Development of muscle mass and body fitness one of the main aims for bodybuildings. The growth of muscle may occur by the increase in the fiber size and/or by increasing the number of fibers. Many nutriceutical supplements and pharmacological medicines are utilized by wide ranging populations seeking to restore, augment or repair body tissues for both aesthetic and medical purposes. Fitness devotees, and athletes seek to increase stamina, strength and muscle force in order to enhance personal appearance or performance. The very large population of persons wishing to aesthetically add muscle to body mass, replace fat with muscle or to simply increase strength in order to reduce fatigue stamina and/or appearance is accepted as a legitimate concern for good physiological and psychological health. People with muscle dystrophy require extensive rehabilitation of muscle use during recovery in order to restore muscle mass.
The growth of muscle as used may be measured by an increase in wet weight, an increase in protein content, an increase in the number of muscle fibers, or an increase in muscle fiber diameter. The problems of maintaining muscle mass while minimizing the accumulation of fat has long been an issue of concern to athletes. While exercise is one of the main mechanisms for achieving that goal, food and vitamin supplements, as well as pituitary growth hormone, are necessary for muscle growth. Glutamine is crucial for many aspects of healthy body function including maintenance of optimal antioxidant status, building and maintenance of muscle tissue, maintenance of optimal immune function, and repair and maintenance of intestinal tissue. L-glutamine is highly correlated to muscle protein synthesis. Glutamine also increases the activity of natural killer cells and improves the function of neutrophils. In addition, glutamine is critical for the immune function of the respiratory tract, the genitourinary tract, and the intestinal tract. Other ergogenic aids which stimulate muscle growth include the three amino acids, leucine, isoleucine and valine. The use of steroids to improve performance and increase muscle mass has been popular. Growth hormone is a hormone which stimulates growth of all tissues capable of growing. It acts on receptors in the liver, muscle, fat, growth plate and in other tissues. Its actions on skeletal growth and on protein anabolism are mediated at least in large part by insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Human growth hormone (HGH) is used by some athletes to mimic the effects of anabolic steroids. Human growth hormone produces an anabolic effect which includes the process of converting amino acids into protein. Growth hormone functions to regulate somatic growth and also maintains muscle mass and strength. It can also act as a counterregulatory hormone opposing the action of insulin on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. |
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