The sports world is filled with pills, potions, powders, bars and drinks that promise to give the athlete a winning edge. The claims are emotive - better recovery, improved endurance, increased strength, loss of body fat, an enhanced immune system. If you are striving to be at the top, how can you afford to miss out on these miracles? And can you afford for your competitors to have these advantages if you don't? These are some of the feelings that make athletes an easy target for supplements.

Surely if a supplement or sports food makes a promise to improve performance it must be true?

Most people believe that government laws would prevent supplement companies from making outrageous or untrue claims about their products. In other words, they believe that if a company makes a claim, particularly in writing, it must be correct. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

In Australia, supplements that belong to the pill, potion and powder category fall under the control of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Most fall within the 'listable' items category, the most lightly regulated category of the TGA, and are required only to provide proof that they don't contain ingredients that are banned by our custom laws. The TGA has no requirement that a product must have proof of its benefits to be accepted at this level. Sports foods, including bars and drinks, fall under the control of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). FSANZ provides regulations about the ingredients and labeling of sports foods, and permits a limited number of claims to be made on the product package.

While the TGA and FSANZ expect manufacturers to avoid making wild claims about their products on labels and packaging, these regulations are not heavily policed. More to the point, it is almost impossible to keep tabs on the prolific flow of articles and advertisements for supplements that appear in sports magazines, brochures, the Internet or other points of communication. The bottom line is that supplements can be marketed with very little control over the claims and messages they provide, and many companies appear to take full advantage of this.

But many famous and successful athletes take supplements. Doesn't this show that they work?

Testimonials from athletes provide a key form of advertising used by manufacturers of supplements and sports foods. The athlete associates their recent success with the use of a product or product range - as part of a sponsorship or paid advertising by the manufacturers, or sometimes simply as 'word of mouth' around the sporting world. Obviously this is a persuasive argument to other athletes.

Sports scientists, however, are sceptical that the association between the supplements and the athlete's performance is anything more than circumstantial. Performance is the result of many factors - including talent, training, equipment, diet and mental attitude. In real life, an athlete will be unable to pinpoint how much each of these factors is contributing. In some cases, when the athlete has lots of these factors working well, the supplement may get all the accolades even when it fails to contribute at all! In other cases, any boost to performance that comes with taking a new product is simply the result of a 'placebo effect'. If the athlete feels that they have received something special, or that they are suddenly receiving more monitoring and attention from their coach or other people, they will be motivated to do better. Thus, better performance can come from a psychological belief rather than a real effect from the new product.

So are supplements all the same? Are they all a waste of money?

The answer to this is definitely not! Some supplements and sports foods are valuable in helping an athlete achieve their nutritional goals and optimal performance. However, there are literally thousands of supplements and special sports foods targeted at athletes, with new products appearing on the market each month. To try to sort out the confusion about supplements, it is useful to divide them into two main categories:

sports foods and dietary supplements

nutritional ergogenic aids

What are sports foods and dietary supplements?

Sports foods and dietary supplements play a role in providing a practical alternative to food. Examples include:

Sports drinks (e.g. Gatorade)

Sports gels (e.g. Powergel, GU, CarboShotz)

Sports bars (e.g. PowerBar Performance bars)

Liquid meal supplements (e.g. PowerBar Protein Plus powder)

Carbohydrate loaders/high carbohydrate powders (e.g. Gatorlode, Maxim)

Iron supplements, calcium supplements, multivitamin/mineral supplements used under direction of a sports physician or dietitian to prevent or treat a dietary deficiency

How do sports foods and dietary supplements work?

Athletes may find these products valuable in helping them achieve their nutrition goals in a busy day or during an exercise session. Sports nutrition guidelines provide specific goals for intake pre-event, during a prolonged session, or for post-exercise recovery. Products such as sports drinks provide a tailor-made way to look after these nutritional needs. They are an alternative to everyday foods, which might need to be juggled to produce the same nutritional composition, or which might be too impractical to consume directly before or during intense exercise. Sometimes, the convenience factor is the selling point - it is easier to grab a bar or gel to take on a long ride, rather than worry about squashing a sandwich. And these products can sit in a sports bag or car for after training without spoiling or needing special preparation.

Occasionally, when athletes are unable to meet all their nutrient needs from food, a vitamin and/or mineral supplement may be prescribed by a sports dietitian or physician to treat or prevent a nutrient deficiency. These scenarios should be left to the advice of the experts who can put together a total management plan, rather than rely on the pill alone.

The issue with dietary supplements is knowing when and how to use them so that they assist with sports nutrition goals. When used in the right way - the right amount at the right time on the right occasion - they can help an athlete train and compete at their best. In many cases they can be shown to directly enhance performance - for example, there are many studies that show that sports drinks improve performance in prolonged exercise sessions, and more recently, in high-intensity events of about an hour.

Aren't sports foods more expensive than everyday foods? Aren't they just for elite athletes?

Sports foods generally cost more than a similar everyday food. This reflects the specialised marketing, and the research and education program that may support the product. But when used correctly to achieve the nutritional benefit, sports foods are often well worth the expense. Contrary to popular opinion, they aren't just for the elite. An athlete who is playing a long and sweaty game of basketball can expect to play better by drinking a sports drink to replace fluid losses and take in extra fuel. This is as true for someone playing in an under 16 game as it is for a professional player. By meeting nutritional goals, the athlete will be able to meet the true level of their talent - whatever level that is.

Some athletes (and non-athletes) use these supplements outside the conditions in which they are likely to achieve a direct sports nutrition goal. For example, some people eat sports bars as a snack, or have a sports drink with their lunch. In these situations sports foods may simply be a more expensive version of food. Overconsumption of any sports foods (for example, eating sports bars to replace meals on a regular basis) can lead to dietary imbalances as well as an unnecessary burden on the wallet. Sports nutrition education should make the athlete aware of the best uses of these special sports foods.

What are nutritional ergogenic aids?

These products often contain unusual amounts of nutrients or other components of foods. Many of these chemicals are involved in exercise metabolism or recovery pathways, and the products claim that we can supercharge these processes by bumping up our intake of these chemicals. Many of the claims made for ergogenic aids such as creatine, carnitine, coenzyme Q10 and inosine include sophisticated theories of metabolic pathways and biochemistry. Other products such as 'herbals' trade on being ancient compounds whose mystical advantages have been kept secret until recent times.

How credible are these scientific explanations for how a supplement works? They sound convincing!

Scientific theories are important in explaining the mechanism by which a supplement might enhance metabolism and performance. They can also be hyped into persuasive marketing tactics announcing an amazing 'scientific breakthrough'. But a theory is only an idea on paper, until it has been scrutinised through the process of scientific research and publication. Sports scientists are impressed only by the results of scientific studies conducted under a special code of rules, and published only after a review process by other scientists. This process costs time and money. Unfortunately, most supplement companies don't invest in this research - after all, they can successfully sell their products to a public who don't appear to demand real proof of their claims. Furthermore, most of the research that has been undertaken has failed to support the claims of the majority of nutritional ergogenic aids.

The AIS Sports Supplement Program categorises sports foods and supplements according to the level of scientific support that they currently receive. It should be noted that even Group A supplements are supported to enhance performance only for specific types of athletes in specific types of events. And for reasons that are not always understood, some athletes simply don't respond to these supplements, even when used according to directions. In other words, they are not for all athletes, but should be used in well-defined situations.

So where do supplements fit into the total nutrition package for the athlete or exercising person?

Although supplements and sports foods receive most of the glamour and attention in sports nutrition, they really should be thought of as "icing on the cake" rather than substantial fare. The following figure shows that the process of eating well to achieve the nutritional goals of training achieves the most important benefits.

eating well pyramid

Talent, hard work and time are three extra ingredients in laying this solid foundation. Special sports foods, when used to meet specific goals of workouts and competition can make an important impact - for example, refueling and hydrating with a sports drink might achieve a 5-10% benefit to performance in a prolonged event. At the very top of the pyramid are the small benefits achieved by the Group A ergogenic aids - perhaps a 1-3% improvement in performance. Until everything else has fallen into place, these benefits are unimportant and unnoticeable. Most young and developing athletes should not consider these products until they have made considerable achievements through the foundation layers. As they begin to reach their peak potential, these special aids may provide a noticeable effect.

So what is the problem with athletes trying lots of supplements - surely something will work!

Our experience at the AIS has shown the following problems with the "try anything" approach to supplements:

Money, time and interest are all finite resources. Many athletes spend these limited resources on products that don't work, or produce very small benefits for the attention they receive.

Supplements come and go in fashion. Most of the cool sounding supplements are the ones that have no support of their benefits. Athletes get sidetracked on chasing these supplements instead of looking to products and sports foods that can provide more substantial performance benefits.

Athletes use supplements to try to take short cuts. They use them to replace the hard but really valuable factors of effective training, sensible eating, and good recovery techniques. There is no replacement!

The fact that successful athletes are using a supplement lends undeserved credibility to the product and inspires other athletes to try them. And the cycle continues.....

Athletes often follow hearsay about how to use their supplements, and take them in larger doses than needed or sensible, or in protocols that fail to achieve the real benefit.

Some supplements can lead to a positive drug test.

Where can I get more advice about supplements and sports foods?

Refer to the fact sheets for detailed information on individual supplements and sports foods. For individualised advice, consult a sports dietitian, accredited sports scientist or sports physician. The Sports Dietitians Australia website provides details of qualified sports dietitians throughout Australia.

The American paper, released on Monday, reveals that many herbal "supplements", do not contain any trace of those substances.

In fact, many of the tested supplements contained little more than cheap powdered rice, wheat and houseplants.

"Among the attorney general's findings was a popular store brand of ginseng pills at Walgreens, promoted for 'physical endurance and vitality,' that contained only powdered garlic and rice," reports the New York Times.

"At Walmart, the authorities found that its ginkgo biloba, a Chinese plant promoted as a memory enhancer, contained little more than powdered radish, houseplants and wheat – despite a claim on the label that the product was wheat- and gluten-free."

Furthermore, they found that three out of six herbal products sold at Target – ginkgo biloba, St John's wort and valerian root, a sleep aid – contained none of the herbs on their labels.

"But they did contain powdered rice, beans, peas and wild carrots," The New York Times reveals.

Pills at yet another retailer contained unlisted ingredients including peanuts and soybeans, which are problematic for people with allergies.

The investigation came on the back of a 2013 New York Times article, which revealed a widespread problem of labelling fraud in the vitamins and supplements industry. The article noted research that found as much as one third of supplements tested did not contain the ingredients listed on their labels.

While the industry plans to hit back at the latest findings with testing of their own, how relevant is the supplement scandal to the Australian market?

Complementary medicines, including vitamins and supplements, are worth $4 billion in Australia.

They are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and categorised into two classes; AUSTR and AUSTL.

"The degree of assessment and regulation required to gain registration (AustR) is rigorous – sponsors are required to provide comprehensive safety, quality and efficacy data," writes Rachael Dunlop, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Technology, in The Conversation.

"This is not the case for AustL. Under the current system, you can get your CAM product stamped with an official-looking number by simply applying online … the TGA does not check any AustL products to see if they work or even if they are safe."

Dr Vicki Kotsirilos, Melbourne GP and author of A Guide to Evidence-based Integrative and Complementary Medicine, disagrees.

In regards to the American supplements scandal, she says:

"It does not surprise me, but it does not apply to Australia.

"We have one of the highest regulatory systems for complementary medicines in the world."

Kotsirilos, who has previously worked for the TGA, adds:

"Australian consumers can be confident that, as long as it has been regulated through the TGA – as a AustL (listed) or AustR (registered) product – that they're very likely to contain the dosage and ingredients recorded on the label."

For this reason, she advises people against buying their supplements from the internet or overseas.

Kotsirilos also disagrees with another question raised as a result of the American investigation: whether the goodness of a supplement or vitamin (assuming it contains what the label says it does) is lost through processing.

"There are no clear studies to verify that statement," she says.

On the contrary, she says, "some complementary medicines, such as evidence-based nutritional and herbal supplements in their final product form have evidence of clinical efficacy for clinical conditions."

Despite this, recent research suggesting some vitamins are at best a placebo and at worst can do more harm than good, makes them a hard pill to swallow.

"Complementary is unfortunately not a good term because it includes a lot of rubbish and is often grouped with clinical-based products," Kotsirilos says.

"If you're a healthy person and eating the perfect diet and can assimilate nutrients from that diet … you have to ask whether you need to be on multivitamins.

"If you're not absorbing nutrients, there is a role to take nutrients for nutrient deficiencies – where the evidence applies or holds."

Where evidence applies or holds is the key. Kotsirilos admits that even in vitamins where there is evidence of efficacy, there is variation in ingredients, quality and dosage from one product to another.

There is only one way to separate the wheat from the vitamin chaff, Kotsirilos says.

"It is important that people are guided by professionals who are aware of the evidence and which products carry the evidence."

The special formulation of this dietary supplement is manufactured in New Zealand and consists of these major ingredients:

1. Amino Acids
2. Vitamin B 6
3. Milk Thistle Blend

How do the ingredients of D-Toxilean Promote Weight Loss?

Milk Thistle Blend

The secret of d toxilean to help you in weight loss is its blend of milk thistle. The quantity of milk thistle blend used in d toxilean is approximately 106 mg which is equivalent to 7420 mg of dry herb.

Milk thistle consists of certain ingredients to provide you with an extensive weight loss plan. These ingredients all correspond to the group of antioxidant flavenoids and are known as Silymarin as a collective name.

1. Detoxifying

The benefits of Milk thistle blend in d toxilean include liver protection. Liver is the major detoxifying organ in the body and milk thistle can protect it from the attack of free radicals that greatly damage the liver cells. This healthy state of the liver helps in the prevention of a myriad of diseases that hamper its efficient detoxifying function. This leads to the buildup of dangerous toxins in the body, which disrupt the digestion and metabolic rate. For example, toxins reduce the ability of fat in the body to burn down by as much as 25%. Therefore, milk thistle helps boost the detoxification process of the liver, which enhances weight loss.

2. Anti-Inflammatory

The presence of Silymarin in Milk Thistle blend also helps in weight loss because of its anti-inflammatory properties. In many cases of obesity, diet and exercise do not prove to be beneficial. This is because the liver and fat cells in some conditions become enlarged and inflamed. The anti-inflammatory property of milk thistle blend can help reduce the inflammation of these cells. Therefore, using d toxilean can help you achieve weight loss if you have tried every other alternative and nothing seems to work.

Amino Acids

D toxilean is carefully formulated for your weight loss solution. The rich content of selective amino acids in d toxilean can help you to build more muscle mass so that the fat can be burnt for energy. Amino acids in d toxilean also help active athletes looking to boost their sports performance by providing an increase in lean muscle mass.

Somatotrophin or STH is a hormone known to burn fat in the body by boosting fat oxidation. Furthermore, it helps in stimulating more efficient protein synthesis. The problem of insufficient release of somatotrophin is usually common in most overweight people. This is the sole reason why they keep on gaining weight. The ingredients of d toxilean contain amino acids that stimulate the natural release of somatotrophin to burn fat.

Vitamin B 6

Vitamin B 6 is also one of the major ingredients of d toxilean that help you in weight loss.

Metabolism

Vitamin B 6 improves their metabolic rate and its overall functioning. It helps in facilitating the metabolism which:

• Does not let you gain calories
• Greatly reduces the number of calories that you have to lose

Protein Metabolism

Vitamin B 6 helps in losing weight by facilitating the metabolism of protein and producing essential amino acids. This helps in the buildup of muscles and promotes fat burn. Furthermore, it provides all the advantages of amino acids in your diet that help you lose weight.

Boosting Energy Levels

Taking d toxilean increases the reserves of Vitamin B 6, which improves metabolism and replenishes the energy source of your body. A higher energy level gives you better endurance for exercise and training included in the weight loss plan. This indirectly helps in losing weight.

Usage

It is recommended to take one serving during breakfast, lunch or dinner. Furthermore, if you are using it as part of physical training or dietary program, you can also take one serving before your training routine starts.

Weight Loss – The natural way

This dietary supplement not only aids in the weight loss plan but also helps in maintaining your nutritional intake to the optimum level. The entire process is because of the special formulation of ingredients in that trigger a natural response in the body to manage weight and the supply of nutrients.

• Zero carbs
• Zero fat
• Zero sugar

Ground zero relies on distinctive ingredients that are seldom used in other supplements of the same nature. Its finest formulation is your best solution if you are looking forward to boost your sports and performance.

Ingredient

Amongst other ingredients that work to build your muscle mass, facilitated sports and performance, using ground zero, is ensured through the following two unique ingredients.

1. Caffeine

Mental Alertness: What do you usually need to kick-start your day first thing in the morning? Most probably, you answered coffee. Coffee is rich in caffeine, and ground zero provides the benefits of caffeine for your sports and performance in their formulation.

Caffeine is also included as one of the ingredients of ground zero because it keeps you active to take quick decisions. The mechanism behind your immediate alertness of mind, right after the first sip of caffeine, is its action causing the release of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that works by stimulating the grey matter, to keep your mind alert and conscious. It promotes the overall well-being that is a major demand in your sports and performance activities.

Cardiovascular Efficiency: As soon as you take caffeine, it infiltrates the receptors of your blood vessels causing your arteries to constrict. This can help you by increasing your blood pressure by as much as 10 folds. Although, some people associate caffeine with conditions such as hypertension and cardiovascular issues, Harvard researchers have now proved quite the opposite. Drinking caffeine regularly, may enhance your cardiovascular functioning, keeping you at a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. The efficiency of your cardiovascular system is required for effortless sports and performances. Thus, ground zero helps you improve your stamina by targeting the cardiovascular system with the use of caffeine.

Calcium in Muscles: Ground zero targets your sports and performance by also improving the physiology of your muscles. The use of caffeine blocks the adenosine receptors in the muscles. This leads to electrical activity including higher bursts of calcium for enhanced functioning of the muscles. Eventually, your muscular contractions become stronger; much needed for your sports activities.

Liver: The brilliant formulation of ground zero does not contain any trace of sugar because caffeine itself triggers the release of blood sugar, necessary for your pumped up performance. The alertness of your central nervous system signals the release of adrenaline that makes your liver pump sugar into the bloodstream. This helps boost your performance because sugar is required for instant energy for your sports activities.

2. Prickly pear

Fiber Content: Ground zero does not only boost your sports and performance but helps you stay fit and healthy with the use of prickly pear extracts. Prickly pear consists of dietary fiber in the form of pectin, cellulose and lignin. It helps to maintain your blood cholesterol levels and keeps you at a lower risk of diabetes.

Vitamin C: You need strong bones to meet the expectations in your sports performances. Ground zero ensures this, with the use of prickly pear that aids in the development and growth of your bones, owing to its high reserves of Vitamin C. If you are a dedicated athlete, you cannot afford to fall sick; ground zero takes into account the lifestyle of a sports performer and also boosts your immunity with the use of prickly pear.

Calcium: An athlete does not only need calcium for the strengthening of bones and teeth but also for efficient functioning of cardiovascular and skeletal systems of the body. The high reserves of calcium in prickly pear ensure that you get calcium rich diet daily.

Ergogenic Effect

Ground zero delivers ergogenic effect with the combination of nitric oxide boost, caffeine and array of amino acids. It increases the overall bioavailibilty and absorption in the digestive system when it is needed during a physical activity. To suit your taste, ground zero utilizes artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and acesulphame k. It consists of a refreshing lemon citrus flavor called ‘Citrus Blue’.

Usage

It is recommended to take about 23g of ground zero per serving before or after your training sessions. The directions to follow are quick and simple:

• Mix approximately 1.5 scoops of ground zero, which is equivalent to about 23g in 200 to 400ml of water.
• Shake for about 30 seconds.
• Consume 30 to 60 minutes after mixing.

Why Gain Lean Muscle Mass?

Regardless of your age and gender, lean muscle gainers’ major motivation is to improve the overall quality of life. Maximus offers lean muscle gainers a myriad of benefits. It is a natural mix of essential nutrient that is usually absent from your daily dietary intake.

1. Better Health

The first and foremost advantage to lean muscle gainers with maximus is a better health and fitness. Building lean muscle mass eventually helps you to fight serious and chronic medical conditions in future. The conditions such as obesity, diabetes and back pain can be prevented if you have a good lean muscle mass. Furthermore, it eases the pain associated with the most common bone diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

2. Reduced risk of injury

Gaining lean muscle mass with the use of maximus boosts your sports performance and prevents you from frequent injuries. Stronger lean muscle mass helps support your joints to a much greater extent, providing you flexibility and support that you need for your athletic activities. Furthermore, lean muscles gainers can benefit from this added support to the bones as they age, when the risk of injury is the highest.

3. Faster Metabolism

Lean muscles gainers using maximus before and after their work out sessions can also keep their body with a much more efficient metabolism. The lean muscle mass helps you burn calories by more than 15 percent as compared to fat tissue. This helps you maintain your body shape and muscle tone at the same time.

4. Long term benefits

It is a well-researched fact that after the age of twenty, human body starts losing a certain amount of muscle mass every year. While this may seem to be insignificant at the beginning, it starts to appear as a much more crucial problem, as you start aging. Therefore, lean muscle gainers are at an advantage of an independent and healthy life even at old age.

The Formulation of Maximus

1. Muscle Growth

Syn Tec’s maximus for lean muscle mass gainers is formulated with a unique protein matrix blend that ensures the buildup of lean muscle mass. The protein matrix ingredient of maximus consists of:

• Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC)
• Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC)
• Free form of amino acids

These components are blended in calculated ratios so that your body gets the right supply of protein to gain muscle mass. The combination of a fast absorbing protein (WPC) and slowly absorbing (MPC) provides your body with a supply of protein throughout your training period.

In addition to protein component, the high quality and the major source of carbohydrates in maximus also includes Maltodextrin. This further helps in providing the continuously gained muscle mass with the right nutritional diet.

2. Energy

Maximus also targets your performance in physically demanding sports. Lean muscle gainers, using this Syn Tec product are boosted with a rush of energy to spike up their performance levels. Following the usage instructions, one serving will provide you 436 calories. This is not only useful to gain mass but also extra energy. The key to energy boosting property of this product lies in its ingredient of medium chain triglycerides or (MCTs). This alternative to the usual fats is much more easily digestible with added calories for your extra energy demands.

3. Creatinine

Using creatinine as an integral component of maximus further makes it the best choice for lean muscle gainers. The effects of creatinine in this regard are because of:

• Its ability to enhance the production of energy producing molecules called ATP
• It promotes intra cellular water retention that results in fuller and stronger muscles

Usage

Maximus can be taken with breakfast and pre or post exercise. Simply mix five levels of scoops in water or milk of about 300 ml. The nutritional value that you will get from this serving is:

• Protein: 31.1g
• Carbs: 34.5g
• Fat: 5.2g
• Maltodextrin: 14.6g
• Calories: 436 plus the right amount of Creatinine

Maximus is a comprehensive formulation for the lean muscle gainers, indeed the best choice with all natural products to boost your nutritional value and performance.

It should be noted that weight loss can be achieved though controlling diet alone, but there are many benefits of incorporating exercise in achieving your weight loss goal. Exercise helps to burn the excess amount of energy accumulated in your body and helps to boost metabolism. This makes sure that the food you eat is digested at a quicker rate.

Some studies even suggest that people who exercise regularly are able to burn calories faster than those who have a sedentary lifestyle even when they are resting. This is because exercise causes build up of muscles in the body, which require more energy and therefore cause more calories to be burnt.

When it comes to diet for reducing weight, there are a number of options out there. You should stick to the diet that incorporates all the basic nutrients and contain minimum amount of fat. Therefore, vegetables and fruits are your best choice. In addition, the importance of staying hydrated cannot be underestimated. Drinking plenty of water before a meal provides a feeling of being sated and prevents you from excessive eating. It also helps the body to workout for a longer period of time.

Protein powders are a great choice for you if you are looking to lose weight and build fitness along the way. Protein powders are needed to compensate for the amount of protein needed in the body. Normally, protein requirements are fulfilled by the sources of protein in our diet, namely fish, chicken and red meat. However, for those looking to lose weight and exercising regularly, protein powder shakes can be a good way to maintain the protein requirements in the body.

What Are My Protein Requirements?

If the protein requirements of your body are not being fulfilled, you tend to feel lethargic, weak while lifting weights or doing any other form of strenuous activity. The protein requirements of an individual depend on the amount of physical activity they are involved in. For example, recreational athletes require 0.5- 0.75 gram of protein for every kiloof body weight.

However, competitive athletes need 0.6-0.9 grams per kilo of body weight. Athletes looking to build muscles mass require 0.7-0.9 grams of protein per kilo of their body weight. Protein powders are an excellent choice to fulfill your protein dietary requirements.

There is a wide variety of protein powders available in the market, with varying amount of proteins in them. Some protein powders contain 100% proteins, while others contain only a minimum percentage of protein and contain mostly fats and carbohydrates.

When Do I Take Protein Powder Shakes?

Contrary to conventional wisdom, which says you should take a protein powder shake before a workout, you can take protein powder shake few hours after the workout as well. Studies show that there is a much higher need for carbohydrates than proteins after a workout that helps to restore the requirement of energy within the body. It is also more important to consume an ample amount of protein throughout the day on a regular basis.

To help you choose the right protein powder for your losing weight, here is a list of our most popular products:

Six Pack Weight Loss Protein Powder:

SIX PACK Weight Loss Protein Powder by Syn-Tec is a dietary supplement that is manufactured in New Zealand and is especially formulated to assist bodybuilders and other athletes to improve their performance by compensating their protein and other nutritional needs. This protein powder contains high amounts of protein and low carbohydrates and fats to allow you get maximum amount of proteins during your weight loss regime.

Six Pack Weight Loss Protein Powder contains multiple herbal extracts such as Green tea, Garcina Quaesita (Hydroxy Citric Acid), pure USP Caffeine and Citrus Aurantium (Synpherine) that provide a powerful concoction of nutrients your body needs. Six other active ingredients, namely, extra Tyrosine, Beta Alanine, Inositol, MCT Oil, Bromelain, Bioperine and B Vitamins allow the effect of protein powder to be maximized and increase the formula’s overall bioavailability.

Take this protein powder before or after workout or as a snack between meals by blending 2 ½ scoops of it in milk or water.

Weight Loss Stack:

Weight loss stack is a protein powder product by Syn-tec containing high concentration of six pack protein powder with high concentration of fat burners and antioxidants. Weight loss stack contains Six Pack protein powder for burning fat, INSYNER8, a preworkout fat-burning drink and L-Carnitine, an amino acid that has great potential for burning fat and ideal for anyone with a weight loss and fitness goal.

Vital Protein Pea Protein Powder:

VITAL PROTEIN Pea Protein Powder is a protein powder formulated for those individuals looking to lose weight, or toning their muscles. It is especially suitable for vegans as a protein source, as it is extracted from Golden peas and has a high bioavailability made possible by an enzyme reaction. It can be used as a snack or breakfast and before and after training as well. Vital Protein Pea Protein Powder is ideal for use in sports, in weight loss or as a protein source for vegetarians.

In conclusion, protein powders can be ideal for you if you want to lose weight and gain lean muscle growth in the process. In addition to taking protein powder shakes, don’t forget to have a balance diet and exercise to achieve your fitness goals as soon as you can.

The DMAA class action lawsuits target seven recipients of FDA warning letters over supplements containing synthetic DMAA (1.3-Dimethylamylamine), a stimulant the lawsuits claim is illegal and dangerous and has been linked to several deaths.

"Before marketing products containing DMAA, manufacturers and distributors have a responsibility under the law to provide evidence of the safety of their products. They haven’t done that and that makes the products adulterated," said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., Director of FDA’s Dietary Supplement Program.

The FDA warned the manufacturers and distributors to immediately cease distribution of supplements containing DMAA, or else face enforcement action "without further notice."

The new DMAA class action lawsuits were filed against:

SNI (Nitric Blast)
MuscleMeds Performance Technologies (Code Red)
Exclusive Supplements (BIORhythm SSIN)
SEI Pharmaceuticals (MethylHex 4,2)
Gaspari Nutrition (Spirodex)
Nutrex Research (Hemo Rage Black, Lipo-6 Black Ultra Concentrate, Lipo-6 Black)
iSatori Global Technologies (PWR)

According to the FDA, synthetically produced DMAA is “not a dietary ingredient and is not, therefore, eligible to be used as an active ingredient in dietary supplements.” The agency also raised serious safety concerns about the stimulant, saying it can cause dangerous increases in blood pressure that could lead to a “cardiovascular event.”

We’ve reported before on the dangers of DMAA when BPI Sports was hit with a class action lawsuit last November. (See “BPI Sports DMAA Supplement Class Action Lawsuit.”)

Like BPI, many supplement makers had been claiming on their product labels that the DMAA used in their products was derived naturally from geranium oil, when in fact it was produced synthetically. This constitutes false advertising, the BPI class action lawsuit said.

Despite the FDA warning, however, the dietary supplement industry “remains united on this issue, and is adamantly opposed to the FDA’s position on the use of [DMAA&91;,” a GNC spokesman said.

“The FDA has not produced any evidence of safety issues with this ingredient. To the contrary, GNC is aware of a number of published, peer reviewed studies that show that DMAA is perfectly safe when taken as directed,” he added.

We’ll keep you updated on the progress of the DMAA supplement class action lawsuits.

The cases are Anthony Velasco v. SEI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Derick Barkum v. iSatori Global Technologies, Inc.; Jason McKenna v. Nutrex Research, Inc.; Andrew Velasco v. Gaspari Nutrition, Inc.; John Calvin Anthony Baker v. MuscleMeds Performance Technologies; Herbert Reyes v. SNI; and Jose de la Rosa v. Exclusive Supplements.