Sports Supplement Buyer's Guide

Rehan Jalali, Stephen Adele

Description

This book helps readers sort through the array of sports supplements and come up with a supplement regimine to fit their specific needs and goals. Sports supplements are safe, research based, effective, and easy to sue.

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Diététique
• diététique
• Nutrition
• Fitness
• Health
• Diet

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781591205982
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

SPORTS SUPPLEMENT BUYER’S GUIDE
Complete Nutrition for Your Active Lifestyle
Stephen Adelé & Rehan Jalali
The information contained in this book is based upon the research and personal and professional experiences of the authors. It is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician or other healthcare provider. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should be done under the direction of a healthcare professional.
The publisher does not advocate the use of any particular healthcare protocol but believes the information in this book should be available to the public. The publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of the suggestions, preparations, or procedures discussed in this book. Should the reader have any questions concerning the appropriateness of any procedures or preparation mentioned, the authors and the publisher strongly suggest consulting a professional healthcare advisor.
Stephen Adelé, the coauthor of this book, has a financial interest in iSatori products. This does not constitute an endorsement by Basic Health Publications, Inc.
Basic Health Publications, Inc.
28812 Top of the World Drive
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949-715-7327 • www.basichealthpub.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Adelé, Stephen.
Sports supplement buyer’s guide : complete nutrition for your active lifestyle / Stephen Adelé and Rehan Jalali.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59120-598-2
1. Dietary supplements. 2. Athletes—Nutrition. I. Jalali, Rehan. II. Title.
RM258.5.A34 2007
615'.1—dc22
2007009683
Copyright © 2007 by Stephen Adelé and Rehan Jalali
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.
Editor: John Anderson
Typesetting/Book design: Gary A. Rosenberg
Cover design: Mike Stromberg
Printed in the United States of America
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Contents
Introduction
LEVEL 1 — Foundation
The Importance of Whole Foods
Meal Replacement Powders and Shakes
Protein Powders and Nutrition Bars
LEVEL 2 — Essential
Vitamins and Minerals
Antioxidants and Free Radicals
Essential Fatty Acids— Good Fats Can Build a Better Body
Amino Acids: The Forgotten Weapon
LEVEL 3 — Performance
Fat Loss
Muscle Building
Carnosine
Creatine
Muscle Cramping and Hydration
Energy and Endurance
Insulin Management: Blood Sugar Regulating Supplements
Cortisol Blocking
Hormone Modifiers
Joint Health and Repair
LEVEL 4 — Supplemental Matters
Supplement Timing
Integrated Sports-Specific Supplement Programs
Delivery Systems for Supplements
How Sports Supplements Are Created
How to Buy Sports Supplements
References
About the Authors
Introduction
W hether you’re a professional athlete, hardcore weight lifter, sports enthusiast, or just beginning to work out, you’ve probably thought about using supplements to enhance your training or recover from injuries. But one look at the supplement section at the local health food store or at your gym may have caused second thoughts. There are so many sports supplements available on the market today: tubs of protein powders, energy bars, amino acids for muscle building, fat-burner nutrients, and so on. You may have wondered, Do I really need to take supplements? Which ones should I take? And how do I know the good ones from the not-so-good ones?
First of all, if you’re active in sports or exercise, you should probably consider taking dietary supplements. A dietary supplement provides nutrients (such as a vitamins or minerals) that are low or missing from a person’s diet. Part of the name says it all—a “supplement” is something that is added to the diet or supplements a diet. In other words, a supplement doesn’t replace the diet totally but has an additive or supraphysiological effect. Dietary supplements are not magic bullets or lightning in a bottle that will miraculously cure all your ailments and give you the body of your dreams. It takes a combination of good nutrition, hard training, and motivation, along with dietary supplements, to do that.
Official Definition of a Dietary Supplement
In the United States, a dietary supplement is defined under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 as a product that meets each of the following criteria:
1.  It is intended to supplement the diet and bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients:
• Vitamin
• Mineral
• Herb or other botanical (excluding tobacco)
• Amino acid
• A dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total daily intake (e.g., enzymes or tissues from organs or glands)
• A concentrate, such as a meal replacement or energy bar
• Metabolite, constituent, or extract
2.  It is intended for ingestion in pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid form.
3.  It is not represented for use as a conventional food or as the sole item of a meal or diet.
4.  It is labeled as a “dietary supplement.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate dietary supplements like it does drugs—there is no burden of pre-approval of dietary supplements for safety or efficacy as there is for drugs. But contrary to popular belief, the FDA has full authority to remove a product from the market if it deems it to be unsafe. This happened in the case of the herbal fat-burner ephedra. In many ways, the FDA looks at dietary supplements as foods.
Dietary Supplements vs. Drugs
What is the difference between drugs and dietary supplements? There are plenty. First of all, drugs are synthetic, chemically created molecules that have powerful effects in the body (not to mention side effects). Dietary supplements are more natural and may be found in the food supply. They can be safely used at certain doses to have solid physiological effects. Next, drugs take years to come out and are stringently regulated by the FDA, while dietary supplements can be launched rather quickly in comparison. Have you ever seen those drug commercials where the guy blurts out a bunch of side effects that have occurred with the drug at the end? Well, that is certainly an issue with prescription medicines due to their powerful nature. One obvious difference is that you need to go to a doctor to get a prescription drug—this can be expensive and time consuming. In contrast, you can get a dietary supplement at a health food or grocery store—they are convenient and cost effective.
Recently, due to the prohormone/prosteroid nutrients, the line between drug and dietary supplements has been blurred. In fact, some dietary supplement herbs are standardized for drug-like compounds. In other words, they may have the same physiological mechanism of action as a prescription medicine. For example, the herb St. John’s wort has been tested for depression (some studies actually compared it to prescription drugs). The nutrient nexrutine can inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzymes, producing anti-inflammatory effects like some prescription drugs. But since it’s part of the whole herb, it may be safer yet potent. It is important to look at the dosages and quality of manufacturing/manufacturers.
Safe, Research-Based, Effective, and Easy to Use
“Don’t Believe the Hype” was a popular song by the rap group Public Enemy, but judging by the hype out there giving dietary supplements a bad name, a lot of marketing people didn’t listen to it. These “snake oil” salesmen have created a lot of skeptics regarding dietary supplements. But the fact is that dietary supplements have volumes of research behind them. Do a search on Medline, a government database of published research studies available on the Internet ( www.pubmed.com ) for vitamin C or creatine and you will find hundreds of clinical studies verifying their effective use in humans.
Actually, reputable supplement companies also perform research studies on their specific products, and many of these studies are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Gone are the days of throwing some pills in a bottle and selling them out of the garage—nowadays, dietary supplements are more “drug-like” when it comes to research testing. Credible companies know the liabilities associated with low quality or untested products, so they take the time and spend the money to get clinical studies done. In fact, there are organizations that specialize in performing clinical testing on dietary supplements specifically. There are also self-imposed GMPs (good manufacturing practices) and certifications like cGMP (current good manufacturing practices) that demonstrate the level of quality for the manufacturing of a dietary supplement.
The bottom line is that there are many dietary supplements that are safe, research-based, effective, and easy to use. They can be an important part of staying fit and active, so that you can keep enjoying your favorite sport or activity indefinitely. We’ll help you sort through the array of sports supplements available and help you come up with a supplement regime to fit your specific needs and goals.
Integrated Supplementation for Maximum Impact
There are many reasons to take dietary supplements. For the active person and sports enthusiast, it is vital to maintain good nutrient intake. Also, dietary supplements can help recovery from injuries, promote the health of specific body systems, and be used for training goals, such as building muscle mass or burning body fat.
Every strong structure has a solid foundation. Without a good base, most buildings would collapse. The same can be said for your body. If you provide it with the basics, then it can grow strong and lean. It is extremely important to consume the basic building blocks when it comes to suppl