Supplement question...

[Roadracer247]

Some of the guys I work out with are using a supplement know as "Body Octane" and I was just wondering if you guys have any opinions on this product?

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/man/body.html

[Polk727]

Im a big fan of SAN products but I haven't tried that one yet, I looked at the ingreatents and it looks as though its just some amino acids... I can't really see anyone getting any solid gains from that. I have tried SAN Vault, and have put on some qality muscle. Its a creatine and NO combo... which is a great muscle building stack.

[Drjmilus]

It is my opinion that real, whole food, high in unprocessed grains and raw fruits and vegetables, plus lean meats and a multi are the best thing to partake in.

Just my 2 cents. I read the ingredients on that stuff. I cannot comment as to whether it will help or hurt your performance. remember, half of everything is placebo! Is that a bad thing? I am not so sure!

Dr. jen
www.fireagility.com

[ffgottke]

Currently taking muscle milk and creatine(recovery), Love it been on it for only a few days and seeing results.

[kgain25]

Currently taking muscle milk and creatine(recovery), Love it been on it for only a few days and seeing results.

Do you take both right after the workout?

[Drjmilus]

By Westchester47:

Carefully controlled studies over the short- (five days), medium- (nine weeks) and long-term (up to five years) have yet to demonstrate that creatine supplementation has any adverse effects on blood pressure, kidney or liver function in healthy individuals.

Of course, an absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. The fact that large trials have yet to find any serious creatine side effects doesn't mean that none exist. There are isolated case reports of individuals suffering from kidney problems after using creatine . Anyone with existing liver or kidney problems, or those predisposed to such ailments, should seek medical advice before using creatine.

1.Schilling, B.K., Stone, M.H., Utter, A., Kearney, J.T., Johnson, M., Coglianese, R., Smith, L., O'Bryant, H.S., Fry, A.C., Starks, M., Keith, R., & Stone, M.E. (2001). Creatine supplementation and health variables: a retrospective study. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33, 183-188
2. Poortmans, J.R., & Francaux, M. (2000). Adverse effects of creatine supplementation: fact or fiction? Sports Medicine, 30, 155-170
3. Kreider, R.B., Melton, C., Rasmussen, C.J., Greenwood, M., Lancaster, S., Cantler, E.C., Milnor, P., & Almada, A.L. (2003). Long-term creatine supplementation does not significantly affect clinical markers of health in athletes. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 244, 95-104
4. Pritchard, N.R., & Kalra, P.A. (1998). Renal dysfunction accompanying oral creatine supplements. Lancet, 351, 1252-1253
5. Mayhew, D.L., Mayhew, J.L., & Ware, J.S. (2002). Effects of long-term creatine supplementation on liver and kidney functions in American college football players. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 12, 453-460
6. Vannas-Sulonen, K., Sipila, I., Vannas, A., Simell, O., & Rapola, J. (1985). Gyrate atrophy of the chloroid and retina: a five year follow-up of creatine supplementation. Opthalmology, 91, 1719-1727


JC
http://www.ultimatefirefighterworkout .blogspot.com

And I replied:

I won't disagree with the above poster... period! Wow, you are well clad with studies, and your posts are great!

I will bare witness to the fact that several of my patients/training clients over the years, have tried creatine. Most of them tried it for 6 months. 10 of them that I could convince to do so had kidney function studies done before and after, then after again. 7 of those 10 had changes in their results, and didn't like those changes. 3 showed no change. So those 7 stopped using it, and got retested 6 months later. All 7 who went back and retested, tested back to where they started in the very begining 6 months after stopping.

That leads me to believe that the side effects, which may not affect all people, appear to go away relatively quickly... but it's still not worth the risk to me.

But, those are just 10 people, and there was no placebo double blind controled study. There could have been a multitude of variables that I or they could not or did not factor in...

It still leaves me with the same conclusion about supplements: chose them carefully. I prefer real, whole, organic food, plus a multi, Glucoseamine Sulfate, Gogi juice (another story entirely), and EFAs... and nothing else contrived. That's my opinion...

Dr. Jen
www.fireagility.com