Supplementing a post-exercise whey protein regimen with PharmaGABA, the naturally-produced flagship product from Pharma Foods International Co. Ltd., increased the body’s already existing resting serum growth hormone level, consequently boosting the formation of lean muscle mass, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine Research.
 
This officially opens a path connecting regular intake of GABA to a naturally beneficial and balanced nutritional profile for athletes. GABA has previously been confirmed to improve mood and focus.
 
GABA (γ-Aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid that functions as a key inhibitory neurotransmitter, and is central to cellular activity in the human nervous system. Although GABA’s specific anabolic effect remains undefined, what’s been shown, for the first time, is that oral intake of PharmaGABA along with whey protein, a known means of stimulating skeletal muscle hypertrophy, enhances the process and produces demonstrably more lean mass than with whey protein alone.
 
The study looked at 26 males, aged 26 to 48, who practiced progressive-resistance weight training. The group was divided in two—all ingested 10 grams of whey protein daily, half supplemented it with 100 mg of PharmaGABA. The group trained twice weekly, following a systematized circuit of weight-resistance exercises.
 
Resting serum growth hormone was recorded in blood plasma at baseline, four, eight, and 12 weeks; while change in muscle mass was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at baseline and 12 weeks. The result was that while GH improved significantly for the group ingesting whey protein, the improvement quickly leveled off, whereas the addition of GABA demonstrated proliferation of GH throughout the entire period, and at the end of 12 weeks, lean mass was dramatically increased in the group taking both together.