supplements/ stimulants

[OrangeLeopard]

I thought this would be a good place to post this thread.
I'm doing a ten page research and reaction paper on dietary supplements and stimulants and i was wondering if anybody had any extensive knowledge on certain, preferably common, supplements and/or stimulants whether it be helpful or harmful to the human body, any stories of use and abuse, and/or links, websites, articles you could refer me to.

Also, i was interested in hearing peoples opinion on the use of supplements and stimulants in martial arts. Do you advocate the use of any supplements, do you use any, and what do you feel about the abuse of stimulants and supplements in the world of MA?

Thanks for your help!
-Chris

 

[TonyM.]

My 38 years in the martial arts and 36 in herbal medicine has convinced me that all non nutriative suppliments are bad. Especially stimulants and steroids.

 

[ginshun]

I know that personally I am a caffeine/energy drink junky. I don't know if that counts in what you are considering, but I generally have a Red Bull or two before going to class.

 

[Spook]

I drink Whey protein shakes 6 days a week (about 40 grams after my workout). I also have been taking creatine about 3 days a week in conjunction with weight training. I notice a large enough benefit in my ability and health to warrent these supplements in my daily diet. While there is some debate over the affects of creatine on the body i've never heard anything bad about adding Whey protien to an already balanced diet.

A quick deffinition of creatine is basically creatine is converted to creatine phosphate which helps to fuel skeletal muscles and provides support for immediate energy production during high-intensity workouts.

 

[7starmantis]

I highly recomend suppliments and supplimentation, but then again I make a living off of it. I use food based herbal and nutritional suppliments everyday of my life. For almost every area of my life, joints, cardio, digestion, mental, skin, etc.

Supplimentation is highly recomended by the top scientist and doctors to help get your complete diet and health, especially in todays quick paced, non-organic society. When is the last time you ate 8-10 servings of organiclly grown vegitables in one day?

7sm

 

[searcher]

I currently drink protein shakes 3 times a day 7 days per week. I alao take a multi-vitamin every day.

I have , in the past use weight loss pills, like hydroxycut, betagen, and several other ECA stacks. They helped very little and they left me very shaky and skiddish, I am very caffeine sensitive so it made it worse. While on wieght loss supp. I see abuse of these on a daily basis and the results are not pretty. With one in particular they have stopped helping lose weight and are contributing to her weight gain. Other health conditions are also coming up.

I have used andro. and had little gain from it other than in the attitude department. It made me very irritable.

Creatine is not the best to be taking in, unless you are an elite athlete. Only elite athletes get any benefit from it. It gives you cell volumization and makes you swell. People who think they are getting gains from it are most likely not and they would progress the same without it.

Hope this gives you a little help.

 

[Makalakumu]

I highly recomend suppliments and supplimentation, but then again I make a living off of it. I use food based herbal and nutritional suppliments everyday of my life. For almost every area of my life, joints, cardio, digestion, mental, skin, etc.

Supplimentation is highly recomended by the top scientist and doctors to help get your complete diet and health, especially in todays quick paced, non-organic society. When is the last time you ate 8-10 servings of organiclly grown vegitables in one day?

7sm

I don't agree. I don't think that one needs to take pills and manufactured chemicals in order to be healthy and happy. In my opinion, these supplements are todays "snake oils". I avoid them at all cost and attempt to give my body everything it needs through my diet alone.

BTW - aren't there new standards? I believe the old food pyramid has been replaced...

 

[ginshun]

Oh ya, I take a multi-vitamin every day too. When I don't forget at least, so I guess that is technically a supplement.

 

[searcher]

I don't agree. I don't think that one needs to take pills and manufactured chemicals in order to be healthy and happy. In my opinion, these supplements are todays "snake oils". I avoid them at all cost and attempt to give my body everything it needs through my diet alone.

BTW - aren't there new standards? I believe the old food pyramid has been replaced...

It depends on what you are calling manufactured chemicals. If you are grouping proteins and weight gaining mixes in then I would disagree that they are "snake oils". But if you are calling steroids, creatine, ECA stacks, etc. then I would also disagree on them being "snake oils", but would agree with avoiding them. There are always going to be chemical compounds that have no positive effect on the human body, but they typically fade out very fast from the market.

As for the food pyramid, the FDA still maintains the old one but many athletes have went away from it. It is more widely accepted that a higher protein diet with little to no saturated fat and lower carbohydrates is better for athletic performance. But there has to be an understanding that you need more carbs the more active you are. If you don't take them in your body will begin consuming muscle which in turn leads to a lower metabolism. You need those carbs, but should avoind processed flour type carbs and should consume soow burning whole grains. This will keep you from having an insulin spike and storing excess carbs as fat.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

... ECA stacks...

Help me out here. Last time I was looking at it, ECA stack referred to "Ephedra-Caffiene-Aspirin" as a thermogenic triad, demonstrated in studies to accelerate fat burning. If you are on "several other" (implying more than one), you're probably heading for an adrenal burnout syndrome or a speed habit. Is there another, more recent meaning for ECA that I'm fashionably late for learning?

Thanks,

Dave

 

[searcher]

Help me out here. Last time I was looking at it, ECA stack referred to "Ephedra-Caffiene-Aspirin" as a thermogenic triad, demonstrated in studies to accelerate fat burning. If you are on "several other" (implying more than one), you're probably heading for an adrenal burnout syndrome or a speed habit. Is there another, more recent meaning for ECA that I'm fashionably late for learning?

Thanks,

Dave

Correct as to what I was am refering to ECA as ephedra-caffiene-aspirin. That is to what am was refering and you are also correct on what they are used for. I was instructing to avoid them. I see them used by others on a daily basis and would have to say your assumption on a burnout is correct. As a trainer I have for some time been trying to help one particular individual with their addiction. So far no success.

Though I do have a few pounds to lose I can do it without ECA stacking. I have tried different ECA stacks independant of one another in the past, with little success. If this is what you are wondering, whether I use or have used them at the same time, I do not/ have not.

 

[7starmantis]

I don't agree. I don't think that one needs to take pills and manufactured chemicals in order to be healthy and happy. In my opinion, these supplements are todays "snake oils". I avoid them at all cost and attempt to give my body everything it needs through my diet alone.

BTW - aren't there new standards? I believe the old food pyramid has been replaced...

Read my post again, I said natural herbal and food based. Not manufactured chemicals or anything even unatural. Nobel prize winning scientist agree with supplimentation.....hmm
Who said anything about using the old food pyramid?
Supplimentation is proven and is needed. You would have to eat truck fulls of food to get the complete amount of vitamins, phytonutrients, and such that you can get from a suppliment. Modern science isn't all evil, there are advancements such as natural suppliments that are very smart to use.

7sm

 

[Makalakumu]

Read my post again, I said natural herbal and food based. Not manufactured chemicals or anything even unatural. Nobel prize winning scientist agree with supplimentation.....hmm
Who said anything about using the old food pyramid?
Supplimentation is proven and is needed. You would have to eat truck fulls of food to get the complete amount of vitamins, phytonutrients, and such that you can get from a suppliment. Modern science isn't all evil, there are advancements such as natural suppliments that are very smart to use.

7sm

Since you are in the industry, perhaps you could let us know if there is any standardized process of verification of ingredients and safety for these products. This, is one of my biggest worries regarding these products.

Thanks

 

[Sin]

I am only give all martial artists here a piece of advice that I have followed myself through all my training.


"Train Naturally"

 

[47MartialMan]

Since you are in the industry, perhaps you could let us know if there is any standardized process of verification of ingredients and safety for these products. This, is one of my biggest worries regarding these products.

Thanks

Same here.

Let's say given supplements of:

* Protein

* Vitamins- A, B, C, D, E,...for starters.

One other question-
What is meant by "pre-digested"?