Ripping-good stuff: here are three supplements to power your weight-loss goals - The Wright Stuff - Tyrosine, chromium and vanadium

What's the deal with tyrosine? Is it worth including it in my fat-loss supplement stack, or should I take a separate tyrosine supplement, and at what dose?

A: Although its value and effects depend on your diet and other supplements you take, tyrosine can be quite useful for improving mental energy, mood, concentration, motivation and attitude, especially when dieting. I've discovered this myself by using tyrosine, as have other dieting bodybuilders I know.

Perhaps best of all, tyrosine can be a perfect complement to fat-loss supplements, particularly ephedrine-caffeine (EC) stacks. Tyrosine can help restore some of the neurochemical depletions caused by EC supplements. In other words, tyrosine can help pick you up after EC's effects have worn off, a problem for many people who use thermogenics.

TYROSINE IN ACTION This nonessential (manufactured by the body) amino acid is plentiful in high-protein foods, especially muscle and glandular tissues from animals. The importance of tyrosine lies in the fact that it's an essential precursor for the production of several critical chemicals called neurotransmitters, which transmit "messages" in the brain.

These neurotransmitters include dopamine, dihydroxyphenylalanine, norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine. These, along with serotonin, are among the most important chemicals in the body in terms of the multitude of mental and physical processes they influence, from hormone release to effects on appetite, mood, arousal level and more.

Thermogenic supplements based on ephedrine and/or synephrine stimulate fat loss by releasing NE. Stacking an afterburner like BC on top of hard exercise--especially during a fat-loss diet--can lead to NE depletion in the brain. A lack of NE will slam the door on your weight-loss parade.

This is where tyrosine comes in. Like its amino-acid sister phenylalanine, tyrosine is a key nutrient that your body can use to restock NE stores depleted by ephedrine. The amino acid also gives you a bit more "get up and go" in general, providing a boost of mental energy for picking yourself up, getting to the gym and working out hard in spite of being tired and running on empty.

USAGE NOTES Take one to four grams of tyrosine on an empty stomach about 10 minutes prior to your morning workout. It will help regenerate neurotransmitter levels in the brain, which will subsequently aid your motivation, ability to concentrate, energy level and, yes, even your strength and endurance.

If you don't train in the morning, take your daily dose about 30 minutes before you exercise. Alternatively, you can take half in the morning on an empty stomach and the other half before working out. A gram or two of tyrosine can be used in conjunction with each dose of thermogenics you take. Tyrosine can also help when you're on a break from EC stacks by reducing withdrawal symptoms (you might still need to drink coffee, however, if you suffer from caffeine-withdrawal headaches).

Remember, maintaining your body's chemistry by replacing the nutrients expended in the quest to be ripped is a factor in determining how long you can diet and, ultimately, how successful you'll be in achieving your bodybuilding goals. The more you push your body out of whack, the harder it is to maintain lean hard muscle. Give tyrosine a try to help balance things out.

Q: How important are chromium and vanadium, or vanadyl sulfate, to a fat-loss diet? How much should I take?

A: Chromium and vanadium are trace minerals that have been marketed for fat loss. They are touted to improve insulin sensitivity and muscle growth. Let's look at these claims.

Some research has indicated that chromium supplementation is effective if you're deficient in chromium. Unfortunately, I know of no reliable study of individuals not deficient in chromium that indicates it has a fat-loss effect. The same holds true for the claims for chromium's effect on muscle growth.

That said, chromium depletion could easily occur in athletes who are dieting. If that's you, and you're not supplementing with chromium, your insulin sensitivity may be compromised and your anabolic edge lost. You might be able to get all the chromium you need by keeping your diet "clean," meaning that your solid meals are varied and devoid of refined foods, but that's easier said than done. Therefore, I recommend chromium supplementation.

Many moderate- to high-potency multivitamin/multimineral packs deliver 80 or more micrograms (mcg) of chromium (check labels). My typical recommendation is to consume at least 200 mcg of chromium, but preferably more--up to 400 mcg per day. My favorite is chromium polynicotinate, rather than the picolinate, chloride or other forms available. It can be taken with or without food.

Vanadium (or vanadyl sulfate) is a trace mineral that is said to improve insulin sensitivity and might help diabetics. Unfortunately, the dose at which insulin benefits appear is high, at least in animal studies. This concern can be addressed somewhat by switching to a better form of vanadium called bis(maltolato)-oxovanadium(IV), or BMOV. The BMOV form is considered safer and about two to three times more potent than vanadyl sulfate.