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The question that everyone asks, or at least should ask themselves, is what should I consider when choosing a supplement so as not to spend too much, and at the same time get the best results and not have to worry about my health.
The supplement market is growing rapidly, we spend billions of złoty every year on these products. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with supplementation itself, it is worth considering the justification for its use. It is emphasized many times (and you will also find such a note on every dietary supplement package) that a supplement cannot be a substitute for a varied and properly balanced diet - some athletes and people who engage in recreational physical activity unfortunately forget about this fact. The basis is a proper diet, good regeneration and a well-thought-out, comprehensive training. Supplements are helpful, they allow you to get more out of yourself, regenerate faster or sleep deeper, but we cannot see them as a panacea for our own neglect.
What is the problem and where does it come from - legal issues regarding supplements
In the European Community, the issues of medicinal products (in particular their advertising and registration) have been regulated in detail. According to the current guidelines , dietary supplements are classified as food , so the regulations on medicines do not cover them. The entities controlling the quality and safety of supplements are also different. The regulations covering the issues of food are much less restrictive, which often leads to certain "shortcomings" and "abuses", not to write a lie. Although the most common "failure" is the failure to adapt the advertising content of supplements to the prevailing regulations and giving them the characteristics of a medicinal product, it may happen that the supplement contains prohibited substances (which is often documented by independent bodies, but mainly concerns foreign supplements ) or the content of a biologically active substance is not consistent with the one declared on the label. The Polish Anti-Doping Agency (POLADA) in 2016 alone documented 49 anti-doping violations out of 3,282 people tested – some of them could have been caused by taking contaminated dietary supplements (an example of this is Konrad Bukowiecki who was “caught doping” which, according to his declaration, was due to taking a contaminated dietary supplement for athletes). However, not everyone is only afraid of a doping incident – for many of us, taking (especially unknowingly) a prohibited substance is associated with a burden on the body and unnecessary exposure to health consequences.
What to look for and what to consider when choosing a supplement?
Despite some ambiguities, shortcomings or loopholes - the law of the European Union and the controls covering products produced, packaged and sold (legally) in it are much more restrictive than in other parts of the world . Hence, a simple piece of advice - not always downloading supplements "from across the pond" will be a good idea. Often, the "better" (or rather sweeter and more expressive) taste of a protein supplement does not result from "American quality and attention to detail" - in the end, it may turn out that you are buying a gainer instead of a protein supplement, and in addition you pay much more for it than for a good product of domestic manufacturers. Also, following the actions of WADA and POLADA, we will relatively often come across reports of products contaminated with substances included on the list of prohibited substances of the World Anti-Doping Commission, mainly foreign ones (I encourage those interested to review, among others, the literature sources below the text).
The “iron rules of supplementation” are often repeated:
- If something works it's probably forbidden,
- If something is not prohibited, it probably doesn't work,
- There may be exceptions.
This is of course a slightly exaggerated issue that should be looked at with a pinch of salt, but the issue of supplements should not be approached uncritically. For my part, I always suggest thinking carefully about all aspects of diet, training and broadly understood lifestyle - before you start supplementation, make sure you need it. Then - familiarize yourself with the brand's offer, check where its headquarters and production plants are (if it has any or is it a packaging company). If it produces - is it in the EU, does it "boast" about its plants and production conditions, does it legitimize research on its products and does it educate its potential customers. The last sub-point may seem trivial, but it allows you to see whether a given brand is just a "figure" for making money or whether it is an element of the company's structure that is not only a source of income, but also a platform for educating the society of active people.
Nine rules for choosing a dietary supplement:
- Don't try to buy supplements and substances from companies that have just "entered" the market, especially if there is no detailed information and research about them,
- Try to look for scientific information about the drugs you want to take,
- THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED,
- Choose from brands from European Community countries or Polish manufacturers, limit or avoid those that travel all over the world to reach your hands,
- Don't rely solely on the opinions of your gym buddies and the opinions of people on discussion forums,
- Don't trust the ads completely - 8kg of muscle in 8-12 weeks is a completely unrealistic result, don't expect it, try to look at it "coolly",
- First of all, take care of a varied diet, well-chosen training, proper regeneration, and treat supplementation as an addition on the way to the goal, not the basic pillar of your exercise capacity.
- Watch your body! If a supplement works "too well" (e.g. it greatly reduces appetite, causes excessive arousal and difficulty sleeping or "racing thoughts", causes gastric disorders or worsening liver function - visible in laboratory results, or as yellowing of the whites of the eyes and/or skin layers - jaundice) - stop using it immediately!
- Check the label – the notes “and much more”: under the composition table do not inspire confidence. In addition, some additives may cause a false increase in the “value” of the product. For example – the addition of glycine, creatine or other compounds may artificially increase the protein content in the supplement, a large portion of caffeine in a fat burner may cause excessive excitability and sweating giving the effect of a “strong fat burner”, even the addition of sugars may hide under many ingredients – glucose, dextrose, fructose, glucose syrup, sucrose – in simple terms it is still sugar, most often found in supplements as a flavor carrier and a cheap filler (does not apply to carbohydrate supplements – there it is a deliberate action)!
Literature:
http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/274518/files/KsiazczakInny.pdf
https://www.antydoping.pl/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Raport-Roczny-2016.pdf
https://suplindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/RAPORT-Suplementy-diety-30.08.2017.pdf
Paweł Szewczyk - Master of Dietetics specializing in sports nutrition. Dietician of Polish National Team and European Champions. Participant and speaker at trainings, conferences and seminars throughout the country. Lecturer at the State Medical Higher Vocational School in Opole and the Institute of Psychodietetics in Wrocław. On a daily basis, he deals with professional counseling in the field of nutrition and supplementation, publishes scientifically and popularly, and trains athletes and dieticians.
Author of the blog: szewczykpassion.wordpress.com
More information in the education and experience tab https://szewczykpassion.wordpress.com/wyksztalcenie/
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