Supplements: Beware the Myths

By Team Beachbody

Here is some ammunition if you are thinking about supplementing your diet:

Selling supplements is a business. Ever wondered how there could be a new, super-supplement every year? Well, there isn't. Everyone is trying to find the next great supplement and there are many, many companies in the race. This creates a market where, if nothing new is happening, something new is manufactured. Stay away from brand-new products. Time will tell if they are for real.

Remember, there was a time when even steroids were thought to be safe. Ever since they have been off the market there have been attempts to find legal steroid derivatives that promise similar results without the side effects. Over the last 20 years there have been hundreds of different products, most of which have fallen out of the market because they don't work. Others, like GHB, do work but have side effects. In this case, the FDA banned GHB after a brief stint on the market in the early 90's. It is still readily available. While this drug promotes better sleep and does deliver some growth hormone release, it is also used as a recreational drug. Because it is a neurotransmitter, which alters your brain patterns, it can be very dangerous and has been linked to some deaths.

Less extreme cases involve many new age or "holistic" supplements. Most don't involve anything really dangerous like steroid derivatives. The problem is that most of these supplements are expensive and don't really do anything. So while they won't hurt you, you are just wasting your time and money and would be better off to just eat healthier. The most extreme case might be the food supplement Blue-Green Algae. It is promoted as having a wide variety of benefits, from increased energy to curing cancer (not kidding). Studies have linked it to both nausea and diarrhea and have not shown any benefit that can't be equaled with a decent diet. While not really dangerous, Blue-Green Algae is usually very expensive, as are many supplements, especially ones that promise to ward off or cure cancer!

However, supplementation that can truly make you healthier is a good thing for most people to some degree. This brings up the question of what to do, since there are so many options on the market. Here are a few guidelines to help you:

1. Take a good multi-vitamin and multi-mineral everyday. If you don't have a perfect diet, this will help by making sure that you have enough of the basics which your body needs.
2. Stick to time-tested supplements. If something has been on the market for 5 years or more, chances are it must have some benefit.
3. Beware supplements with non-scientific claims such as "detoxification" because results are totally subjective.
4. Do a little research. You can find information on practically any supplement. If you can't, that should be a red flag.
5. Get help. Personal trainers and athletes usually know a lot about supplements and have often tried many. When getting advice from them, use the above criteria as well. Don't believe their hype about a new product if they have just started using it because they may be getting it for free to promote it. The Internet is a great source of real information about risks and benefits from supplements.

Hopefully you can use this information as a positive instead of getting scared off. Supplementation is a good thing and can greatly increase your health and fitness if done correctly. Certain supplements, like glucosamine sulfate and creatine monohydrate, have been proven safe and effective and there are many others. However, by using common sense and doing a little homework you can get the most out of your exercise program and also save a lot of money.

Editor's Note: Clearly, by taking our advice, we are recommending you use this same healthy caution even when it comes to considering the supplements distributed by Beachbody. Our goal is for you to achieve your ultimate health and fitness. The supplements created by Beachbody are formulated to be effective, healthy, and most important—time-tested safe. That's why we don't "push the envelope" with the latest craze just to get a piece of the action. Nonetheless, it's smart to always understand the benefits and risks of taking any ingestible you are considering.

Strangely enough, there aren't any really good web sites about supplements. Sometimes forums are helpful, but anyone can write anything there so you have to wade through yahoo-speak to try and find someone who knows what they are talking about. When in doubt, check out a bookstore or health food store for some non-biased guidance.