The dietary supplement industry is an ever-growing market and currently offers over 50,000 products including vitamins, minerals, herbal supplements, weight-loss products, protein powders and shakes, and pre-workout boosters. With so many options, it’s understandable that an athlete may become confused about which brand to trust, what dosage is appropriate, and what product is safe to take.

The problem.

• Poor dietary choices and meal frequency are the limiting factors in why most athletes do not achieve their performance goals.
• You can't out-supplement a bad diet: any athletes think if they can take a pill or a powder, they don't need to eat the real stuff.
• More is not better—using more than the recommended dosage will not provide greater gains but can lead to serious consequences (i.e. banned from competition (college and pro), negative side effects on health (increased blood pressure), irregular heart rate, enlarged organs (from steroid use), liver failure).
• Athletes run the risk of using a supplement that may contain a banned substance if purchasing from a supplement store or relying on the advice from someone not familiar with 3rd party testing certification and its process.

The food first solution:

• Eat a meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours to stay well-fuelled and to keep blood sugar stable for optimal energy (i.e. PB and honey sandwich, fruit and nuts, lean protein with fruit and veggies, turkey sandwich with fruit and salad).
• Pre-workout snack or breakfast every morning to minimize utilization of muscle tissue for energy, especially if the athlete has an early lifting or practice session.

Disclaimer

The information and reference materials contained here are intended solely for the general information of the reader. It is not to be used for treatment purposes, but rather for discussion with the patient's own physician. The information presented here is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of professional medical care. The information contained herein is neither intended to dictate what constitutes reasonable, appropriate or best care for any given health issue, nor is it intended to be used as a substitute for the independent judgement of a physician for any given health issue. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only.

No Medical Advice

The information posted here by .chrisandaaron-bta.co.uk is not to be considered medical advice and is not intended to replace consultation with a qualified medical professional. We may answer and post medical questions solely on our own discretion. We do not have the resources or the capability to answer all visitor questions. In general, the questions we choose to answer are (in our opinion) of value to other 'readers'. The answers to these questions should in no way be considered specific medical advice or a plan for disease management. Our goal is to provide sufficient information so that family, guys, or other visitors are able to become knowledgeable participants in their disease management plan. The primary responsibility of your disease management plan is with your treating physicians and you should only follow your treating physicians advice. DO NOT change/modify your disease management plan on your own without consulting your treating physicians.