Research

“My name is Dr. John Zimmerman.  I’m the director of one sleep lab in Reno and the owner of another sleep lab in Carson City, both in northern Nevada.  I’ve been in the field of sleep disorders and electrophysiology for over 30 years.  There is an aspect of the delivery system of Calorad, which is very important with respect to the body’s natural anabolic processes.  Taking a very high protein product in the form of liquid collagen prior to sleep onset allows the body to access the food at just the right time.  During the first 90 minutes of sleep for a normal individual (who does not have a sleep disorder), a person gets the deepest sleep and the longest duration of that sleep.  The deepest sleep stages at night are called stages 3 and 4 sleep.  Stage 3 sleep I refer to as “deep sleep” and stage 4 sleep I call “very deep sleep.”  They are composed of different amounts of a brain wave called “delta.”  During the day our brainwave patterns are mostly composed of “alpha” when we are relaxed with our eyes closed and “beta” when the eyes are open.  Beta also occurs when we’re thinking, speaking, listening, or looking at things.  The frequency of beta is around 15-30 cycles per second or Hertz (Hz).  When we relax and close our eyes, particularly if we are not thinking of anything, our brainwaves change to “alpha”, which have a frequency of around 8-12 or 13 cycles per second.  What is associated with sleep are two other brainwaves: theta and delta.  Theta, which is 4-7 Hz, occurs during “light sleep” (stage 1) and “medium sleep” (stage 2).  Delta occupies frequency range 0.5-2 or 3 cycles per second.  Varying amounts of delta activity define the differences between stage 3 and 4 sleep.

When we first enter into sleep, we go into stage 1 sleep for a few short minutes, then stage 2, and then proceed directly to stages 3 and 4 (assuming normal sleep patterns).  Descent into sleep is like a staircase downward: stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, stage 4, light sleep, medium sleep, deep sleep, very deep sleep.  After 80-90 minutes, we re-ascend the sleep staircase, climbing back up from stages 4, 3, 2, etc.  then we enter a special sleeping state called REM, short for rapid eye movement, sleep, when we dream.

The first sleep period (of 4 or 5) of the night occurs during the first 90 minutes.  It has the largest amount of deep sleep and this is very important to the release of a growth hormone that our bodies use for rejuvenation and repair.

The second sleep period has less deep sleep.  The third sleep period would usually have no or very little deep sleep and relatively little stage 3 sleep and hence very little growth hormone release.  By the time a person gets to the fourth sleep period around 4-5 a.m. in the morning, there is usually no stage 3 or 4 deep sleep at all (and growth hormone release has all but ceased).  All your remaining sleep will consist of stages 1, 2 and REM, with increasingly longer REM periods (and more intense dreams!) towards the end of the night.

During stages 3 and 4 of deep sleep, “we release growth hormone from the pituitary gland into the blood stream.  Growth hormone has the beneficial effects of building up lean muscle mass and burning fat!”  If we provide the body with a high amount of protein near the time it produces growth hormone, it will utilize it very effectively.

There is also another factor to be considered from a nutritional standpoint called “specific dynamic action” (SDA).  The SDA is different for the three food groups: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.  Proteins require the most amount of work to digest and consume the most amount of calories during this process.  This is because proteins have to be uncoupled into separate amino acids.  You can think of a protein as either a long string of beads or a long line of box cars in a train that have to be uncoupled in individual beads or individual box cars.  Proteins have to be broken down into short poly peptides or free amino acids before they can be absorbed by the intestinal villi into the bloodstream.  The energy to adjust proteins (break them down into free amino acids), requires the expenditure of calories.  “This is why it is most beneficial to provide the body with a very high protein food at the particular time of the 24 hour day when we’re most likely to be utilizing our anabolic processes” – during stages 3 and 4 sleep – when growth hormone is released into the blood.

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The role of Collagen Calorad® in muscular development and total well being

By John H. Norris, M.D., Ph.D. and Reginald D. Barnes, Jr., M.D.

Calorad® is a specially formulated collagen product designed by Michel Grisé, which when used as directed, can result in significant fat loss, an increase in lean body muscular mass and increased well being, as demonstrated in clinical trials conducted over a period of several months.

In human physiology, it is well known that muscle and adipose (fat) tissue metabolism are influenced directly by the complex interplay between insulin, exercise, glucocorticoid (stress hormones), growth hormone (GH), amino acids (including arginine and leucine), proteins, L-hydroxyproline, fats and other substances. Calorad® appears to augment known physiological processes in the metabolism of fat and muscle, which might explain its success as discussed below.

Little if any fat catabolism (fat burning) can take place in the presence of high insulin levels such as those found in, but not limited to, type two diabetes mellitus with insulin resistance or, most commonly, after eating a meal high in carbohydrates or fat. Insulin levels are lowest during fasting. When Calorad® is used as directed after three to four hour fast prior to going to bed, the subject has extended the hours of fasting significantly in addition to that which occurs during sleep. This results in longer periods of low insulin levels, allowing more time for fatty acid metabolism and resultant fat loss.

GH is one of several significant hormones involved in muscular development and it is secreted episodically 24 hours daily. Synthetic growth hormones are often abused by body builders attempting to produce muscular hypertrophy (increased muscular size). Patients with low growth hormone levels often have little muscle mass and/or tone. The most consistent period of GH secretion in both children and young adults (and possibly other age groups), is within the onset of the first slow wave sleep (deep sleep). Delay in the onset of the deep sleep usually results in the delay in the onset of the major GH peak. GH levels are highest during slow wave sleep and lowest during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Furthermore, GH secretion is augmented during fasting. Preliminary studies of Calorad® – collagen suggest a significant deepening in all levels of sleep. This might allow for an increased net secretion of growth hormone and an increase in muscular mass. What’s more, this deeper sleep might account for the subjective feeling of “improved well being” described in many subjects using Calorad®.

Protein, amino acids, L-hydroxyproline, and other building blocks of muscle and collagen are essential for muscle rebuilding. During rest, a complex interplay takes place as muscle and cartilage repair under the influence of GH. If one is deficient in any one of these building blocks necessary for muscle rebuilding, those building blocks will be removed from a healthy muscle (catabolism). Furthermore, certain amino acids, particularly arginine and leucine, stimulate GH secretion. When subjects take Calorad®, this catabolic process is felt to be limited because Calorad® is rich in the amino acids and the collagen building blocks necessary for muscle and cartilage growth, thus resulting in a net increase in lean body mass. At present, studies are being designed to measure GH and insulin levels during sleep in subjects using Calorad® versus matched controls.