Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Mustard: Spicy, delicious steriods

Mustard is fantastic stuff, in my opinion. And I'm not just talking about the spicy condiment, although that is a magnificent condiment, vastly superior to bland old ketchup and mayo. The mustard greens, as well, are a highly under-appreciated food. And now I have science on my side.

A new study published in the difficultly named "Journal of the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology" or "The FASEB Journal" found that mustard and a few other plants may have some surprising benefits. The plants contain a hormone called homobrassinolide which is a type of brassinosteroid specific to these plants. Brassinosteroids promote cell growth in plants as well as protect the plants from different stressors. This study shows that these homobrassinolides have a similar effect on muscle growth. The response is similar to those achieved through anabolic steroids including increase in both the number and size of muscle fibers.

It's important that no one see this as a magic bullet, however. The amount of mustard you would have to eat to get sufficient amounts of the hormone to experience substantial muscle gains is outrageous. What this study does mean is that mustard could be useful in the treatment of any number of conditions and diseases that cause extreme muscle lose. Much, much more research is necessary before this type of treatment is possible and I do not recommend starting your own regimen of mustard supplementation.