DonsDeals Blog: Effects of Vespa Amino Acid Mixture (VAAM) Isolated from Hornet Larval Saliva,and Modified VAAM Nutrients on Endurance during Exercise

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Friday, June 22, 2012

Effects of Vespa Amino Acid Mixture (VAAM) Isolated from Hornet Larval Saliva,and Modified VAAM Nutrients on Endurance during Exercise

I found the Product called VAAM, from Japan, mentioned in this Video. The Scientific Study in the Video, sounds interesting in the Video. But, the VAAM Web Site is full of the Typical Advertising, that you would see on most Sports Drinks and Additives. What do you think?

Don

One Step Beyond: Asian Giant Hornet (02:39)

Video Link from HowStuffWorks Videos "One Step Beyond Videos" Playlist...
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Effects of Vespa Amino Acid Mixture (VAAM) Isolated from Hornet Larval Saliva
and Modified VAAM Nutrients on Endurance Exercise in Swimming Mice
— improvement in Performance and Changes of Blood Lactate and Glucose —
TAKASHI ABE*, YOSHIMI TAKIGUCHI**, MASAHIRO TAMURA*,
JUNKO SHIMURA* and KEN-ICHI YAMAZAKI**
** Institute of Physical and Chemical Research. Hirosawa 2-1, Wako-shi. Saitama, Japan 351.
* *R & D Laboratories L Nippon Steel Co. 1618 Ida, Nakahara-Ku, Kawasaki, Japan 211
Japanese Journal of physical Fitness and Sports Medicine
(Vol.44 No.2 APR. 1995)
Jpn. J. Phys. Fitness Sports Med. 1995, 44: 225~238
Effects of Vespa Amino Acid Mixture (VAAM) Isolated from Hornet Larval Saliva
and Modified VMM Nutrients on Endurance Exercise in Swimming Mice
- improvement in Performance and Changes of Blood Lactate and Glucose
TAKASHI ABE*, YOSHIMI TAKIGUCHI**, MASAHIRO TAMURA*,
JUNKO SHIMURA* and KEN-ICHI YAMAZAKI**
Abstract
For endurance exercise in swimming mice. 1.8% VAAM (Vespa amino acid mixture) which has
the same amino acid-components as hornet (Vespa mandarinia) larval saliva, 1.8% casein amino acid
mixture (CAAM). 10% glucose. or amino acid mixtures in which the amino acids were varied while -
maintaining the same molar ratio as VAAM were administered orally to mice. Mice receiving 1.8%
VAAM showed significantly longer maximum swimming times than mice receiving other nutrients.
Among these nutrients. mixtures of proline. glycine. and essential amino acid mixture (EAAM) from the
VAAM component. showed maximum times near those with VAAM. In swimming .exercise in mice
earring of 0.3g tail weight, mice administered 1.8% VAAM showed lower blood lactate concentrations
and higher blood glucose concentrations than mice receiving other nutrients. Mice receiving 1.8%
VAAM also had lower lactate concentrations in muscle as well as blood. This suggests that VAAM
suppresses lactate production and glucose catabolism during exercise. The effects of hornet larval
saliva were stronger than those of VAAM. VAAM therefore showed the major effect of the -saliva. The
results suggest that VAAM improves physiological condition during endurance exercise. A positive
correlation was observed between the blood concentrations of lactate and glucose in exercising mice
administered various nutrients (r=0.779). This suggests metabolic equilibration between glucose and
lactate during exercise. A positive correlation (r=0.507) was also found between the maximum
swimming time and blood glucose concentration. Maximum swimming times were high. est at low (Ca.
2.5 mMol) and high (Ca. 4.0 mMol) blood lactate concentrations in high blood glucose concentrations.
These facts support that glucose-homeostasis is important in prolonged exercise.
(Jpn. J. Phys. Fitness Sports Med. 1995.44.: 225-238)
key words : Endurance exercise. Blood lactate. Blood glucose. Hornet larval saliva, Amino acid
nutrient
.
Introduction
Much is known about the influence of foods
on exercise activity. In a recent study of
endurance exercise by MacLean et al.12~,
a high carbohydrate (CHO) diet was found
to produce prolonged exercise with high
concentrations of glucose and lactate in the
blood. In many cases of endurance
exercise6,14,17, the concentration of blood
lactate increases rapidly just before
exhaustion, while blood glucose levels
increase temporarily at the
start of exercise, then gradually decrease
to exhaustion. Excess production and
accumulation of lactate in either muscle or
blood brings about acidosis'6, while a
decrease in blood glucose levels directly
suppresses the functioning of the central
nervous system. Either situation lead to
the inability to continue exercise and thus
can be said to promote fatigue conditions.
It is therefore important to preserve
glucose
homeostasis
and
lactate
degradation in order to increase exercise
activity.
Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Hirosawa 2-1,
Wako-Shi, Saitama, Japan 351.
R&D Laboratories I, Nippon Steel Co. 1618
Ida, Nakahara-Ku, Kawasaki, Japan 211
226
ABE, TAKIGUCHI, TAMURA, SHIMURA, YAMAZAKI
Supplementation with amino acids. especially
branched chain amino acids (BCAA), improves
exercise activity. apparently by preventing the
catabolism of muscular proteins during
exercise4). However, it is not known whether
supplementation with specific components of
other amino acids will improve physiological
condition as well as exercise performance.
There are some living creatures that consume
amino acid mixtures in nature. One example is
the family of hornets. Adult hornets are not able
to consume solid foods because of their
constricted trunks. The meat boal of insects to
be preyed on by adult hornets is brought back to
the nest where it is fed to the larvae. A
nutritional exchange between the meat boal and
larval saliva, that is trophallaxis, is performed
between adults and larvae. The giant hornet, V.
mandarinia, covers an area with a radius of 2
Km in hunting a prey. Adult hornets continue
their hunting at flying velocities over 30 Km/hr
all day long, resulting in daily flight distances of
about 100 Km; Their wings must support a
weight of over 3g if they carry a meat boal,
since their body weights, heavy among flying
insects, are commonly over 2g. The question
arises then as to how they produce the flight
energy for their hunting, and how they reduce
the fatigue brought on by heavy endurance
exercise. The answer may exist in the ecological
habits of their social life, for example,
trophallaxis. Larval saliva may contain the
secret that sustains hornet flight. Our studies
show clearly that larval saliva consists mainly of
amino acids, the composition of which is similar
among the five hornet species found in Japan1)
In this study, we prepared an amino acid
mixture identical to that in the larval saliva of V.
mandarinia, and analyzed the nutritional effect
of these amino acid nutrients on endurance
exercise in swimming mice.
Materials and Methods
Materials
Tryptophan and perchloric acid (FCA) were
purchased from Wako Chemical Co. (Tokyo.
Japan). Diagnostic kits and reagents for
measuring blood lactate and glucose were
purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis,
MO., USA) and Boehringer Mannheim
(Mannheim. Germany), respectively. Glucose
and -Haemo-sol were from Iwaki -Pharm. Co.
(Tokyo, Japan) and Haemo-Sol Co. (Baltimore,
MD, USA), respectively. All amino acids except
tryptophan were from Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co.
(Tokyo, Japan). Hornet larval saliva was
collected from V. mandarinia larvae by the
method previously reported6), and frozen at -
80'C until used.
Methods
Preparation of nutrients
An amino acid mixture with the composition of
hornet larval saliva from V. mandarinia was
prepared as 1.8% VAAM (Vespa amino acid
mixture) -as shown in Table 1. As a positive
control, 1.8% CAAM (casein amino acid
mixture), with the same composition as the
major casein component (C 1 ά) from cow milk
was prepared as shown in Table 1.
Effects of VAAM administration on the changes
of blood lactate and glucose by exercise:
Animals
Untrained mice (male; ddY), aged 4 to 10
weeks, were fasted for 16 hrs at room
temperature (24C) and then administered
various nutrients.
Optimum dose of nutrients by oral
administration
Solution containing 1.8% VAAM at 0, 12.5,
25.0, 37.5, and 50.0 µ ml per gram body weight
were each administered to five 5 week-old mice
Effects of VAAM administration on the changes of blood lactate and glucose by exercise
227

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