At the beginning of his health and fitness career, SMU personal nutritionist and trainer Morris Brossette worked 13-hour days as a personal trainer. He was exhausted. To make it through, he turned to various dietary supplements for support.
Brossette started out taking two fat-burning pills that provided him with artificial energy while at work. Two pills soon turned to four. After a while, Brossette had added more supplements to his diet, and was drinking the caffeinated drink Red Bull and coffee throughout his workday.
Many athletes, average gym rats and even professional trainers and nutritionists like Brossette, use dietary supplements as an alternative to illegal steroids. Although dietary supplements provide quick, short-term results, some of them have negative side effects that work against your body. Since the FDA does not regulate these supplements, consumers have to do their homework before they buy them, say experts.
“I don’t recommend them at all, they can actually be bad,” Brossette said of the thermogenic fat-burning supplements he once depended on for bursts of energy.
Thermogenics are just one type of supplement consumers are buying. The $24-25 billion U.S. dietary supplement market is largely focused on the marketing aspect of dietary supplements, and not as focused on the actual product, Brossette said.
The FDA places dietary supplements under the umbrella of foods rather than drugs, making them legal for anyone to consume. Regardless, the only requirement is for producers to ensure that their product is safe and does not mislead the consumer before it makes it on the shelves or sold online.
SMU senior Blake Bogard once used BSN NO-Xplode to bulk up and maximize his energy in the weight room. The pre-workout supplement made up of numerous ingredients including nitrous oxide and creatine is one of many supplements available over-the-counter at various health food and vitamin stores, such as Vitamin Shoppe.
“It worked,” Bogard said. “It increased my endurance level and muscle mass, and I could lift one and a half times more.”
Once NO-Xplode is in your body, it gets converted into a gas and your body cannot store gases, said Brossette. It is only beneficial in the short-term.
“There is a common misconception among men and women about supplements like these,” Brossette said. “They actually do more harm than they do good.”
Along with NO-Xplode, Bogard said he tried a bodybuilding growth hormone called Spawn by Myogenix, with the hope to build body mass for the soccer field. Two weeks and 10 additional pounds later, Bogard found himself constantly anxious and unable to get a full night’s sleep.
“You also have to eat four or five meals a day,” Bogard said. “It’s really bad on your body and can destroy your organs.”
Now that Brossette is aware of the many possible side effects, he said he calls manufacturers and grills them on a product’s ingredients before consuming or recommending them to any of his clients.
“Testing procedures aren’t up to par,” said Brossette, who works at the Dedman Center. “Most supplements contain fillers and the serving size isn’t what the supplement container says.”
While some supplements on the market do not live up to expectations, there are some supplements that are beneficial to take while training.
Senior Sara Gingrich, last year’s winner of the Mrs. SMU Body Builder competition uses dietary supplements to train for triathlons.
To put her in bodybuilding mode, Gingrich stuck to a strict diet plan, drank protein shakes and took various amino acids to build muscle.
Her focus has now shifted to a different kind of training: a 70.3-mile triathlon in March. She drinks high-electrolyte liquids, such as Gatorade, throughout her hour and a half long daily workouts. For quick bursts of energy, Gingrich eats Goo, a 100-calorie carbohydrate gel to keep up her energy. She also drinks whey protein shakes and takes a Women’s One multivitamin daily.
“The biggest thing is recovering after workout,” Gingrich said. “I usually make it a balanced meal, something small, like a peanut butter sandwich, good carbs but healthy fats, and a protein shake.”
For the average athlete visiting the gym to stay in shape, dietary supplements are not even a factor in their workout plan. Brianna Letzelter, SMU senior and Dedman Center workout instructor, said she focuses on eating healthy, proportioned meals and drinks lots of water throughout her day.
“It’s definitely the guys who take all those supplements,” Letzelter said. “I’m not trying to build up a bunch of muscle, so those types of things are just not on my radar.”
Brossette recommends a similar plan to his clients: a multivitamin and a natural anti-inflammatory supplement. An anti-inflammatory spice called Turmeric, available at health food stores, has a greater benefit than many of the other supplements you can buy over the counter, he said.
For those who take a supplement to kick-start their routine at the gym, Brossette encourages natural ways to get similar effects without destroying your body.
If he is feeling tired before hitting the gym, Brossette eats fruit to get the same energy kick that some supplements provide. A banana or red grapes have carbohydrates that give you a boost.
“Just opt for natural sources,” said Brossette. “If you allow your body to function as it’s supposed to, you’ll find that you have the same energy.”
