Mods, this is another topic of mine I wrote that I would like to be put in the vault. It gives a basic understanding to new people, as well as everyone about dietary supplements, so you as a consumer can at least have a head start over others.
This article is dedicated to the Dietary Supplement Industry. The first thing I will point out before I get started, is that I will NOT in any way recommend any dietary supplements in this article for you to buy. This article is merely to educate you on the industry, since most of you aren’t. Why am I writing this article? Well, for some reason or other, everyone thinks they’re an expert in this industry when they aren’t. They either get their information from their friend who is younger than my baby sister, and thinks they know more than I do, or from a website loaded with so-called experts. Granted there are some very, very smart people on those sites, the majority are average Joes. What I am going to do for you is give you some valuable advice that will save you the headache of wondering what you’re getting yourself into. If for the past few years, you’ve been listening to that 18yr old kid in the gym, or you are that 18yr old kid in the gym, you might want to pay attention. It is a little long but it will benefit you greatly if you take anything at all.
1. NOT all protein powders are created equal. I’m sure many of you are taking some kind of protein powder you bought from GNC, or from one of the local supplement places, but why did you choose the one you did? Your buddy, an ad, what the so called expert at GNC told you? For those who don’t know, there are MANY forms of protein powders out there. WPC (Whey Protein Concentrate), Soy Protein Concentrate, Egg Protein, Casein Protein, Milk Protein, Whey Protein Isolate, Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Protein, etc etc. What does this all mean you to? Well, it means the type of product you are getting. Lets say for instance you are buying a 100% Whey Protein powder. Is it a concentrate or Isolate? Well, a lot of companies use a WPC because it’s one of the cheapest to produce. Unlike WPI it contains more fat, lactose and carbs, and is less assimilated by the body. Is this extremely bad? No, it’s great if you are on a budget, but if people have problems with digestion, they suggest a WPI. Not only is it a cleaner form, there is more protein per serving. The last thing I want to make a note of real quick is that if you see a protein that says CFM®, it should carry the logo which is trademarked by Glanbia. If your product says it’s a so called Cross Flow Microfiltrated protein and doesn’t carry the logo, it isn’t. It’s a unique process, and I don’t know how its done cause I don’t work for them, but make sure you read your labels.
Now, when you buy a WPC, you MUST divide the amount of protein per serving, with the serving amount (in grams). So for instance if you have 22g per scoop, and a serving of 30g, you get 73.3% protein per scoop. WHAT? Its not 100% protein in that scoop? No its not. Companies add extra things to their products to make it taste good, and mix good. I’m not going to go into all of that, but the more ingredients, the less protein. The best proteins should be about 77-80% per serv. If your protein isn’t close, you bought garbage in a can. This means that in a 77% protein, if you buy 4lbs, 3lbs is protein. If you buy the best, it should only be protein, flavoring, and sweetener, and 1-2 more ingredients at most. Anything else and you’re wasting your money.
2. Supplement companies can add what ever they want to a product, call it what ever they want, and market it. Why? Because the FDA does not regulate supplements that you as a consumer purchase. They do however have strict guidelines on supplement labeling. So again, what does this mean to you? Well, everything you buy is basically a free for all. This means that if a company wants to put Ginkgo, Ginseng, and Caffeine in a product at X amounts, and call it GGC, they can do that. Now how in the heck as a consumer do you know what you are getting? Good luck. The best choice I can give you is to buy from reputable companies, or look for products that are standardized extracts (for herbs) or go to consumerlab.com. As far as what works, and what doesn’t, that is something YOU are going to have to figure out yourself by research (studies). They could after all just be the placebo affect. Now things like creatine are PROVEN supplements, as well as others out there. But with the increase in supplements every month, there are 1,000s that are out there, and not everyone is tested either. Do your research wisely, and take the time. Just cause you hear it at the gym doesn't always mean its true.
3. There are many forms of herbs on the market. Again, not all are the same. Try 10+ forms of just Green Tea. Oh great you say, now what? Once again, do your research, and figure out why there are that many forms of Green Tea. This goes for other herbs as well. Why are there some herbs with a X:Y extract, and some with none? Well, a 4:1 extract means that 1 part of the extract is equivalent to 4 parts of the herb. So what this means to you, is usually the higher the number, the more potent the herb is in a smaller amount. If you buy a 4:1 Ginkgo, and it is a 10mg capsule, that means it is equivalent to 40mg of the whole herb. Now make note, that this does NOT mean that the product you are purchasing contains what it is supposed to, chemical wise. You should see 24% glycosides on a bottle if you are buying good ginkgo, as well as 6% Terpene. Different herbs have different chemical components, and to find out what they should be, again you have to do your research. The best would be to find a standardized and concentrated herb. When a company standardizes an herb, they adjust a solution to stay consistent with the herbs composition. When they concentrate an herb, they adjust a solution to get the most strength and effectiveness of the herb.
4. A proprietary blend doesn’t always tell you what you are getting. Lets say you have a proprietary blend of 1,666mg, and you have Ginkgo, Ginseng, Guarana, White Willow Bark, Dandelion, and Green Tea. So 6 ingredients divided by 1,666mg=277.66mg. So this is basically 278mg per ingredient correct? WRONG. Neither you, nor I have any idea what amounts equal the 1,666mg. So in this sense of things, your guess is as good as mine. Sometimes by the ingredient, we can think about what it could be, if we know what companies usually use when they sell a stand-alone ingredient. Or, if we knew weights of each ingredient, we could try and figure out that X amount won’t fit into 2 capsules or what ever. Since weights vary, 300mg of Green Tea may be 1/8th tsp, and 1,200mg of BCAA is a 1/8th tsp. Now just by being around this stuff longer than most of you, I might be able to say… if 1,666mg of 6 ingredients is in 2 capsules, and we have so and so ingredients, it would be impossible to get 278mg of that ingredient in one capsule, so it has to be less. So unless you want to do all of that, or start figuring out your capsule sizes, and what ingredients are what amounts, I would suggest you stay away from “proprietary blends”. The only thing they are good for in my opinion is to make a company more money off of people who have no idea. I can’t stand “proprietary blends." Sometimes you cant bypass them, but if you do end up using any, make sure you buy from a reputable company.
To conclude, I hope this gives you at least some extra information than
before.
If you would like to really get down and dirty, you can purchase costly books in this industry to your liking from the following...
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book_subject.asp?subj=VL
You can sort through all 4pgs and if you find something you like, and have the money and are REALLY interested in that topic, order it.
This article is dedicated to the Dietary Supplement Industry. The first thing I will point out before I get started, is that I will NOT in any way recommend any dietary supplements in this article for you to buy. This article is merely to educate you on the industry, since most of you aren’t. Why am I writing this article? Well, for some reason or other, everyone thinks they’re an expert in this industry when they aren’t. They either get their information from their friend who is younger than my baby sister, and thinks they know more than I do, or from a website loaded with so-called experts. Granted there are some very, very smart people on those sites, the majority are average Joes. What I am going to do for you is give you some valuable advice that will save you the headache of wondering what you’re getting yourself into. If for the past few years, you’ve been listening to that 18yr old kid in the gym, or you are that 18yr old kid in the gym, you might want to pay attention. It is a little long but it will benefit you greatly if you take anything at all.
1. NOT all protein powders are created equal. I’m sure many of you are taking some kind of protein powder you bought from GNC, or from one of the local supplement places, but why did you choose the one you did? Your buddy, an ad, what the so called expert at GNC told you? For those who don’t know, there are MANY forms of protein powders out there. WPC (Whey Protein Concentrate), Soy Protein Concentrate, Egg Protein, Casein Protein, Milk Protein, Whey Protein Isolate, Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Protein, etc etc. What does this all mean you to? Well, it means the type of product you are getting. Lets say for instance you are buying a 100% Whey Protein powder. Is it a concentrate or Isolate? Well, a lot of companies use a WPC because it’s one of the cheapest to produce. Unlike WPI it contains more fat, lactose and carbs, and is less assimilated by the body. Is this extremely bad? No, it’s great if you are on a budget, but if people have problems with digestion, they suggest a WPI. Not only is it a cleaner form, there is more protein per serving. The last thing I want to make a note of real quick is that if you see a protein that says CFM®, it should carry the logo which is trademarked by Glanbia. If your product says it’s a so called Cross Flow Microfiltrated protein and doesn’t carry the logo, it isn’t. It’s a unique process, and I don’t know how its done cause I don’t work for them, but make sure you read your labels.
Now, when you buy a WPC, you MUST divide the amount of protein per serving, with the serving amount (in grams). So for instance if you have 22g per scoop, and a serving of 30g, you get 73.3% protein per scoop. WHAT? Its not 100% protein in that scoop? No its not. Companies add extra things to their products to make it taste good, and mix good. I’m not going to go into all of that, but the more ingredients, the less protein. The best proteins should be about 77-80% per serv. If your protein isn’t close, you bought garbage in a can. This means that in a 77% protein, if you buy 4lbs, 3lbs is protein. If you buy the best, it should only be protein, flavoring, and sweetener, and 1-2 more ingredients at most. Anything else and you’re wasting your money.
2. Supplement companies can add what ever they want to a product, call it what ever they want, and market it. Why? Because the FDA does not regulate supplements that you as a consumer purchase. They do however have strict guidelines on supplement labeling. So again, what does this mean to you? Well, everything you buy is basically a free for all. This means that if a company wants to put Ginkgo, Ginseng, and Caffeine in a product at X amounts, and call it GGC, they can do that. Now how in the heck as a consumer do you know what you are getting? Good luck. The best choice I can give you is to buy from reputable companies, or look for products that are standardized extracts (for herbs) or go to consumerlab.com. As far as what works, and what doesn’t, that is something YOU are going to have to figure out yourself by research (studies). They could after all just be the placebo affect. Now things like creatine are PROVEN supplements, as well as others out there. But with the increase in supplements every month, there are 1,000s that are out there, and not everyone is tested either. Do your research wisely, and take the time. Just cause you hear it at the gym doesn't always mean its true.
3. There are many forms of herbs on the market. Again, not all are the same. Try 10+ forms of just Green Tea. Oh great you say, now what? Once again, do your research, and figure out why there are that many forms of Green Tea. This goes for other herbs as well. Why are there some herbs with a X:Y extract, and some with none? Well, a 4:1 extract means that 1 part of the extract is equivalent to 4 parts of the herb. So what this means to you, is usually the higher the number, the more potent the herb is in a smaller amount. If you buy a 4:1 Ginkgo, and it is a 10mg capsule, that means it is equivalent to 40mg of the whole herb. Now make note, that this does NOT mean that the product you are purchasing contains what it is supposed to, chemical wise. You should see 24% glycosides on a bottle if you are buying good ginkgo, as well as 6% Terpene. Different herbs have different chemical components, and to find out what they should be, again you have to do your research. The best would be to find a standardized and concentrated herb. When a company standardizes an herb, they adjust a solution to stay consistent with the herbs composition. When they concentrate an herb, they adjust a solution to get the most strength and effectiveness of the herb.
4. A proprietary blend doesn’t always tell you what you are getting. Lets say you have a proprietary blend of 1,666mg, and you have Ginkgo, Ginseng, Guarana, White Willow Bark, Dandelion, and Green Tea. So 6 ingredients divided by 1,666mg=277.66mg. So this is basically 278mg per ingredient correct? WRONG. Neither you, nor I have any idea what amounts equal the 1,666mg. So in this sense of things, your guess is as good as mine. Sometimes by the ingredient, we can think about what it could be, if we know what companies usually use when they sell a stand-alone ingredient. Or, if we knew weights of each ingredient, we could try and figure out that X amount won’t fit into 2 capsules or what ever. Since weights vary, 300mg of Green Tea may be 1/8th tsp, and 1,200mg of BCAA is a 1/8th tsp. Now just by being around this stuff longer than most of you, I might be able to say… if 1,666mg of 6 ingredients is in 2 capsules, and we have so and so ingredients, it would be impossible to get 278mg of that ingredient in one capsule, so it has to be less. So unless you want to do all of that, or start figuring out your capsule sizes, and what ingredients are what amounts, I would suggest you stay away from “proprietary blends”. The only thing they are good for in my opinion is to make a company more money off of people who have no idea. I can’t stand “proprietary blends." Sometimes you cant bypass them, but if you do end up using any, make sure you buy from a reputable company.
To conclude, I hope this gives you at least some extra information than
before.
If you would like to really get down and dirty, you can purchase costly books in this industry to your liking from the following...
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book_subject.asp?subj=VL
You can sort through all 4pgs and if you find something you like, and have the money and are REALLY interested in that topic, order it.
