Myoglobin, used by the body during prolonged aerobic exercise--providing the body with natural precursors

In the previous blog-post (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/06/heart-health-and-aerobic-exercise.html) I discussed the foods that would provide the body with myoglobin and precursors to creatine. Seems whale-sushi would be the best source of myoglobin. I wanted to look for cleaner, simpler, sources of myoglobin precursors.

Looking at essential amino acids, an amino acid as a percentage of total essential amino acids in myoglobin, is one statistic (http://www.aw-bc.com/mathews/ch07/c07emhp.htm, http://www.aw-bc.com/mathews/ch05/fi5p14.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amino_acid#Table_of_standard_amino_acid_abbreviations_and_side_chain_properties).

The same amino acid's mg per kg body weight as a percentage of the total mg per kg body weight requirements for essential amino acids in total, is a second statistic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_amino_acid).

The second statistic divided by the first gives you a third statistic. This third statistic shows the importance of the given amino acid in myoglobin, compared to its general importance in the body.

I find that lysine is the amino acid with the greatest score on this third statistic. Lysine also is the amino acid that is, compared to other amino acids, most present in myoglobin. Lysine is more present in myoglobin than any other protein/amino-acid.

Lysine's mg per kg body weight requirement is 17% of all the amino acid mg per kg body weight requirements combined; whereas, 29% of the 153 different proteins in myoglobin are lysine proteins. 29/17 = 1.7.

Thus I estimate that a good starting point for providing the body with precursors for myoglobin prior to prolonged aerobic activity would be substances that naturally provide high levels of lysine to the body.

Consumption of one substance, leaves less digestive power and stomach room available for another substance. All persons have limited digestive power, limited stomach space, and limited appetite. As a matter of timing, the substances that are especially required during prolonged aerobic activity should be consumed prior to prolonged aerobic activity and other substances that are not especially in demand during prolonged aerobic activity should be consumed at other times. Often, a food substance that rates especially high in terms of the presence of a given nutrient per ounce of the food-substance, also rates high with regards to certain other nutrients of interest also. The body is able to convert certain of the basic 20 amino acids into other of the basic 20 amino acids. A nutrient can be a precursor for more than one substance in the blood. All these facts add up to the conclusion that concentrating on a nutrient, lysine, that scores high when measured by the third statistic (described above) is a reasonable approach.

Leading sources of lysine (http://www.nutrientfinder.com/nfsearch.php)

1 lb egg white flakes 22 g
1 lb beef bottom round 13 g
2 cup pumpkin and squash seeds 12 g
1 lb canned tuna 12 g
2 cup egg white powder sifted 10 g
2 c soybean seeds 10 g
1 lb raw beaver meat 10 g
1 lb boneless pork loin 9 g
1.0 lb turkey pastrami 8 g
1 lb lamb foreshank 8 g
1 lb chicken roasting meat 8 g
1 12" pizza cheese meat veggies 8 g
2 c dry reg nonfat milk, 6 g
2 c egg yolk raw fresh 6 g
2 c egg whole dried 6 g
2 c cottonseed kernals 5 g
2 cup raw green soybeans 4 g
2 cup egg white raw fresh 4 g
2 c egg yolk dried 4 g
2 c scrambled eggs 4 g
2 c pistachio nuts 3 g
1 lb parmesan cheese 3 g
2 c hard boiled eggs 2 g

Notice how there are foods that are superior in terms of providing the body with what it needs to produce creatine, which are also superior for providing the body with what it needs to produce myoglobin. Looking at the above list my first instinct, is that the food that I would use to provide a basis for internal myoglobin production would be soybean seeds (my second choice would be pistachios). It's nice to be able to skip the fuss of dealing with meat poultry fish etc.

Egg white flakes (concise informative page at http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/PowderedEgg.htm), pumpkin/squash seeds, and milk have already been selected as precursors for the amino acids used by the body to synthesize creatine. It is reasonable to suspect that the diversity produced by combining soybean seeds with pumpkin seeds would be advantageous. .

The authoritative Wikipedia's blythe list of "good sources of lysine" is unintentionally deceptive as are most such lists. According to the venerable Wikipedia, "good sources of lysine are foods rich in protein including meat (specifically red meat, lamb, pork, and poultry), cheese (particularly Parmesan), certain fish (such as cod and sardines), and eggs" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysine).

The wiki article lists lamb as if it was equal to egg whites for lysine content. Actually, dried egg-white flakes (can be eaten raw because pasteurized) give you three times as much lysine per pound as lamb; plus, dried egg whites do not require cooking and mix easily with other foods into one drink or dish.

Even with regards to eggs themselves, we would be missing out on some important facts if we simply took Wiki's word for it that eggs are a good source of Lysine.
As it turns out, the lysine value in eggs ranges enormously from 2 grams lysine in two cups chopped hard boiled eggs to 22 grams lysine in one pound of dried egg white flakes.

The general idea is to provide the body with precursors for substances that marathon runners start out with at a normal level in their blood, which then increase to a high level in their blood through production/release of such substances in the bodies of the marathoners during and after the running of the marathon. This should increase the amount of effort that the body is able to expend, prior to the onset of fatigue. This increase in fitness in turn should result in improved cardio-vascular health.

@2009 David Virgil Hobbs