2009 ATP World Tour Finals - Group Stage: Federer vs Verdasco (part 1/2)

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What is the Purpose of Oxygen in Aerobic Respiration?

The term "aerobic" really means "requiring air," or "requiring oxygen." Therefore, the purpose of oxygen in aerobic respiration is quite critical in this kind of system. Without oxygen, the respiration process fails altogether. Not all organisms on this planet rely on it, though. Others survive in living conditions that have little or no oxygen molecules at all. Their mode of breathing is then known as anaerobic respiration, or that which is "not requiring air" or "not requiring oxygen." Human beings, obviously rely greatly on aerobic respiration. But what exactly is the purpose of oxygen in it? For this we have to look into this process in a micro-cellular level.

For aerobic organisms like human beings, our cells need to convert biochemical energy from the nutrients that we consume. This process is actually quite complicated. But for the sake of simplification, let us just assume that: the nutrients are already digested, and floating in the blood stream. We will also assume that the cells have already absorbed what they need from the bloodstream through the simplest process of cell wall absorption (osmosis, for example.) However, our cells need to convert those nutrients into ATP or adenosine-5- triphosphate. ATP is a nucleotide that has many functions, but it is known primarily as the most basic molecular currency that is responsible for cell-to-cell energy transfer.

ATP is known as molecular currency for the simple reason that this is the nucleotide that makes everything move. Without this molecular currency, there will be no intracellular transfer of chemical energy. And without this cellular level chemical energy transfer, then cells cannot break down the nutrients in food. Cells cannot transfer information through nerve endings and synapses. Cells cannot process or eliminate waste products. In short, ATP is the most basic "battery" of all aerobic organisms. Without the mandatory chemical energy transfer, cells begin to die quickly, and the organism begins to fade as more and more cells are lost.

Having established that, it is now easy to define the purpose of oxygen in aerobic respiration. Oxygen is the essential material - that required electron that triggers the ATP to release its stored chemical energy, transferring molecular currency to other cells while releasing waste products into the blood stream. Without oxygen, the ATP remains stagnant within the cells, which in turn literally "freezes" all other cellular activity. Additionally, if oxygen is not introduced in blood stream, the waste materials within begins to "poison" the ATP cells, further hampering its functions, and ultimately leading to cell demise.

For human beings, part of the respiration process includes the micro-cellular release of essential amino acids, fatty acids and glucose in the blood stream. Without these 3 primary components, internal organs (particularly the brain, which is heavily dependent on glucose supply) begin to shut down and die. As such, it only takes 5 minutes of oxygen deprivation before the brain starts to deteriorate. From then on, permanent and irreversible damage happens, even with the re-introduction of oxygen into the system.

How Creatine Supplements Work

Most people have heard of creatine supplements at one time or another due to being probably the most popular and effective sports supplement on the market. It's been shown to have an impact on size and strength many times over. Read on! You may find that it may be beneficial to you too.

A Brief History

Creatine was discovered in the human body in 1832, but hadn't really been considered for use to aid athletic performance until the early 1990's. By the mid-90's, most professional athletes were supplementing with creatine.

Where Creatine Comes From

Creatine is a compound that is found naturally in the body, and about 95% of it is normally found in muscle tissue. It is a combination of the three amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine.

About half of the creatine found in your body is made by the body, and the other half is taken from food. The foods that mainly contain creatine are red meat and fish, but not in such abundant amounts that you can raise the amount of creatine in your body just by adding a little of these foods to your diet. You would have to essentially gorge yourself with these foods to increase your creatine levels only marginally. As with most all supplementation, creatine is sold in order to make increasing your intake practical.

How Creatine Supplements Work

Why would you want to raise the creatine levels in your muscles? Why, I'm glad you asked. Taking creatine supplements has been shown to increase lean muscle mass, decrease lactic acid production, speed recovery during and after workouts, and decrease mental fatigue.

In order to understand how creatine does this, you first have to be familiar with a substance called Adenosine Tri-Phosphate, or ATP for short. ATP is basically the fuel that sits in your cells waiting to burn at a moments notice when your muscles need them. It is a molecule of adenine with three phosphate groups attached to it. When needed, the third phosphate group detaches, which produces energy for your muscles to work. The ATP is now ADP (Adenosine Di-Phosphate), and must wait for that third phosphate group to get reattached before is can produce energy again.

This is where creatine comes into play. After taking a creatine supplement, the body converts it into creatine phosphate, and stores that in muscle tissue. You are essentially keeping a ready supply of the phosphate group needed to convert ADP back into ATP. So as you lift weights, the energy that you're burning is quickly being turned back into usable energy. This should allow you to lift a little more weight and recover more quickly than if you didn't take the creatine supplement. End result, more muscle (assuming your workout and diet are in order).

The Importance of Water
Quick Answer: Real Important

One of the effects of creatine supplementation is that it holds onto a lot of water as it's being stored in your muscles. This causes your muscle to look fuller most of the time. Many have noticed that after they work out their muscles are fuller and more defined due to the increased blood being pumped through the muscles for recovery purposes. Creatine supplementation tends to make muscles look like this much of the time due to the extra water being stored.

Due to this water holding characteristic of creatine, it is very important that anyone that supplements with creatine must drink plenty of water. This is normally noted on the packaging. If you aren't mindful of staying adequately hydrated, dehydration may soon follow.

The muscle volumizing effect of creatine supplements should not be why you use it though. It's not going to make you look ripped unless you already are ripped. Due to the explanation of the effects creatine supplementation has on your body above, you should realize that you only see its true benefits when supplementation is coupled with a good weight lifting routine. Creatine supplements are supposed to help you in the gym. It's not a miracle supplement that you consume expecting drastic improvements to your physique. A workout plan must accompany it.

Added Benefit: Feel the Burn...much less
No Pain, No Gain? I don't like the sound of that.

Creatine supplements will also help relieve the burning sensation you may feel while weight lifting. The burning you feel is a waste product of your muscles called lactic acid which is produced anytime your muscles work. Without getting too much into the biology of it all, the process of turning ADP back into ATP that creatine affords curbs this burning sensation since it is helping your muscles recover more quickly. This will allow you to do one or two more reps than you probably wouldn't have normally been able to pull off.

Statins Destroy CoQ10

Coenzyme Q10, also known as ubiquinone, is a critical enzyme found in every cell of our bodies. It serves as a catalyst for several key steps in the production of cellular energy, and in particular, plays an important role in cellular ATP production. As would be expected, CoQ10 is highly concentrated in nerve cells and heart muscle cells, both high energy users.

Every cell in our body has a "power producing" organ called a mitochondria. The mitochondria in each cell produce ATP, a substance used as energy for cellular and body processes. Without CoQ10, the cell mitochondria cannot function and as a result, very little energy is produced. The end result of a deficiency of CoQ10 is a completely debilitating weakness and inability to physically complete even the easiest of tasks.

Statin drugs deplete CoQ10 in the body because they interrupt the metabolic pathway leading to the production of cholesterol and CoQ10. The effects of this interference can result in severe and permanent damage to the body's natural energy systems.

Statins deplete both cellular and blood concentrations of CoQ10, with higher doses depleting this critical substance at higher rates. The results are certainly a threat to good health and in some cases, a threat to one's life.

A severe lack of CoQ10 can result in congestive heart failure as the heart cells lack the energy they need to function. Other side effects of statins include, but are not limited to, severe muscle pain and weakness, muscle cell death leading to kidney damage and failure, problems with body temperature regulation, cognition and memory issues, personality changes, polyneuropathy, a condition in which the nerves in the extremities become inflamed and painful, and in some cases, death. Baycol, a statin introduced in January 1998, caused the death of 60 people worldwide over the two years it was on the market.

Duane Graveline, the author of Lipitor, Thief of Memory, has a forum where people who have been damaged by statin drugs talk about their experience.

Many of these unfortunate people discuss being diagnosed with Mitochondrial Myopathy after taking a statin drug. Mitochondrial Myopathy is a neuromuscular diseases caused by damage to the mitochondria. Nerve cells in the brain and muscles require a great deal of energy, and thus appear to be particularly damaged when mitochondrial damage occurs. The symptoms of Mitochondrial Myopathy include muscle weakness or exercise intolerance, heart failure or rhythm disturbances, dementia, seizures and other health issues. As would be expected, these symptoms are very similar to the side effects of statin interference in the metabolic pathway which produces CoQ10.

Ironically, statin drugs are prescribed to patients to address elevated cholesterol, a condition that is not life threatening, and which is in fact, life supporting. All of the pain and suffering caused by these dangerous drugs is unnecessary and tragic. The FDA has thousands of complaints on file, but has yet to take action to protect the American public.

Mononucleosis and EPO - Is There a Connection?

With all this fuss about the use of EPO in cycling in recent years and how laboratorial inject able EPO was practically undetectable until very recently (2003), plus how the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) and other Anti-Doping labs worldwide are suspicious that athletes are freely using performance enhancing drugs namely EPO; some officials are starting to openly vent their frustrations with the shortcomings (underfunding) of the aforementioned agencies.

With recent reports of several athletes contracting mononucleosis, I became curious and I decided to make a search on the internet to see if there was a possibility of a connection between EPO and mononucleosis and I found this startling report (excerpt below).

Author: Paul Schick, MD, Emeritus Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Medical College; Research Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine:

"Pure Red Cell Aplasia

Respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, primary atypical pneumonia, infectious mononucleosis, mumps, and viral hepatitis may trigger pure red cell aplasia.




Importantly, note that EPO-related appears to be a rare complication when one considers that approximately 3 million patients are treated with EPO worldwide. Nevertheless, maintain awareness of the possibility of this complication. In 2002, Casadevall et al recommended that patients receiving EPO should be tested for neutralizing anti-EPO antibodies as soon as possible after the onset of an unexplained anemia.


Darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp) has recently been introduced and has a different carbohydrate structure than endogenous EPO. Patients receiving this agent should be monitored closely.


Obviously, the administration of EPO for athletic performance should be avoided. " http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic1967.htm

"- Medical side effects

EPO commonly "thickens" blood which causes additional circulatory strain as well as damming (clotting) in smaller blood vessels. EPO use is dangerous as it stresses elements in the circulation and quite often is sufficient to precipitate systemic failures that otherwise would function normally under natural levels of stress."

http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/csa/vol56/fourdrug.htm

"What are the side-effects of EPO misuse?

· While proper use of EPO has an enormous therapeutic benefit in the treatment of anaemia related to cancer or kidney disease, its misuse can lead to serious health risks for athletes who use this substance simply to gain a competitive edge. It is well known that EPO, by thickening the blood, leads to an increased risk of several deadly diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and cerebral or pulmonary embolism. The misuse of recombinant human EPO may also lead to autoimmune diseases with serious health consequences."

http://www.wada-ama.org/en/dynamic.ch2?pageCategory.id=626

Does this mean, if you have mononucleosis that you have used EPO? No, it could be viral, but if you are an athlete, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) and other Anti-Doping labs worldwide will have their red flags waving for months!

With this information, I became concerned, because if there are any tennis players out there, champions, champions to be or not champions, before they even think about using EPO, they should be aware of the consequences.

Why risk your life for a medal, a cup or a few dollars more? Players and athletes, just say NO and stay away from EPO! Your health and your life is more important to all of us then if you win.

Yours truly

Sergio Cruz

Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych ATP Masters Toronto 2010 Tiebreak

Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych ATP Masters Toronto 2010 Tiebreak



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Federer Practicing at Rogers Cup 2010.MOV

Roger Federer practicing at the Rogers Cup tournament in Toronto, Canada on August 7, 2010.



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