As a fitness enthusiast, you want to do whatever you can to give your performance a boost. Many athletes and bodybuilders turn to vitamin and mineral supplements to enhance their performance, but you need to be wary of doing this for a variety of reasons. There are certain questions you need to ask before taking any supplement – as well as consulting your doctor.
1. Does it work?
This is perhaps the most important question to ask, as there’s no point wasting your time and money – and even your wellness – on an ineffective supplement. One way you can answer this question is by investigating if the product’s clinical trials has been published in reputable journals. Usually, you need more than one reputable study with the same positive outcome to assure some reliability of effect. Also, look for authoritative, non-commercial product reviews and information on website that don’t actually sell the product – or any supplements. The US National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements and the Australian Institute of Sport Supplement Programme both use highly skilled specialists to evaluate supplements for usefulness and safety.
2. Is it safe?
Even if your supplement does work, that’s no good if it’s going to damage your wellbeing in the process. Supplements aren’t required to detail their formulation on the label, or whether it’s been tested for safety and under what doses and conditions. Therefore, you should never assume that herbal or natural products are safe. Even if a product is based on plant ingredients, this is not to say that it is gentle. Liver-damaging toxins have been found in plant-based extracts in herbal products, and Indian ayurvedic remedies have been shown to be contaminated with toxic heavy metals.
3. Do you need it?
The main idea that supplement manufacturers play on is that the stresses of modern life and physical activity make you deficient in essential vitamins and minerals. While this may be the case for certain individuals, the likelihood is that you don’t need to have additional vitamins or minerals – even as an active sports person. Iron and zinc can actually be toxic in excess. Remember that your doctor should be consulted before you take any supplement.