Transcript of Lesson 1 – Why supplements are risky and what you can do about it

Over the past 30 years working in the fitness industry, one of the most common questions we’re asked is, what
supplements should I take? And if you’re just getting started as a fitness professional, you’ll eventually get asked
that too. That’s because data shows that 84% of gym goers use supplements, ranging from a daily multivitamin
and mineral, a protein powder, products to help build muscle, lose fat, or help enhance training intensity.1 But it’s
not just gym goers who use supplements. About half of the general population uses them for overall health and
wellness and to fill nutrient gaps.2 One survey showed that the most commonly used supplements were:

• 1 - multivitamins (71%);
• followed by omega 3 fats or fish oils, (33%)
• calcium (32%)
• vitamin D (32%)
• and vitamin C (31%)
Supplement use among athletes and health professionals is even higher. A systematic review of over 150 studies
found that nearly all elite athletes use supplements, with the use of creatine and protein being higher among
male athletes.3 Among health professionals: 4

✓ 72% of physicians take dietary supplements, 79% recommend them and nearly all (90%) recommend
fish oil
✓ 86% of pharmacists take dietary supplements; 93% recommend them
✓ 95% of nurse practitioners take dietary supplements; 96% recommend them
✓ And finally, 96% of registered dietitians take dietary supplements and 97% recommend them.
What’s interesting is despite the widespread use of supplements, most people don’t know the risks of taking
them, and it’s our job as fitness professionals to get educated and guide our clients to make safe and smart
buying decisions that support their goals.

Think about how clients decide on which supplements to purchase. In our experience, some buy supplements to
get specific ingredients such as protein or BCAAs, but most people buy a product based on the price of that
product, often looking for the cheapest one or the one with the most ingredients. Here’s the problem with doing
that:

• Congress passed a law in 1994, called the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act, which essentially
allows companies to take ingredients typically found in nature, like vitamins, minerals and caffeine, and
make them into a dietary supplement. Here’s the kicker – companies do NOT have to prove that their
product is safe, effective or free from contaminants before selling it. IF enough people report having
health problems due to the supplement, the FDA steps in and takes action, such as issuing a warning or
recalling the product.
• The DSHEA put in place what’s called Good Manufacturing Practices, (GMPs) which companies are
supposed to follow to ensure supplements are made properly, but only a small percentage of
manufacturers are inspected each year. In fact, ConsumerLabs.com summarized a 2016 FDA inspection
report of nearly 500 manufacturing facilities found problems at 62% of the facilities.5
• This report found that there was an average of six infractions at each manufacturing facility with the top
infractions being 1) the failure to conduct testing to verify the identity of raw ingredients AND 2) failure
to establish methods to test the finished product for purity, identity, strength and composition of the
finished product that ends up on the shelves or internet for sale.

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 Transcript of Lesson 1 – Why supplements are risky and what you can do about it

• That means these companies didn’t know if what they ordered – whether it’s protein or vitamins or other
raw materials, was what they received, AND they didn’t verify the dietary supplement ingredients they’re
selling were actually in the container in the amounts that match the label OR that the supplement was
free of contaminants.
• As a result, it’s estimated that at least half of products on the mass market are not properly formulated
and approximately 1/3 of dietary supplements are contaminated, either with heavy metals, prescription
drugs, and illegal drugs. 6
• The FDA has amassed a database of over 800 tainted products marketed as dietary supplements with
hidden ingredients such as:7
o sibutramine – a weight loss drug which was taken off the market
o phenolphthalein - an unapproved laxative
o sildenafil – the generic form of Viagra
o fluoxetine – the generic version of Prozac
o as well as steroids.
• Under formulating products is also common. This is when companies do not put enough ingredients in
their products to have a benefit or when the content of the container doesn’t match what’s on the label.
Why would they do that? The answer is that their prices must be competitive to others in the mass
market or consumers won’t buy them, and in order to do that, they under-formulate, or skip out on
ingredients in their products without penalty because they’re not required to test their products before
selling them, and most consumers don’t know any differently.
• This is particularly prevalent with protein powders.8,9 Many of them, including top brands have been
independently tested by consumer groups and have been found to be under-formulated. In one example
of a popular brand, the label stated the product contained 24 grams of whey protein and 2 grams of
carbohydrates per serving. Independent test results revealed it contained the opposite – 2.5 grams of
whey protein and 25 grams of carbohydrate per serving.
• Commercial practices like this, including MLMs are reasons why supplements are often frowned upon by
the scientific community, AND why benefits of certain dietary supplements are overlooked – the risk
outweighs the benefits of mass market products that aren’t properly formulated or independently tested.

Here’s the good news:

There are companies which manufacture products properly. Here are some tips for choosing high quality
products:

1. Look for proven formulas which match the current science. Companies are supposed to have scientific
research which show that their formulas contain the ingredient forms, dosages and amounts, and they
should be able to provide this documentation upon request.
2. Companies should also be able to provide proof that the product is safe, including a list of potential
contraindications and adverse reactions.
3. Be sure products have been 3rd party tested for purity and potency, to ensure what’s on the label is in the
container and it’s free of contaminants. This is particularly important if you’re working with athletes,
since they can test positive for a banned substance by using tainted supplements.
4. The World Antidoping Agency (WADA) has identified common 3rd party testing agencies with NSF
Certified for Sport being the most comprehensive. In addition to looking for an NSF Certified for Sport

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 Transcript of Lesson 1 – Why supplements are risky and what you can do about it

seal, be sure to verify the product is listed on the NSF website, as companies have been found to
fraudulently use the NSF seal.

Now that we’ve highlighted the potential risks and downsides to clients selecting their own supplements, it
opens an opportunity for us to be complete fitness professionals by aligning with the proper resource to help
clients make smart buying decisions, because supplementing properly can truly optimize health and accelerate
fitness goals if done the right way.

Tomorrow, we’ll cover the common nutrient deficiencies (“or should we say insufficiencies”) your clients face
and what can be done to help overcome them and maximize results.

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 Transcript of Lesson 1 – Why supplements are risky and what you can do about it

References
1
Morrison LJ, Gizis F, Shorter B. Prevalent use of dietary supplements among people who exercise at a commercial gym. Int J Sport
Nutr Exerc Metab. 2004 Aug;14(4):481-92.
2
Dickinson A1, Blatman J, El-Dash N, Franco JC. Consumer usage and reasons for using dietary supplements: report of a series of
surveys. J Am Coll Nutr. 2014;33(2):176-82. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2013.875423.
3
Knapik et al. Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use by Athletes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016
Jan;46(1):103-23. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0387-7.
4
Dickinson A, Boyon N, Shao A. Physicians and nurses use and recommend dietary supplements: report of a survey. Nutrition
Journal 2009, 8:29. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-8-2
5
ConsumerLab.com. FDA Finds Problems at 62% of Supplement Manufacturing Sites in U.S. and Abroad. Posted 3.12.17.
http://www.consumerlab.com/recall_detail.asp?recallid=14053. Accessed 7.18.17.
6
Watson E. Bodybuilding.com steroids spiking guilty plea is a wake-up call for industry, says lab direction. Web article.
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Regulation/Bodybuilding.com-steroids-spiking-guilty-plea-is-a-wake-up-call-for-industry-
says-lab-
director/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BDaily&c=T6SDp8MCkvgU6IH8Qv%2
BPvw%3D%3D. June 5, 2012. Accessed March 12, 2013.
7
US Food and Drug Adminstration, Department of Health and Human Services. Tainted Products Marketed as Dietary
Supplements_CDER.
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/sda/sdNavigation.cfm?sd=tainted_supplements_cder&displayAll=false&page=3.
Accessed July 2017.
8
Lamela D. et al. Measurement of level of branched chain amino acids in nutritional supplements. FASEB J April 2015 29:559.25
9
Morrel A. Lawsuits Say Protein Powders Lack Protein, Ripping Off Athletes. March 2015.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexmorrell/2015/03/12/lawsuits-say-protein-powders-lack-protein-ripping-off-
athletes/#324f10367729. Accessed 7.18.17