ZMA is not a testosterone booster. Yes, research shows that it may help athletes maintain higher testosterone levels during intense training periods, though it is not designed to boost levels of the primary muscle-building hormone.
It's simply the most effective way to supplement with two very critical minerals: zinc and magnesium. Zinc is an essential mineral with antioxidant properties that stimulates the activity of many enzymes in the body. These enzymes are critical for numerous biochemical reactions. Zinc has been found to be critical for protein synthesis, the molecular mechanism that leads to muscle recovery and growth. Numerous research studies have suggested that zinc and magnesium help enhance muscle size, muscle strength, and fat loss, not to mention overall health and well-being.
Magnesium is also an essential mineral involved in numerous reactions in the body. It's important for healthy function of the cardiovascular system, metabolic rate, and of course bone health. In fact, numerous research studies have suggested that these two minerals help enhance muscle size, muscle strength, and fat loss, not to mention overall health and well-being.
Research suggests that ZMA has significant anabolic benefits. They reported that the athletes taking the ZMA supplement experienced more than a percent increase in testosterone levels, and about a 5-percent increase in levels of the insulin-like growth factor 1 IGF In addition to the improvements in their anabolic hormone levels, the ZMA-supplemented athletes made significantly greater gains in strength and power, and achieved better sleep quality , than a placebo group.
Better sleep quality also helps to aid muscle recovery from tough workouts. These benefits occurred in the ZMA group despite the fact that the analyses of their diets found that the athletes were all consuming well over the recommended intake for zinc. In addition to the study performed by the Western Washington University researcher, several other studies have also found that zinc and magnesium offer potent anabolic properties.
A study from Selcuk University Konya, Turkey reported that four weeks of zinc supplementation in men increased testosterone levels at rest and after exercise. Researchers from the USDA reported that zinc depletion decreased muscle endurance in subjects. This means that maintaining optimal zinc levels is critical for your ability to complete a number of reps with a given weight. The same Western Washington University research team that did the ZMA research also discovered in an earlier study that when subjects supplemented with magnesium while following a 7-week leg training program, their leg strength increased by percent more than those taking a placebo.
It contains a combination of three ingredients — zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6. ZMA manufacturers claim it boosts muscle growth and strength and improves endurance, recovery, and sleep quality. However, some manufacturers produce ZMA supplements with alternative forms of zinc and magnesium, or with other added vitamins or minerals. This trace mineral is necessary for more than enzymes involved in metabolism, digestion, immunity, and other areas of your health.
This mineral supports hundreds of chemical reactions in your body, including energy creation and muscle and nerve function. Vitamin B6. This water-soluble vitamin is needed for processes such as making neurotransmitters and nutrient metabolism. Athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts often use ZMA. Manufacturers claim that increasing your levels of these three nutrients can help increase testosterone levels, aid exercise recovery, improve sleep quality, and build muscle and strength.
However, the research behind ZMA in some of these areas is mixed and still emerging. That said, consuming more zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6 may provide many other benefits, such as improved immunity, blood sugar control, and mood. ZMA is a nutritional supplement that contains zinc monomethionine aspartate, magnesium aspartate, and vitamin B6. ZMA supplements are claimed to enhance athletic performance and build muscle.
In theory, ZMA may enhance these factors in those who are deficient in zinc or magnesium. A deficiency in either of these minerals may reduce your production of testosterone, a hormone that affects muscle mass, as well as insulin-like growth factor IGF-1 , a hormone that affects cell growth and recovery.
In addition, many athletes may have low zinc and magnesium levels, which can compromise their performance. Lower zinc and magnesium levels may be the result of strict diets or losing more zinc and magnesium through sweat or urination.
Currently, only a few studies have looked into whether ZMA can improve athletic performance. One 8-week study in 27 football players showed taking a ZMA supplement daily significantly increased muscle strength, functional power, and testosterone and IGF-1 levels. Zinc, magnesium and B6 are the key ingredients in ZMA. The idea was to provide an all-in-one athletic supplement to improve strength and muscle recover through sleep. The combination has been refined and improved in the years since BALCo, and the bad reputation of that company has been overshadowed by just how popular ZMA has become with elite athletes.
ZMA provides effective doses of three equally-important ingredients: zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. Supplementing with ZMA is vital because zinc and magnesium are among the most common nutrient deficiencies. ZMA is a great way of getting zinc, magnesium and vitamin b6 into your diet without having to pay for separate supplements.
With supplementary doses of these 3, you can easily protect yourself from the risk of deficiency in these hard-to-get nutrients. This alone is enough to justify using ZMA regularly. Can you get better results by taking ZMA, rather than splitting your supplements up through the day?
One of the positives of ZMA is that B6 increases the absorption and utilisation of zinc in the body. This is useful as many forms of zinc aspartate or monomethionine are poorly absorbed in the body. To start with, the zinc is key to keeping your nervous, immune, and digestive system healthy.
Deficiency in zinc is a serious problem for health, so keeping your levels optimal and stable have indirect benefits to strength, muscle gain, and general health. Magnesium is at least as important as zinc, if not more so! Like zinc, it is crucial in the health of the nervous system — specifically in muscle excitation and contraction quality.
B6 absorption in ZMA is boosted by the zinc — which improves digestion quality and has a synergistic effect with B6 specifically. This is relevant to those with diabetes looking to lose weight, as lower insulin levels have been proven to positively impact the body's ability to access fat for fuel.
Diabetic patients with high fasting insulin levels may find it more difficult to lose weight. Based on findings, Magnesium may increase the body's insulin sensitivity bringing down blood insulin levels, therefore, has been linked to potentially acting as a great option as a supplement for diabetic patients. In order to understand our blood sugar more, you may want to look into the types of body fat and how they can in fact regulate blood sugars.
Overall, both zinc and magnesium appear to have strong support for stabilising fasting and feeding blood sugar. Though research into their use in combination is limited, in theory, ZMA supplementation could prove a brilliant option for prediabetic patients, diabetic patients or anyone concerned about their fasting blood sugar following intermediate fasting plans.
Magnesium is vital for optimal brain function in clinical mental health conditions, such as depression linked to deficiencies. Therefore, low magnesium in the body can result in increased depression symptoms.
For example, a study of 8, adults found a significant link between low magnesium intake and depression, particularly amongst young adults and another week study showed daily magnesium supplementation reduced depression just as effectively as antidepressants.
These results have been widely repeated suggesting magnesium can be a valuable addition in lifestyles to help manage depression, consequently confirming ZMA benefits mood levels. Zinc has also been directly linked to depression, with research finding that those who have been medicated for a zinc deficiency also experiencing antidepressant effects subsequently.
The way in which zinc does this is thought to be by increasing serotonin in the brain, the equivalent mechanisms of how Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors SSRIs work. SSRIs are the most widely distributed form of antidepressant. If you would prefer a more organic way to improve your mood, then you can find a whole host of ideas on our best natural mood boosters that you can do right now list.
As we have mentioned, low magnesium in the body is often associated with low testosterone, which has been linked to low mood primarily in men, but in women also. Therefore, by supplementing with ZMA for its testosterone boosting qualities, you may in turn see a direct boost in your mood. Furthermore, zinc supplementation may improve and prevent anger and irritability, as well as depressive symptoms.
This was identified in a controlled study where zinc supplementation was effective in reducing anger and depression, indicating a role for zinc deficiency in the development of mood disorders and as a potential treatment.
For instance, zinc is crucial for the function and development of many immune cells and by implementing a higher dosage into your lifestyle, it is reported to reduce the risk of infections and aid wound healing. Additionally, it has been identified that a deficiency in magnesium is linked to chronic inflammation - a leading factor of aging and chronic conditions, such as heart disease and cancer. Furthermore, a deficiency in Vitamin B6 has been linked in numerous studies to poor immunity.
With all that in mind, it is easy to understand how supplementing with ZMA and increasing your intake of all three compounds have a direct link in boosting immunity. These findings can be supported by a number of scientific experiments.
For instance, a study looking into the effects of zinc magnesium aspartate ZMA supplementation on training adaptations and markers of anabolism and catabolism, academics suggested that zinc deficiencies in athletes contribute to impaired immune function and decreased performance, therefore increasing zinc levels through the implementation of ZMA supplements can, in theory, benefit the immune function. However, any ZMA side effects that do occur are the result of moderate-to-high doses of zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6.
High doses of zinc, for example, may cause: nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, stomach cramps, headaches, and dizziness. Therefore, these symptoms are often listed as ZMA side effects by brands.
Overly high doses of magnesium can similarly cause: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps. Plus, high doses of vitamin B6 can lead to potential nerve damage - again, all of which are often listed as the side effects of ZMA products.
It's important to never exceed the dose highlighted on the label and to consult a doctor or health practitioner prior to taking ZMA, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as zinc and magnesium can interact with a variety of medications, such as blood pressure medications and antibiotics. Broadly, three scoops of ZMA supplement powder or three capsules will have a formula that equates to the recommended ZMA dosage. However, occasionally with alternative forms of zinc, magnesium and additional vitamins and minerals, ZMA capsules will vary in their formula depending on the brand.
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