Suppliments: taken on faith?

[Questor]

So I'm not very well versed in supliments, and here's why. Seems to me like it's all 'faith based'.

I bought a tub of creatine. I take it every day, it's been maybe two months now. If there's an effect, I haven't noticed it.

I bought the fish oil. Everyone says fish oil pwns. Again, if there's an effect, I don't see it.

Multivitamin - now this one I may well place some stock in. I haven't hardly gotten a cold since I"ve been on multivitamins. But can I really prove that multivitamins have helped me at all? Maybe it's just that I'm drinking more water.

So what prompts suppliment takers to go buy hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of suppliments? Is it an investment in faith? Or are other people using perhaps other suppliments getting effects so real they cannot be doubted?

[Unreal]

This is why supplements should be backed up studies, trials and lab research. Fishoil (omega 3) and creatine are both well studied. We have tons of studies showing positive effects. What you are finding out is supplements aren't magic and don't have a huge effect. It maybe that extra 1-2%, but in general besides stimulants, you probably won't ever notice supplements.

[Roddy]

supps aint nothing without a good diet and good workout

[Davidelmo]

It's more of a long-term thing. I doubt many people see immediate effects from ANY supp - maybe stimulants and similar.

Creatine isn't a miracle. You might get a few extra pounds on the bar, or one or two extra reps. You wont increase all your lifts by 20% unless you're having an awesome placebo effect.

Same for a multi-V - you dont wake up the next day feeling great but you do know that you are getting most of the vitamins and minerals that you need. To me, a multi is the most faith-based supp.

Fish oil DOES work though. I have definately noticed better skin, hair, scalp etc when I started taking 8g a day. Plus the body composition benefits are nice too.

However it all helps in the long term, and creatine is cheap enough to use indefinately.

[Bicster]

what did you expect to see from the fish oil? look at it this way, when you live to be 105 you will have your proof.

[the doc]

fish oil's benefits show up in lab tests such as lipid profiles, inflammation markers, and clotting. Just because you dont feel or notice obvious effects does not mean they are not working.

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

:withstupi

[Questor]

I have only taken these three, which I feel are probably the most conservative buys. But I used them as examples of a broader discussion. How many suppliments are there discussed on this board?

Obviously multivitamins and fish oil are going to have Some Kind Of effect on you. Most things you put in your body will have Some Kind of effect.

The subject is, 'Do you shell out hundreds of dollars on suppliments, and what is your justification for it?' Have you seen a real difference? Do you go on faith of what others say, or do you have extensive unbiased studies on all of them? (obviously some do, like fish oil, but what of hte name brand chemicals)

I've read posters on these forums who have spent over a thousand dollars on sups. Really - spending 40 bucks on Advanced Cellular Muscle Super Strike "now 20% more POWER!!!!"?

What about all these different types of suppliments? The weight cutters, the energy boosters, the testosterone boosters, the whatever they ares...

Do you see real effects, or are you just going on faith that you may be getting an extra 1% super efficient optimization of your workout?

[Bicster]

Effects

[Questor]

Yeah that always trips me up.

[chris mason]

I have stated my opinion on fish oil on this site many times. It won't do **** for your training.

Creatine can be very effective and make a significant difference in your training but there is a percentage of the population which will not benefit from it. There are non-responders to virtually every supplement or drug available.

There are very few ergogenic supplements and that is why AtLarge sells a relatively small number of products. You should only buy from companies like AtLarge that only sell what truly works as claimed. You will save a LOT of money that way.

Chris

[the doc]

I have stated my opinion on fish oil on this site many times. It won't do **** for your training.


Chris

i wasn't aware it was alleged to have any specific training benefits

to my knowledge the benefits of fish oil include decreased athersclerosis (through alteration of lipid profiles) and decreased inflammation (by altering arachadonic acid metabolism)

[Unreal]

If you take 10g of fish oil a day that extra 100 cals could be helpful to hit your calorie goals. As for other supplements, no I do not waste my money on them unless I know they work. If something isn't backed up with evidence that it works and is safe, then there is no reason to take it.

[RedSpikeyThing]

The only "performance enhancing" (ie not protein) supplement I've taken is creatine. I found it increased my endurance on most of my exercises. I also think a lot of it was placebo effect because one day I realised I hadn't taken creatine in a couple of days and I mysteriously performed more poorly in the gym. The half life of creatine is in the order of weeks, so I doubt it was because of not taking it for like 2 days.
I now don't use it at all. I'm saving it for when I get to a plateau.

[malkore]

fish oil supplements only 'training benefit' would be their anti-inflammatory properties.
but again, you'd need long term use, and even then fish oil isn't gonna save you if you really damage a joint, etc.