The supplement industry is worth billions. Every year, millions of people buy into the shiny labels, appealing names, and marketing gimmicks. From fat burners to muscle builders and everything in between, there is no shortage to what is available out there. But, how warranted are the claims and hype that surrounds a product? Well, some, not so much.
So if you’re looking to save some money, truly keep your health on track, then it might be time to do away with these top three money wasters.
#1 Glutamine
Glutamine is typically thought to play an essential role in building muscle. However, there is no evidence that supplementing this amino acid will help build muscle or improve your body composition. Although, that’s not to say that glutamine is completely bad. It does have the ability to improve strength training recovery and may also help keep your GI tract healthy + ward off sickness. So, if that’s your goal with this guy, go for it.
Read more:
Does Glutamine Build Muscle?
#2 BCAAs
BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) are often thought to be critical in not only building muscle, but maintaining it when one is in a fasted state. However, there is no evidence to support this. And if you’re somebody that cares about your health, you’re more than likely going to be consuming enough protein (which is made up of amino acids) already, thus rendering these guys completely useless. Moreover, in BCAAs, these amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine) are only in a trio setting, whereas a real protein (which your body only likes to use for muscle building, not single aminos) has roughly 50 amino acids. But, I guess, if you like paying money for tasty water, or because you think it helps you when you’re training, go for it.
Watch more:
#3 Fat Burners
Fat burners are one of the best gimmicks going around. Not only do they have such low amounts of natural fat burning effects like caffeine making them an odd choice for people to rely upon when losing weight (i.e., if calorie intake and exercise habits aren’t assessed, then you are missing the point when reaching for this supplement), but they also come with great side effects like increasing anxiety and stress levels, alongside impacting sleeping patterns. But if you just like the thought (and the shiny packaging) of their magical properties, go for it.
Read more:
Fin
What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you currently take any of these three supplements? Let me know below in the comments.