Boost Your Performance!
By-Adam Mou/jeji
The allure of nutritional supplements is
undeniable; everyone has a limited amount
of time, and nobody wants to spend hour
after hour in the gym just to get a little
stronger or to trim a few pounds. When
presented with an alternate route to fit
ness — particularly one which comes in
an easy-to-take pill form — we tend to
jump at the opportunity. Unfortunately,
not only is this path generally not effec
tive, it can have some unhealthy side
effects.
Tweaking your diet to enhance perfor
mance is not a particularly new idea to
most college students. Your high school
health teacher used to patiently explain
the importance of a healthy diet, perhaps
through a series of inspiring films and a
well-placed poster or two expounding on
the wonders of vegetables. Unless you
spent the entire time asleep, you are aware
that nutrition can affect your performance
and physical well-being.
Something your health teacher probably
did not mention was the possibility of sup
plementing your diet with anything other
than your average multivitamin. Between
the use of supplements by famous athletes,
and the claims of others in advertisements,
the idea of supplying your body with
nutrients it may not be getting from that
steady diet of fast-food has become more
appealing.
However, before you buy that box of
Super Muscle Gain XXL, stop and think
about some of the risks and how they rank
against the potential benefits:
“Can the supplement be found more
cheaply than in powder or pill form?
Often supplements, such as protein
powders, can be easily obtained in a well
balanced diet. Buying the powdered or pill
form will only increase the cost, not the
quality, of the supplement.
What evidence exists which sup
ports the claims made by the sup
plement manufacturer?
Supplement companies have been
known to run their own studies or even
extrapolate the results from animal studies
in order to advertise benefits which cannot
be confirmed by independent laboratories.
If the study wasn’t published in a peer
reviewed journal or was not performed on
humans, its results may be questionable.
Is the supplement pure?
Independent testing of supplements for
purity have been known to reveal a num
ber of impurities in the form of fats, fla
voring agents, and stimulants. Check if the
company supplying your supplement has
been certified as adhering to the standards
of Current Good Manufacturing Practices
and is pharmaceutically registered. This
means that the manufacture of the supple
ment follows current standards, and that
supplement has been inspected by the
FDA.
What are the possible short and
long-term side effects?
Many supplements which were popular
a few years ago have been found to have
long-term effects which could plague the
user later in life. Also, some supplements
can have serious short-term side effects,
which can vary in impact from annoying
to life-threatening. Before starting use of a
supplement, check with your doctor for
any possible complications.
Am I spending enough time in the
gym for this supplement to work
for me?
Most performance-enhancing supple
ments are intended for use by athletes who
have already pushed their bodies as far as
possible. Supplements are meant to raise
the potential of the athlete to push them
Supplement: Amino Acid (Protein) Supplements
Myth: Provides the ideal low-fat, high protein source of energy for growing muscles.
Fact: 140 g protein from tuna, $2.80
Fact: 140 g protein from protein powder, $9.80.
Supplement: Androstenedione
Myth: Raises testosterone levels, increasing lean body mass by acting as an anabolic
steroid.
Fact: No increase in performance; testosterone levels are unaffected in males. Side
effects include an increase in estrogen levels, causing breast enlargement in some
men.
Supplement: Beta-Hydroxv-Beta-Methylbutyrate (HMB)
Myth: Decreases the breakdown of muscle tissue for energy during exercise, causing
a net effect of increased muscle size and strength.
Fact: Only one lab has actually studied this compound in humans, most research was
done on animals and may not apply to humans.
Supplement: Chromium Picolinate
Myth: Promotes the function of insulin, causing an increase in fat metabolism and
an increase in lean body mass.
Fact: No perceivable increase in lean body mass or performance-enhancing effects.
Has demonstrated mutagenic effects at high cellular concentrations.
Supplement: Creatine Monohydrate
Myth: Provides tremendous weight and strength gain.
Fact: Can slightly increase performance in approximately 2/3 of the population. Side
effects of diarrhea, muscle cramping, and dehydration have been reported.
Supplement: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
Myth: “Fountain of Youth”; Raises testosterone levels, increasing lean body mass by
acting as an anabolic steroid.
Fact: Studies disagree, but it is thought that DHEA supplementation may have simi
lar consequences and side effects to androstenedione.
past plateaus in their performance. If a
plateau has not been reached, than that
extra push is probably unnecessary.
This is not to say that supplements do
not work; some individuals have benefi
ted through the use of nutritional supple
ments. However, before supplement use is
begun, the individual should take care to
evaluate the risks against the potential
benefits. It has been demonstrated that
simply maintaining a healthy and varied
diet (such as following the guide estab
lished by the Food Pyramid) can increase
energy, decrease stress, and lower choles
terol. All of this without potential side
effects.
If you have further questions about
sports supplements for performance
enhancement, contact the author in the
Peer Education Office at 346-4456.
Spring (and smoke) Is In The Air
Bij Annie Dochnahl
When you have survived another
Eugene winter, and the grey atmosphere
gives way to spring’s green airiness, it’s a
natural time to consider what makes
Eugene, Eugene. You may conjure up
images of bike paths, the Willamette River,
Saturday Market, outdoor activities galore
and Bijou movies. Eugene also has the
dubious honor of being perceived as a pot
friendly town. According to the 1998 UO
CORE survey, students on campus have
the misperception that approximately 94%
of students smoke marijuana once a
month, when in fact less than 30% of stu
dents smoke pot monthly. Although far
fewer students smoke than most of us
imagine, 30% of the student body smoking
pot is a situation that poses many ques
tions.
How many students get caught
smoking pot and what happens
when they do?
I spoke with Chris Loschiavo, Director
of Studentjudicial Affairs; he’s the chap in
Oregon Hall who deals widrthe students
who are caught smoking pot. In the
1998/1999 school year, there were 210
reports to his office of non-alcohol drug
offenses; the lion’s share involving mari
juana use in the resident halls. At the mid
point of the 1999/2000 school year, that
number was already 219 cases. As in the
previous year, most of these cases are pot
related and involve smoking in or around
the dorms. For those readers who need a
prompt with the math, that’s potentially a
doubling of the number students being
reported on campus for smoking weed.
Several possible explanations, much like a
multiple choice test, spring to mind: a)
more students are smoking, b) they’re
smoking more boldly out of doors, c) oth
ers in the dorm are fed up and are report
ing more, d) all of the above, e) other. The
answer is not readily available, but allow
me to provide some answers to questions
that are often pondered by students who
are confronted with pot smoke.
What are the health risks of smok
ing pot?
First, some background on the immedi
ate effects. THC, the active ingredient in
marijuana, is absorbed rapidly (6-8 min
anH mmnlpfp.
the addictive aspects of marijuana use.
Over time, pot smokers tend to experi
ence a suppressed immune system, which
renders them susceptible to numerous
infections and diseases. Their lungs also
take a beating. Compare the toxins found
in marijuana to that found in tobacco
(Table 1). Many pot smokers argue that
there’s no conclusive evidence that shows
pot smoking causes lung cancer. Consider
that the tobacco industry has been trying
to make that samp
ly when smoked. It
is metabolized slow
ly, with a half-life of
30 hours-4 days.
Since THC and its
metabolites are fat
soluble, it can be
found in minute
quantities in the
body and urine for
weeks after a per
son has smoked. It
passes across the
blood brain barrier
and has numerous
pharmacological
Table 1: Comparison of Just a few
of the toxic gases in marijuana
and tobacco smoke
Gas Muse Analysis
Carbon monoxide (mg)
Marijuana 3.99.Tobacco 4.58
Ammonia (mg)
Marijuana 228. Tobacco 178
Acatom(ag)
Marijuana 443.Tobacco 578
lenient (mg)
Marijuana 76..Tobacco 67
Toluene (mg)
Marijuana 112..„....Tobacco 108
argument for years
and yet the number
of cigarette smokers
who die annually is
400,000 in the US
alone. The concept
is pretty simple:
when we breathe
toxic air, our lungs
suffer.
What about sec
ond hand effects on
* those around the
pot smoker?
Some pot smok
ers also say that
errects. Nearly every
region of the brain has receptors for
“cannabinoid” and thus many aspects of
the central nervous system are affected.
Researchers’ short list of effects includes
general psychoactive effects such as altered
perception of time, relaxation, mild eupho
ria, and disassociation of ideas. Other
immediate effects include increased heart
rate and blood pressure, increased appetite,
and dizziness. At higher doses of THC, the
user can experience intensification of emo
tional response, depressive or panic reac
tion. In addition, tolerance and withdrawal
symptoms, such as irritability, insomnia,
nausea, craving, also develop, illustrating
smoKing uoesn i
adversely others in the same negative way
that excessive alcohol use can. “Weed
makes for easy and laid back fun,” is the
common argument. Unfortunately, this
isn’t always so. Second hand smoke issues
aside, there are several studies which link
trauma injuries (largely motor vehicle acci
dents) to marijuana use. One such study
reveals that 35 % of those injured were
smoking pot, 33% drinking alcohol and
16% a combination of the two. For a local
and anecdotal point of view, Loschiavo
shared that it’s common knowledge that
the one wing in the resident hall that has
the most marijuana incidents is also the
wing that has the most problems with
adversarial and anti-community energy.
The CORE survey revealed that 67 % of
students said they would prefer not to have
marijuana and other drugs'^ the parties
that they attend. Not only c\^ i short-term
experimentation lead to longer-term health
problems, not everyone sees the effects as.
“easy, laid back fun.”
How can one compare the drug
equivalent of apples and oranges to
make the conclusion that getting
drunk is worse than getting stoned
or that smoking cigarettes is worse
than a joint?
I wonder how a student can answer this
strange question. My hunch is the pot
smokers will find a way to justify pot, the
cigarette smokers will justify tobacco and
the drinker will justify alcohol. But do we
learn anything when we just keep sucking
down our drug of choice, fortified with
sketchy excuses for why this drug is better
than that drug?
How about taking a real risk? How
about getting together with your friends
and as an experiment come up with a list
of activities that you could try that provide
“mild euphoria, relaxation, and altered per
ception of time” that don’t involve any of
the above discussed drugs. And then go out
and try one of them this weekend. I’ll give
you a bit of list for starters: rock climbing,
white water kayaking, cross country ski
ing, long runs, meditation, reading poetry,
falling in love.
Come to the Peer Health Education
office to check out the book A Primer of
Drug Action (1998) by Robert Julien to
read about the studies cited in this article.
Or talk with one of the Peer Health Educa
tors to brainstorm more ideas on how to
get a drug-free high in Eugene.
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