MORE MUSCLE AND LESS FAT WITH DARK CHOCOLATE AND GREEN TEA

A recent study has revived the supplement market’s interest in a compound called ‘epicatechin,’ a molecule found in dark chocolate and Green tea. This molecule is claimed to be a myostatin inhibitor. Myostatin deficiencies are well known for their biggest side effect: greatly increased muscle mass without the major side-effects associated with anabolic steroids. Hindering myostatin’s actions would be able to replicate this effect.

Myostatin is a myokine, a kind of regulating molecule released by muscles. The ‘opposite’ of myostatin is a myokine called follistatin. Unlike myostatin, which suppresses muscular growth, follistatin indirectly promotes muscle growth because it hinders myostatin signalling.

While there are a few supplements that are known to interact with myostatin signalling (like sulforaphane), none had been tested in the context of human supplementation, until now.

A recent study on rats examined the effects of ‘epicatechin’ when supplementing with 1 mg of epicatechin per kg of body weight, twice a day

The published study reports that the follistatin to myostatin ratio of the six middle-aged subjects increased +49.2% (follistatin)/ -16.6% (myostatin), which suggests an increase in follistatin levels and a decrease in myostatin levels.
Myostatin and follistatin both have potential to alter muscle growth rates, but supplements and foods affecting these molecules have limited evidence in humans.
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To get a high amount of epicatechin from dark chocolate, you will need to consume a cocoa content of a minimum of 85% cocoa – green tea you will need to consume ‘green tea extract,’ due to the very week epicatechin content with the tea bag format.