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.

Jose Antonio PhD is Chief Science Officer for Javalution Coffee Company (www.javalution.com) and the co-founder and CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (www.sportsnutritionsociety.org).


Bedtime reading for the uninformed
1.    Volek JS, Rawson ES. Scientific basis and practical aspects of creatine supplementation for athletes. Nutrition, 2004;20:609-14.
2.    Willoughby DS, Rosene JM. Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on myogenic regulatory factor expression. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2003;35:923-9.
3.    Willoughby DS, Rosene J. Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on myosin heavy chain expression. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2001;33:1674-81.
4.    Ziegenfuss TN, Rogers M, Lowery L, et al. Effect of creatine loading on anaerobic performance and skeletal muscle volume in NCAA Division I athletes. Nutrition, 2002;18:397-402.
5.    Zajac A, Waskiewicz Z, Pilis W. Anaerobic power, creatine kinase activity, lactate concentration and acid-base equilibrium changes following bouts of exhaustive strength exercises. J Strength Cond Res, 2001;15:357-61.
6.    Wilder N, Gilders R, Hagerman F, Deivert RG. The effects of a 10-week, periodized, off-season resistance-training program and creatine supplementation among collegiate football players. J Strength Cond Res, 2002;16:343-52.
7.    Watsford ML, Murphy AJ, Spinks WL, Walshe AD. Creatine supplementation and its effect on musculotendinous stiffness and performance. J Strength Cond Res, 2003;17:26-33.
8.    Warber JP, Tharion WJ, Patton JF, Champagne CM, Mitotti P, Lieberman HR. The effect of creatine monohydrate supplementation on obstacle course and multiple bench press performance. J Strength Cond Res, 2002;16:500-8.
9.    Unnithan VB, Veehof SH, Vella CA, Kern M. Is there a physiologic basis for creatine use in children and adolescents? J Strength Cond Res, 2001;15:524-8.
10.    Theodorou AS, Havenetidis K, Zanker CL, et al. Effects of acute creatine loading with or without carbohydrate on repeated bouts of maximal swimming in high-performance swimmers. J Strength Cond Res, 2005;19:265-9.
11.    Syrotuik DG, Bell GJ. Acute creatine monohydrate supplementation: a descriptive physiological profile of responders vs. nonresponders. J Strength Cond Res, 2004;18:610-7.
12.    Stevenson SW, Dudley GA. Creatine loading, resistance exercise performance and muscle mechanics. J Strength Cond Res, 2001;15:413-9.
13.    Selsby JT, DiSilvestro RA, Devor ST. Mg2+-creatine chelate and a low-dose creatine supplementation regimen improve exercise performance. J Strength Cond Res, 2004;18:311-5.
14.    Selsby JT, Beckett KD, Kern M, Devor ST. Swim performance following creatine supplementation in Division III athletes. J Strength Cond Res, 2003;17:421-4.
15.    Rawson ES, Volek JS. Effects of creatine supplementation and resistance training on muscle strength and weightlifting performance. J Strength Cond Res, 2003;17:822-31.
16.    Rawson ES, Persky AM, Price TB, Clarkson PM. Effects of repeated creatine supplementation on muscle, plasma and urine creatine levels. J Strength Cond Res, 2004;18:162-7.
17.    Rawson ES, Gunn B, Clarkson PM. The effects of creatine supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage. J Strength Cond Res, 2001;15:178-84.
18.    Mero AA, Keskinen KL, Malvela MT, Sallinen JM. Combined creatine and sodium bicarbonate supplementation enhances interval swimming. J Strength Cond Res, 2004;18:306-10.
19.    McBride TA, Gregory MA. Effect of creatine supplementation during high resistance training on mass, strength and fatigue resistance in rat skeletal muscle. J Strength Cond Res, 2002;16:335-42.
20.    Lehmkuhl M, Malone M, Justice B, et al. The effects of 8 weeks of creatine monohydrate and glutamine supplementation on body composition and performance measures. J Strength Cond Res, 2003;17:425-38.
21.    Kutz MR, Gunter MJ. Creatine monohydrate supplementation on bodyweight and percent body fat. J Strength Cond Res, 2003;17:817-21.
22.    Hoffman JR, Stout JR, Falvo MJ, Kang J, Ratamess NA. Effect of low-dose, short-duration creatine supplementation on anaerobic exercise performance. J Strength Cond Res, 2005;19:260-4.
23.    Green JM, McLester JR, Smith JE, Mansfield ER. The effects of creatine supplementation on repeated upper- and lower-body Wingate performance. J Strength Cond Res, 2001;15:36-41.
24.    Gill ND, Hall RD, Blazevich AJ. Creatine serum is not as effective as creatine powder for improving cycle sprint performance in competitive male team-sport athletes. J Strength Cond Res, 2004;18:272-5.
25.    Falk DJ, Heelan KA, Thyfault JP, Koch AJ. Effects of effervescent creatine, ribose and glutamine supplementation on muscular strength, muscular endurance and body composition. J Strength Cond Res, 2003;17:810-6.
26.    Eckerson JM, Stout JR, Moore GA, Stone NJ, Nishimura K, Tamura K. Effect of two and five days of creatine loading on anaerobic working capacity in women. J Strength Cond Res, 2004;18:168-73.
27.    Delecluse C, Diels R, Goris M. Effect of creatine supplementation on intermittent sprint running performance in highly trained athletes. J Strength Cond Res, 2003;17:446-54.
28.    Dawson B, Vladich T, Blanksby BA. Effects of 4 weeks of creatine supplementation in junior swimmers on freestyle sprint and swim bench performance. J Strength Cond Res, 2002;16:485-90.
29.    Cottrell GT, Coast JR, Herb RA. Effect of recovery interval on multiple-bout sprint cycling performance after acute creatine supplementation. J Strength Cond Res, 2002;16:109-16.
30.    Burke DG, Smith-Palmer T, Holt LE, Head B, Chilibeck PD. The effect of 7 days of creatine supplementation on 24-hour urinary creatine excretion. J Strength Cond Res, 2001;15:59-62.
31.    Biwer CJ, Jensen RL, Schmidt WD, Watts PB. The effect of creatine on treadmill running with high-intensity intervals. J Strength Cond Res, 2003;17:439-45.
32.    Ahmun RP, Tong RJ, Grimshaw PN. The effects of acute creatine supplementation on multiple sprint cycling and running performance in rugby players. J Strength Cond Res, 2005;19:92-7.
33.    Kreider RB, Melton C, Rasmussen CJ, et al. Long-term creatine supplementation does not significantly affect clinical markers of health in athletes. Mol Cell Biochem, 2003;244:95-104.
34.    Kreider RB. Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations. Mol Cell Biochem, 2003;244:89-94.
35.    Poortmans JR, Dellalieux O. Do regular high protein diets have potential health risks on kidney function in athletes? Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2000;10:28-38.