Diet Whey Matrix Review

Diet Whey Matrix is a whey protein powder from UK Based company matrix-nutrition.co.uk. The description of this product states that its ingredients include key fat burning ingredients. There are two suggested functions for this product which include maintaining muscle tone and burning fat. This review will delve into the research of these ingredients and identify if it backs up the claims that are stated on the website.

Whey, Milk Protein Concentrate/ Soya Protein Isolate

Both Whey and soy protein helps aid muscle protein synthesis when combined with resistance training (1, 2). Other key features include increasing muscle mass (3) and increase in lean body mass (4) and greater recovery from exercise (5). Longer periods of supplementation have shown greater gains in fat free mass (6).

Muscle protein synthesis is increased due to high concentration of Leucine (BCAA) which is a signalling molecule needed to increase muscle protein synthesis (7). Consumption of whey protein helps increase muscle mass due to a greater amount of peripheral nitrogen retention whereas soy protein has been found to have a greater effect on splanchnic protein synthesis (8).

The reason for greater recovery of exercise can be due to a post exercise insulin response (9, 10) which means glycogen resynthesis occurs rapidly so exercise can be prolonged, with greater training volume increased hypertrophy and decreased muscle damage.

Green Tea

Green tea supplementation has been shown to have several health properties including an increase in plasma antioxidant which will lead to a lowering of oxidative damage (11, 12), decreased blood pressure (13, 14) and it can protect against coronary atherosclerosis (15). Other health effects that green tea can have includes a lowering of cholesterol, an increase of insulin activity (16) and a regulation of blood glucose levels which can help reduce body fat.

Acai Berry

The acai berry is known to be an antioxidant (17). The properties that it is suggested to have includes a lowering of cholesterol, plasma glucose and insulin which will help in the reduction of weight (18). However due to limited data available this cannot be fully confirmed and more research is needed in this area.

Taurine

Taurine is a semi essential amino acid that has been found to increase endurance performance; this has been attributed to an increase in blood flow (19). Taurine has also been found to help protect against cell damage which will help recovery after exercise, decreased oxidative stress in cardiac tissue (40) and increased fat oxidation (20).

Acetyl-L-Carnitine

The main functions of L-Carnitine include the transport of fatty acids (21) and the reduction of lactate production (22). The 3 main benefits to carnitine includes; supporting the role of fat oxidation (23), an increase in carnitine stores in the muscle and an increase in the rate of oxidation of fatty acids and triglycerides.

Endurance athletes use l-carnitine to increase the oxidation of fat during exercise and spare muscle glycogen which will help them perform for longer. Supplementation when performing high intensity exercise has shown an increase in exercise performance and maximum oxygen consumption when it’s supplemented for longer periods.

CLA

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) has been shown to have weight loss properties (24); there are several reasons for this which includes an increase in energy metabolism (25), insulin resistance (26), stimulation of lipolysis, which is due to an impaired signalling which reduces triglyceride synthesis and releases free fatty acid which normally occurs when energy demand rises (27). Other mechanisms include a suppression of appetite (28), induced adipocyte apoptosis which decreases body fat mass and increased energy expenditure (29).

5-HTP

5-HTP has been known to produce significant effects on food intake in obese populations; research has found that this is done by increasing serotonin which will help avoid food craving, post meal satiety and reduction of pre meal appetite. (30)

L-Leucine

Leucine is one of several Branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s). It is essential for protein synthesis which is stimulated after exhaustive exercise (31) as well as the critical metabolic process in muscle (32, 33). The metabolic roles of Leucine include energy production and the modulator of muscle protein synthesis via the insulin signalling pathway. There is a reason to suggest that it helps maintenance of muscle mass during weight loss (34). Leucine has also been shown to help in the direct maintenance of glucose homeostasis by improving the redistribution of glucose via the glucose – alanine cycle (35).

L-Glutamine

Glutamine is a naturally non-essential neutral amino acid that helps with the transport of nitrogen between tissues. Heavy exercise has shown a reduction of glutamine in the blood (36). The amount of glutamine in the muscle is known to be related to the rate of protein synthesis (37) and glycogen synthesis (38) in the first few hours of recovery period of exercise.

L-Glycine

Glycine is one of the components of creatine which helps increase muscle growth and energy during exercise (39). When metabolised it acts as an amino acid and regulates blood sugar levels which can also control that amount of sugar released into the blood (40).

Dextrose Monohydrate

Dextrose monohydrate is a fast absorbing carbohydrate that gives a quick release of energy. It is usually found in supplements as its properties mix very well with other substances.

Acacia Gum / Xanthan Gum

Acacia gum and Xanthan Gum are water soluble dietary fibres, which have been reported to reduce total cholesterol; however there seems to be insufficient evidence to confirm this theory. (41)

Citric Acid

The main function of citric acid is the reduction of physical fatigue (42). The reason for this is due to citric acid being a major component of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. TCA cycle is the process of converting carbohydrates, fats and proteins into carbon dioxide and water (43). By increasing citric acid it activates the TCA cycle and in turn speeds up ATP production thus replenishing energy.

The description for Diet Whey Matrix states that this supplement has fat burning properties, the ingredients will help with burning fat however other effects that this supplement can help individuals who want to increase recovery, increase muscle mass and have greater energy. It is advised that this supplement is best taken before or after exercise. This product has no banned substances when referring to the WADA prohibited list when observing the label/ ingredients posted on the website.

*NOTE – This product has not been tested in a laboratory and may contain other substances that may not appear on the label

1 – Coker, R. H., Miller, S., Schutzler, S., Deutz, N., & Wolfe, R. R. (2012). Whey protein and essential amino acids promote the reduction of adipose tissue and increased muscle protein synthesis during caloric restriction-induced weight loss in elderly, obese individuals. Nutr J, 11(1), 105.

2 – Hulmi, J. J., Lockwood, C. M., & Stout, J. R. (2010). Review Effect of protein/essential amino acids and resistance training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: A case for whey protein.

3 – Pasiakos, S. M., McLellan, T. M., & Lieberman, H. R. (2015). The effects of protein supplements on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic and anaerobic power in healthy adults: a systematic review. Sports Medicine, 45(1), 111-131.

4 – Volek, J. S., Volk, B. M., Gómez, A. L., Kunces, L. J., Kupchak, B. R., Freidenreich, D. J., … & Kraemer, W. J. (2013). Whey protein supplementation during resistance training augments lean body mass. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 32(2), 122-135.

5 – Hansen, M., Bangsbo, J., Jensen, J., Bibby, B. M., & Madsen, K. (2014). Effect of Whey Protein Hydrolysate on Performance and Recovery of Top-Class Orienteering Runners. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism.

6 – Hartman, J. W., Tang, J. E., Wilkinson, S. B., Tarnopolsky, M. A., Lawrence, R. L., Fullerton, A. V., & Phillips, S. M. (2007). Consumption of fat-free fluid milk after resistance exercise promotes greater lean mass accretion than does consumption of soy or carbohydrate in young, novice, male weightlifters. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 86(2), 373-381.

7- Atherton, P. J., Smith, K., Etheridge, T., Rankin, D., & Rennie, M. J. (2010). Distinct anabolic signalling responses to amino acids in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. Amino acids, 38(5), 1533-1539.

8 – Fouillet, H., Mariotti, F., Gaudichon, C., Bos, C., & Tomé, D. (2002). Peripheral and splanchnic metabolism of dietary nitrogen are differently affected by the protein source in humans as assessed by compartmental modeling. The Journal of nutrition, 132(1), 125-133.

9- Hulmi, J. J., Volek, J. S., Selänne, H. A. R. R. I., & Mero, A. A. (2005). Protein ingestion prior to strength exercise affects blood hormones and metabolism. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 37(11), 1990-1997.

10 – Power, O., Hallihan, A., & Jakeman, P. (2009). Human insulinotropic response to oral ingestion of native and hydrolysed whey protein. Amino acids, 37(2), 333-339.

11- Rietveld, A., & Wiseman, S. (2003). Antioxidant effects of tea: evidence from human clinical trials. The Journal of nutrition, 133(10), 3285S-3292S.

12 – McKay, D. L., & Blumberg, J. B. (2002). The role of tea in human health: an update. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 21(1), 1-13.

13 – Yang, Y. C., Lu, F. H., Wu, J. S., Wu, C. H., & Chang, C. J. (2004). The protective effect of habitual tea consumption on hypertension. Archives of internal medicine, 164(14), 1534-1540.

14 – Hodgson, J. M., Devine, A., Puddey, I. B., Chan, S. Y., Beilin, L. J., & Prince, R. L. (2003). Tea intake is inversely related to blood pressure in older women. The Journal of nutrition, 133(9), 2883-2886.

15 – Sasazuki, S., Kodama, H., Yoshimasu, K., Liu, Y., Washio, M., Tanaka, K., … & Takeshita, A. (2000). Relation between green tea consumption and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis among Japanese men and women. Annals of epidemiology, 10(6), 401-408.

16 – Anderson, R. A., & Polansky, M. M. (2002). Tea enhances insulin activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 50(24), 7182-7186.

17 – Schauss, A. G., Wu, X., Prior, R. L., Ou, B., Patel, D., Huang, D., & Kababick, J. P. (2006). Phytochemical and nutrient composition of the freeze-dried Amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae Mart.(Acai). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 54(22), 8598-8603.

18 – Udani, J. K., Singh, B. B., Singh, V. J., & Barrett, M. L. (2011). Effects of Acai(Euterpe oleracea Mart.) berry preparation on metabolic parameters in a healthy overweight population: A pilot study. Nutrition journal, 10(1), 45.

19 – Rutherford, J. A., Spriet, L. L., & Stellingwerff, T. (2010). The effect of acute taurine ingestion on endurance performance and metabolism in well-trained cyclists. International journal of sport nutrition, 20(4), 322.

20 – Kingston, R., Kelly, C. J., & Murray, P. (2004). The therapeutic role of taurine in ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Current pharmaceutical design, 10(19), 2401-2410.

21 –  Zhang, M., Izumi, I., Kagamimori, S., Sokejima, S., Yamagami, T., Liu, Z., & Qi, B. (2004). Role of taurine supplementation to prevent exercise-induced oxidative stress in healthy young men. Amino acids, 26(2), 203-207.

22 – Siliprandi, N., Sartorelli, L., Ciman, M., & Di Lisa, F. (1989). Carnitine: metabolism and clinical chemistry. Clinica Chimica Acta, 183(1), 3-11.

23 – Müller, D.M., Seim, H., Kiess, W., Löster, H. & Richter, T. (2002) Effects of Oral l-Carnitine Supplementation on In Vivo Long-Chain Fatty Acid Oxidation in Healthy Adults Metabolism, Volume 51, issue 11, (pp. 1389-1391)

24 – Blankson, H., Stakkestad, J. A., Fagertun, H., Thom, E., Wadstein, J., & Gudmundsen, O. (2000). Conjugated linoleic acid reduces body fat mass in overweight and obese humans. The Journal of nutrition, 130(12), 2943-2948.

25 – House, R. L., Cassady, J. P., Eisen, E. J., McIntosh, M. K., & Odle, J. (2005). Conjugated linoleic acid evokes de‐lipidation through the regulation of genes controlling lipid metabolism in adipose and liver tissue. obesity reviews, 6(3), 247-258.

26 – Chung, S., Brown, J. M., Provo, J. N., Hopkins, R., & McIntosh, M. K. (2005). Conjugated linoleic acid promotes human adipocyte insulin resistance through NFκB-dependent cytokine production. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 280(46), 38445-38456.

27 – Evans, M., Lin, X., Odle, J., & McIntosh, M. (2002). Trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid increases fatty acid oxidation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The Journal of nutrition, 132(3), 450-455.

28 – Medina, E. A., Horn, W. F., Keim, N. L., Havel, P. J., Benito, P., Kelley, D. S., … & Erickson, K. L. (2000). Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation in humans: effects on circulating leptin concentrations and appetite. Lipids, 35(7), 783-788.

29 – Zambell, K. L., Keim, N. L., Van Loan, M. D., Gale, B., Benito, P., Kelley, D. S., & Nelson, G. J. (2000). Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation in humans: effects on body composition and energy expenditure. Lipids, 35(7), 777-782.

30 – Halford, J. C., Harrold, J. A., Lawton, C. L., & Blundell, J. E. (2005). Serotonin (5-HT) drugs: effects on appetite expression and use for the treatment of obesity. Current drug targets, 6(2), 201-213.

31 – Tipton, K. D., Ferrando, A. A., Phillips, S. M., Doyle Jr, D., & Wolfe, R. R. (1999). Postexercise net protein synthesis in human muscle from orally administered amino acids. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology And Metabolism, 276(4), E628-E634.

32 – Hutson, S. M., & Harris, R. A. (2001). Introduction. Symposium: Leucine as a nutritional signal. The Journal of nutrition, 131(3), 839S-840S.

33 – Layman, D. K. (2002). Role of leucine in protein metabolism during exercise and recovery. Canadian journal of applied physiology, 27(6), 646-662.

34 – Layman, D. K. (2003). The role of leucine in weight loss diets and glucose homeostasis. The Journal of nutrition, 133(1), 261S-267S.

35 – Herman, M. A., & Kahn, B. B. (2006). Glucose transport and sensing in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis and metabolic harmony. The Journal of clinical investigation, 116(7), 1767-1775.

36 – Parry-Billings, M., Budgett, R., Koutedakis, Y., Blomstrand, E., Brooks, S.., Williams, C.,  & Newsholme, E. A. (1992). Plasma amino acid concentrations in the overtraining syndrome: possible effects on the immune system. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 24(12), 1353-1358.

37 – Rennie, M. J., Edwards, R. H. T., Krywawych, S., Davies, C. T., Halliday, D., Waterlow, J. C., & Millward, D. J. (1981). Effect of exercise on protein turnover in man. Clin Sci, 61(5), 627-639.

38 – Bowtell, J. L., Gelly, K., Jackman, M. L., Patel, A., Simeoni, M., & Rennie, M. J. (1999). Effect of oral glutamine on whole body carbohydrate storage during recovery from exhaustive exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 86(6), 1770-1777.

39 – Hultman, E., Soderlund, K., Timmons, J. A., Cederblad, G., & Greenhaff, P. L. (1996). Muscle creatine loading in men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 81(1), 232-237.

40 – Felig, P., & Wahren, J. (1971). Influence of endogenous insulin secretion on splanchnic glucose and amino acid metabolism in man. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 50(8), 1702.

41 – Jensen, C. D., Spiller, G. A., Gates, J. E., Miller, A. F., & Whittam, J. H. (1993). The effect of acacia gum and a water-soluble dietary fiber mixture on blood lipids in humans. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 12(2), 147-154.

42 – Sugino, T., Aoyagi, S., Shirai, T., Kajimoto, Y., & Kajimoto, O. (2007). Effects of citric acid and L-carnitine on physical fatigue. Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition, 41(3), 224.

43 – Baldwin, J. E., & Krebs, H. (1981). The evolution of metabolic cycles.