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Supplements popular among area prep athletes
Supplements popular with many players
Date published: 11/27/2005
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH Besides protein shakes, creatine is the most common dietary supplement being used by area football players. Nineteen percent of the athletes surveyed by The Free Lance-Star said they've used the supplement, which is popular with bodybuilders. Creatine supplements generated more than $193 million in sales two years ago, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. It's naturally present in the body, but the supplements increase levels and allow users to extend a workout and lift more weight. Since creatine has been widely used for only 10 years, there are no studies of long-term side effects. Short-term side effects can include stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and muscle cramps. "That's almost like the gateway supplement," said Dr. Michael Sampson, an athletic trainer at Virginia Tech. "You say, 'OK, what can I take that will make me even better than that?' "A lot of kids aren't worried about side effects. They think they're invincible and it won't happen to them." According to a Free Lance-Star survey, area football players are taking a wide variety of supplements. Four percent say they've taken something other than creatine, including Amino Fuel, a muscle-builder; Endurox, a muscle-recovery supplement; Lifepak, an antioxidant; MET-Rx, a meal-replacement supplement; and various weight-gain products. "When you start talking creatine or supplements with a steroid-like effect, you're affecting the total chemistry of the body," said Dr. Raymond Greaser of Fredericksburg, who gives preseason physicals to area football players. "It can put a major burden on the renal system." Brooke Point football coach Jeff Berry says that often when one of his players is dehydrated or cramping, he finds out they're taking some kind of supplement. "I've had kids come in and show me a big jug of something with a big old weightlifter on the front," Washington & Lee coach Malcolm Lewis said. "You might as well throw a Japanese word on there. They don't know what they're taking." To reach ADAM HIMMELSBACH:
Date published: 11/27/2005
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