Build your immunity

Muscle & Fitness, July, 2009 by Jim Stoppani, Mark Thorpe

In a head-to-head laboratory battle royale between two leading antioxidants--N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and alpha-lipoicacid--Polish researchers sought to determine which was most effective when used along with resistance training. The winner? NAC. Study subjects who consumed 600 mg of NAC twice a day for eight days had significantly higher levels of antioxidant activity and erythropoietin production compared to a placebo group.

Practical Application: "For improved recovery between workouts or to boost your immune response to training, take 600 mg of NAC first thing in the morning and two hours before bedtime on an empty stomach," advises M & F Editor in Chief Chris Lockwood, MS, CSCS.

(PHYSIOLOGICAL RESEARCH DEC. 17, 2008 [EPUB AHEAD OF PRINT])

EDITED BY JIM STOPPANI, PHD AND MARK THORPE