Supplements: Do the really work?

We've all strolled the isles of our local GNC or supplement cache and have been greeted by the "expert" (usually a minimally paid student) who spends a little time in the gym. We all work so hard to achieve, or not, the body we envision. There's got to be an easier way. We work our *kitten* off at the gym and have noticed some positive changes, but why does it take so long? We're attracted to the claims and promises of help and the containers bearing phrases like "Clinical Formula", "Extreme weight loss", or "proven formula". Some include a load of "high-speed" words and phrases that make you think: What the hell does that mean? What does it all mean? And, before we drop money that was supposed to be used for little Jimmy's diapers, we pause. Is this a good idea? Well, lets think about it!

The supplement market worldwide, is a billion (with a 'B') dollar industry. Its a business first. Amidst all the outrageous claims and testimonials, its important to take an objective look at whats on the market, and how it got there.

First off supplements are not well regulated by the FDA (at least in the U.S.). Basically, only individual ingredients have to have been studied for side affects, but once this is accomplished, there is little regulation on the amount used if the ingredients are generally determined to not kill you instantly. Marketing is a whole other ball game. There are basic facts that each supplement company must abide by, but other than that, they are free to make most claims. This is how they make their billions! Good marketing strategies, not necessarily good products!

see: http://www.fda.gov/food/dietarysupplements/consumerinformation/ucm110417.htm for more information.

Check out the studies. By studies, I mean CLINICAL studies. The best ones are performed by a third party with no stake in the supplement company. Look for random and double blind. Meaning that participants are selected at random to take either the supplement or the placebo, and the administrators of the supplements don't even know what they are giving the participants. Only the data reviewers and number crunchers. This provides (hopefully) a thoroughly objective study with a published outcome of either yes, no, or inconclusive. Be aware that many supplement companies declare that their products have been clinically tested, but if you take a closer look, many of them were studies done by researchers who work for their companies, in their labs. Kind of a conflict of interest, huh?

Many supplements have undergone actual clinical trials (especially the ones that actually work!). For example:
Protein, Creatine, Ephedra, Caffeine; ingredients Im sure we've all had experience with. The aforementioned have all been proven to work to an extent and are generally safe to take. Ephedra is the exception, which is safe to take if taken correctly and under supervision, but once teenagers and uninformed consumers got their hands on it and people started dropping, the FDA alarm went off. They said "Whoa, wait a minute, lets check this out, people are dying here!" Then they determined that maybe it shouldn't be readily available to everyone. BAM...no more ephedra containing products!

Anyways, what I'm getting at is this:

1. Do your research before wasting 50 bucks of your hard-earned cash on a colorful bottle of crap! Think clinical research and trials. Specifically the ingredients (which should be listed). Just because they sound high-tech, doesn't mean it works like they claim. I remember reading an interview with Lee Priest (somewhere), an accomplished pro bodybuilder who endorsed hydroxycut (I believe after ephedra, the ingredient that made it actually work, was forced out of it by the FDA). They took before and after pictures, and probably paid him millions for his face. He was asked if he took the supplement, if it worked, and about the pictures (one of which he was fat and soft). His response? "Yes I did take the supplement", "and the pictures are of me", but his before picture was taken in the offseason, when bodybuilders consume un-godly amounts of food. They gain fat from the extra calories, but also pack on the muscle. Then before the competition they cut the weight. So did it work for Lee? He doesn't think so. He attributed his weight loss to hardcore training and an abundance of steroids! At least they paid him!

2. Are the supplements you're taking now working for you, or could you be experiencing the placebo effect? Sometimes we want it to work, so we work harder. We get results and attribute them to the supplements.

Either way...the supplement companies will always get theirs. Don't let them get your so easily.

Food for thought! This is just my personal opinion. Im not a medical doctor, but I've done a lot of research on the topic and have a degree in Exercise Physiology.

You can search clinicaltrials.gov or other trusted medical sites for information on specific ingredients and studies to learn about possible effectiveness of things you are or are thinking about trying.