Physical Magazine September 1999

It's been used as a virility booster in the Orient for centuries. New research shows that it can boost your athletic performance as well.

Deer Antler Velvet: Not just a Sex Potion

By Suzanne Mathis

It's the latest rage for enhancing sports performance with Western weight lifters and endurance athletes. Yet, deer antler velvet is anything but new in the Far East. In fact, a 2,000-year-old silk scroll recovered from a tomb in the Hunan province of China lists 52 different medical conditions for which deer antler velvet is the preferred remedy.

Highly prized for centuries throughout Asia as a sex-enhancing potion as well as an essential immune-system booster and health tonic, deer antler velvet is rapidly being embraced by world-class athletes. Among those in the know, "velvet" is a vital part of their arsenal for improving muscular strength, combating the effects of stress and fatigue and reducing recovery time. It has been used by Russian athletes for decades, and has an impressive body of scientific data to substantiate many of its claims to fame.

Velvet ranks alongside Ginseng one of the few "pure" tonics among the thousands of natural remedies in the Chinese pharmacopeia, deer antler velvet is in the same exalted category as ginseng. It is named after the soft, velvetlike covering that deer antlers have before they turn into formidable, bony weapons.

Antlers that are harvested at just the right time contain powerful nutrients. Fifty percent of the extract is made up of amino acids. It also contains high-quality collagen, anti-inflammatory prosta-glandins, gangliosides and glucosamine, along with glycosaminoglycans and phospholipids.

Velvet is a rich source of heart-friendly minerals as well, including calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium, potas-sium, sodium, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium and cobalt.

Researchers have also measured high levels of the hormone IGF-l (insulin- like growth factor-1), which becomes depleted as we age. Studies conducted at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine show that it contains potent anti-inflammatory peptides, too. This helps to explain the extract's pain-reducing properties, as well as its ability to promote recuperation.

Antler Harvesting A Humane Procedure

Antler harvesting, a booming industry in New Zealand, is closely monitored by government agencies and humane organizations. Allowed to romp on hundreds of acres of pristine prairies where they feed on ginseng, rye and other herbs, the animals have their antlers removed after about 65 days of new spring growth.  Seventy years of rigorous scientific testing have shown that the blood, nerves and cartilage are in their prime state of bioactivity at precisely this time.  Veterinarians supervise the painless removal of the antlers in a time-tested procedure.

Many veterinarians and animal behaviorists view antler removal as a safeguard for the animal's welfare. They note that the stags become aggressive in autumn during the mating season, when they defend their territory and harem of females from would-be suitors. During this period, they often pose a mortal threat to other stags in their paddock.   So removing the antlers at this time actually prevents some gruesome combat between stags!

Russians Pioneer Research

For more than a decade, Arkady Koltun, M.D., Ph.D., and chairman of the medical committee for the Russian bodybuilding federation, has conducted research into anabolic agents that are known to improve strength, performance and muscle mass in athletes. In studies with power lifters and bodybuilders, Koltun found that velvet has both muscle and nerve strengthening properties. He also found that it stimulates the immune system and increases energy.

Russian researchers Yudin and Dubryakov were the first researchers to study the effect of velvet extracts on the static load-bearing capacity of healthy men. (This measures their ability to hold a weight in a single position.) The extract increased their work capacity by 2 to 4 seconds. Subsequently, researchers conducted another study with 50 young men who ran 3 km. A single dose of 20 mg of velvet extract 30 minutes before the race reduced their average completion time from 14 minutes, 48 seconds to 14 minutes, 4 seconds.

Researchers have shown that nutrient-rich antler extracts help athletes to boost their strength and stamina by increasing the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity. The extract also helps to repair the minor tissue damage that can occur during training or competition, and stimulates the immune systems of athletes when they are compromised due to extreme physical exertion.  Among those in the know, "velvet" is a vital part of their arsenal for improving muscular strength, combating the effects of stress and fatigue, and reducing recovery time.

Westerners Get on the Bandwagon

Research on deer antler velvet has exploded in the last 30 years. The cartilage in the antlers has been shown to dramatically improve immune-system function. At the forefront of this research is Arthur Johnson of the University of Minnesota, who discovered that cartilage contains a small molecular-weight protein "that has the unique ability to modulate the immune system."

Hard-pumping athletes may also benefit from velvet's ability to accelerate wound healing. More than 30 years ago, John Prudden discovered that an element found in the cartilage, called N-acetyl-glucosamine, can significantly speed up the body's wound-healing processes.

The Invermay Research Centre in Otago, New Zealand, is one of the key Western research facilities looking into the properties and medicinal values of deer antler velvet. Working in association with the University of Canterbury in Christ Church, New Zealand, and the University of Otago, the Invermay team, led by David Gerrard, has found that antler extracts promote cell growth and have anti-tumor and anti-viral properties. They have also learned that the antlers contain large amounts of blood during the growth phase before they harden. The blood has high levels of IGF-l, which stimulates the growth of mouse cells under
laboratory conditions.

The same research team recently launched a new study to test deer antler velvet's efficacy for strength enhancement. Twenty-four male athletes from the University of Canterbury were tested before and after 10 weeks of strength training. One group received 70 mg of velvet extract per day for 10 weeks, while the other group received a placebo. Strength performance tests were carried out using a resistance-training apparatus. Muscular endurance was tested on an isokinetic dynamometer, while power was measured on a stationary bike for 30 seconds against a set resistance.

The results of this phase I trial suggest that deer antler velvet can improve fat loss, total work performed, maximum torque production, peak power, mean power and the maximum amount of weight lifted. However, the dosage was too low for these positive results to reach statistical significance. Currently, researchers are using much higher doses in the phase II and phase III trials.

Researchers have shown that the nutrient-rich antler extracts help athletes to boost their strength and stamina by increasing the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity. The extract also helps to repair the minor tissue damage that can occur during training.

Positive Feedback From Athletes

Early reports from the phase II study indicate statistically significant results. Jimmy Suttie of the Invermay Research Centre and the School of Physical Education at the University of Otago notes that because deer antler velvet does not necessarily increase muscle size, its ability to enhance strength "must be due to an improvement in the dynamic ability of the muscle to do work."

Triathlete Hamish Carter, who took first place at the 1998 International Triathlon Union World Cup Championship, says, "Velvet helps my training, energy and endurance. I feel better when taking velvet."

Swimming champs Trent Bray and Nick Tongue and world champion rower Rob Waddell report that they are in their best form yet, and they attribute their success in part to velvet's effect. Bray says, "I find that I have a lot more energy during the day than I used to. Since taking velvet, I have been able to put more effort into all of my training sessions."

In addition, the athletes say that they feel less tired during their training. They also note that they have not become sick during the competition season, which had been a frequent occurrence before they started taking velvet.

With benefits like increased strength and endurance, a heightened sense of well-being and reduced recovery time, it's safe to assume that athletes will be using a lot more deer antler velvet in the future.

Deer Antler Velvet at a Glance

Benefits:
Used in Asia for 2,000 years as a general health tonic and aphrodisiac. Research in the United States, Russia, New Zealand and the Far East suggests that deer antler velvet can improve strength for power lifters, bodybuilders and endurance athletes; reduce recuperation time and pain; increase energy and stamina; and heighten your sense of well-being.

Form Available:
Capsules of freeze-dried, pharmaceutical-grade extract.

Recommended Dosage:
Take two to four 250-mg capsules of velvet extract four times per day.

Side Effect:
On rare occasions, users experience an upset stomach.

Caution:
Should not be used by pregnant or lactating women.

Selected References

Abdo, J "Nature's ergogenic phenomena: Pantocrine velvet deer antler"

Health World Online (1998) 1-8 Church, JS "Velvet antler: Its historical medical use, performance enhancing effects and pharmacology. Review of the scientific literature"

Elk Tech International, elk-tech.com (1998) 1-60 Sadogjo, M, Haines, SR, Skottnes, A et al "Effects of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-l) and IGF-II on the growth of antler cells in vitro"

Journal of Endocrinology
(1994) 143: 461-469 Zhang, ZQ, Zhang, Y, Wang, BX et al "Purification and partial characterization of anti-inflammatory peptide from pilose antler of Cervus nippon Temminck" Yao Hsueh Hsueh Pao (1992) 27: 321-324