Maybe you are a workout fanatic, or maybe you just want to add an extra boost of nutrients to your diet. Whatever the case may be, we wanted to get the rundown on the sports supplements out there and whether they’re worth the hype or not. There are all kinds of supplements out there from pre-workouts to protein powder to BCAAS. There are also many claims that come with these various powders. Some rave about their “fat-burning” effects while others claim their supplements give you “increased strength.” We wanted to get to the bottom of these claims and find out what the healthiest options are if you’re looking to add to your repertoire of sports supplements, or if you’re a first-time gym goer and want to know what all the hype is about when it comes to these supplements.
When you read the label of some of the sports supplements out there with claims of strength, increased endurance, and the promise to help you lose weight, it’s hard not to buy them. The benefits sound too good to be true, so you buy the product, but you may not know exactly what you’re consuming. So we need to delve in to see if they are actually healthy for our bodies or not. Dr. Geraldine Moses from the University of Queensland’s School of Pharmacy explains, “People only think about the benefit and don’t think about the harm. Drug companies don’t have to substantiate what kind of benefit there really is and they get away without telling us about the potential harm.” So let’s look at the most popular ones: pre-workouts, protein powder, and BCAAS, or branched-chain amino acids.
Pre-workouts help boosts your performance and helps get that sweat going. The caffeine content can give you a real push. However, Dr. Moses suggests sticking with a cup of coffee instead of a scoop of pre-workout because you know where the stimulants are coming from. Then we have a protein powder that everyone seems to be obsessed with. But there are sometimes harmful ingredients we may overlook. But many experts say that a general rule would be getting your nutrients from your diet first before supplementing with other products. When it comes to BCAAS, these are what help grow and build our muscles. There is still research being done to see if these supplements have any long-term benefits. You can actually save money and get your needed amino acids from whole foods because our bodies absorb real foods better, plus you’ll be getting other nutrients along with that. So whatever you decide to take, be sure to look at the ingredients and don’t forget to have a good workout!