For the record, I believe the vast majority of nutritional supplements on the market are a rip off. The benefits they say they can provide are often exaggerated, they aren't regulated by any type of food authority and are a giant waste of money. If you are following a common sense nutritional program, you don't need supplementation -- except in two cases.
For boxers and other athletes, there are two supplements that can be beneficial. They are a protein supplement such as whey or soy protein powder and creatine monohydrate. In the following pages, I'll break them both down for you, because quite frankly, you can find hundreds of variations from hundreds of companies for each, claiming their protein powder or creatine is the most pure, best there is.
But first I want to clue you into what's the matter with the majority of nutritional supplements.
1. The nutritional supplementation industry is absolutely HUGE business.
It makes an estimated $50 billion dollars a year, preying on the hopes, dreams, emotions, and health of people trying to improve their physiques and lead healthy and fulfilling lifestyles. In the neverending quest for money, manufacturers and companies continually bring the latest and greatest nutritional supplements to market - whether they work or not.2. Nutritional supplements are not regulated.
The FDA does not determine if a supplement is good to go. They investigate issues after something goes wrong. Under DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994) it is up to the manufacturers to determine if their product is safe and effective. The manufacturer is to conduct research to determine a product's effectiveness. The manufacturer makes obscene amounts of money of these products. Anyone see a problem with this? The only time the FDA gets involved before a product goes to market is if a "new" dietary ingredient has been introduced into the product. Even then, there is some discretion as there is no definitive definition of what defines a new dietary ingredient.
In short, the manufacturer of the product regulates itself. If that manufacturer is not 100% committed to its customer, it can cut corners in search of profits. Let's face it, companies are companies -- they exist to make money. In the end if it's the companies bottom line or our health, which do you really think they are going to choose? Athletes have to be careful too - lack of regulation means companies can pretty much throw whatever they want into it. It is not inconceivable that a supplement could contain banned substances. Supplement companies are required to label their products with their contents, but again -- they regulate themselves. I even know of supplements claiming to be natural steroids - it's ludicrous.
3. Nutritional supplement ads target our insecurities.
I get it -- these are ads and they are meant to sell the product, but false promises and deceptive marketing techniques are not acceptable. Claims of weight loss, muscle gain, or other health benefits appeal to a person's self image. That is a powerful marketing ploy. It appeals to one's emotions and preys on hopes and dreams. Under the law, all supplements have to carry the disclaimer "This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." How many of you read the fine print? How many of you care what you read when you see that picture of the perfect body - male or female on the label and promises of a quick fix?
Still not convinced? The Federal Trade Commission has brought over 100 claims to court over false and misleading advertising practices in the last 10 years and that is only a drop in the bucket of the number that could have been pursued.
4. Nutritional supplement testimonials are not necessarily true.
Again, companies stage these things to "prove" how their products work. Take a look at before pictures. For multi-billion dollar companies, their photography department does a worse job than my 7 year old can do with a standard digital camera. The lighting sucks, the model is often slouched over, limp, and generally disgusted with life. The after picture, on the other hand is professionally done, well posed, lighted, and as such offers a huge contrast. The FTC investigated a number of these weight loss claims and testimonials and found that more than 10% of them had claims of weight loss or weight gain that were extremely unlikely if not entirely impossible.5. Nutritional supplements are bloody expensive.
Unless you can be absolutely and completely assured that the supplement works, then you may as well just throw your money in the garbage (or better yet, please send it to me :) It's addicting. I know people that can't afford to pay their rent, but they will spend $150 a month on ripped fuel or some other bogus supplement when all they really need is a decent meal plan and a training plan to experience ten times the results the supplement claims to give.
Now that I've ranted about what is wrong with nutritional supplements, I do believe there are two that warrant some consideration as I mentioned above. A protein supplement is absolutely essential for any serious athlete while creatine monohydrate is a nice to have that can increase performance. Read on to find out why they should be a staple part of your nutritional regime.
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