The supplement industry has blown up to over 5,000 companies, operating 10,000 stores, selling over $6 billion in products. That means there’s a crap load of supplements out there, and not all of them are necessarily legit. In this series, we are going to play Supplement Ingredient Inspector, and take a look at what’s out there. We’ll talk about just what these ingredients are, what they do, where you can find them, and examine the research behind them… if any exists.
What is it?
ZMA, or Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate, is an “anabolic mineral support formula” consisting of zinc (zinc monomethionine aspartate), magnesium (magnesium aspartate), and Vitamin B6. ZMA was first formulated by Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (SNAC) Systems Inc, run by Veronica Conte, the daughter of Victor Conte. Conte is a very well known sports nutritionist, and ZMA may be his most well known original creation. If that name sounds familiar and is ringing a few bells, it is because he is very well known for his role in the BALCO steroid scandal that swept through baseball a few years back.
Purpose
ZMA was created in response to a study that showed that athletes could become severely deficient in the minerals zinc and magnesium. Zinc is important in the formation of protein and is a major component of many enzymes, making it important for many metabolic processes. It also plays role in the management of insulin, as well as immune functioning. Magnesium plays a part in over 300 bodily biochemical reactions, including the regulation of blood pressure and blood sugar levels, protein synthesis, calcium absorption and integration into bone, immune functioning, heart rhythm maintenance, energy metabolism, and normal muscle and nerve functioning. The U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Zinc is 15 mg per day. The U.S. RDA for Magnesium is around 400 mg per day. Most multivitamins contain ample amounts of zinc, but contain only a portion of the amount of magnesium that is recommended. ZMA is meant to supplement your diet and any multivitamins you are taking to ensure that you are getting enough of these minerals.
Benefits
ZMA may help improve sleep efficiency and quality, which can contribute to improved recovery and improved restfulness. Better sleep can also help with immune functioning and stress management. ZMA may also help to increase anabolic hormone and IGF-1 levels, possibly another function of improved sleep. All of these things can help you have better, more productive workouts, and increase recovery and muscle growth.
Research
ZMA burst onto the scene in 1998 when Conte released the results of a study showing that athletes at Western Washington had claimed that ZMA had increased their strength levels when compared to a control group, as well as increased serum levels of testosterone (30%), IGF-1 (10%), and plasma zinc (10%) and magnesium (30%) by significant levels. A closer examination of the original study shows that SNAC Systems, the company selling the product, funded the study, and that Conte himself owns equity in the company. There are numerous other problems with the study, for example the study was done on the Western Washington football team, yet only the results from 27 players are cited in the study. You should know by now that study data can be manipulated and that you can show just about anything you want from a study if you do the right things with the numbers. It should also be noted that the original study was published in the press, not in a peer reviewed scientific journal. Two subsequent studies have been done since 1998, and both studies found that there was no difference in serum anabolic hormone and strength levels between the test and control groups. One of the studies measured the levels of testosterone metabolites (bi-products) that were excreted in the subjects’ urine, and both studies measured serum free and total testosterone levels, and the results from the test subjects’ workouts, neither of which were found to be significantly different. For what it’s worth, these are the only three studies that have been performed on the effects of ZMA on athletic performance and serum anabolic hormone levels.
Where can I find it?
As with most supplements that have been somewhat studied and touted by celebrity athletes to work, ZMA has become very popular and many different companies have started manufacturing their own version. The actual name and original formula is trademarked by SNAC Systems Inc, but just about any company that specializes in nutritional supplements has their own version. ZMA is fairly cheap and most brands only cost around $10 for a month’s worth of servings.
Verdict
I’m not sold. Health nuts and athletes typically eat plenty of green vegetables, which contain a lot of magnesium, and obviously they consume a ton of protein (mostly in the form of meat), which is the best source of zinc. The sports nutrition industry viewed the original study as an earth-shattering breakthrough, and ZMA became an overnight sensation, touted as essential for any athlete that wanted to “grow while they sleep.”
Very little research has been done on whether or not this is actually true, and it is hard to really draw any conclusions from only three studies’ worth of data. Given the circumstances surrounding the three studies, I would lean toward ZMA being a complete hoax. Magnesium has been shown to have sedative effects and could possibly help assist in regulating sleep, but there are plenty of other magnesium supplements on the market, as well as other sleep aids such as Melatonin with more research behind them.
Except in extremely rare cases, getting more minerals is not going to hurt, but at this point I would say that ZMA likely doesn’t do what Conte claimed from the outset.
Resources:
Wilborn, Colin D; Kerksick, Chad M; Campbell, Bill I; Taylor, Lem W; Marcello, Brandon M; Rasmussen, Christopher J; Greenwood, Mike C; Almada, Anthony et al. (2004). "Effects of Zinc Magnesium Aspartate (ZMA) Supplementation on Training Adaptations and Markers of Anabolism and Catabolism". Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 1 (2): 12–20.
Koehler, K; Parr, M K; Geyer, H; Mester, J; Schänzer, W (2007). "Serum testosterone and urinary excretion of steroid hormone metabolites after administration of a high-dose zinc supplement". European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 63 (1): 65–70.
Micucci, Kate. "Zinc, HYG-5560-06." Ohioline. The Ohio State University Extension. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. <http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5560.html>.
"Magnesium." Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS). National Institute of Health (NIH). Web. 16 Jan. 2012. <http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium>.
Peter Bauman – Peter is a chef first and personal trainer second, with a background in the biological sciences and degree in psychology from UC Berkeley. He takes the tactics that work with elite athletes at California Strength—one of the leading athletic training facilities in the country—and helps to apply them to the lives of the Average Joe to get results.