How much do you know about health and fitness?

Take our quiz based on our blog articles, daily Twitter & Facebook health tips and see where you stand. Good luck!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com | SnapApp Quiz Apps

How Did You Do?
90 to 100%- You are a tried and true expert in all things related to health and fitness.
70 to 89%- You know your stuff, but could do with a little brushing up on your diet and exercise knowledge.
50% to 69%- You passed, but just barely. Lot’s of catching up to do.
49% or less- You didn’t pass, but don’t despair, keep reading our blogs and articles and be sure to follow Kevin on Twitter for daily fitness updates and you’ll be up to scratch in no time!

The answers:

1. Someone who is overweight has a slower metabolism than someone with a healthy body weight.

False- The heavier you are the faster your metabolism will be- read more here

2. An apple really has 70,000 calories.

True. Strictly speaking an apple has 70,000 calories- since the energy content of food is measured in kilocalories which is one thousand calories. Confused? Read my article on understanding calories here.

3. If you follow a proper diet you can lose 10 lbs of fat in 1 week.

False- it’s mathematically  impossible if you are eating any food at all to lose that much fat in a week given the fact that you need to expend 36000 kcals for every 1 pound of fat. Read more here.

4. As little as 40 kilocalories over your daily energy requirements can lead to a weight gain of over 40 lbs in ten years.

Sad but true. A small intake over what your body really needs creates the silent, cumulative weight gain that seems to sneak up on you over the years – read more here.

5. Regular Snapple juices have less sugar than Coca Cola

False. Regular Snapple drinks have more sugar than an equal amount of Coca Cola even though it is marketed as a healthier alternative to sodas. Check out Kevin’s Twitter and Facebook updates for daily health tips!

6. When eating at a restaurant anything labeled ‘Crispy’ is fine to eat as a healthier choice.

False. The word ‘crispy’ is code for fried. Read more in our guide to healthy restaurant eating here.

7. Oats contain gluten.

False, pure oats do not contain gluten proteins. Read more on oats and gluten here.

8. Cane sugar is healthier than corn syrup.

False, several notable health organizations have affirmed that there is no distinction that should be made between the two in terms of health risk when consumption is immoderate. Read more here.

9. Weight training can’t protect you from bone loss over time.

False. It does and you can read more about the mechanisms of increasing bone density through resistance exercise here.

10. Feeling guilty after eating junk food can help you not eat it again.

False. The more you think about a food you ate the more likely you are to continue eating it. Read more about how guilt can sabotage your diet here.

11. Multi-vitamins have been conclusively proven to make you healthier.

False. Every study on the matter has found no health benefit to those without significant vitamin deficiencies (which contrary to popular belief if almost non-existent in developed countries). Read more about it here.

12. Soil today has 50% less of the nutrients it had 50 years ago and so do the fruits and vegetables grown in them.

False. While there is some reduction in soil nutrients over time, the amounts found in produce isn’t significantly lower, nor does it justify the use of vitamin supplementation. Read more here.

13. When you buy fruits and vegetables the growers get get as much as 50-60% of the profits.

False. Farmers get as little as 4% of the profit at times for produce- a figure that is far higher for those who raise animal stocks. That’s one of the reasons fruits and vegetables aren’t promoted as much as meat and high profit junk foods- the profit margins are simply too low. Read more about the economics behind the food that you eat here.

14. It is the interest of the US economy for you to eat more of the foods that aren’t good for you.

True. The food industry not only generates over 8% of the U.S. GDP with a trillion dollars in annual sales, but it also employs 12% of working Americans. Given these figures it isn’t surprising that government programs are in place to support their marketing  strategies to get you to eat more. Read more here.

15. Eating foods with added Omega 3 fats can improve your health.

False. Studies have shown this to not all be the case. Read more on how adding omega 3 fats to products do little to help anything but profit margins here.

16. Fasting is a great way to detoxify your body.

False and the only way to give your body a break from foods you believe to be toxic is to not eat those foods in the first place. Read more here on fasting and what it can and cannot do.

17. Aerobic exercise is essential for building endurance, losing body fat and working your heart.

False. It’s not the only way as studies have shown that you can increase endurance, lose body fat and get a significant improvement in cardiovascular efficiency from high intensity resistance training alone. Read how you can get fit in less time here.

18. Early man did not eat bread during the Paleolithic era and thus it is not a natural part of our diet.

False. Recent archeological digs in Italy, Russia and the Czech Republic have revealed the use of flat breads dating back as far as 30,000 years ago into what is commonly called the Paleolithic era. Read more about bread and its role in weight gain here.

19. Protein shakes are just as good as solid foods for your protein needs.

False. Contrary to marketing that masquerades as science, protein shakes are not only unnatural and highly processed products, but they can actually make you gain body fat. Read more here.

20. Tongol tuna is a better choice because it has lower mercury levels than regular tuna.

True. It’s a smaller fish and thus is lower in methyl-mercury. Read more about tongol tuna here.

21. The longer and more often you train the bigger and stronger your muscles will become.

False. Without continued overload to the point that stimulates an adaptive response, after becoming accustomed to the stimulus your muscles will have no reason to get bigger or stronger. It’s not always how much you do, it’s how you do it. Read more about how muscles get bigger and stronger here.

22. Eating for  your blood type is a proven way to ensure that you eat what is best for your body.

False. There is no science behind the idea that blood type has anything to do with food intake. Read more about the misinformation behind blood type diet theory here.

23. A drink or two a week won’t make a difference in your weight loss efforts.

False. Alcohol goes a long way in stopping your efforts to lose body fat. Read more about drinking and weight loss here.

24. Carbohydrates can make some people gain weight faster than anything else.

False. Any food, be it a protein, carbohydrate or fat consumed in quantities exceeding the caloric requirements of your body will make you gain weight. Fats, with a caloric value of 9 kcals per gram are actually more likely to make you gain weight as they have more calories than carbohydrates which have 7 calories per gram, but all things being equal eating anything more than you should will make you gain weight. Regardless of genetics. Read more about calories here and read more about the lack of evidence supporting a genetic link to modern obesity here.

25. The simplest way to eat well is to eat foods in as natural a form as possible with some degree of moderation.

True. The more unnatural a product is, the more likely it may not be the best decision for you to eat it. Read more by following updates on my Twitter account here.

Thanks for taking the test!

Kevin Richardson is an award winning fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training^TM. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or toning up and taking your body to the next level with a time saving and practical system of diet and exercise, give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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Multi-vitamins And Vitamin Supplements Can Do More Harm Than Good

“Except for persons with special medical needs, there is no scientific basis for recommending the routine use of dietary supplements”- Food & Drug Administration

In a rather ironic twist, sales of vitamin supplements have surged as the economy has slowed. Once the mainstay of the health and fitness minded, vitamins are now seen by the general public as a quick, inexpensive and convenient way to improve their health and reduce their chances of getting sick. Thanks to savvy marketing on the part of the supplement industry vitamins now serve as an unofficial insurance policy for those who don’t have medical benefits and can’t afford to see a doctor. There is also the ever-growing number of people  who for one reason or another prefer to avoid Western medicine as much as possible. Vitamins are also popular among those who believe that taking a multivitamin will not only improve their health, give them more energy but also compensate for their poor dietary habits.[1] With over 15,000 dietary supplements on the market racking in over 17 billion dollars in sales each year[2] estimates are that anywhere from 25% to 50% of American adults have taken some form of vitamin supplement over the past year.[1,3] However as ubiquitous as these supplements have become there is still little credible and unbiased research to show that vitamin supplements have any effect in improving our health. On the contrary, many studies raise the issue that most supplemented vitamins are not  just ineffective but may be bad for your health.

Multi-vitamins & Vitamin Supplements Don’t Improve Your Health

“If a product says on the bottle that it isn’t meant to treat, diagnose or cure disease, what is it supposed to do?”

In 2009 researchers from the Women’s Health Institute concluded a 15 year study of methods to prevent heart disease and cancers in post menopausal women. The study was monumental in its scope, observing a total of 161,808 women using vitamin supplements for eight years and then checking in on them for several years afterwards. The conclusions were not very positive as researchers noted that there was ‘convincing evidence that multivitamin use has little or no influence on the risk of common cancers, CVD or total mortality.’[4] Another recent meta analysis of over 27 studies encompassing a total of 355,080 women had a similar finding- namely that multivitamin use had no effect on decreasing the risk of breast cancer.[5] A study on the intake of vitamins E and C by 15,000 male physicians over the course of ten years found absolutely no health benefits as well.[9] These results don’t come from small scale, industry-sponsored, single nutrient research but from credible and peer reviewed scientific study. Nevertheless these findings do little to dissuade the public from using them as the cacophony of self promoting misinformation disseminated by the supplement industry effectively drowns out any negative findings, regardless of how conclusive it may be. What is more cause for concern  are other studies have shown that vitamin supplements may actually increase your risk of certain diseases.

Using  Multi-vitamins & Vitamin Supplements May Increase Your Risk Of Disease

One of the initial warnings for not using vitamin supplements came in 2005 with a study finding that a high percentage of men who were white, well educated, and who had active and healthy lifestyles with prostate cancer had one thing in common. They regularly took vitamin supplements.[6] Following up on this was a trial of 295,344 men enrolled in the National Institutes of Health Diet & Health Study. The trial found that while vitamin supplements didn’t seem to increase the risk of localized prostate cancer, those who took them frequently had in some cases twice the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer. Frequent users were also were more likely to die from prostate cancer than those who never took vitamin supplements at all [7]- a sobering conclusion to say the least.  Positive cancer associations with excessive multivitamin use were strongest in men with a family history of prostate cancer or among those who took individual micronutrient supplements.  Including selenium, beta-carotene and zinc.

The use of individual vitamins as antioxidants has also raised concerns in the medical community after one of the most comprehensive reviews of randomized trials of 232,606 adults using beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E and selenium. Researchers found that not only did participants not receive any health benefits from using vitamin supplements, but that supplemented intake of beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may actually increase mortality.[8] More studies were recommended to research the possible effects of vitamin C and selenium on mortality but in 2008 a study on the ability of vitamin E and selenium to lower the risk of prostate cancer was halted amidst fear of potential harm to participants. The study was stopped after it was found that supplemental vitamin C may do more harm than good as it may serve to protect cancer cells.[9]

It gets worse. A recent control study in the United Kingdom found that high circulating blood levels of Vitamin B(12) and (in cohort studies) folate were associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer [10] casting severe doubts on the use of vitamin B12 supplements and folic acid in men. Another study found that long term use of zinc from multivitamins or single nutrient  supplements was associated with a doubling in the risk of prostate cancer. Adding to the growing evidence for an unfavorable effect of zinc on prostate cancer carcinogenesis.[11]

It doesn’t end there; a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that, ‘in patients with vascular disease or diabetes, long-term supplementation with 400 IU/day of vitamin E may increase the risk for heart failure.’[12] It isn’t all bad feedback on vitamins as there is compelling cause and effect data linking the use of folic acid with consistent and significant reductions in adverse pregnancy outcomes in women. But on the other side there are also studies demonstrating no beneficial effects of calcium and vitamin D supplements in improving bone strength and reducing fractures.[9] It’s a complex issue but not one where the use of supplemented vitamins seem to make sense, especially given the alternatives.

Vitamins and Anti-Oxidants May Inhibit The Benefits of Exercise

It should be noted that ‘effective’ doses of many vitamins and minerals can be toxic and that high levels of any single nutrient being ingested into our bodies is an unnatural occurrence. In nature it isn’t possible to consume just one nutrient as they always coexist with a host of other valuable compounds. Not surprisingly studies have found that high levels of single nutrients can interfere with the functions of other nutrients and the way our body works. Of concern to anyone engaged in an exercise program is the study which found that large amounts of antioxidants can actually reduce the benefits of exercise. A study published in 2009 evaluated the effects of a combination of vitamin C (1000 mg/day) and vitamin E (400 IU/day) on insulin sensitivity in exercising men and the results were eye opening to say the least. They found that supplementation with antioxidants inhibit the beneficial reduction in insulin sensitivity usually produced by exercise[13] and the conclusion was that anti-oxidants may preclude the health-promoting effects of exercise in humans.

Exercise appears to cause some degree of damage to cells in addition to increasing oxidative stress. While not conclusive, some studies have reported that supplementation with vitamin C and E, other antioxidants, or antioxidant mixtures can reduce symptoms or indicators of oxidative stress while having no beneficial effect on performance.[15] This reduction inhibits the otherwise positive benefits of exercise and researchers advise that until studies fully substantiate the long term safety and effects of antioxidants physically active individuals should avoid them and instead ingest a diet of foods rich in antioxidants.[14, 15.16]

Vitamins Can’t Make You Healthy- Eating Well & Exercising Makes You Healthy

Studies questioning the safety and effectiveness of vitamins are numerous- and yet there are hundreds if not thousands of studies that confirm that regular exercise can decrease your risk of everything from depression to cancer and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin supplements however don’t have very convincing records. What has also been proven time and time again is that diets high in natural foods which contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are associated with lower incidences of chronic disease. Taking vitamins in pill form doesn’t yield similar advantages. It sounds like a broken record but whenever we try to duplicate the health benefits of natural foods with an artificial substitutes it usually doesn’t work and or produces negative outcomes. The use of omega-3 fortified foods and the many dietary supplements on the market are glowing examples of how the supplement industry promotes the use of synthetically produced ‘nutraceuticals’- all of which have questionable effects on public health. While vitamin supplements have seemed to show some benefit among individuals with severe deficiencies, in the United States it is almost impossible to find such a case- even among poorer populations as improvements in food supply and varieties in diet eradicated such deficiencies earlier in the 20th Century.

Dispelling The Myths: Vitamins Replace Micronutrients Not Found in Modern Diets

“Deficiency symptoms have been induced only under experimental conditions and there is no convincing evidence that the ordinary diet requires supplementation with these nutrients.” Food & Drug Administration

While there is no arguing that the average American diet is one in need of improvement, even with a food intake high in sugars, refined foods, salt and fats micronutrient deficiency to the point of severity is almost non-existent. Our problems stem from the overabundance of food which can lead to obesity and the syndrome of metabolic related diseases but deficiencies are the least of our problems today in spite of what you may hear in the media and from studies funded by the special interest groups who want you to buy their products. A good example is a recent study that made headlines reporting that 90% of Americans are nutrient deficient. The ‘research’ found that nine out of ten Americans are deficient in 11 key nutrients including calcium, vitamin D and potassium. It sounds alarming but before you run to buy some vitamins you might want to consider two important facts;

1. The study wasn’t reviewed or recognized by any scientific authorities on nutrition and
2. The fact that the study was done by the Milk Processor Education Dairy Research Program and that the study came with a recommendation that drinking more milk would alleviate these deficiencies.

It’s a typical industry-centered public relations campaign which is designed to looks like a scientific study, but is really just another way to make you buy more products. (Read more on industry marketing practices in The Economics of Obesity)
Throughout history we humans have been able to meet our vitamin and mineral needs by consuming available plant and animal foods. With the exception of human breast milk no one food is better than another or absolutely necessary for optimal health, and by mixing and matching our foods we are naturally able to create healthy diets that not only meet our nutrient needs but also suit our tastes, cultural, religious and ethnic preferences.

Dispelling The Myths: Foods Grown Today Have Less Vitamins and Minerals Than Several Years Ago So You Need Vitamin Supplements To Replace Them

“Vitamins and minerals are supplied in abundant amounts by the foods we eat. The Food & Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommends that dietary needs be satisfied by foods.” – Food & Drug Administration

The depleted soil theory has been a popular selling point for manufacturers in the vitamin industry for years. The theory holds that soils today have been depleted due to intensive agriculture practices so fruits and vegetables today contain less nutrients than they did 50 years ago. Following that logic you need a vitamin supplement to get the missing nutrients. Sounds good but again it isn’t exactly true. Studies have found some reduction in nutrient content in vegetables grown today as opposed to 50 years ago, but his has nothing to do with soil quality which has remained the same. So what is the real story? Well, the marked increase in American food production over the past several decades occurred as farmers developed crops that grew faster and thus produced the greatest yields. The consequence of a faster growing plant is that it can’t acquire the same amount of nutrients from the soil or from synthesis as much as their slower growing counterparts. The differences vary between varieties of plants with declines found in six macronutrients and micronutrients- protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and vitamin C. The reductions ranged from 6 % for protein, 20 % for vitamin C, 15 % for iron, and 38% for riboflavin.[17]

That being said the study’s author, Donald Davis a biochemist at the University of Texas, affirmed that it was wrong to stop eating vegetables on the grounds they lack nutrients or that vitamin supplementation is in any way necessary. What he did say, was that fruits and vegetables are still extremely high in vitamins, minerals and beneficial phytochemicals and remain our best sources of these nutrients. Valuable nutrients that are not present in vitamin supplements. His study also concluded that while there was a decline in the amount of certain nutrients it must be remembered that this came with the benefit of more available fruits and vegetables available for consumption which have gone a long way towards eliminating severe deficiencies.

More Vitamin Myths Dispelled

There are other arguments put forward by vitamin distributors, all answered by very basic science.

Does cooking reduce the amount of nutrients in our foods?

Absolutely, but not very much and most certainly not to the point where we develop vitamin deficiencies. If this were the case given the laws of natural selection humans would have either died out several hundred thousand years ago when we began using fire to cook out foods or stopped cooking. Either way cooking foods isn’t a valid reason for supplementation. Furthermore- if cooking does reduce vitamin content slightly, what do you think happens when those vitamins are processed and refined by machines and stamped into pill or powder form?

People feel better when they take vitamins.

This argument is equally flawed. Most of the ‘benefits’ of supplements can be explained by the placebo effect and the often ignored ability of the human body to heal itself. Studies showing that people taking vitamins are in better health also conveniently forget to say that statistics show that these people tend to be better educated and have higher incomes. Thus putting them in a subgroup of society that is healthier whether or not they take vitamin supplements.

Unfortunately selling vitamins is often a major source of income for many in the health and fitness fields and few are willing to jeopardize losing their commissions by speaking out against them. Vitamin distributors spend a lot of time convincing professionals in the field to sell their products- I get at least two or three requests a week. All from companies with vitamins purportedly made with ingredients that are more natural and of better quality of what you find on the market. They can be quite persuasive and the compensation is often substantial so it creates a legion of professionals who consumers really trust pushing the use of vitamins. A brilliant marketing ploy, but one that puts profits before public health. The magic pill ideology also takes away from the important and proven effective message of eating more fruits, vegetables and natural foods while incorporating exercise into your life. Taking a pill here and there isn’t going to make you any healthier and in many cases may do more harm than good.

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City, an award winning health and fitness writer and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York City area and need help losing weight or getting into shape give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420. Check out Kevin personal training services here.

References :
1. Blendon RJ, DesRoches CM, Benson JM, et al. Americans’ views on the use and regulation of dietary supplements. Archives of Internal Medicine 2001
2. The Nutrition Business Journal, 2001
3. Dietary supplement survey 2004- Insitute of Medicine
4. Neuhouser ML, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Thomson C, Aragaki A, Anderson GL, Manson JE, Patterson RE, Rohan TE, van Horn L, Shikany JM, Thomas A, LaCroix A, Prentice RL.Multivitamin use and risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in the Women’s  Health Initiative cohorts. Arch Intern Med. 2009
5.Chan AL, Leung HW, Wang SF.Multivitamin supplement use and risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis.Ann Pharmacother. 2011
6. Wiygul JB, Evans BR, Peterson BL, Polascik TJ, Walther PJ, Robertson CN, Albala DM, Demark-Wahnefried W.Supplement use among men with prostate cancer.Urology 2005
7. Lawson KA, Wright ME, Subar A, Mouw T, Hollenbeck A, Schatzkin A, Leitzmann MF.Multivitamin use and risk of prostate cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007
8. Bjelakovic G, Nikolova D, Gluud LL, Simonetti RG, Gluud C.Mortality in randomized trials of antioxidant supplements for primary and secondary prevention: systematic review and meta-analysis.JAMA. 2007
9.Soni MG, Thurmond TS, Miller ER 3rd, Spriggs T, Bendich A, Omaye ST.Safety of vitamins and minerals: controversies and perspective.Toxicol Sci. 2010
10. Collin SM, Metcalfe C, Refsum H, Lewis SJ, Zuccolo L, Smith GD, Chen L, Harris R, Davis M, Marsden G, Johnston C, Lane JA, Ebbing M, Bønaa KH, Nygård O, Ueland PM, Grau MV, Baron JA, Donovan JL, Neal DE, Hamdy FC, Smith AD, Martin RM. Circulating folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine, vitamin B12 transport proteins, and risk of prostate cancer: a case-control study, systematic review, and meta-analysis.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010
11. Zhang Y, Coogan P, Palmer JR, Strom BL, Rosenberg L.Vitamin and mineral use and risk of prostate cancer: the case-control surveillance study.Cancer Causes Control. 2009
12. Lonn E, et al. Effects of long-term vitamin E supplementation on cardiovascular events and cancer: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2005;293:1338-1347.
13. Ristow M, Zarse K, Oberbach A, Klöting N, Birringer M, Kiehntopf M, Stumvoll M, Kahn CR, Blüher M. Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009
14.Clarkson PM, Thompson HS.Antioxidants: what role do they play in physical activity and health? Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Aug;72(2 Suppl):637S-46S.
15. Evans WJ. Vitamin E, vitamin C, and exercise. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000
16. Sacheck JM, Blumberg JB. Role of vitamin E and oxidative stress in exercise. Nutrition. 2001
17. Davis DR, Epp MD, Riordan HD.Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. J Am Coll Nutr.

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Are Protein Shakes Bad For You?

Although research hasn’t proven their role in sports performance and muscle strength, the ubiquitous protein shake has become a central presence in the lives of most fitness conscious people today and is the golden boy of the multi-billion dollar supplement industry. Once chalky and foul tasting mixtures of calcium caseinate used almost exclusively by bodybuilders and power-lifters in the 1970’s and 80’s, protein shakes have evolved into slickly advertised and milkshake flavored smoothies sold at trendy shops. Sales of protein shakes and its cousin the protein bar, increase each year as more mainstream members of the public use them as a quick and handy meal replacement. A 2005 study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics even found that protein powders and shakes were the supplements most commonly used by those aged 12 to 18, which isn’t surprising given the advertising that promises muscles from a can. In the fitness world, protein shakes are seen as an indispensable part of achieving a lean, muscular physique and they are sold at just about every gym in the country. Without a doubt, the number of fitness minded people who don’t use protein shakes are few, and I will be first to admit that I used protein shakes religiously for over ten years earlier in my career. This is no longer the case as I don’t use them anymore, nor do I advise any of my personal training clients to use them. Experience has taught me that protein shakes are not that effective for building quality muscle in a drug free athlete, and using them can be an easy way to get fat and adversely affect your health.

Protein can be thought of as the building blocks for our bodies. Muscle, bones, skin and other tissues are all made from protein and everyone needs in varying amounts to stay healthy. The appeal of protein shakes is that most people don’t always have access to wholesome meals and so a ready to drink shake is looked upon as a handy and healthy alternative- but is it really? The past hundred years have been a too often ignored history lesson of what goes wrong when we add unnatural food products to our diet. Cardiovascular disease and diabetes now affect as much as 25% of the U.S. population[1] and blame for the increase lies squarely on the new foods introduced into our diet in the latter half of the twentieth century. Nothing could be more further from a natural human diet than a protein shake or bar and given the fact that there are no safety testing criteria required by the FDA for supplements, we have nothing concrete to vouch for how their long term use will impact our health. The list of  fallen ‘healthy foods’ consumed by the fitness minded over the years is an impressive one. Trans fats laden margarine became a staple among the health conscious during the 70’s and 80’s while low fat food products are popular items today. All sold based on nothing more than advertising hype and endorsements while time and science proves them all to be questionable for regular human consumption.  It is important for us to realize that over the past 150,000 years of our existence as a species, the human body has evolved along with the very foods that sustained us in a harmonious and mutually beneficial way. Societies labeled as primitive that subsist on only naturally occurring foods do not have the prevalence of metabolic disease.[2]

Protein Shakes Are Unhealthy &  Unnatural Food Products

Our bodies are a marvels of biological perfection, and so is the environment in which they evolved. For millennia, we have relied exclusively on natural food sources for our sustenance. Our ancestors ate meat, fish, grains, grasses, nuts, eggs and other foods, but their diets did not include protein shakes with cross filtered, pre-digested whey proteins or micellar casein. The argument that protein shakes are made with natural ingredients are a moot point, as many products made with natural ingredients are harmful to human beings. Potassium cyanide can be harvested from wild almonds, and stating that it has ‘all natural ingredients’ will do little to reduce its toxicity. The most popular protein shakes are made with whey or casein which are both milk derivatives, but although they exist in milk, they do not exist naturally in isolation without the presence of other nutrients- a factor we are learning to be critical in the way the body digests micro and macro nutrients. An excellent example would be vitamin supplements. You can take the most expensive vitamin tablet to ensure your intake of essential vitamins and minerals, but because the many other chemical compounds naturally present in meats, grains, fruit or vegetables are absent, our bodies simply cannot absorb the vitamins as efficiently. Since vitamins were first isolated in the early 20th century by biochemist, Casmir Funk, we have embarked on an unsuccessful quest to reduce foods to simple compounds of vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and fats with the creation of engineered food products. The failure of the modern food industry to create and sustain an overwhelmingly healthy population should set off an alarm in the heads of anyone serious about taking care of their bodies. It took thousands of years for our bodies and our foods to evolve. There is a very strong relationship between us and the foods responsible for our survival as our bodies have learned over time to extract vital nutrients from these foods, while they in turn evolved to be more appealing to our senses and our taste buds. You don’t need a label with well muscled individuals making outrageous claims to make an apple on a tree appealing, but you need a pretty good public relations campaign to make the idea of liquid proteins palatable to the general public- and that is exactly what modern marketing has done. Liquid proteins can never share the kinship that we have with real foods and it is doubtful that it ever will.

Protein Shakes Can Make You Fat

The protein found in many of today’s shakes are predigested, which means they are chemically altered to allow for faster assimilation. In terms of supplying protein quickly to needy muscles, this sounds like  an excellent idea, especially after a hard workout, but it actually isn’t. Many studies confirm that ingestion of protein can increase your metabolic rate over 30% more than other food sources. This increase in metabolic rate from protein intake is called the thermic effect, and is a key factor in effective body fat reduction and is one of the reasons high protein diets are recommended for promoting fat loss. However, by drinking a protein shake in liquid form, it will always be assimilated faster than its natural, real food, solid counterparts. The rapid assimilation will thus significantly decrease the thermic effect. Factor in that these proteins are also partially pre-digested, it becomes obvious that this will further reduce any thermic effect. The rapid ingestion of a high calorie liquid protein can also lead to diarrhea, bloating and have a negative effect on eating behaviors. The skills required to lose weight long term by making consistent healthy real food choices go out the window when a protein shake is used to replace a meal. Let us not forget that a protein shake is still a source of liquid calories, and even the low calorie varieties can add up.

There is growing evidence that our bodies are unable to detect the calories in these new ‘liquid foods’ as when we eat solid foods. Our bodies have evolved so that solid foods make us feel satisfied, fluid calories, like the ones you would get from a protein shake don’t have strong satiety properties, nor does it suppress hunger. In fact when using fluid calories from any source, studies have shown that people often end up eating more calories overall as they ingest calories from the liquid and then keep eating as they are not satisfied by liquids in the same way, which sets the stage for overeating and weight gain. Physiologically the mechanisms behind hunger and thirst are very different. Thirst is quenched when your brain sends a signal that your blood and cell volume has increased, but hunger is regulated by signals from your stomach and intestines. When you eat solid foods, the nerves in your stomach detect that your stomach wall is stretching and sends a satiety signals to your brain while your intestines release hormones that all contribute to you feeling full. Protein shakes are often used on an empty stomach to replace a meal, but as you can see from the way in which our bodies are designed, it can’t satisfy you the way solid foods can and my experience has been that people using protein shakes as meal replacements during the day tend to overeat at night as your body isn’t satisfied by the liquid calories. People using protein shakes as a way to reduce their overall calories for purposes weight loss are only able to do so for limited periods. Over time the urge to eat solid foods (and the wrong ones at that) become overwhelming and any weight lost while using the shakes as a meal replacement tends to be rapidly regained.

As an up and coming natural bodybuilder, one of the first rules I learned from my coaches is that you never have protein shakes before a contest, and that you should always eliminate them at least three months out if you really want to get your body fat levels down. In so doing, you rely solely on solid foods that take full advantage of the thermic effect. My coaches, maintained that long before there were protein shakes, men and women had no problems building muscle and reducing their body fat and it is hard to argue with the list of impressive natural bodybuilders before the 1970’s. They also believed that consumption of protein supplements promotes water retention and increased body fat that many mistake for an increase in muscle mass. Take a look at the average protein drinking gym-goer and chances are that they don’t sport well defined abdominals. Instead they tend to look a bit on the bulky side- a look that can be easily duplicated by drinking milkshakes instead of protein shakes. They are a lot cheaper and at the end of the day, will do the same thing- which is make you fat.

Get your daily requirements of arsenic from protein shakes.

Protein Shakes Are Unregulated & Often Contain Harmful Ingredients

‘Pharmaceutical grade’ is a common element on many protein supplement container, however the truth is that FDA regulations do not require protein drinks to undergo any form of safety testing. That being said, it is no surprise that a recent review by Consumer Reports found that all of the protein shakes tested had at least one sample containing lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury [3]

• A sampling of the three recommended daily servings of a popular Myoplex product by EAS found 16.9 micrograms of arsenic (the safety standard set by U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) is 15 micrograms) and 5.1 micrograms of cadmium- which is just above the USP limit of 5 micrograms a day.
• Muscle Milk samples contained all the heavy metals mentioned: lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury with the daily recommended serving yielding 5.5 micrograms of cadmium (5 micrograms is the safe limit), 13.5 micrograms of lead (10 micrograms is the USP safe limit), and 12.2 micrograms of arsenic.

These numbers should not be taken lightly, as heavy metals such as cadmium accumulates in the body and can bring about extensive kidney damage. Heavy metals also have a tendency to stay in the body and it can take as long as 20 years to eliminate just half of the cadmium it absorbs today. The Consumer Reports investigation notes that cadmium raises special concern because it accumulates in and can damage the kidneys, the same organs that can be damaged by excessive protein consumption.  And it can take 20 years for the body to eliminate even half the cadmium absorbed today.

Protein Shakes Can Cause Kidney Damage & Increase The Risk of Osteoporosis

Not only can the kidneys be damaged by high levels of heavy metals found in protein shakes, but also from excess protein consumption. Many routinely drink upwards of the recommended servings of protein shakes throughout the course of a day by adding extra scoops or by having over three servings. The idea that more is better is especially prevalent among those seeking to build muscular physiques and there are no protein supplements with labels spelling out what the maximum serving sizes should be, that of course would be bad for business. Anyone with diabetes or kidney problems could find themselves facing serious side effects from overdoing their protein intake and shakes make it all the easier to do so. People are not always aware that they have kidney problems or diabetes, so you should always be aware of your health status before consuming them- or even better, don’t consume them at all. Long term excessive protein intake has also shown to increase the rate of calcium excretion from the bones of the body, thus upping the risk of developing osteoporosis. As a somewhat unnatural product, it isn’t at all surprising that many doctors suspect long term protein shake consumption as a cause of liver dysfunction. I was diagnosed several years ago with a fatty liver and abnormal enzymes. As a lifetime drug free athlete who never drinks and eats a consistently healthy base of foods, it was a bit of a shock and my physician pointed to my protein supplement intake as a possible cause- as it was something he had seen before in other athletes. I got several other opinions from different gastroenterologists and they all concurred that protein shakes might be the causative factor and so reluctantly I stopped taking them. In time, my liver enzymes stabilized again at normal levels, even though I was still taking in the same amount of protein, only this time it was from real foods.

Protein Shakes & the Pressure Of Advertising

It wasn’t easy stopping the shakes. Everyone else used them and everywhere I went in the gym there were ads with all the top athletes with a shake bottle in their hands. (In later years I learned that few of the athletes endorsing the products ever really took them and I myself have been asked on several occasions to endorse products even given my well known stance against their use). It was hard, and the peer pressure was enormous, but slowly I weaned myself off of the shakes. I thought that perhaps I would see some reduction in my muscle mass a result, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Over the past ten years, I have made better and more consistent gains in strength, muscle mass and conditioning as compared to when I was having protein shakes on a daily basis. It did mean that I had to pay more attention to my diet and plan my meals a bit more, but I credit that transition with being able to naturally maintain a body fat percentage of 5% or less all year round. Not only do I no longer have the stomach upsets that I learned to live with when I drank shakes regularly, but I also feel better and my digestion and energy levels are much better than they were before. Who knew just eating real food could be so beneficial?

In retrospect, I should have stopped earlier. I never used protein shakes before a contest or photoshoot, so why was it logical to go back to using them when I felt and looked my best without them. These products are a testimony to the influence of pervasive marketing and it is hard to escape it when as much as 60% of fitness magazines today are filled with supplement advertisements- most of them being for protein shakes. They also appeal to our modern microwave mentality for quick over quality. It is a fundamentally flawed argument to say that having a protein drink is better than eating junk food as the two both pose potential risks to your health and are well outside the circle of real foods that our bodies are designed to consume. Such ideas of health relativity are akin to saying that it is better to jump from the 19^th floor of a building rather than the 20^th. Both lead to the same result while the true logical response is to ignore both choices. The other evil bestowed upon us by protein shakes and the like is the idea that we need something outside of ourselves to be healthy. That we have to purchase something to achieve our goals and that we are unable on our own to do great things. Changing your body in a positive way requires sacrifice and convenience does not always factor into the equation. A strong and healthy body comes from years of dedication, commitment, sensible eating and time, but most certainly not from a protein shake.

References:

1. Ford ES, Giles WH, Dietz WH (2002). “Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among US adults: findings from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey”. JAMA

2 McMurry MP, Cerqueira MT, Connor SL, and Connor WE. Changes in lipid and lipoprotein levels and body weight in Tarahumara Indians after consumption of an affluent diet [see comments]. N Engl J Med

3. Consumer Reports July 2010

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the founder of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight, building muscle or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420. Check out Kevin’s personal training services here.

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Can Glucosamine Stop Arthritis Pain?

Supplements are always a bit problematic in terms of figuring out what works and what does not. Often the placebo effect is so strong that it makes it very difficult to determine whether what you are taking really works or whether any positive benefit comes only from the power of suggestion. We have seen that the more advertising there is of a particular drug or product, the higher the placebo effect will be. One of the products that raises that question mark is glucosamine- a supplement used as a popular over the counter treatment for arthritis. I originally published an article in August of 2009 on the subject and I think given what we know of the increase in the placebo effect it should be revisited. Here is the original article updated to include some additional observations:

Over the past 20 years I have worked with a lot of individuals suffering with osteoarthritis. Many used glucosamine as a way of dealing with the often crippling pain that comes with osteoarthritis. Visit any supplement store and the people working there will give glowing reviews of the power of glucosamine in reducing the pain and inflammation caused by arthritis or any joint disorder. Having never used it myself and being a bit of a skeptic in these matters, I can say that my opinion is mixed. I never advocate the use of any supplements, but when my clients use something, I do take notes to see if there is any validity to the claims and have continued to do so for several years.

What I have seen with 10 clients who used glucosamine- some of them used glucosamine with chondroitin,  all but one reported an initial sense of relief. But, interestingly enough, as the months went all of them reported at one point or another that they saw an improvement in their symptoms. Keep in mind that this is in no way a controlled study or anything remotely resembling one. The dosages, products and time frames were also inconsistent but from what I observed everyone seemed to derive some benefit nonetheless. There is one issue that does prevent any declaration that glucosamine might be responsible for their relief. Namely that they were all doing supervised resistance training at the time. Training focused directly on helping them improve their joint mobility and increasing the strength of their surrounding muscles. (8 of the clients had knee issues, 1 had elbow issues and 1 had problems with his fingers).

Was glucosamine responsible, the placebo effect or was it the training? I am inclined to go with the conclusion that it was the training, as I have trained many clients with osteoarthritis who never used glucosamine but nevertheless reported similar relief over time.  But don’t take my word as the final answer on whether or not glucosamine can improve the suffering of people with joint problems. The Cochrane Review is a well established, peer review group that evaluates and confirms the results of thousands of studies in many fields. They are looked upon in clinical circles as the authority on what works and what doesn’t and thus far their findings are that glucosamine’s effects on humans are thus far questionable at best.

Hope this helps.

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City, a prominent health and fitness writer and the founder of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™.

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The Placebo Effect On Weight Loss And Sports Performance

My fascination with the placebo effect began many years ago in a small but serious gym in Trinidad. Back home, steroids were very much a part of the weightlifting and bodybuilding culture. Everyone knew where you could get it and who you could get it from, but dealers were very discriminating in who they would or would not sell their wares to. One day, about two or three months from our Carnival, one of the young guys at the gym (who we will call Greg) decided that he was going to use steroids to get in shape for the coming festivities. He was not particularly liked and all of the steroid dealers had refused to sell to him at one time or another. He was however, annoyingly persistent, and so, partly to shut him up and partly because they didn’t really like him very much, they conspired to give him fake drugs. Thinking that it would be worth a laugh, they agreed to give him an injection of what they told him was testosterone propionate every week for two months. I can hardly express how happy he was. He was so looking forward to starting his cycle, and while I was appalled that they would play such a cruel trick on him, for purposes of self preservation (I wasn’t big and muscled back then) I held my tongue.

Dutifully every week, Greg and the guys would assemble in the men’s locker room to administer his shot. It was always an event, with most of them bursting at the seams trying hard not to laugh as he was injected with diluted vegetable oil and (hopefully) sterilized water. The joke, turned out to be on them. In spite of the fact that Greg was receiving a weekly dose of watered down vegetable oil, he put on a solid fifteen pounds of muscle in the course of two months, and when from being able to squat 225 lbs for six repetitions to 315 lbs for 12 repetitions. The weight on all of his lifts when up and not only did he get bigger, leaner and stronger, but he also developed an acne problem. A tell tale sign of steroid use! Utterly perplexed, the guys at the gym couldn’t understand what was happening. They eventually came clean and gave him his money back, flabbergasted and apologetic for having pulled a prank that didn’t pan out as expected, but Greg would not have it! He firmly believed that they were simply envious of his remarkable gains, how else could he have done what he did? The answer has fascinated me for decades and I have seen the astounding effects that placebos can have. Yet, aside from using it to sell supplements, snake oil and even pharmaceutical drugs, it isn’t studied as much as it should be.

What Is A Placebo?

A placebo as applied by medical science is defined as a preparation which is pharmacologically inert (such as a sugar pill) but which appears to have a therapeutic effect based solely on the power of suggestion.[1] In a medical setting, the placebo effect occurs when a patient or individual takes an inert substance, with some degree of suggestion either from a person or institution of authority, or from information about the pill that states that the pill will have a positive effect in the individual’s healing process and there is an improvement in their condition. Credible studies proving the placebo effect have been around since the late 1930’s, and yet it is largely ignored by the public. It is so powerful that the FDA requires it as a part of all drug trials and physicians regularly use it today as part of standard treatment. Almost 50% of the doctors polled in a 2007 survey admitted to prescribing medications that they knew were ineffective for their patients’ conditions or in doses too low to produce any possible therapeutic benefit but to provoke a placebo response.[2] It is disheartening that rather than viewing our innate ability to positively influence medical outcomes and changes in our bodies solely from suggestion as a positive aspect, most ignore it or see it as some sort of trickery. In so doing, many miss the wondrous potential locked within us all.

The More You Spend On A Placebo Product- The Better It Works

From a marketing perspective, this view is encouraged, as it puts the emphasis back on creating the need for a drug, pill or powder for everything from the common cold to weight loss.  The power of placebos is quite well known among makers of questionable products like supplements and even some pharmaceutical drugs.  A study published in the Journal of American Medicine, showed that the placebo effect was indeed directly proportional to the amount of money spent on the placebo. For the test, the subjects were given a serie of painful electric shocks. Participants were then asked to rate the pain they felt after each shock. They were then given a placebo pill that they were told had properties similar to codeine, a powerful pain medication. The pill given was completely inert and half of the patients were told that their treatment cost $2.50 per pill. The other half was told that their pills had been purchased at a discounted price of ten cents per pill. When they were then given a second series of electric shocks, and asked to rate the pain, 85% of the patients taking the $2.50 pill reported that the second set of shocks were less painful. In contrast only 61 % of those taking the ten cent pill said the shocks were less painful. The conclusion was unmistakable: the more expensive the pill, it seems, the larger the perceived effect — even when the pill clearly actually has no effect whatsoever.

There are other social factors involved in the efficacy of the placebo effect. Over the years, it has been shown that the placebo effect is in fact getting stronger and that it differs greatly from culture to culture.[3] One reason why the placebo effect continues to grow could be the omnipresence of marketing for both pharmaceutical drugs and pseudoscience products here in the United States. Since 1997 when the FDA lifted its restriction on direct-to-consumer advertising, we have been deluged by ads promoting the effectiveness of numerous pharmaceutical drugs. Ads designed in part to increase the placebo response of the drugs themselves and in some cases the marketing has backfired. So strong has the placebo response become for some popular antidepressants and statin drugs,  that if they were tested today against inert substances they wouldn’t pass the FDA requirements for working better than a placebo.[2] To counter this, many companies have moved their test trials to other countries with lower placebo responses to get their drugs approved.

How The Placebo Effect Can Make It Seem Like Everything Works For Weight Loss

For vitamin, herb and supplement manufacturers, this created a goldmine of opportunities. With the right pricing, the right athletes or celebrity endorsements and the right advertising campaign, they could make outlandish claims about their products and always find an audience who would swear that their products work. Thanks to the placebo effect. Over the years, everything from boron to bee pollen has been marketed to improve muscle building and fat loss. Each time a new product is released, there are those who swear by the results they see. Even though, as time goes on, the products are shown to be completely ineffective. Back in the 90’s, as an impressionable teenager, I used everything from Mexican sarsaparilla to linseed in the quest to get bigger and stronger without resorting to anabolic steroids or prohormones.

As ineffective as they were all shown to be when everyone else was using it, we all felt that we saw some results.

In my personal training practice, I have seen the placebo effect as a powerful psychological tool for weight loss. I have always maintained a strict no supplement or fat loss supplement policy with my clients as they either don’t work or are potentially harmful. However, a number of bodybuilders and fitness models who I worked with in preparation for competitions or high end photo shoots, would complain that other athletes had an edge over them since they were using fat burners. To counter this, I would find a fat burning product with the least harmful looking ingredients (which wasn’t easy) and tell them that while I did not recommend it, if they had to take anything they could take 1/9 the dosage prescribed on the bottle to help them lose body fat. In every case, they felt better and claimed the supplement helped them lose more body fat. After the contest or photo shoot, I would inform them that not only the supplements they used were worthless in terms of fat burning, but that even if it could work the dose was far too low for them to experience any significant effect. All the positive results came from their training and dedication to their diets. The best part of my little trick is that for all other shows or shoots in the future, they never felt like they needed anything else to help them get into shape as they understood that the power always came from within.

References:

1. Gensini GF, Conti AA, Conti A (April 2005). “Past and present of what will please the lord: an updated history of the concept of placebo”. Minerva Med 96

2. Silverman S. The Placebo Problem. Wired

3. Moerman DE (2000). “Cultural variations in the placebo effect: ulcers, anxiety, and blood pressure”. Med Anthropol Q

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after NYC personal trainers and creator of Naturally Intense™ High Intensity Training. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here.

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