People forget about about the effect on muscle tone. It might help to keep tone low because calcium intake lowers when taking ZMA. This can help with relaxing and sleep. I beleive Charlie mentioned this somewhere
just curious, would taking zma carry any negative side effects on bone growth for athletes who are not yet fully matured? i no calcium is important in growing people’s diet…
ZMA does not “low” calcium intake. Further, there are no side effects from anything hormonal with ZMA because all it is doing, if it has an effect at all, is making up for nutritional deficiencies that are common among athletes. I like ZMA and the like, but it isn’t a miracle. Just a vitamin and two commonly under-consumed nutrients.
Right it does not, but when people take zma they are supposed to stay away from calcium when taking it at night, which could result in lower net intake of calium taken through out the day. ZMA can be good for people who need it, i dont see why people care whether or not its the placebo effect. If it’s helping, you better keep using it.
I’m sure not eating calcium before bed won’t hurt your overall numbers.
I believe the calcium interferes with the zinc absorption when taken at the same time. Usually take Ca in morning, ZMa at night
Calcium interferes with zinc uptake. As far as people saying it doesn’t work, I think there is more than enough anecdotal evidence to refute that. I know I sleep like I got hit with a hammer when taking ZMA. Sometimes , I feel too groggy in am. As far as supplements go, to use ZMA on any supplements, it is trademarked via Balco. I use Vitamin Shoppe version. Works well.
Simply not true.
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To use the word/phrase ZMA, you must be licensed by SNAC. There are no licensing requirements to use zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6 in a supplement.
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You feel the way you do because of the B6. Take a bunch of B6 before you go to bed and you’ll get a similar feeling. B6 is great, as is magnesium and zinc. It ‘works’, but there is no reason why you can’t buy the substances on their own for cheaper and often better quality.
Regardless what you or I believe, people have great effects with ZMA. You hear it all over the forum. Only complaint I have heard is “too vivid of dreams” as told to me by Ian King. He liked it but gave him freaky nightmares. How do you know B6 alone has the same effect for everyone? I believe there is a certain synergy involved. I like it so I take it. I promote it to my athletes as well. They all seem to have superior results. To each his own, but I think there is more than enough “positive personal experience” to support the use of ZMA. Most people on this forum are in tune with their bodies, so I take them at their word when they say it works. As far as liscensing, I just know that you need to have SNAC approval to use ZMA TM. I have spoken to Victor on the phone before about it.
lol… you guys are funny. All this debate over some pills that cost 15 bucks. Regardless, I’m going to put myself on the record saying that ZMA works (I have tried SNAC and others like biotest) and that it has got to be something with the synergistic effects of each ingredient, along with taking it before bed, that makes the stuff work.
I just don’t like when someone comes out and denies the effects of a supplement so many have had great success with. For newbies and people who don’t know better, I would hate for them to read this post without some from of rebuttal. At least this way they understand that there are more than one opinion about the supplement in question. If you use B6 and get great results, fantastic. To say ZMA doesn’t work when so many have felt its effects, is being a little short sighted. I don’t debate on here often, but if I feel something is erroneous, I will debate the topic.
Who said it doesn’t work? Did you even read the posts? You realize the A part in ZMA is vitamin B6? It is responsible for vivid dreams because it enhances the pathway through which serotonin is synthesized. This has been studied numerous times. It isn’t magical. Many people, because of their diets, are also deficient in zinc and magnesium, hence supplementing with those will help, but no more than improving diet to make-up for the inadequacies would as well. Again, nothing magical about the ZMA–B6 has proven time and time again to cause very intense dreams because of its effects on serotonin and many people are zinc/mag deficient because of poor diets. Supplementing with those helps, who would have thought?
I would hate for some newbie to read this post and think he needs to take some overpriced “ZMA” when he could buy the ingredients separately and save hundreds of $$ over the course of years, not to mention have an understanding of WHY things work.
Zinc Magnesium Aspartate
The truth might be that ZMA rocks because it is an easy thing for those of us who value time over money or maybe we have more money than time. ( Lately I only have 24 hours in my day and that really sucks… I am hard up for fun lately as well so what gives???
ZMA takes me to dream paradise via easy street.
I’m bored micro managing special diets right now.
What’s a girl to do?.
As for Ian…
He is a great guy but “too vivid of dreams " for Mr. Ian K? Freud said " Dreams are the royal road to the unconscious”
Perhaps some of us don’t like to hear what the dreams have to say.
Ummmmm … I’m loving my dreams…
btw… Speedcoach I like your attitude.
night all
Ummmm
that last post was number
69
for me
Is that a sign from the ZMA gods?
Ange, you are too cool! 
Too true, hope the gods were kind
I agree with you that diet deficiencies lead to zinc being low. Seeing as about 40% of athletes I have come across have poor diets, some by choice, some by lack of availability of decent food supply. I think this makes it a legitimate concern. Zinc is very important to immune function I think we would agree? Magnesium relaxes muscles, would you agree? I understand B6 pathways. All I am saying is that a supplement like ZMA is very useful for many people. I eat a solid diet, but I still supplement ZMA. Guess what, I sleep better. Seeing as I take a 1cc dose of injectable B6,B9, and B12 weekly, I doubt I am deficient in any B vitamins. Why do I sleep better? I say synergy of ZMA. As far as worrying about how much people save on B6 vs. ZMa, I checked Vitamins Shoppe online. Guess what, B6 cost 13.99 for 100 ct, 100mg. ZMA, 14.99. Not such drastic savings. You have your view of things, and I have mine. You may train athletes or not. I do train many and have gotten fantastic results performance wise. Suffice it to say, we can agree to disagree.
Dreams are one thing but vivid nightmares I could do without. That’s why I quit taking ZMA, although I still take Z and M.
Do you even read what is posted? Or what is in your supplement?
B6 is in ZMA. B6 is the reason why ZMA supplements cause vivid dreams. It does this because of its effects on serotonin. Quite simple.
If you think ZMA is cheaper than B6, you have certain found one of the oddest economic problems to date since ZMA has B6 in it.
Additionally, if you’re taking ZMA so that you have dreams, you should question what your goals are.