You never know what you're going to get

The New York Attorney General has requested that 4 companies release their processing plans to him in response to DNA testing of herbal supplements. Products that are labeled by Wal-Mart, Target, GNC and Walgreens were shown to inaccurately reflect the ingredients in the bottle.

While this is an obvious problem for those companies and products, it brings up the larger problem that nutritional supplements are not regulated by the FDA. A company is allowed to produce a product and label it without having to prove what it contains. There are limitations on the claims that can be made for the efficacy of the product, but the product itself is not tested. When it comes to supplements, you really do not know what it contains.

There are several labeling companies that will review the product and verify the contents, but it is not required for a company to do this. If you are a competitive athlete it is very important that you understand how possible it is to take a supplement that you think does not contain any banned substance and test positive. This happens quite frequently with athletes because there is no guaranteed way to know what you are consuming.

When possible, focus your efforts on following a solid training program, getting adequate nutrition to support your goals and enough rest to repair. If you choose to take a supplement stick with brand names and look for labels that say it is free of banned substances and take them at your own risk.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/ny-ag-takes-aim-popular-herbal-supplements-n299161

HGH use in football

We've all seen the size, and presumably strength, of professional athletes increase over the years and with that increase comes the question about performance enhancing drug use. There are a lot of theories on both sides of the issue and that is part of the problem. No one knows how prevalent the use of performing enhancing substances is.

Aside from a lack of knowledge surrounding prevalence is the definition of performance enhancing drugs. There are a lot legal and illegal substances that can increase performance and the challenge is testing for the illegal ones. Finding that information is proving to be difficult.

Over the years the understanding of athletic development grows dramatically. The community understands a lot more about muscle and exercise physiology, nutrition, injury prevention and recovery, strength, speed and power development. How much of the player's gains in size, speed and strength is due to working with professionals who understand how to develop these attributes vs. taking a substance that can improve your ability to add volume, weight and improve recovery from workouts? I do not think that any of us know the answer.

What we know is that athletes ARE bigger, faster and stronger and the potential for devastating collisions is increasing, but we do not definitively know the reason why. Asking players to answer a survey is surely not without bias and testing for substances is not an exact science, as we have learned from Lance Armstrong.

I personally believe that another key question to ask is why do athletes feel the need to take PEDs? Once again, we can surmise their reasons for doing so, but without working to identify the real reasons behind the use, can we really solve the problem?

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/more-news/as-players-gain-size-debate-rages-over-hgh-test.html?topic=5,200&eid=277204494&bid=1006288

Supplements

When you are trying to improve your performance, gain size or lose weight their are some thing that will help.

1. Follow a good nutritional diet. There is no replacement for eating right.

2. Proper training. Make sure your training plan is approriate and that you out forth the required work. 

3. Rest. Your body repairs itself with adequate nutrition and rest so make sure you get enough sleep. 

If you are training for a specific purpose there are additional things that can assist you, if the above are adhered to. The International Society of Sport Nutrition has listed these as apparently effective and generally safe:

Muscle building-weight gain powders, creating, protein, essential amino acids

Weight loss-low calorie foods, caffeine

Performance enhancement-water, sports drinks, carbs, creatine, caffeine, post exercise carb and protein mix

Depending on your goals, training, and nutrition, some of those supplements can help with achieving the goals.