The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: What’s what with some common supplements for exercise performance
When Sergio Leone directed the 1966 Western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” — with Clint Eastwood as Blondie (the “Good”), Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes (the “Bad”) and Eli Wallach as Tuco (the “Ugly”) — he helped create a
phrase (never spoken in the movie) that entered the American language as an enduring favorite. “Good, bad and ugly” has been applied to everything from presidential speeches to the running of the bulls in Pamplona. It also can be used to
describe the endless array of supplements that are pushed to the American public for improving exercise performance.
Now, the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health has decided to make it clear which category the most commonly available supplements fall into! The Good are the effective and/or safe supplements. The Bad are those that take your money without delivering any proven benefit. The Ugly are those that pose a serious health risk to you.
The various additives evaluated in the new ODS fact sheet, “Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance,” include antioxidants (vitamins C and E), arginine, beet juice/beet root, beta-alanine, beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate
(HMB), betaine, branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine), caffeine, citrulline, creatine, deer antler velvet, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), ginseng, glutamine, iron, protein, quercetin, ribose, sodium bicarbonate, tart or sour cherry and tribulus terrestris.
Many are benign — or may even boost your energy a bit (think caffeine and creatine) — if you take in the ingredients from foods/beverages or from recommended doses.