Dietary supplements have become big business. Grocery stores, pharmacies, and local markets have started stocking supplements that promise everything from muscle mass to weight loss, and the target market is our youth. There are very few results of legitimate scientific researches available on such "dietary" breast supplements. Just about all of those studies suggest that these products either are unsuccessful or, at maximum, produce only subtle benefits for the use. Perhaps what is most disturbing is how common dangerous ingredients like Androstenadione, Ephedra, and Creatine have become.
Androstenedione (commonly called as Andro) is known to disturb the balance of hormonal mechanism of human body when it gets converted into estrogen and testosterone. While Andro users hope that it will increase muscle mass, speed, and reaction time, it may also result into stunted growth and premature puberty.
Creatine is a naturally occurring in the human body which can create short and concise gushes of energy while doing certain athletic activities. Creatine users have reported gaining up to fifteen pounds of muscle mass. Nevertheless, scientists believe this added weight is actually caused by water retention. The extra weight goes away once you stop using the product. In addition, creatine use cannot be continuous. Extended use of creatine causes the body to enduringly end producing its own creatinine. Users claim that creatine can only be taken for a few months at a time, with significant periods of time needed in between each cycle.
Ephedra, (or ephedrine) is an herbal ingredient which behaves like an amphetamines that stimulate the body's nervous system. Many people believe that over-exposure and misuse of ephedrine based products are responsible for numerous permanent injuries and even deaths.
You can get such products by walking into any store that sells food supplements. This is because federal law does not require supplements be tested by the government and allows them to be purchased by consumers regardless of their ages.
Not a lot is known regarding the long-standing effects the use of such products has on adults, and yet less is known about their consequence on youth. That said, if it were up to supplement manufacturers, every product would be labeled as perfectly safe for use by everyone from professional athletes to weekend-warriors.
Sports nourishment isn't only for pro sportspersons any more. This is for everyone seeking improvement. But not all of us are as knowledgeable about these products as we need to be. That's why they should only be taken with caution. Your health is not worth the risk.
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