Anyone heard of this stuff? A friend of mine uses it and she swears by it. It’s a little too costly for me to try as an experiment.
I bought some and used it for a week but then stopped because I wanted to save them for a big race or event in the future. They are pretty big horse pills and you have to take a couple throughout the day, and they taste pretty nasty. Personally, I’d rather have an altitude tent.
From the website: http://www.fizogen.com/epovar.php **A study was conducted using 23 competitive tri-athletes; all subject to 4 weeks of supplementation with 17mmol/d (4.5 Grams) Magnesium Orotate or a placebo during a double blind randomized controlled study. They then each competed in an event including a 500-meter swim a 5-km run and a 20-km bicycle race after supplementation. Blood was collected before, between and after the events for assaying energy stress and membrane metabolism. Compared with the controls, running, swimming and cycling time decreased in the Magnesium Orotate group. Serum insulin decreased 65% in the MO group and increased 39% in the controls (significant). Serum glucose concentrations increased 118% in the MO group and 87% in the control group (significant). Venous O2 partial pressure increased 208% in the MO group as opposed to 126% in the controls (significant). Venous CO2 partial pressure after the bicycle race decreased 74% in controls as compared to 66% in the MO group (significant). Blood leukocyte count increased from 5.81/nL to 9.10/nL in the MO group as opposed to 5.92/nL to 11.0/nl in the controls (significant). Blood proton concentration decreased 98% in controls compared to 90% in the MO group (significant). Serum cortisol was reduced in the MO group before between and after the event when compared with the controls. CK catalytic concentration after the test was elevated 122% in the MO group compared to 140% in the controls. This study points to a substantially reduced stress response to training, altered glucose utilization and positive stress-induced modifications of energy and hormone metabolism, which did not affect competitive potential.
******On the significance of magnesium in extreme physical stress. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 1998 Sep;12 Suppl 2:197-202. Golf SW, Bender S, Gruttner J. Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University Medical School, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany.
There are a lot of other studies if you are an academic and can access them. Cheapest I found the stuff for was 54 dollars a bottle.