Recommending Supplements - Which Products are Safe and Effective?

Do you think fitness and/or health care professionals should recommend supplements? I personally don't think fitness and health care professionals should be recommending supplements of any kind unless they are qualified to do so, for example, if they hold a dietitian's or nutritionist's certification and/or license to prescribe individual diet plans based on their client's goals.

In terms of recommending prohormone supplements, here is my opinion on that as well. I do not think hormone supplements such as testosterone should be recommended. I also think fitness professionals of any level or discipline should not recommend some of those other banned substances because they are considered illegal to use in most states in the union. You are putting yourself at risk legally if someone takes these supplements based your recommendation. I have seen and heard of the many prohormone supplements that advertise and market their product as ergogenic aids to dupe the consumer along with celebrity endorsements to further validate their claim.

I believe with a sound diet and fitness plan, you can attain the same benefits as the prohormone supplements without the adverse effects. The process for practicing this methodology is slow but healthier and maximizes the benefits of your hard training and diet adherence.

Additionally, lets discuss one supplement that has received research support including target activity, and effects. The supplement question that I receive a lot is in reference to the differences between whey and soy protein and their effectiveness in increasing lean muscle mass.

The debate regarding whether whey or soy protein is better for non-athletes and athletes in terms of building lean muscle mass can be simplified to knowing that according to current research it was hypothesized that whey protein would be more effective compared to soy protein during resistance training. It was also hypothesized that protein supplementation, independent of source, would be more effective than resistance training alone. Also, results across studies suggest that consuming additional dietary protein during resistance training, independent of source, may be responsible for the greater increase in lean tissue mass.

It was speculated that whey protein would lead to superior gains over soy protein. However, their findings did not support this hypothesis. One possible explanation for the lack of greater gains in the whey protein group was the duration of the resistance training program.

On a general note, the most asked question concerning protein supplementation is how much to take once you decide what type and brand one chooses. According to my research findings, future study will need to determine precise recommendations, current research indicates that as long as energy intake is adequate, a daily protein intake of 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight for individuals participating in regular endurance exercise and 1.6 to 1.8 g/kg for their counterparts involved in strength exercise. This amount should be sufficient and based on this finding, the client has to figure in their chosen protein supplementation with this formula along with the dietary protein he should be ingesting on a daily basis.

By Kirk Fontaine