If you are eager to learn more about gym supplement products for beginners and their inherent health value, you've come to the right place. The nutrition science behind online supplements is simple, straightforward, and reasonable.
Disclaimer: all the points shared in this blog are for guidance purposes only. Consult with your doctor or physician before initiating any supplement supported gym routine.
Is It Safe To Take Exercise Supplements?
Consult with your doctor to see if you have any undiagnosed conditions or disorders. If all is well with you, then gym supplements – including those bought online or over the counter – will prove beneficial instead of harmful.
- Among healthy people, the use of 'nutraceuticals', aka dietary gym supplements, are harmless.
- These 'functional foods' are definitely not meal replacements. You need to take them after a meal or before workouts, as recommended.
Even the best gym supplements can turn harmful if you have underlying health conditions (especially genetic disorders) or resort to excessive consumption under the foolish assumption that you are doubling your health potential by swallowing one too many supplements per day.
What Are The Most Common pre-workout supplements?
Gym goers often choose pre-workout supplements that pack a healthy and organic dose of amino acids.
- Amino acids can take the form of protein and protein hydrolysates like whey.
- They can also be found as individual branched chain amino acids, or BCAAs. These usually include leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
Supplements containing these ingredients are often for muscle building support. Amino acids are the building blocks of muscle tissue, after all.
Are Protein Supplements Bad For My Kidneys?
This rumour has largely been debunked. Medical experts hold that those with kidney disease should avoid high protein diets. While this is true, protein supplements are not a direct threat. Again, get your doctor's advice before confirming any supplements for gym or other purposes.
- Athletes who take almost 3 grams protein per kilogram of their bodyweight per day – which is approx. three-and-a-half times the recommended daily allowance of 0.8g/kg/day – have shown that protein supplements pack benefits not harms.
- Something similar has also been observed among healthy adults who consume up to 1.25g/kg/day of leucine.
- Both studies have revealed negligible medium-term negative effects to health when consuming quality protein supplements.
Harmful effects were observed only in extremely rare cases. Other than that, protein supplements are most certainly safe as long as you verify their use with your personal doctor, and choose only quality certified gym protein supplements.
Are L-Carnitine and Creatine Supplements Healthy?
Both L-Carnitine and Creatine are naturally occurring compounds that have been implemented in gym supplements to promote weight loss, increase performance, and enhance muscle mass.
- You will find both those organic compounds in abundance in red meat.
- Safety investigations are routinely conducted in supplements containing these compounds.
- There is only minimal evidence (as of this writing) about Creatine and L-Carnitine being harmful to humans.
- There have been only a few claims in connection to potential kidney or liver damage, even electrolyte imbalance and muscle cramps.
On a lighter note, no underlying diseases have been shown to make these compounds flare up in any dangerous way.
Are Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplements Healthy?
Also called CLA, Conjugated Linoleic Acid is yet another popular supplement add on. It is a specific type of healthy fat that is, ironically, associated with fat mass reduction in the human body, not to forget its muscle mass increase potential.
- There is always an element of doubt regarding CLAs.
- Long-term studies are not available, though, but what we do know from animal and human studies is that regular consumption of CLA can increase low-density lipoproteins, i.e., 'bad fats'.
Then again, CLAs have shown to help several different kinds of fitness enthusiasts, so do check with your doctor before adding supplements containing CLAs to your gym diet.
Are Vitamin-E and Resveratrol Supplements Healthy?
These are both antioxidants, and are common in gym supplements. They have been known to improve or enhance exercise performance. However, some studies have shown that they either don't do enough in that regard or end up proving non-beneficial.
Conclusion
Since contaminated supplements have ended the sports careers of many an athlete, everyday gym supplements do need to be seen in a fresh light.
Your perspective should begin with a doctor's consultation. Check in with your physician and ask them if you – by extension, your body – can handle select supplements.
Make sure to check if the ingredients in your chosen gym supplement won't cause you any medium-term or long-term negative effects. Also check to see if you might be allergic to any of the compounds and ingredients; not just the ones mentioned in this blog.
Gym-centric and fitness-based dietary supplements are certainly not all bad. They have merely gained a bad rep over the years because people with pre-existing, often undiagnosed, medical conditions suffer after taking some of them.