Bellwood Lifters Unfazed by Supplement Concerns
Supplements may or may not contain what they say, but local lifters don’t mind
Senior Chad Luensmann, who trains several times a week in preparation for baseball season, uses several forms of supplements.
Bellwood-Antis has many athletes that are dedicated to sports or their own personal health who are absorbed in weight training. Many students also take supplements that are“supposed” to help enhance their performance levels.
But how much do we really know about these supplements? Are they even what they claim to be? Or are they just a placebo? If they ultimately do nothing, then millions of people are throwing billions of dollars down the drain every year.
A placebo effect is a fake treatment, an inactive substance like sugar, distilled water, or saline solution that can sometimes improve a person’s condition simply because the person has the expectation that it will be helpful.
It’s just a matter of trust. Their reputation is on the line if the supplements aren’t what they say they are. I never worry about it when I’m working out though.
— Chad Luensmann
A recent story by the Associated Press revealed some interesting facts. For example, a study done at Clarkson University in 2013, four out of five supplements contained none of the herbs listed on the labels. Pieter Cohen, a Harvard Medical School researcher told Yahoo News that the FDA has done hundreds of spot inspections of supplement companies, and they have found that 7 out of 10 are not compliant with basic manufacturing practices.
Students like Matt McMillan, Tyler Shultz, Chad Luensmann, and Jordan McCracken work out daily and take supplements but most aren’t concerned about the statistics on supplements.
“It’s up to the company to decide if they want their supplement to hurt their buyers and lose money or benefit their buyers and make money,” McCracken said. “But yes I have thought about how the whole supplement process worked.”
Luensmann said, “It’s just a matter of trust. Their reputation is on the line if the supplements aren’t what they say they are. I never worry about it when I’m working out though.”
Should people be worried about these supplements claiming to be something they are not? Why would these major companies promote their products if they aren’t what they say they are when they could put their reputation on the line?
According to Yahoo News, roughly 65,000 dietary supplements are on the market, and more than 150 million Americans consume them. The American Botanical Council approximates that $6 billion are spent on herbal supplements.
Senior Tyler Shultz takes supplements like pre-workout and protein shakes to aid his lifting sessions.
Some people believe that it’s all for the money and that these companies are just out to scam people.
The United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demands companies to authenticate that the products they sell are safe and properly labeled, however, supplements are immune from the FDA’s stern authorization process for prescription drugs.
In New York, the Attorney General is pushing for DNA tests on over-the-counter supplements in his state to ensure products contain the organic ingredients they claim.
A few stores that have recently been told to stop selling store-brand supplements were Wal-Mart, Target, and GNC because DNA test came back questionable. Although some experts say that DNA test might be inaccurate when determining any serious issues with supplements.
For most people it doesn’t bother them whether or not the supplements are what they say they are, but for McMillan it does worry him slightly.
“It does kind of worry me,” stated McMillan. “Sometimes I wonder ‘what’s in here.’ But it’s whey protein and it’s just the waste product of milk.”
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