Thread: HICA: The Ultimate Anti-catabolic Supplement?

HICA: The Ultimate Anti-catabolic Supplement?
by Tuomo Karila, MD, PhD and Timo Seppälä, MD, PhD

a-Hydroxyisocaproic acid (HICA) was mentioned in the scientific literature for the first time in the mid-20th century. HICA is an end product of leucine metabolism in human tissues such as muscle and connective tissue and, therefore, occurs physiologically in mammalian organisms. Some foodstuffs produced by fermentation (e.g. certain cheeses and Soy sauce) may contain small amounts of HICA.

The era of HICA began in the 1950s and 1960s when a lot of research work was done to find a way to re-utilize protein containing animal waste that was produced in growing amounts by the fur and fish industries. Success at producing a Lactobacillus-fermented solution from the protein-rich waste was a breakthrough achieved by Professor Westermarck and co-workers. The accomplished solution contained different amino acid metabolites, especially hydroxy acid derivatives of branched-chain Amino Acids (BCAA), including HICA. The solution was found to increase the bodyweight and liveability of animals when added to animal feed, and it has been used as a food additive for animals in Scandinavia during the last few decades (Westermarck et al., 2001).

a-Hydroxyisocaproic acid (HICA) was mentioned in the scientific literature for the first time in the mid-20th century. HICA is an end product of leucine metabolism in human tissues such as muscle and connective tissue and, therefore, occurs physiologically in mammalian organisms. Some foodstuffs produced by fermentation (e.g. certain cheeses and Soy sauce) may contain small amounts of HICA.

The era of HICA began in the 1950s and 1960s when a lot of research work was done to find a way to re-utilize protein containing animal waste that was produced in growing amounts by the fur and fish industries. Success at producing a Lactobacillus-fermented solution from the protein-rich waste was a breakthrough achieved by Professor Westermarck and co-workers. The accomplished solution contained different amino acid metabolites, especially hydroxy acid derivatives of branched-chain Amino Acids (BCAA), including HICA. The solution was found to increase the bodyweight and liveability of animals when added to animal feed, and it has been used as a food additive for animals in Scandinavia during the last few decades (Westermarck et al., 2001).

HICA as a Dietary Supplement

A variety of means and methods have been proposed for optimizing muscle performance. Nutrition is the primary determinant of the outcome of the critical, short-term muscle recovery process, and dietary supplements have been typically designed to compensate for reduced levels of nutrients in the diet during increased demand. A rather nice result for performance and training adaptations has been achieved with protein and amino acid supplementation (Kerksick et al., 2006). However, attention has only been paid to the means of stimulating protein synthesis; the means of halting or preventing muscle protein breakdown during and after exercise have largely gone unnoticed. An anti-catabolic HICA may abolish this shortcoming.
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) symptoms are often accepted as temporary discomfort. However, serious athletes prefer to overcome these problems and be restored to normal function with a minimal disruption in training programs or work output. DOMS symptoms aren’t totally due to the inflammatory process, therefore, anti-inflammatory medications don’t prevent soreness, tenderness and decreased muscular function (Pizza et al., 1999).
Neither the nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen nor acetaminophen reduce eccentric resistant training-induced muscle soreness. Moreover, they suppress the protein synthesis response in skeletal muscle after eccentric resistance exercise, notwithstanding that they have no influence on whole body protein breakdown (Trappe et al., 2002).

A mixture of branched-chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) has recently been shown to relieve the symptoms of DOMS, but the most effective ratio of the three BCAAs is unclear (Shimomura et al., 2006). The preliminary findings with HICA suggest that it’s highly effective on DOMS symptoms. To our knowledge, such an effect hasn’t been described with any other single compound. HICA can be taken orally because it has an active transport mechanism in human bowel (Friedrich et al., 1992). HICA is suitable for both males and females, since it has no effect on the human endocrinological system.
As of this writing, HICA isn’t included in the list of prohibited substances in sports published by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The commercially available preparation ?HICA™ is produced by a Finnish company called Elmomed (Elmomed Oy). The company ascertains by controlled analyses that each batch produced is free of any kind of contamination that could lead to a positive doping test result in athletes.

A Pilot Study in Humans

In order to assess the effects of HICA on body composition and exercise-induced DOMS, Hietala and colleagues gave 0.496 grams of HICA three times daily after intensive training sessions to seven healthy volunteers for 42 days in an open label study (Hietala et al. 2005). [Editor’s Note: in an open label study both the scientists and the subjects are aware of the treatment (e.g., supplement) being given.]

The volunteers were national wrestlers, weighing 79.7 +/- 4.5 kilograms and aged 20 through 26. They had at least 10 training sessions a week, each lasting from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Since the subjects were competitive athletes, they had the advantage of several years worth of weight records. During six weeks preceding the HICA period there were no essential changes in their weights. Daily diets, and the number, intensity and length of daily training sessions of wrestlers were kept constant at least six weeks before the trial as well as during the trial.

The bodyweight and body composition of the volunteers were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) before and after the intake of HICA. DEXA differentiates bodyweight into the components of lean soft tissue, fat soft tissue and bone, based on the differential attenuation by tissues of the two levels of X-rays. Subjects were asked to report all feelings they associated with the HICA treatment, e.g. pain, stiffness or aches in muscles felt during and after the training sessions.

According to the DEXA measurements, the mean weight gain during the treatment period was 0.84±1.0 kg (±SD). Bone weight didn’t change, but total lean soft tissue mass increased significantly. The most important finding of the pilot study was that when using HICA, subjects didn’t suffer from delayed-onset muscle soreness symptoms at all, or they suffered from those markedly less than before the treatment with HICA. No changes in blood pressure, heart rate or laboratory values were associated with the use of HICA.

In a single case study, a basketball player who suffered from marked DOMS symptoms took HICA similarly to the above-mentioned wrestlers. After 42 days, results indicated that he had gained 2.65 kilograms of lean body mass as shown by DEXA measurements. Subjectively, he reported the disappearance of all exercise-related muscle aches and pains.
In summary, HICA is a promising anti-catabolic supplement for serious strength-power athletes, including bodybuilders.


References:
1. Barlas P, Craig JA, et al. Managing delayed-onset muscle soreness: lack of effect of selected oral systemic analgesics. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2000, 81(7): 966-72.
2. Bolster DR, Jefferson LS, et al. Regulation of protein synthesis associated with skeletal muscle hypertrophy by insulin-, amino acid- and exercise-induced signalling. Proc Nutr Soc, 2004, 63(2): 351-6.
3. Friedrich M, Murer H, et al. Transport of L-leucine hydroxy analogue and L-lactate in human small intestinal brush border membrane vesicles. Eur J Clin Invest, 1992, 22(2): 73-8.
4. Hietala et al. Nutrient supplement and use of the same. Elmomed Ltd [Patent Document].
5. Kerksick et al. The effects of protein and amino acid supplementation on performance and training adaptations during ten weeks of resistance training, J Strength Conditioning Res, 2006, 20 (3): 643-653.
6. Lieber RL and Friden J. Morphologic and mechanical basis of delayed-onset muscle soreness, J Am Acad Orthop Surg, 2002, 10(1): 67-73.
7. Lindgren, S, Sandberg G, et al. Energy substrate containing hydroxycarboxylic acid, Kabivitrum Ab. 1990.
8. Pizza, FX, Cavender D, et al. Anti-inflammatory doses of ibuprofen: effect on neutrophils and exercise-induced muscle injury. Int J Sports Med, 1999, 20(2): 98-102.
9. Sheffield-Moore M, Yeckel CW, et al. Postexercise protein metabolism in older and younger men following moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2004, 287(3): E513-22.
10. Shimomura, Y et al. Exercise promotes BCAA catabolism: Effects of BCAA supplementation on skeletal muscle during exercise J Nutr, 2004, 134: 1583S-1587S.
11. Shimomura, Y et al. Nutraceutical effects of branched-chain Amino Acids on skeletal muscle, J Nutr, 2006, 136(2): 529S-532S.
12. Tipton KD and Wolfe RR. Exercise, protein metabolism, and muscle growth, Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2001, 11(1): 109-32.
13. Tischler, M. E., M. Desautels, et al. Does leucine, leucyl-tRNA, or some metabolite of leucine regulate protein synthesis and degradation in skeletal and cardiac muscle? J Biol Chem, 1982, 257(4): 1613-21.
14. Trappe, T. A., F. White, et al. Effect of ibuprofen and acetaminophen on postexercise muscle protein synthesis Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2002, 282(3): E551-6.
15. Walser, M. Therapeutic compositions comprising alpha-hydroxy analogs of essential Amino Acids and their administration to humans for promotion of protein synthesis and suppression of urea formation. U.S., The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. 1978.
16. Westermarck, H. W., J. Apajalahti, et al. Use of hydroxy acid or a product containing the same in animal feed. Extracta Ltd. 2001.

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Originally Posted by Prince

HICA: The Ultimate Anti-catabolic Supplement?
by Tuomo Karila, MD, PhD and Timo Seppälä, MD, PhD

a-Hydroxyisocaproic acid (HICA) was mentioned in the scientific literature for the first time in the mid-20th century. HICA is an end product of leucine metabolism in human tissues such as muscle and connective tissue and, therefore, occurs physiologically in mammalian organisms. Some foodstuffs produced by fermentation (e.g. certain cheeses and Soy sauce) may contain small amounts of HICA.

The era of HICA began in the 1950s and 1960s when a lot of research work was done to find a way to re-utilize protein containing animal waste that was produced in growing amounts by the fur and fish industries. Success at producing a Lactobacillus-fermented solution from the protein-rich waste was a breakthrough achieved by Professor Westermarck and co-workers. The accomplished solution contained different amino acid metabolites, especially hydroxy acid derivatives of branched-chain Amino Acids (BCAA), including HICA. The solution was found to increase the bodyweight and liveability of animals when added to animal feed, and it has been used as a food additive for animals in Scandinavia during the last few decades (Westermarck et al., 2001).

a-Hydroxyisocaproic acid (HICA) was mentioned in the scientific literature for the first time in the mid-20th century. HICA is an end product of leucine metabolism in human tissues such as muscle and connective tissue and, therefore, occurs physiologically in mammalian organisms. Some foodstuffs produced by fermentation (e.g. certain cheeses and Soy sauce) may contain small amounts of HICA.

The era of HICA began in the 1950s and 1960s when a lot of research work was done to find a way to re-utilize protein containing animal waste that was produced in growing amounts by the fur and fish industries. Success at producing a Lactobacillus-fermented solution from the protein-rich waste was a breakthrough achieved by Professor Westermarck and co-workers. The accomplished solution contained different amino acid metabolites, especially hydroxy acid derivatives of branched-chain Amino Acids (BCAA), including HICA. The solution was found to increase the bodyweight and liveability of animals when added to animal feed, and it has been used as a food additive for animals in Scandinavia during the last few decades (Westermarck et al., 2001).

HICA as a Dietary Supplement

A variety of means and methods have been proposed for optimizing muscle performance. Nutrition is the primary determinant of the outcome of the critical, short-term muscle recovery process, and dietary supplements have been typically designed to compensate for reduced levels of nutrients in the diet during increased demand. A rather nice result for performance and training adaptations has been achieved with protein and amino acid supplementation (Kerksick et al., 2006). However, attention has only been paid to the means of stimulating protein synthesis; the means of halting or preventing muscle protein breakdown during and after exercise have largely gone unnoticed. An anti-catabolic HICA may abolish this shortcoming.
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) symptoms are often accepted as temporary discomfort. However, serious athletes prefer to overcome these problems and be restored to normal function with a minimal disruption in training programs or work output. DOMS symptoms aren’t totally due to the inflammatory process, therefore, anti-inflammatory medications don’t prevent soreness, tenderness and decreased muscular function (Pizza et al., 1999).
Neither the nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen nor acetaminophen reduce eccentric resistant training-induced muscle soreness. Moreover, they suppress the protein synthesis response in skeletal muscle after eccentric resistance exercise, notwithstanding that they have no influence on whole body protein breakdown (Trappe et al., 2002).

A mixture of branched-chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) has recently been shown to relieve the symptoms of DOMS, but the most effective ratio of the three BCAAs is unclear (Shimomura et al., 2006). The preliminary findings with HICA suggest that it’s highly effective on DOMS symptoms. To our knowledge, such an effect hasn’t been described with any other single compound. HICA can be taken orally because it has an active transport mechanism in human bowel (Friedrich et al., 1992). HICA is suitable for both males and females, since it has no effect on the human endocrinological system.
As of this writing, HICA isn’t included in the list of prohibited substances in sports published by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The commercially available preparation ?HICA™ is produced by a Finnish company called Elmomed (Elmomed Oy). The company ascertains by controlled analyses that each batch produced is free of any kind of contamination that could lead to a positive doping test result in athletes.

A Pilot Study in Humans

In order to assess the effects of HICA on body composition and exercise-induced DOMS, Hietala and colleagues gave 0.496 grams of HICA three times daily after intensive training sessions to seven healthy volunteers for 42 days in an open label study (Hietala et al. 2005). [Editor’s Note: in an open label study both the scientists and the subjects are aware of the treatment (e.g., supplement) being given.]

The volunteers were national wrestlers, weighing 79.7 +/- 4.5 kilograms and aged 20 through 26. They had at least 10 training sessions a week, each lasting from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Since the subjects were competitive athletes, they had the advantage of several years worth of weight records. During six weeks preceding the HICA period there were no essential changes in their weights. Daily diets, and the number, intensity and length of daily training sessions of wrestlers were kept constant at least six weeks before the trial as well as during the trial.

The bodyweight and body composition of the volunteers were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) before and after the intake of HICA. DEXA differentiates bodyweight into the components of lean soft tissue, fat soft tissue and bone, based on the differential attenuation by tissues of the two levels of X-rays. Subjects were asked to report all feelings they associated with the HICA treatment, e.g. pain, stiffness or aches in muscles felt during and after the training sessions.

According to the DEXA measurements, the mean weight gain during the treatment period was 0.84±1.0 kg (±SD). Bone weight didn’t change, but total lean soft tissue mass increased significantly. The most important finding of the pilot study was that when using HICA, subjects didn’t suffer from delayed-onset muscle soreness symptoms at all, or they suffered from those markedly less than before the treatment with HICA. No changes in blood pressure, heart rate or laboratory values were associated with the use of HICA.

In a single case study, a basketball player who suffered from marked DOMS symptoms took HICA similarly to the above-mentioned wrestlers. After 42 days, results indicated that he had gained 2.65 kilograms of lean body mass as shown by DEXA measurements. Subjectively, he reported the disappearance of all exercise-related muscle aches and pains.
In summary, HICA is a promising anti-catabolic supplement for serious strength-power athletes, including bodybuilders.


References:
1. Barlas P, Craig JA, et al. Managing delayed-onset muscle soreness: lack of effect of selected oral systemic analgesics. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2000, 81(7): 966-72.
2. Bolster DR, Jefferson LS, et al. Regulation of protein synthesis associated with skeletal muscle hypertrophy by insulin-, amino acid- and exercise-induced signalling. Proc Nutr Soc, 2004, 63(2): 351-6.
3. Friedrich M, Murer H, et al. Transport of L-leucine hydroxy analogue and L-lactate in human small intestinal brush border membrane vesicles. Eur J Clin Invest, 1992, 22(2): 73-8.
4. Hietala et al. Nutrient supplement and use of the same. Elmomed Ltd [Patent Document].
5. Kerksick et al. The effects of protein and amino acid supplementation on performance and training adaptations during ten weeks of resistance training, J Strength Conditioning Res, 2006, 20 (3): 643-653.
6. Lieber RL and Friden J. Morphologic and mechanical basis of delayed-onset muscle soreness, J Am Acad Orthop Surg, 2002, 10(1): 67-73.
7. Lindgren, S, Sandberg G, et al. Energy substrate containing hydroxycarboxylic acid, Kabivitrum Ab. 1990.
8. Pizza, FX, Cavender D, et al. Anti-inflammatory doses of ibuprofen: effect on neutrophils and exercise-induced muscle injury. Int J Sports Med, 1999, 20(2): 98-102.
9. Sheffield-Moore M, Yeckel CW, et al. Postexercise protein metabolism in older and younger men following moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2004, 287(3): E513-22.
10. Shimomura, Y et al. Exercise promotes BCAA catabolism: Effects of BCAA supplementation on skeletal muscle during exercise J Nutr, 2004, 134: 1583S-1587S.
11. Shimomura, Y et al. Nutraceutical effects of branched-chain Amino Acids on skeletal muscle, J Nutr, 2006, 136(2): 529S-532S.
12. Tipton KD and Wolfe RR. Exercise, protein metabolism, and muscle growth, Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2001, 11(1): 109-32.
13. Tischler, M. E., M. Desautels, et al. Does leucine, leucyl-tRNA, or some metabolite of leucine regulate protein synthesis and degradation in skeletal and cardiac muscle? J Biol Chem, 1982, 257(4): 1613-21.
14. Trappe, T. A., F. White, et al. Effect of ibuprofen and acetaminophen on postexercise muscle protein synthesis Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2002, 282(3): E551-6.
15. Walser, M. Therapeutic compositions comprising alpha-hydroxy analogs of essential Amino Acids and their administration to humans for promotion of protein synthesis and suppression of urea formation. U.S., The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. 1978.
16. Westermarck, H. W., J. Apajalahti, et al. Use of hydroxy acid or a product containing the same in animal feed. Extracta Ltd. 2001.

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Sounds good! How about mixing that with another metabolite of leucine....hmb(my fav)