Pros And Cons Of Supplements

The fitness and supplement industry has bombarded us with advertisements and have recorded 122 billion in sales as of 2016. That number is expected to grow up to 278.02 billion by 2024, at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 9.6% from 2016 to 2024, according to a report by Grand View Research, Inc. Yea and we’re talking billion with a B. That is insane!

Now the big question is, what are the goods and bad of supplements? Well in my opinion, it depends on your goal, health status and what you’re looking for. Technically you could get gains without supplements but I do believe they have their part and can help speed up the process.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons here…

Pros

Helps speed up results
Depending on what you are looking for and what you purchase, the results can be introduced a little faster. A main reason for this is because of most common supplements holding an ingredient blend for recovery. For example BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) hold ingredients such as L-Glutamine, L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine and so forth. These are ingredients that can help in regulating the blood-sugar levels, promote the recovery of muscle and bone tissues, as well as the production of growth hormone. So they can add some nice benefits there.

Quality supplements are gold
Ask anyone who has been with the same supplements or company for a long time. Quality supplements and service are a great combo. When you get taken care of and are happy with how the products work and taste, it commonly ensures you that your purchase was worth it and they will continue you deliver good products with a high quality service as well.

Correcting nutrient deficiencies
For some out there, supplements are best to help with nutrient deficiencies. An article I read says “One analysis of US national survey data (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2006) found that children and adults with high intakes of added sugars (>25% of energy intake; the upper limit recommended by the National Academy of Medicine) had lower dietary intakes of several micronutrients, especially vitamins A, C, and E, as well as magnesium. An estimated 13% of the US population have added sugar intakes above this cutoff level for added sugars and may be at risk for micronutrient inadequacies.” This is alarming, not only are our eating habits falling drastically and have been declining each year more and more but this type of habit leads to vitamin and nutrient deficiency. That can lead to a number of things, mental health being one big one. Mental health such as anxiety and depression can really be triggered by nutrient deficiencies. Another part of the article mentions “Very low dietary intake of a vitamin or nutritionally essential mineral can result in deficiency disease, termed micronutrient deficiency. Micronutrient deficiencies, especially iron, vitamin A, zinc, iodine, and folate, are prevalent in the developing world, affecting an estimated 2 billion people worldwide. They are a major contributor to infections and associated with severe illness and death”

Now let us look at some cons…

Cons

Bye bye money
As you seen in the opening paragraph of this article, the supplement industry has definitely made its way into our wallets. Some places you go, you’ll see supplements for higher prices so if you do want supplements go somewhere where they have a good price on them or look for deals going on. Bodybuilding.com and MuscleandStrength.com always have some pretty good deals. I get most of my supplements from MaxEffortMuscle.com which also runs quiet a few deals.

Not the same as real food
There is no way around this one. Supplements are just that, they supplement the body. They are not whole nutrients from real food. A lot of dietitians and health experts will say that you can’t get the type of nutrients whole foods offer from a supplement, I agree. Whole healthy food is numero uno.

Some supplement companies aren’t 100% truthful with the ingredients
An article I read revealed that “calorie counts on food labels, for example, can be off by 20% in some cases and still be in compliance with FDA regulations.” FDA stands for Food and Drug Administration.

With that being said, another article says “The FDA is not authorized to review dietary supplement products for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed. The manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements are responsible for making sure their products are safe BEFORE they go to market.” I wanted to include this to give some background information on the FDA because it seems like they always get a bad rep. However when a supplement contains an ingredient that is new to the market, the FDA must be notified by the supplement companies manufacturers about it. The FDA will review the ingredient for safety, not effectiveness which is something that stuck out to me.

Conclusion
In my personal opinion, I enjoy supplements and believe they surely have their place depending on a couple factors. I wouldn’t solely rely on supplements to get you to your goals but think of them as a helping hand, aiding in recovery and other small task that can make a huge difference.

Whatever you decide to do, supplements or no supplements, I would do some research and talk to someone that has knowledge on supplements, vitamins and nutrition such as a registered dietitian or a doctor. Make sure you check with your physician and ensure you are all good to start any diet plan or taking any supplement.

Thank you for reading todays article, I hope this helps you! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me and I would love to help you out.
-Alex Costa-

Additional resources:
-healthresearchfunding.org
-https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/micronutrient-inadequacies/overview