George asks…
Do you know about food supplements?
Any general information such as what are food supplements, how do they work, benefits and other effects to the body. Kindly cite also examples of food supplements. Thank you.
vti answers:
Food supplements are basicaly preparation of nutrients that comes in different forms, blends, qualities, sizes and prices too! Food supplements are actually made to save time and money, but not effort.
They are not magic though, being on food supplements is not an excuse to skip a meal, or skip exrecise, a food supplement is just to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need to speed up the goal behind your training program. Briefly there is a certain categorization of food supplements that i like which is dependant on your goal. Is it fat loss? Weight gain? Muscle building? Strength? Etc..
Well ‘for example if u want to build muscle probably you will need to bulk up which basicaly involves eating more calories than you exert so you will make use of the following:
(1) CREATINE MONOHYDRATE : a popular supplement for
nearly twenty years and for good reason: It works. Creatine is probably
the most researched supplement on the market when it comes to
increasing strength and muscle size.
Most creatine studies utilized a loading phase of up to 25 grams of creatine per day in
powder form for 4-5 days and a maintenance phase of 5 grams per day thereafter. After the loading phase, 5 grams per day appears sufficient. I
mix it with water and guzzle it down, unless I happen to be making a protein drink;
then I just mix it in and color it done.
No side effects of creatine have been observed consistently. Long-term effects are
yet to be known, although after nearly twenty years of heavy use one could assume
they are either negligible or nonexistent. Creatine basicaly delays muscle fatigue by giving you extra energy when you wrokout, thus putting on extra stress on your muscles so you could lift heavier and size up. Creatine though causes bloating, creatine monohydrate draws water into muscles which is a good thing not a bad thing: swollen muscle fibers (hyperosmotic state) have a better chance of forcing nutrients as proteins inside them and synthesize faster.
(2) Amino acids: this is basicaly digested protein, and its not that important unles you are on anabolic steroids or you’re vegeterian, otherwise you could get all your daily protein needs from meals and protein shakes. Though some people (id rather say advanced body builders) say they like BCAA (branched chain amino acids valine, leucine, and isoleucine) or intake of a single amino acid as in glutamine to prevent muscle breakdown after training, or arginine to increase HGH (human growth hormone) secretion and vasodilation to increase blood circulation to muscles. But this is really advanced and i think its all about marketing new products that dont work. Amino acids do not have any side effects, discussing side effects of amino acid intake would be similar to discussing side effects of having a steak!
(3) Weight Gainers: This is a higly caloric food supplement that adds up to your daily intake of calories, serves up to 1500 calories per serving. Has no side effects rather than weight gain. I would recommend that as a way to speed up a bulking process.
(4) Protein Powders: or protein shakes, as in whey protein, egg protein, casein, soy protein .. Etc . The best and most popular being whey protein, it is a very good source of protein for any workout as proteins keep you in something called positive nitrogen balance state which doesnt only involve building up muscles but also prevents muscle breakdown due to over training.
Hundreds of other supplemets are availble as testosterone boosters (the main anabolic – muscle building – hormone in your body) , fish oils and multi vitamins. Efficiency of such supplements are basicaly based on personal variation and preference. Pay a visit to this website www.bodybuilding.com for more clean information, read the articles and search their forums.
Carol asks…
Weight gaining supplements?
Should a 15 year old take weight gaining supplements like Ultimate nutriton muscle juice revolution 2600 or Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass to inrease my weight
vti answers:
You should avoid supplements. If you can’t do it naturally, it’s not worth doing.
If you’re trying to build muscle, lose fat, add weight, or just be healthy, supplements can only make your daily intake worse unless you have poor diet. And if you have a poor diet, you should work on your diet and stick to eating real food.
Dietary supplements are poorly regulated in the US. They do not have to conform to the stringent standards applied to pharmaceuticals or food products by the FDA. The result of this absence of oversight has been a scammer’s dream and the scammers have made the most of it. A huge and powerful supplement industry has grown up around this lack of government oversight which was designed to give people the freedom to explore homeopathic, naturopathic, and alternative remedies.
Because supplement makers do not have to follow the same stringent FDA regulations which are applied to food and drugs, it is impossible to know which supplements are scams without testing by independent laboratories. It is, however, quite easy to be fooled by common myths and expensive advertising. For this reason, supplements should be avoided unless recommended by a legitimate health care professional. The US National Institute of Health warns….
“Always check with your health care provider before taking a supplement, especially when combining or substituting them with other foods or medicine.” Ref: http://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Information/ODS_Frequently_Asked_Questions.aspx#Need
Many manufacturers buy cheap supplements from foreign countries with no regulations which contain toxins and poisons including heavy metals, pesticides, detergents, etc. Others add stimulants such as caffeine to an otherwise worthless product to provide the hapless buyer a sense that the product is doing something. Still others cut the supplement with fillers so only trace amounts get to the customer keeping their cost down so they can put more money into garish and bloated advertising which promises what they know they can’t deliver. And, there is no testing required by the government. For these and other reasons you cannot know what you’re getting when you buy a supplement.
And, because most supplements are provided by scammers instead of credible major food or pharmaceutical companies such as Bayer of Pfizer, their advertising is often bogus as well. Most supplements review, blogs, scientific white papers, and articles are just advertising in disguise. Many supplements providers have dozens of websites promoting their products in fraudulent ways as you’ll see if you watch this investigative report by CBS News –> http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5196740n&tag=related;photovideo (Note: You may have to sit through a quick commercial message first)
Check out all these supplements from GNC which have warnings from the FDA —> http://search.usa.gov/search?query=gnc+warning&USA.gov+Search.x=0&USA.gov+Search.y=0 and ask yourself, why would any company make so many concoctions when the giant pharmaceutical companies don’t want to touch that market? Think about it. They’re driven by one thing…profit. And a credulous, ill-informed, and ignorant public makes that money available. Don’t be one of them.
Humans evolved over 100,000 years without supplements by eating natural food. There is no reason why we need supplements today if there are no special health considerations and ample natural wholesome food is available to us.
Be smart. Save you money and eat real food. It’s all you need.
Good luck and good health!!
♠
Ken asks…
Banned Supplements in the Coast Guard?
Where can I find a list of banned supplements in the U.S. Coast Guard?
I was going to ask my XO tomorrow, but was seeing in there was a list, maybe I could buy the one I’m looking at early.
vti answers:
Supplements are a very, very dangerous game. There are indeed some that are known to include ingredients which could result in a drug incident (and discharge), your servicing medical staff (the HS) should have that list. That said – you can’t count on it to be inclusive, and just because something isn’t on the list, it doesn’t mean it can’t / won’t result in a drug incident.
The problem with the supplement industry is that they are notoriously bad about not disclosing all the key ingredients, at times, to include anabolic steroids or precursors. Makes ‘em work better, that’s for sure. It’s a hyper competitive industry, badly regulated, changes all the time, everyone is looking for an edge. They’re known to juice the formula occasionally to get the rep they need.
Bottom line is that you are responsible for what you put in your body, even if you “didn’t know” or a supplement ends up having non disclosed ingredients. A drug incident is a “no second chance” program – pick up one even unknowingly or accidentally, you’re quickly kicked out. For these reasons, I always recommend my folks stay clear of supplements.
Better plan is to stick to healthy foods. If you must take supplements – stick to only large, national brands that have been around at least a few years. Avoid newer, smaller brands at all costs.
Sandra asks…
Weightlifting supplements?
What supplements should I take during the weightlifting season?
vti answers:
Supplements can do more harm than good. I would not recommend it.
Http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm174060.htm
FYI: The federal government’s crackdown on the nutritional supplement industry continued Thursday as FDA agents executed a search warrant on one of the country’s most popular bodybuilding Web sites, Bodybuilding.com, which the government accuses of marketing and distributing illegal anabolic steroids
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_s…
Go the the FDA and read more about it on pdf file.
Http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16655168/wid… People spend $20 billion per year on vitamins and supplements. According to Everyday Health, here’s an article that will tell you why . . . Those PRODUCTS by any other name do NOT WORK. It is false advertisements.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t have to approve supplements — no agency in the United States does. So it’s up to consumers to bring health concerns to light. “It’s important to understand the difference between over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements,” say Pieter Cohen, MD, an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance and instructor at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass. The FDA gets involved only after the fact, if the supplement later appears to be causing harm. By that time, the supplement may already have harmed many consumers who used it. “The burden of proof is on the FDA to determine [a supplement] is dangerous and remove it from the market,” Cohen says. Consumer complaints are the primary trigger for investigations. One recent investigation of the dietary weight-loss supplement ephedra resulted in it being banned for sale in the United States.
Example: Protein Shakes poisoning article:
http://fittipdaily.com/poison-in-your-protein-shake-5491/
China, which has repeatedly been caught exporting contaminated products, is a major supplier of raw supplement ingredients. The FDA has yet to inspect a single factory there.
We have identified a dozen supplement ingredients that we think consumers should avoid because of health risks, including cardiovascular, liver, and kidney problems. We found products with those ingredients readily available in store.
Because of inadequate quality control and inspection, supplements contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, or prescription drugs have been sold to unsuspecting consumers. And FDA rules covering manufacturing quality don’t apply to the companies that supply herbs, vitamins, and other raw ingredients.
Beginning in February 2008, he experienced one symptom after another: diarrhea, joint pain, hair loss, lung problems, and fingernails and toenails that fell off.
Http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm228052.htm
Sources:
Everyday Health, Consumer Reports, Slate.com, CNN Health/herbal-supplements, FDA.gov for consumers protect yourself health fraud
Susan asks…
Weight Gaining Supplements?
What are some good weight gaining supplements? I’d appreciate if someone has experience with some and can give some feedback.
vti answers:
Don’t take weight gaining supplements, they’re not healthy for you. Just eat foods that are weight gainers and work out and you’ll be good and get to your goal weight soon enough.
If you want to gain weight quickly start a diet regimen and workout routine for gaining weight and you’ll be good. I’ve taken weight gaining supplements before and they’re not worth it, at least for me. I then went the natural route by just eating more food than usual, taking in a lot of protein, and working out, and I’ve gained all the weight I needed, and it was mostly muscle, no weight gaining supplements for me
Find a plan of action and commit to it rather than taking weight gaining supplements. You’ll be happier in the end.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers