Korean, or panax, ginseng. Second, panax ginseng is more effective for elderly people than for those of middle-age, more effective for men than women, and it’s effective in fall and winter but not spring and summer. It also requires careful dosing - too much can cause over-stimulation. Third, there was a greater body of science on eleutheroccous, backed by extensive animal and clinical research in the space and military programs proving its superiority over ginseng.
One classic test looked at the anti-toxic effects of eleutherococcus, specifically its ability to minimize the effects of poisons, chemicals or medicines. As you know, alcohol is a huge problem in Russia, so our scientists conducted an experiment with several thousand people who were using alcohol. They provided the drinkers with vodka mixed with eleutherococcus. After eight months they noticed that those people using vodka with the eleutherococcus began to drink less alcohol. The second thing they observed was that the adaptogenic alcohol wasn’t as damaging to their health.
It became routine in Russian medicine, and very often when physicians prescribed strong medication for certain diseases, they also recommended use of adaptogens at the same time because adaptogens minimize the side effects, including the toxic side effects, of drugs.
Additionally, many workers were not performing well on the job because of their alcohol habit. But the group which consumed the vodka which had been spiked with eleutherococcus not only had fewer health problems, but their productivity was much higher. It was this anti-toxic effect of eleutherococcus that caused it to become so popular in medicine and to be used especially with cancer patients.
WD: Of course you couldnt do that in this country because the FDA would then say the vodka had been adulterated by the adaptogen, and they wouldnt let anybody sell it.
BT: Yes, and that’s really dumb, because any kind of alcohol, when used with adaptogens, will be much less toxic to the body. The success with eleutherococcus led to further research for other adaptogens, including Schisandra, Rhaponticum carthinoides, and Aralia manchurica, among others. Elite athletes were among the first to integrate the use and implementation of these adaptogens into their sports program.
WD: When did you start using Eleutherococcus in your Olympic coaching programs?
BT: At the time this research was being conducted, I was in charge of the Soviet Olympics program. I oversaw nutrition and pharmacology, and investigated the use of adaptogens in our sports program. In the 1960s, adaptogens became very popular with athletes. You could go to any Russian locker room - from high school up to top-level athletes - and you would find empty bottles of adaptogens. It became a routine part of their training programs. Just as you use vitamins here, we used adaptogens. Adaptogens were just one of the nutrients used by athletes who wanted to improve their performance - to perform better under stress. At this time, I was already familiar with all the new research on adaptogens. I had personal experience with them and knew the experience of my athletes. When I became the head of the research group for Olympic teams, adaptogens became a really important part of the program for top-level Soviet athletes. Now I had the chance to combine the knowledge of leading scientists in the area of pharmacology and nutrition with all the research on adaptogenic herbs, and to set up experiments for the Soviet track program.
JE: Why were you experimenting? What was the goal?
BT: As a coach, I was always looking for an extra edge or advantage for our athletes. After I learned about the effectiveness of adaptogens, I began to experiment with different combinations and regimens. For example, twelve days with one adaptogen, ten days with a second adaptogen, cycling through the different adaptogens for different purposes, etc. I found that some adaptogens work much better if taken before competition. Others work better after competition. Some are very good for recovery, and others are really good when you travel.
The next stage was to combine different adaptogens into one formula. In the beginning, I worked by trial and error. Later, looking at the positive experiences of hundreds of athletes I found that mixtures of certain adaptogens worked much more effectively than any single adaptogen.
WD: How effective were these mixtures?
BT: Some combinations of adaptogens were two to two and a half times more effective at stress reduction than plain eleutherococcus. This mixture was also very good for improving stamina. This proved important for athletes in a number of ways. In our tests with athletes we had already proven that adaptogens offered protection from stress-related damage to the main systems of the body.
In our second round of tests we used adaptogens to find out if they could improve performance. The best indicator of this was a stamina test using swimming and treadmills. What we found was that adaptogens also enhance stamina. And when you improve stamina, you also usually improve performance.
JE: At what time were your results recognized and accepted by Soviet sports officials?
In 1986, I shared my discoveries with Sergey Portugalov, Chief Advisor for Pharmacology and Nutrition to the Soviet National Teams. He was impressed and after conducting some scientific testing of his own, implemented my formulas in other areas of sport - cycling, weightlifting, figure skating, swimming, etc.
In 1987 and 1988, we first published our findings, which were, of course, confidential information for top-level coaches, and were retained as classified documents. This product became available only for top-level Soviet athletes prior to the Olympic Games in 1988. We used a complex of different adaptogens in preparation for the Olympics. The adaptogens were a major contribution in the successful performance of Soviet athletes in these games.
In fact, the 1988 Olympics was the most successful in the history of Soviet athletics.
JE: Did you share these adaptogenic formulas with other programs?
BT: Absolutely not. We wanted to keep this information to just the sports programs. But at the same time, we were open to any discovery from the medical field to use for our athletes. One familiar example is anabolic steroids. Many people think anabolic steroids originated in sports. They actually came from the medical field. Patients were taking them as a way to overcome weakness, to overcome fatigue and to help them stimulate their anabolic [tissue-building] processes — to build up new cells and to overcome the consequences of disease, of inactivity. As we know, anabolic steroids are very helpful in the short term for many patients, but in the long term they can cause health problems.
For this reason, Soviet scientists were looking for safe, natural products with anabolic action. Among many plants they were studying were adaptogenic herbs. They found, as a rule, all adaptogenic herbs have light anabolic action. One adaptogenic herb, Rhaponticum, was a little stronger. Further research isolated ecdisterone, one of the active biological compounds of Rhaponticum. They found that ecdisterone has a very strong anabolic effect. In 1987, even before it became accepted by the Soviet equivalent of the FDA, we started to research the effects of ecdisterone on athletes. The testing was conducted at the National Sports Research Institute where I was working at the time. We tested ecdisterone for anabolic effect by using a simple procedure. We compared 2 groups of athletes.
The first group was using synthetic anabolic steroids. The second group was given the natural anabolic product. We found the anabolic effect of ecdisterone was about 39% as effective as the synthetic, but had different mechanisms of action, had no adverse side effects and could serve athletes as a strong performance enhancer. By the way, this product was used by Soviet athletes for the first time in 1988.
WD: I suspect that’s what’s in our AdaptaPhase II product today?
BT: Even after I emigrated from Russia in 1990, I maintained close communication with Russian scientists. Together we worked to enhance this anabolic formula. After much research, we found some substances which, in the proper combination, have an even higher anabolic effect than ecdisterone — up to 50% of the effect of synthetic anabolic steroids.
WD: One of the things that I used to note when I prescribed anabolic steroids to high performance athletes was the dramatic effect they had on reducing body fat — particularly Anavar. What effect does Formula Two have on body fat?
BT: You know, Soviet medical researchers are not as concerned with body weight and obesity as doctors are in the West. But, yes, I believe that the anti-catabolic effects would help to dramatically reduce body fat.
JE: What can people who use this product expect to notice?
BT: First of all, for athletes, it’s very simple. They go to the gym, and in just one day they will notice they can lift 20 pounds more than they could the day before. They can make one more lift, they can make one more rep, they feel stronger. Even athletes who have been using synthetic anabolic steroids, and who are worried about losing their muscle size if they stop, will find that they can maintain their size and performance with this formula. I usually recommend this formula instead of synthetic anabolic steroids.
Average people will find that they will probably have more energy. They will feel more toned even if they don’t exercise. This formula increases the synthesis of RNA and DNA. It enhances metabolism of the body so people have more energy.
WD: Does it make any difference what time of day it is taken? For example, Formula One was recommended in the morning, and again perhaps in the early afternoon.
BT: Yes, it’s better to use Formula Two in divided doses—for example, two or three times daily before each meal.
WD: Before meals. So you don’t want to take it...
BT: Yes, five to ten minutes before each meal. Formula Two is best taken three times in a day. For athletes I recommend it be taken in relationship with their training schedule. For example, if they’re training at 4 o’clock, then they should take Formula Two 40 to 45 minutes before the training session. The same applies to competition — 45 minutes prior to competition. Taken an hour to an hour and a half after training will speed up recovery.
Because this product has so called anabolic / anti-catabolic effects, it can be very beneficial not only for athletes, but for the general population - and especially as an anti-aging product. It’s very important to explain what we mean by anabolic, because in the mind of some people anabolic is something bad. There are two kinds of metabolism of the body. There is anabolic metabolism and catabolic metabolism. It’s the anabolic process that causes the body to grow, develop new cells, build larger, stronger lean muscles and to repair cells.
From ages 20-35, anabolic and catabolic processes are held in balance. However, after about age 35, the balance shifts in favor of the catabolic process. This contributes to the aging process. So if we can eliminate or prevent the catabolic process in the body, the effect is likely to be an improvement in health and prolongation of the life span. This is why this formula is really a great anti-aging formula. Because everything that I mentioned about this formula — better muscle tone, accelerated biosynthesis of protein, increased energy, is the result of preventing catabolic processes in the body.
And who does this help? For professional athletes who want to be strong, this product can help them to build muscle, to maintain muscle, and perhaps extend their sports careers. Long-distance cyclists or marathon runners have a different problem — they have low percentage of body fat, they’re all lean muscle. And when they are training really hard, especially before competition, they lose lean muscle. And what happens when you lose lean muscle? You’re performance goes down, you became fatigued, and you perform poorly. Consequently, this formula will also increase stamina and endurance.
We see this on TV all the time. Look at the NBA, and ice hockey. During the play-offs, all of the teams are exhausted. Athletic competition is a huge stress. Athletes, all of them, may lose 10-20-30 pounds of body weight — and it’s not just water and fat that they’re losing. A high percentage is lean muscle. The winner is the team that is able to recover the fastest. This formula can really help in recovery.
JE: Okay. Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You recommend the liquid formula, AdaptaPhase I for daily use, generally one dropper full (one ml) per day, every day.
BT: Yes, and occasionally even more, if you experience even more stress than normal.
JE: And you use AdaptaPhase II on a cyclic basis, 3-6 capsules daily, 10-20 days on and from 10-20 days off.
BT: Right, depending on your activity level, your job, personal challenges - the stress you’re dealing with. That combination is what we’ve found to provide maximum adaptability to stress, as well as maximum anabolic effects, under normal conditions, although the doses of both formulas can be increased to deal with periods of extreme stress of any kind.
JE: Thank you, Ben. It’s always enlightening when speaking with you.
BT: The pleasure has been mine.