Try doing a google search on “athlete supplements”…wow! 265,000 results are there to inform you of all their magical properties that will help you tone / bulk up / bench press / you name it.
Do you want to know another great truth now? Most of them don't work.
And no, I'm not even referring to the fact that many such preparations have been proven to be unsafe or don't even contain what they advertise...I'm talking about the fact that they simply don't have the effect you're taking them for.
Let's look more specifically at 3 supplements that are claimed to be miraculous in terms of muscle mass gain and weight loss, but they are not.
1) Glutamine
Advertised for: Increasing muscle mass, increasing work output during weight training
What it does: Glutamine is an amino acid found (naturally) in all foods that contain large amounts of protein – so we're getting it from our diet as well. Its supplemental consumption in healthy individuals does not lead to an increase in muscle mass, due to its breakdown during digestion.
When it could be useful to you: In clinical situations such as trauma (eg burns or cuts with a knife) as well as in situations of muscle catabolism due to disease (such as AIDS or cancer). Also, it could be useful in long-duration aerobic sports (eg marathons) to prolong performance.
2) Branched Chain Amino Acids (or BCAAs)
Advertised for: Increasing muscle mass and strength
What it is: BCAAs are a group of three essential amino acids for the body (this means that our body does not produce them so the only source is our food), leucine, isoleucine and valine. They are necessary for the regulation of muscle mass, however if we consume sufficient amounts of food with protein (meat, chicken, fish etc.) the supplement is not necessary.
When they might be helpful: BCAAs have been shown to reduce fatigue in beginners (or lightly trained individuals) performing long-duration exercise or when training in a fasted state.
3) Fat solvents
Advertised for: Fat and weight loss, slimming
What it is: Fat burners are many different ingredients that either increase metabolism or energy consumption by the body. The problems are basically three: (1) most are based on questionable quality research on their effectiveness in humans or haven't been studied enough to be sure they work (see garcinia cambogia, raspberry ketone, fucoxanthin etc). (2) even if there is indeed an effect, it is very small. So small that it really isn't worth your effort or money (see caffeine, capsaicin etc). (3) The ones that work have serious side effects resulting in.. not being legal (see ephedrine, clenbuterol etc)
When they could be useful to you: Their action is much smaller compared to the effects of diet and exercise, so probably never.
The conclusion
Because our bodies and our health are no joke, don't trust the claims of the supplement industry (which makes millions by the way) but ask an expert first before taking anything. In any case, no supplement is going to work on its own without your own effort in terms of diet and exercise.
Posted by Eutrophia Nutritional Laboratory
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