Can Blocking Cortisol Lead to Steroid-Like Muscle Gains?

[IRON-GAME]

TweetQ: “The body is always both building up and tearing down. Except for some ads and articles, everyone seems to focus on the anabolism part but not on cortisol’s role in catabolism. Can I get some steroid-like gains from blocking cortisol?”

A: No.

For some time now, excellent pharmaceutical anti-aromatases have been available, particularly letrozole and Arimidex. So many have forgotten or never experienced Cytadren.

But back around 15 years ago and earlier, letrozole and Arimidex were nearly impossible to find and were extremely expensive. What did we do to reduce estradiol? Usually we used Cytadren, if doing anything at all.

Now anti-aromatases might seem unrelated to your catabolism question, but Cytadren was quite different from letrozole and Arimidex. Cytadren was designed not to lower estrogen levels, but to lower cortisol levels!

It was and still is very effective for this. You can lower your cortisol as much as you want with Cytadren. Because of this, when Cytadren was used as an antiaromatase it had to be dosed very carefully in order to keep cortisol inhibition within acceptable levels.

So in terms of gains, how much benefit did users get from Cytadren’s cortisol inhibition? Nada! Absolutely flat zero.

The benefits were in reduced estradiol levels, or for contests increased hardness, but for helping gain muscle it was at best worthless.

Cytadren is still available. It can give whatever degree of cortisol inhibition a person might want, large or small. But no one today, so far as I know, uses Cytadren to help build muscle. Or at least no one with normal cortisol levels in the first place does so.

That is the real-world reason to not look to cortisol inhibition for gains, or at least not when cortisol levels are already normal. It doesn’t work.

Increased anabolism is a far more fruitful area for gains than is cortisol inhibition. Cortisol should be reduced only if actually high.

[guns01]

Tweetif you lower your cort to low it can mess you up pretty badly and if i remember correctly can kill you. i havent know many people to use it in a very long time

[jipped genes]

Tweet

if you lower your cort to low it can mess you up pretty badly and if i remember correctly can kill you. i havent know many people to use it in a very long time

agree, one must have a little cortisol. betaine is a supp that reduces (not eliminates) cortisol. here is a good write up.

The Effect of Betaine Supplementation on Performance and Muscle Mechanisms
Jenna M. Apicella, University of Connecticut - StorrsFollow
Date of Completion
5-7-2011
Embargo Period
5-3-2011
Open Access
Open Access
Abstract
Background: Recent research has shown that betaine supplementation can increase strength and power performance. To further investigate the ergogenic effects of betaine supplementation a balanced, randomized, double-blind, repeated measures crossover study was designed to examine select hormonal and muscle signaling responses during supplementation.
Methods: Twelve recreationally active men (age, 19.7 ± 1.23 years; height, 172.6 ± 5.61 cm; weight, 84.27 ± 15.3 kg; body fat, 18.7 ± 7.0%; BMI, 28.2 ± 4.0) with a minimum of 3 months of resistance training including back squat and bench press participated in the study. A within crossover design was utilized and subjects were randomly assigned to either betaine or placebo group. Subjects performed an acute exercise test (AET) consisting of maximal vertical jumps, isometric bench press, isometric squat, and a box lift test before and after 14 days of supplementation (twice a day) with either betaine (1.25 g dissolved in Gatorade) or placebo (same volume of Gatorade alone). During each AET, blood samples were obtained at pre, mid, post, +5, and +15 and were analyzed for GH, IGF-1 and cortisol. Also during each AET, muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis at pre and +10 and were analyzed for select muscle signaling proteins (Total Akt, Akt S473, p70 S6k1, p70 S6k1 T389, and AMPK T172). Following a 14 day washout period, subjects crossed over to the other supplementation protocol and performed the same pre and post AETs.
Results: Following betaine supplementation, there was a significant increase in isometric squat force production and number of boxes lifted during the box lift test. However, there were no significant differences in isometric bench press and vertical jumps between supplementation groups. There was a significant increase in area under the curve (AUC) for GH and IGF-1 and a significant decrease (AUC) for cortisol following 14 days of betaine supplementation. Following betaine supplementation, there was an increased in muscle Total Akt. Phosphorylation of Akt at S473 and phosphorylation of p70 S6k at T389 were maintained following betaine supplementation while these values were decreased during placebo supplementation. Phosphorylation of AMPK at T172 was decreased following betaine and placebo supplementation.
Conclusion: Betaine supplementation increased force production and muscular endurance. These performance measures correspond to increases in anabolic hormones (GH and IGF-1) and maintenance of anabolic muscle signaling (Total Akt, Akt and p70 S6k phosphorylation) responses, as well as the decrease in catabolic hormone (cortisol) and inhibitory muscle signaling (AMPK phosphorylation) following 14 days of betaine supplementation.
Recommended Citation
Apicella, Jenna M., "The Effect of Betaine Supplementation on Performance and Muscle Mechanisms" (2011). Master's Theses. Paper 109.
https://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/gs_theses/109

[IRON-GAME]

Tweet

agree, one must have a little cortisol. betaine is a supp that reduces (not eliminates) cortisol. here is a good write up.

The Effect of Betaine Supplementation on Performance and Muscle Mechanisms
Jenna M. Apicella, University of Connecticut - StorrsFollow
Date of Completion
5-7-2011
Embargo Period
5-3-2011
Open Access
Open Access
Abstract
Background: Recent research has shown that betaine supplementation can increase strength and power performance. To further investigate the ergogenic effects of betaine supplementation a balanced, randomized, double-blind, repeated measures crossover study was designed to examine select hormonal and muscle signaling responses during supplementation.
Methods: Twelve recreationally active men (age, 19.7 ± 1.23 years; height, 172.6 ± 5.61 cm; weight, 84.27 ± 15.3 kg; body fat, 18.7 ± 7.0%; BMI, 28.2 ± 4.0) with a minimum of 3 months of resistance training including back squat and bench press participated in the study. A within crossover design was utilized and subjects were randomly assigned to either betaine or placebo group. Subjects performed an acute exercise test (AET) consisting of maximal vertical jumps, isometric bench press, isometric squat, and a box lift test before and after 14 days of supplementation (twice a day) with either betaine (1.25 g dissolved in Gatorade) or placebo (same volume of Gatorade alone). During each AET, blood samples were obtained at pre, mid, post, +5, and +15 and were analyzed for GH, IGF-1 and cortisol. Also during each AET, muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis at pre and +10 and were analyzed for select muscle signaling proteins (Total Akt, Akt S473, p70 S6k1, p70 S6k1 T389, and AMPK T172). Following a 14 day washout period, subjects crossed over to the other supplementation protocol and performed the same pre and post AETs.
Results: Following betaine supplementation, there was a significant increase in isometric squat force production and number of boxes lifted during the box lift test. However, there were no significant differences in isometric bench press and vertical jumps between supplementation groups. There was a significant increase in area under the curve (AUC) for GH and IGF-1 and a significant decrease (AUC) for cortisol following 14 days of betaine supplementation. Following betaine supplementation, there was an increased in muscle Total Akt. Phosphorylation of Akt at S473 and phosphorylation of p70 S6k at T389 were maintained following betaine supplementation while these values were decreased during placebo supplementation. Phosphorylation of AMPK at T172 was decreased following betaine and placebo supplementation.
Conclusion: Betaine supplementation increased force production and muscular endurance. These performance measures correspond to increases in anabolic hormones (GH and IGF-1) and maintenance of anabolic muscle signaling (Total Akt, Akt and p70 S6k phosphorylation) responses, as well as the decrease in catabolic hormone (cortisol) and inhibitory muscle signaling (AMPK phosphorylation) following 14 days of betaine supplementation.
Recommended Citation
Apicella, Jenna M., "The Effect of Betaine Supplementation on Performance and Muscle Mechanisms" (2011). Master's Theses. Paper 109.
https://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/gs_theses/109

Thanks for this

[chemicallyengineered]

TweetThis is where I think some cortisol suppression could help. For those of us who never come off the body will always produce more cortisol to try and combat the Anabolics we take. Normally when we come off cortisol will lower. When staying on that doesn't happen so I have toyed with the idea of trying to lower cortisol for brief periods during my continuous cycles to try an boost some gains. I tried cytadren once and it seemed to make a difference but the lethargy from it was tough to combat. I may give it a go again and try and report what I notice.

[jipped genes]

TweetIG and CE, I did not notice anything but I take it everyday now. and it was not until i stopped taking it I noticed I started putting on just a little fat and did not sleep as well. I bought a kilo of the powder, It does not taste horrible like some bulk powders. I take it morning and night 1 month one 1 week off