by Jose Antonio, PhD
I knew the title would get you. Though sex really has nothing to do with this, it’s funny how a simple three-letter word has a way of attracting you like bees to honey. Nonetheless, this month’s Anabolic Edge is about the utter nonsense permeating the mainstream press regarding supplements and steroids. Sometimes I scratch my head wondering whether the mainstream press is loaded with morons or they’re just too damn lazy to actually read the scientific literature.
The Press and Steroid ReportingThe prevalence of such unchallenged baloney makes me think that perhaps those who attended journalism school should be forced to take at least one science class so they’d know the difference between facts, theories and complete bullshit. I think most of them enrolled in Supplements and Steroids 101— How to Write Complete Bullshit About the Category.
Example One
To wit, check out the Associated Press story by Alex Dominguez, August 2, 2005, I accessed on SignOnSanDiego.com (by the Union-Tribune) entitled “Steroid cheats or victims? Regulation, testing make supplements dicey for ballplayers.” I’ll quote parts of the story and give you my take on it.
The very first sentence states, “Depending on whom you ask, Rafael Palmeiro’s claim that he unwittingly took something to cause a positive test for steroids is either plausible— or laughable.”
On that I agree…meaning, for a professional athlete of his caliber to not know what he’s taking is nothing less than laughable. So far, Dominguez and I are on the same page. But after this, the journalist apparently forgot to do even a modicum of homework. Dominguez reports, “’The lack of regulation and testing of nutritional supplements lends credence to the claims of players who say they were caught unaware by positive tests,’ one researcher said Tuesday.”
Perhaps his mistake was quoting a researcher who was uninformed. Shouldn’t Mr. Dominguez have at least followed up this question with another? First of all, there is government regulation of the supplements industry. It’s called DSHEA and it was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994. The FDA can remove products it deems dangerous (though it makes you wonder about cigarettes).
Example Two
Another doozy from this article. “Steroid building blocks known as prohormones can cause a positive test— and may not be listed on supplement labels,” said Anthony C. Tommasello, a professor and director of the Office of Substance Abuse Studies at the University of Maryland pharmacy school in Baltimore. “Some are extracts of natural products that are also metabolized into anabolic hormones, but the substances are not on the banned list,” Tommasello said. According to Tommasello, one such ingredient is DHEA. Mostly manufactured in China from the dried roots of a wild yam, it’s a popular muscle-building supplement in the United States. While not on Major League Baseball’s list of banned substances, it’s converted in the body into an anabolic steroid, Tommasello said.
This one is so friggin’ absurd. First of all, the data on prohormones (which no adult male with an IQ of peanut would take anyhow) shows no efficacy regarding increasing lean body mass! Secondly, DHEA is NOT a muscle-building supplement!
Heck, this article misses the boat on some basic issues. Imagine if in your job you messed up a couple of times a day? Your boss would fire you and you’d end up scooping poop at a dog park.
Example Three
It gets better. In the August 5, 2005 issue of the post-gazette.com, an article written by a medical doctor (Mark Diamond, MD) makes you wonder if he slept through his class on sports nutrition. Oh I forgot, medical schools don’t teach that. Anyway, his article entitled, “Should young athletes be taking performance boosters of little proven value?” contains some flat-earth, spontaneous combustion and Lamarckian inheritance kind of information.
First off, he reports on a 14-year-old boy who is clearly overtraining, but is also taking…drum roll please…creatine and protein supplements! Oh my God. There goes the neighborhood. Congress, we need another hearing. Seriously, here are some absurdities from his article. Keep in mind my personal belief is that taking creatine or protein is beneficial to young athletes and that ultimately kids should confer with their parents. And there’s NO evidence it causes harm. (Isn’t medicine supposed to be an evidence-based profession? Mmm).
Nevertheless, Dr. Diamond just hasn’t done his basic homework on the mechanisms by which these supplements work. Below is taken verbatim from his article:
“Creatine is a compound present in muscle tissue, where it helps to generate energy during muscle contractions. Studies have shown it appears to help repetitive efforts, but does not benefit endurance or all-out effort. Side effects may include weight gain, high blood pressure, headache, stomachaches and diarrhea. Users suffer more muscle strains and are at increased risk of dehydration and heat stroke. There is also risk of serious kidney damage. Long-term effects of creatine supplementation are unknown.”
And here’s an even better one!
“Amino acids and proteins are expensive additives that are widely used. Since these compounds are building blocks of muscles, it is thought that such supplements will build muscle tissue, but research has not borne this out. Our bodies can handle only so much protein, which we can easily obtain in a normal diet; the excess is excreted. Excess intake may cause serious dehydration and kidney damage.”
Okay…stop laughing. Funny stuff, eh? Have you ever watched Bill O’Reilly’s “The O’Reilly Factor”? I love it when he calls folks who are just completely clueless “dopes” or “dopey.” Well these quotes fall into the dopey category. First, where do I start? There’s a huge volume of evidence to show it helps, short-duration, high-intensity exercise.1-32 And there’s long-term data on its safety.33,34 I believe the fine doctor needs to do some homework.
Now the amino acid comments are pretty darn funny too. The myth of kidney damage and dehydration is once again trumpeted by someone who should know better. First off, there’s NO evidence that protein, amino acids (or creatine) cause harm to normal healthy individuals. None…zip…zero…NO evidence.35
Remain Skeptical
So what’s the take home message? Remain skeptical of articles printed in the mainstream press. It’s apparent many of these writers (and some having quite a bit of education) don’t let the facts get in the way of their conclusions. They literally make stuff up in the name of “protecting kids” from “harmful” and “unregulated supplements.” I still believe the truth will eventually (hopefully) trump this nonsensical propaganda.
source:musculardevelopment.com
