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It’s been a while since we have written about supplement advice, but with changes in the supplement and fitness industry, I believe this one is worth talking about. 

Like any market, the supplement industry has used tactics for masking the quality of their products. It was not too long ago to see “propriety blend” as the first phrase under supplement/nutrition facts. While the FDA requires that companies list all of the ingredients in a product and the amount of each ingredient, this stipulation can be avoided via the propriety blend: a hodgepodge of various ingredients that are recognized as one unit.  

Think of it as their “secret recipe”.

Unfortunately, the often harsh secret was that the propriety blend was 30% effective ingredients and 70% filler. 

Many manufacturers today are conscious of their customers’ disdain for this tactic and tend to be more transparent with the ingredients of their supplements.  Several have gone so far as to combine tried and tested supplements into one package, creating what I refer to as supplement cocktails. You may have seen pre-workout supplements that in addition to caffeine and L-Carntine also contain BCAA, creatine, and glutamine.

Seeing these additional muscle supporters on the label may convince you that this brand is better than those that just have the basics.

Well, Not Quite….

The More ≠ The Merrier 

Just because a supplement cocktail contains useful accessory supplement(s), the amount provided per serving may not elicit a bona fide response. For example, you may be eyeing a pre-workout supplement that contains 300mg of caffeine and 1.5 g of creatine monohydrate. There is no question that creatine supports your muscles during intense exercise and seeing its inclusion in the pre-workout saves the money that you would have been spent on a separate creatine monohydrate supplement.

However, how much creatine would you need to consume to experience benefits?

Depending on whom you talk to (click here, click here, and click here) and your own needs, it can vary. But generally speaking, if you are working out you should aim for a minimum of 3g/day.

Returning to our pre-workout supplement, you must being consuming two scoops every day to meet your basic creatine requirements. That may not sound too problematic until you realize that you’re also consuming 600mg of caffeine as well (may God have mercy on your heart if you also drink coffee).  

The inclusion of accessory supplements into a pre-packaged product seems like a frugal option.  However, always keep in mind of whether their amounts figure into for your physical needs.

False Impression 

This scenario happens less frequently, but it is something you need to be aware of. In essence, the supplement cocktail contains legitimate, potent ingredients that appear to perform the task advertised on the label but in fact they do something else.

Certain fat burners for example (which I can’t wait to talk about during the summer) contain ingredients that are diuretics, which flush out excessive water from the body. When someone takes the fat burner and notices the pounds quickly dropping from the scale, they assume that the fat burner is incinerating their visceral fat. What’s really happening is that the change in weight is being primarily driven by the fat burner’s diuretic components.

The issue is here is not whether the cocktail contains high or low quality accessory supplements: it is whether these supplements are performing the tasks they are advertised. I’ve said once, and I’ll say it again….

Flushing Water Out of Your Body ≠ Burning Fat

If a fat burner supplement has to include a diuretic(s), one must question the qualities of its actual fat burning ingredients.

Bottom line

• Just because a supplement cocktail contains useful supplements does not mean it contains enough of these supplements to satisfy your fitness needs.

• When looking at the ingredients, check for those that you are not familiar with and determine what exactly they do to the human body.

Thanks again for visiting deals4delts and reading our articles. If you have any questions or requests for supplements that you want us to review, let us know in the comments.