Bromelain Minimizes Testosterone Drop During Intense Exercise

[Baron]

Extreme exertion, such as running a marathon, lowers testosterone levels. Researchers at the University of Tasmania have discovered supplementing with one gram of bromelain daily prevents a drop in testosterone during periods of intense physical activity, they reported in the European Journal of Sport Sciences.

Bromelain
Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapple plants that cuts up proteins into little pieces. The food industry uses bromelain to tenderise meat; doctors use it to help wounds heal more quickly; and the supplements industry puts it in products intended to help athletes recover from training quickly.

The researchers divided 15 well-trained male cyclists, all of whom competed at national level, into a placebo group and a supplementation group. The latter group took one gram of bromelain daily. That's a reasonable dose. Most bromelain supplements contain about half a gram of the substance per capsule.

The researchers used a product manufactured by the Australian Bio Concepts. However, the company did not finance the study. So this was not a sponsored study.

The experiment lasted for 6 days. During this period the cyclists participated in a six-day competition, in which they cycled about one hundred kilometres a day. During the event the researchers monitored the subjects' blood.

Results
The testosterone level of the men in the placebo group went down during the experiment. The decrease was limited in the supplementation group, however.

How exactly bromelain supplementation maintains testosterone levels the researchers don't know. Anti-catabolism at least does not play a significant role. The researchers found no noticeable effects of bromelain on the concentration of the enzymes LDH and CK in the blood. LDH and CK are indicators of muscle breakdown.

Conclusion
"This investigation provides evidence to support the relevance of further research into the effects of bromelain supplementation for recovery and subsequent exercise performance in endurance athletes", the researchers concluded.

 

[Frederick Foresight]

Interesting post. I remember from years ago that some protein supplements had added bromelain and papain to aid in protein digestion. I wonder why consuming more of a digestive enzyme would mitigate a drop in test. Regardless, theoretically, I suppose bromelain supplementation would not be required for short bouts of intense resistance exercise or HIIT since test levels supposedly do not decline following short periods of activity, however intense they may be.

Baron, are you planning on giving it a try? And, if so, are you adding endurance to your routine?

 

[Baron]

No, I'm not trying it because I'm not into heavy endurance exercises, but I thought it might be useful for those that are.

 

[speedo]

I wonder how much a gram equates to actual portion of pineapple. The issue with the fruit is it is fairly high in sugar for daily use.

 

[CaptainObvious]

From what I've read bromelian is much more concentrated in the pineapple core. On the subject of sugar, it isn't as much of a problem when eaten naturally with the entire fruit. It's the juice concentrate is where you get a sky high spike. The sugar is absorbed and digested much more slowly when you have the actual flesh of the fruit. The juice alone takes a different path and as an example, one 8 ounce glass of apple juice has the sugar equivalent of four apples, and it's absorbed much more quickly. Ditch the juice, all juice. Eat the fruit.

 

[speedo]

From what I've read bromelian is much more concentrated in the pineapple core. On the subject of sugar, it isn't as much of a problem when eaten naturally with the entire fruit. It's the juice concentrate is where you get a sky high spike. The sugar is absorbed and digested much more slowly when you have the actual flesh of the fruit. The juice alone takes a different path and as an example, one 8 ounce glass of apple juice has the sugar equivalent of four apples, and it's absorbed much more quickly. Ditch the juice, all juice. Eat the fruit.

Agree but pineapple has higher sugar content than most fruit. As fruit enzymes oxidize and degrade pretty quickly, I wonder if the supplement is synthesized or other wise chemically treated to maintain enzyme strength.