Supplements- Help or Hindrance?
Certain supplements could be destroying your body and well being.
Product hype can convince people to purchase products they
don’t need, or worse, harm the consumer. Are supplements what they suggest, or
is it all marketing hype? Objective Health breaks down the ingredients in a
popular pre-workout supplementation product and analyses the effects on your
body.
A supplement is exactly what its name suggests: a product
which is meant to supplement your normal daily intake. Supplements were
designed to be taken where nutritional short falls occur, such as being unable
to maintain adequate iron stores or magnesium levels, or to boost immune system
function when illness occurs. These products were never designed to be a full
nutritional profile nor were they meant to be taken for a long term unless required
for medical reasons. Supplements have been traditionally sourced from natural
plant type bases, but as we move in to a new era they are more commonly made
from artificial sources.
If you go in to any health food store today, pharmacy, or
“supplement store”, you’ll be overwhelmed with the choice of supplements.
Marketing tells us that we need them to perform better, be stronger, get bigger
muscles, become leaner, etc. However, the only time we “need” them is when we
have a nutritional shortfall.
There is a range of supplements these days, from vitamins
and minerals, to green and protein powders. I think there is a place in our diets
today for natural green powers, natural protein shakes, and certain plant based
and naturally sourced vitamins and minerals. As we become busier it’s
increasingly difficult to be able to eat enough to meet our daily nutritional
profiles. I think a green powder has the widest application; anyone at any age
can take it as a green powder acts as a natural multi vitamin topping up our
daily intake. Protein shakes are different- they should be used more so by
people who exercise regularly at a moderate level. In these cases a protein
shake can assist us with getting enough protein in to our diet just as the
aforementioned vitamins should be taken where there are vitamin shortfalls. An
example of a shortfall is one that I have: my body doesn’t retain the right
amount of magnesium so I need to take magnesium supplements on a daily
basis. Fish oil is another supplement
that everyone can take as we simply do not consume enough fish to meet our
quota.
There is also another scenario where supplements can help
where there isn’t exactly a short fall per se. It is when supplements are used
for their therapeutic value (scientifically proven or not). This is where liver
support tablets, valerian, chill out pills, or even Arthritis support come in
to play.
However, as with everything, there are side effects of
taking certain supplements. Having too much can create serious medical
problems. Additionally, there are some supplements that simply have no place in
our diet as they themselves are chemical cocktails. Queue: pre-workout supplements.
Over the last few years pre-workout have gained huge publicity. Body builders,
figure models, bikini models, and avid gym-goers are all taking them and
supposedly reaping the benefits of them. I’d like to share with you why you should
not listen to all the hype and avoid these supplements at all costs.
Pre-workouts are typically made out of lots of stimulants
and artificial products - enough to warrant avoiding them. Here’s why. Below is the nutritional profile
panel of a popular pre-workout which also had a fat burner in it. The table is
copied directly from the vendor’s web site. Have a quick read of the
ingredients listed:
Let’s break this down.
Personally, the only ingredients I know here are the Vitamin
Bs and Caffeine (note that one serve of this product is ¾ of your entire daily
recommend caffeine intake, according to Mayo Clinic. A bit of research revealed
interesting facts about the other ingredients.
Pantothenic Acid, also known as Vitamin B5, is primarily
used to treat pantothenic acid deficiency. It is possibly effective for treatment
of skin reactions from radio therapy. There is insufficient evidence to show
that Vitamin B5 is useful for any other purpose. It is likely safe when used in
appropriate amounts: the daily recommended dose is 5mg per day, larger amounts
may be safe in certain individuals, but this higher dosage increases the
possibility of having diarrhea as a side effect. This product contains double
the recommended daily intake, and it isn’t proven to provide any benefits to
the consumer.
Niacin is a form of Vitamin B3 and is primarily used to
treat niacin deficiency and related illnesses. It also has been proven to lower
cholesterol. There is insufficient evidence that Niacin is effective for any
other purpose. Niacin is likely safe to use when taken in appropriate amounts:
the daily recommended dose is less than 3000mg. Small doses of Niacin cause the
side effect of flushing through the body, as well as headaches, itching, and
tingling. Niacin and niacin amide can make allergies more
severe because they cause histamine - the chemical responsible for allergic
symptoms - to be released. Additionally, Niacin should be avoided by people
suffering from diabetes, gallbladder disease, gout, low blood pressure, liver
or kidney disease, and stomach or intestinal ulcers. This product
provides 20mg which is within safe range, however could still cause the
aforementioned side effects.
D-Glucuronolactone is a relatively new substance that is
commonly found in energy drinks. Being new and relatively untested means there
isn’t much information about it, including whether or not it is damaging your body.
D-Glucuronolactone is synthetically formed from glucose; essentially it is pure
sugar. The recommended daily intake is 1.2 – 2.3mg,
which means this product is approximately 10 times higher than recommended. At
present there haven’t been any documented side effects with higher dosages.
Polydextrose is a synthetic water soluble form of glucose
designed to be a fibrous bulking agent. Essentially it is a sugar, however it
comes from alcohol, so supplies less calories than sugar does. This product
states there are 0 grams of sugar… Which we now know isn’t entirely true. Glucuronolactone
is a sugar and Polydextrose is also a sugar. When ingested in to your body it
is definitely going to be treated as a sugar. At high enough levels of ingestion
people can experience excessive flatus, bloating, loose stools, and diarrhea.
The remaining ingredients are common. They are Vitamin B’s,
fat, and dietary fiber. We don’t know what type of fat it is or where it comes
from, so I assume the dietary fiber is actually the Polydextrose as the grams
are equivalent.
To sum and weigh up the ingredients: in 8.8grms of this pre-workout
mixed with water you’re getting:
·
14 calories made up of lots of Vitamin B’s,
·
a small amount of fiber,
·
a small amount of fat,
·
a large amount of caffeine, and
·
a number of synthetic materials which may or may
not cause side effects in your body.
All for approximately $60.00.
I know I could find 14 calories of real food, containing no
synthetics, more vitamins and minerals than just B’s, with little to no side
effects, will fuel me properly, and not having me crashing out later in the
day. I could also get an extra boost of energy without any added calories
naturally from any caffeinate tea (black, chai, green) or coffee.
You could get the same kind of energy kick with extra
nutrition, vitamins and minerals from medium banana, which contains 105
calories that are made up of natural fats (mostly Omega 3 & 6’s), good
carbohydrates (made up of natural fiber, some starch and natural sugar) and
some protein. And it only costs around .50c for one banana (at appro. rate of
$3.99 p/kg & approx. weight of 118grms). It has a full nutritional profile
giving you broad vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, folate, choline,
phosphorous, magnesium, and potassium. So you might be getting more calories,
but they are made up of essential nutrients which you need to fuel a good
workout and recovery. The tables below show the nutritional information for a
medium banana:
I picked pre-workout due to my own personal experiences with
these products, but the side effects aren’t limited to pre-workouts -they apply
to the whole host of workout supplements, such as synthetic protein powders,
post workout drinks, synthetic protein bars, energy drinks, fat burners,
bulking agents… These products are sold to us using marketing which tells us we
need them, but why do we need expensive powders full of synthetic products
which may or may not harm us?
Take the story of popular pre-workout product. Pre-2012 this
product contained a substance called DMAA which was originally intended to be
used as a nasal decongestant. This drug within the pre-workout was supposed to
give you a huge boost of energy making you “go harder and stronger” throughout
your workout. However it is now a banned substance for use within
pharmaceuticals and for general use after some serious side effects were
reported such migraines, increase blood pressure, increase heart rate, brain
hemorrhage and death. In 2012 two American soldiers died after taking Jack3d
and OxyElite, two popular pre-workouts and as such DMAA is listed as a poison
in Australia. A poison! Really think about this. Only now after serious side
effects and deaths have occurred, it is a banned substance.
So how do you know that the pre-workout you are using, the
thermogenic fat burner or the energizing protein you’re using doesn’t contain
an inadequately tested and inappropriately used additive in it that could
possibly cause serious side effects in you, or even death? Is a workout buzz
worth that risk?
Knowing what you now know, will you still fall for the
supplement hype? Or will you look for the natural alternative? Broken down, it
seems like it’s a no brainer to take the path of enjoying superior nourishment
and value for money.
References:
Caffeine intake
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678
Pantothenic Acid
Niacine
Glucuronolacton
Polydextrose
Jack3d Information
Banana Information
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