Supplement Fact and Fiction

In the pursuit of wealth, many supplement companies make fraudulent claims about their products. Often these claims are based on misrepresented science, shoddy science, or no science at all. This column exists to offer the consumer of sport supplements some protection from fraudulent supplement claims as well as direction towards those supplements that really do offer some benefit. The information presented here will be based mainly on data collected in controlled experimental conditions, when it exists. Anecdotal evidence will be considered, but not relied upon to support the manufacturers claims.

Welcome to Supplement Fact & Fiction. In the world of bodybuilding there are two camps, one which anxiously seeks out every “latest and greatest” supplement promised to deliver rapid gains, and another which points a belittling finger at both supplements and their consumers chanting, “A fool and his money are soon parted!” I feel there is something to say for each point of view.

The first group is comprised mainly of newcomers to the culture of bodybuilding. They aren’t alone though, they are joined by other “sport” enthusiasts looking to improve their weekend game or get that six pack so proudly displayed on the cover of all those “men’s ~~underwear~~” uh, I mean “health” magazines. This group of new comers and casual enthusiasts are most susceptible to fraudulent marketing claims about supplements. This is not due to a lack of judgment on their part. Its due to a lack of accurate information about the products they see on the shelves. The rest of this group is comprised of veteran bodybuilders who, for whatever reason, have chosen not to use more effective, yet illegal, drugs in their pursuit of mass. This subgroup tends to read a great deal of information in bodybuilding magazines. They read everything they can find on nutrition, training, supplements, and even steroids and other anabolic drugs. Unfortunately the publishers filter the information available to them in order to protect the financial interests of their advertisers.

The second, and decidedly pessimistic camp, consists largely of bodybuilders who have had real or vicarious experience using steroids. Let me use the term “bodybuilder” to refer to anybody looking to increase strength or muscle mass. Their prejudice stems from a couple of possible sources. Many of the veteran bodybuilders in this group remember a time when the scientific community refuted the true properties and effects of anabolic steroids. Time and time again doctors would proclaim, “Anabolic steroids do not enhance athletic performance”. These same doctors would then go on to warn of the life threatening side effects of using anabolics for muscle growth or performance enhancement. Real world bodybuilders would read this and compare their claims to the reality they witnesses around them. There was a lot of acne and bloated faces but nobody seemed to be falling down dead from an effective cycle of steroids. This discrepancy in what they observed compared to what the medical community was telling them lead to distrust not only of doctors but also of science.

The pessimism of this group could also stem from reading studies done with anabolics with questionable methodology. These studies would involve inappropriately low doses of anabolics and/or a poor diet, only to conclude that testosterone does not increase muscle mass. This would be proclaimed in the face of larger than life bodybuilders who put on significant lean mass on the same testosterone the doctors proclaimed did not work. Over time, bodybuilders began to distrust scientific studies in general, putting their trust only in the anecdotal evidence “posturing” before them the gym.

An important source for their cynicism may also stem from actual experience comparing the effectiveness of anabolics to over the counter supplements. While on steroids they would experience rapid, although at times fleeting, gains in both mass and strength. Then they would try using supplements promising to produce “drug-like” effects only to be disappointed by minimal gains compared to the gains they experienced while on drugs. Negating what true gains they may have experienced with supplements, they generalize that all supplements are over-hyped crap and none of them deliver on their promises. Who can blame them for such an attitude? I certainly don’t. Despite this deeply entrenched skepticism about the ability of supplements to promote gains in mass and strength, the supplement industry has continued to experienced tremendous growth over the last ten years. This indicates that despite the skepticism held by many, there are still a significant number of people purchasing supplements despite lacking any “drug-like” effects.

A voice of Reason

Supplement Fact & Fiction was created to help anyone remotely interested in sport supplements. I’m sure all of you have experienced the feeling of being “suckered in” as you realize that the article you thought you were reading was actually a 3 page advertisement for the publisher’s proprietary product line. Supplement Fact & Fiction is and will remain unbiased.

In Supplement Fact & Fiction you will only read about ingredients, not manufactures. The information provided will focus on scientific evidence as to the effectiveness or worthlessness of the particular ingredient. It would be nice to be able to take various manufacturers products to an independent lab for testing but that just isn’t feasible right now. This may happen in the future but for now you will have to trust that what the manufacturer says about ingredients on the label is true.

About Research

Studies can be evaluated by their design. Factors that may effect the validity of a study include sample size, exclusion criteria, treatment variables, whether the study is double blind or not, as well as dosages, length of study, individual characteristics of the subjects and even who funded the study. I will draw your attention to these issues when they pose a threat to the validity of the results or conclusions drawn by the researchers.

An issue that is frequently brought up is how the study was funded. It is important to realize that much of the research published involving sport supplements is supported by grants from the manufacturers of those supplements. This introduces bias into the study. Unfortunately, the National Institute of Health (NIH) is seldom interested in food supplements that may benefit athletes. They are most interested in diseases and drugs that are currently in vogue to research. I won’t get into that right now, just understand that money for research on food supplements is hard to come by leaving the private sector (supplement companies) as the only source for funding. I don’t mean to insinuate that all studies funded by supplement companies are biased or the results automatically cannot be trusted. Many times there are companies that are truly interested in the effectiveness of potential products. The same goes for drug companies who in large part fund all or part of the research done on new drugs they are interested in marketing to the public. Whenever possible I will be sure to point out who funded the study.

So what if there is no research testing the effectiveness of a supplement being marketed to you? Well, we’ll tell you so. But there is still usually something to talk about. Sometimes in bodybuilding we are forced to refer to research that has nothing to do with the intended use of a compound we are interested in. For example, Tribulus Terrestris was generally investigated to see its effects on fertility in male animals like rams. Although fertility does not offer any direct benefit to somebody looking to increase muscle mass, the manner in which Tribulus effects fertility may also affect anabolism. Properties of compounds that are most beneficial to the general population will always be studied before properties that are of special benefit only to athletes. When this is the case, we will look at the effects seen in those seemingly unrelated studies and extrapolate what might happen in a bodybuilder. In a perfect world all substances that we are interested in will have been thoroughly tested on humans in situations that mimic real life including resistance exercise and appropriate nutrition. In the real world well done studies involving athletes and supplements are far and few between. Without always being able to refer to appropriate studies, some theorizing and even speculation will be done on occasion.

Who should read Supplement Fact & Fiction

Supplement Fact & Fiction is written for both optimists and pessimists. It is for those of you who regularly buy supplements as well as for those who consider even protein powders as waste of money. The information presented will put in perspective the hype surrounding various supplements and perhaps raise interest in compounds that have not been considered or even forgotten. I hope to provide insight into the mechanisms by which various compounds are supposed to act thereby empowering the user to plan the most effective dosages and dosing schedules. Even those bodybuilders using pharmaceuticals may find potential benefit from various compounds that offer support to the body under the demands of rapid protein synthesis and growth. Ultimately what the reader decides to do with the information is up to them. Still, it is my hope that as readers become more educated manufacturers will be forced to work harder to bring truly effective supplements to market.

As readers, feel free to send in requests that a certain supplement be evaluated. If I see enough interest in a supplement that I have not specifically addressed I will address it in upcoming installments of Supplement Fact & Fiction. If a supplement that you request contains active ingredients that I have already covered, I will not go over it again just because it is in a different formulation or marketed by a specific company. Requested supplements must contain new compounds not previously available or contain compounds that I have not covered in the column.