Study : ZMA Has No Effect On Testosterone

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17882141?ord...anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Serum testosterone and urinary excretion of steroid hormone metabolites after administration of a high-dose zinc supplement.

Koehler K, Parr MK, Geyer H, Mester J, Schänzer W.
Institute of Biochemistry, German Research Centre of Elite Sport, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany. EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the administration of the zinc-containing nutritional supplement ZMA causes an increase of serum testosterone levels, which is an often claimed effect in advertising for such products; to monitor the urinary excretion of testosterone and selected steroid hormone metabolites to detect potential changes in the excretion patterns of ZMA users. SUBJECTS: Fourteen healthy, regularly exercising men aged 22-33 years with a baseline zinc intake between 11.9 and 23.2 mg day(-1) prior to the study. RESULTS: Supplementation of ZMA significantly increased serum zinc (P=0.031) and urinary zinc excretion (P=0.035). Urinary pH (P=0.011) and urine flow (P=0.045) were also elevated in the subjects using ZMA. No significant changes in serum total and serum free testosterone were observed in response to ZMA use. Also, the urinary excretion pattern of testosterone metabolites was not significantly altered in ZMA users. CONCLUSIONS: The present data suggest that the use of ZMA has no significant effects regarding serum testosterone levels and the metabolism of testosterone in subjects who consume a zinc-sufficient diet.

I've discussed this topic before.
ZMA only helps testosterone production in individuals who are deficient in Zinc.
The argument is that most athlete are highly deficient in several minerals and must supplement, but supplementation is often high in calcium, preventing aqequate uptake of zinc from the diet.

@Inja
Are you saying that just taking zinc tabs would be better than taking ZMA ?

ZMA = Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B6

I pretty sure if you buy the components individually it works out cheaper than buying the actual "ZMA" product.

WTF wrote:

ZMA = Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B6

I pretty sure if you buy the components individually it works out cheaper than buying the actual "ZMA" product.

There seems to be no set standard for ZMA out there. Some got Vit6 & 12, Folic Acid, Magnesium, VitC, Zinc ect in them. Zinc, Magnasium & Vit6 are just the commen stuff found in all. I'm not a scientics but when taking ZMA I'm able to train harder and I'm not as stiff and sore the next day. If its a deficit in my diet or not I dont know but its one of the few things I can use and feel the difference.

Yep, any old for supplying zinc and/or magnesium will help with test levels when you are suffering lowered test due to mineral deficiency

the zinc used in the zma is a diffrent form of zinc than the ones u normaly find in a zinc supplement!

and the mag is also a diffrent form if im not mistaken, and thats whats doing the trick, there must be something special to it, coz i have taken the self made one, and then the real zma, and i notice a diffrence.

the zinc used in the zma is a diffrent form of zinc than the ones u normaly find in a zinc supplement!

and the mag is also a diffrent form if im not mistaken, and thats whats doing the trick, there must be something special to it, coz i have taken the self made one, and then the real zma, and i notice a diffrence.

Jo Jo jo,
Don't let the placebo effect poisen your brain.

What you have said now is complete bollocks!!!

The only time that ZMA has been shown to have any positive effect on testosterone is in people deficient for zinc. There is NO INCREASE in testosterone otherwise.
Any Zinc supplementation will correct rectify this problem. You just adjust the concentrations to take in the same amount of elemental zinc.

the zinc form in zma is better taken up by the body as well isint it?

jo1 wrote:

the zinc form in zma is better taken up by the body as well isint it?

Zinc is zinc end of story

The amino acids methionine and aspartic acid are included in ZMA products to properly complex the zinc and magnesium ion. Yes there are slight differences in the way different zinc forms are abdorbed, and the above complex is one of the better ones, but you can simply adjust the dosages of different zinc supplements to provide the same amount of elemental zinc to the body. There is nothing special about the zinc or magnesium in ZMA!!!