Experts give supplement advice

Just being in shape is not good enough for some people. Getting big and building muscle mass is their priority and they are always trying to find products to help achieve this goal.

Leaving steroids alone, or perhaps leaving them for Major League Baseball, there is a myriad of pills, powders and products out there to help build muscle mass.

In the end, what someone takes is an individual decision. However, experts agree that consulting with a physician and doing research on supplements are important first steps in deciding what to use.

"The first thing you need to do is see your physician because it's on an individual basis," said Clint Stahler, co-owner of Max Muscle Sports Nutrition in the South Campus Gateway.

Brian Dean, a senior in mechanical engineering, has tried several of these products, but he is still trying to figure out which are most effective, and most importantly, what is safe to take.

"I take protein powder and Muscle Milk, but I stopped taking creatine freshman year," Dean said. "I couldn't rationalize the gains for the money."

Creatine is one of the more controversial supplements, because of claims that it causes cancer. "If I heard creatine causes cancer it would be surprising, but not unbelievable," Dean said.

A major criticism of these supplements is the fact most of them are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

"The FDA wants to regulate these products," said Jackie Buell, director of sports nutrition at Ohio State. "But these companies don't want to be regulated. It's simply politics."

Stahler acknowledges that these products are not regulated by the FDA, but he is not worried. "The competition between suppliers is so fierce that the government does not need to police them," Stahler said. "The competition tests each other's products very rigorously."

One example of a product that is very potent and has raised questions is the popular pre-workout supplement NO-Xplode.

"Sure you might get a positive result for lifting, but you might also be increasing your blood pressure," Buell said. "Chances are there's always going to be a downside."

"All the products that we carry are safe," Stahler said.

In order to help inform its customers on the safety of its supplements, Max Muscle offers books, DVDs and other educational resources. Stahler used fast food as an analogy to the safety of creatine and other supplements.

"Is McDonald's safe to eat? It depends on the individual person," Stahler said. "Unlike McDonald's, all of our products have labels."

Aside from safety, do the supplements really do what they claim?

"Honestly, these products probably provide minimal gain," Dean said.

From a scientific standpoint, Buell isn't convinced either.

"Does it work for the masses? If it did we'd have more research proving it," Buell said.

Dean and Buell agree that although the products might help build muscle mass, a sufficient amount of sleep is extremely important.

"The only way you're going to respond to pills and supplements is with a healthy diet and a good night's sleep," Buell said.

"I'm not anti-supplements," Buell said. "But use your brain. Don't follow someone else's advice blindly."