VictoriousSpoon
Kava Curious
A brief background on me: I have been lifting weights/played sports for most of my life, very lean, and am health conscious about my dietary nutrition
In the past 6 weeks, since I began consuming kava 3-7 days/week, I have noticed an increase in my adiposity (body fat), as well as a decrease in physical strength, libido, spontaneity, and the desire to leave home to socialize, practice/play sports, or run errands.
Initially, I chalked this up to merely being stress related. However, after adjusting my diet a few weeks in to lean out (I am very in tune with my body and how I eat), I was surprised at the lack of progress in shedding the new found fat.
I don't weigh myself often, as I find it to be an arbitrary number for most purposes and rely more on a mirror.
Today, after a visit at the doctor's office, before being weighed, I was fully expecting to be heavier, with all this extra fat, but I found I was 2 pounds LIGHTER, meaning I have not only gained fat, but lost substantial muscle mass as well. After learning this, and noticing how my strength levels have gone down over the past month, I scoured pubmed.
I came across this study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3276576/
In a nutshell, the findings indicate kavalactones down regulate Androgen* Receptor** (AR) expression. These receptors are how testosterone elicits most of its physiological effects in the body, including promoting strength and muscle mass, reduction of body fat, energy, mood etc.
This came as quite a shock to me; I assumed kava wouldn't hamper my fitness levels like alcohol does. But looks like I was wrong, based on my personal anecdotal experience. I am going to stop kava cold turkey and see what happens; if I revert to my previous physical shape, I'll know kava was the culprit.
This is quite a bummer, I was starting to really like kava. Maybe I will just have to save it for infrequent occasions from now on.
However for people that have no concerns about maintaining a specific level of fitness, this is all irrelevant. Additionally, this could also be a great effect for men suffering from BPH, high risk of prostate cancer, or experiencing earlier stages of male pattern baldness.
I also realize there are athletes out there that consume kava, (like the Aluball creator), but just cos they consume it, doesn't mean what they're doing is optimal or isn't hindering their physicality (if they're consuming it frequently). Oscar De La Hoya lived off McDonalds cheeseburgers for the first 2/3 of his career.
*Androgens are a class of hormones associated with "masculinization," such as testosterone, DHT, androstenedione etc.
**Androgen Receptors are the little protein structures within a cell, that act as "sockets" for androgenic hormone molecules to bind to, in order to elicit RNA transcription and impart their effects.
In the past 6 weeks, since I began consuming kava 3-7 days/week, I have noticed an increase in my adiposity (body fat), as well as a decrease in physical strength, libido, spontaneity, and the desire to leave home to socialize, practice/play sports, or run errands.
Initially, I chalked this up to merely being stress related. However, after adjusting my diet a few weeks in to lean out (I am very in tune with my body and how I eat), I was surprised at the lack of progress in shedding the new found fat.
I don't weigh myself often, as I find it to be an arbitrary number for most purposes and rely more on a mirror.
Today, after a visit at the doctor's office, before being weighed, I was fully expecting to be heavier, with all this extra fat, but I found I was 2 pounds LIGHTER, meaning I have not only gained fat, but lost substantial muscle mass as well. After learning this, and noticing how my strength levels have gone down over the past month, I scoured pubmed.
I came across this study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3276576/
In a nutshell, the findings indicate kavalactones down regulate Androgen* Receptor** (AR) expression. These receptors are how testosterone elicits most of its physiological effects in the body, including promoting strength and muscle mass, reduction of body fat, energy, mood etc.
This came as quite a shock to me; I assumed kava wouldn't hamper my fitness levels like alcohol does. But looks like I was wrong, based on my personal anecdotal experience. I am going to stop kava cold turkey and see what happens; if I revert to my previous physical shape, I'll know kava was the culprit.
This is quite a bummer, I was starting to really like kava. Maybe I will just have to save it for infrequent occasions from now on.
However for people that have no concerns about maintaining a specific level of fitness, this is all irrelevant. Additionally, this could also be a great effect for men suffering from BPH, high risk of prostate cancer, or experiencing earlier stages of male pattern baldness.
I also realize there are athletes out there that consume kava, (like the Aluball creator), but just cos they consume it, doesn't mean what they're doing is optimal or isn't hindering their physicality (if they're consuming it frequently). Oscar De La Hoya lived off McDonalds cheeseburgers for the first 2/3 of his career.
*Androgens are a class of hormones associated with "masculinization," such as testosterone, DHT, androstenedione etc.
**Androgen Receptors are the little protein structures within a cell, that act as "sockets" for androgenic hormone molecules to bind to, in order to elicit RNA transcription and impart their effects.
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