Nutritional Supplements & False Claims:

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New miracle breakthrough weight loss pill! Just sit back and watch the fat melt right off of you. Eat anything you want, eat as much as you want and still lose weight with this new, scientifically proven fat burning formula. Do you want the strength of a rhino? Would you like to have a rock hard, chiseled set of abdominal muscles? How would you like to be the owner of 32 inch biceps? All of this and more can be yours in only 60 days with the help of our new, barely legal muscle building formula! If you had a dollar for every time you've heard advertisements that sound like this, you would probably have a tidy little sum in your bank account by now. Just read any fitness or health magazine and you will notice that it seems as though half of the entire publication is nothing but advertisements for dozens of nutritional supplements. If you ever paid any attention to these ad's, you will notice that just about all of them make some pretty outrageous claims as to what their products will do. Now, there are some good supplements out there that can help give you a little extra boost in performance or supply some decent nutritional value to help you out with weight loss, but you have to know which ones to avoid so you can find your way to the ones that are worth using. Here are some things to look for that will tell you which ones to steer clear of. The first obvious thing is, if the product claims to give you amazing results that just sound too good to be true, you will be disappointed with your purchase. While people want to believe there are magical solutions to weight loss and improved fitness, a good exercise regiment and proper diet is still the main ingredient. You also need to be aware of the so called "experts" who endorse these products. What degree or certification do they have? What is their degree or certification specializing in? Did they get their degree or certification from a reputable organization? Often, these products will rely heavily on testimonials and shaky evidence to convince you that their bogus claims are real. Testimonials are usually unreliable because they are often biased. Reputable experts such as scientists will report the results of their studies in medical journals so others can review and evaluate them. If there is no documentation in any medical journals, don't believe their "experts" ramblings on the product. Another sure fire way to know that a product is not on the level is to look for some key words. People tend to always believe that all of these products on the market have been inspected by the FDA to be safe and effective, but the fact is, the FDA does not have much jurisdiction over most of these products because of their claims that their product is "herbal" or "natural". People often will believe that ad's in magazines, on radio and especially on television are proof positive that they work. Avoid any products with the words "fat burner", "fat metabolizer", "performance or strength booster", "energy enhancer", "anabolic or genetic optimizer" or "ergogenic aid". Not one of these types of products has ever been proven to be effective or safe. Some have even been proven to be dangerous like the somewhat recent deaths involving products like "phen fen" and "redux". The bottom line is this; every year new products are coming out on the market. Most of these are backed by little or no real research as to their effectiveness or side effects. As long as they make no medical claims, they are not classified as a drug, meaning the FDA does not evaluate them for effectiveness or safety. If you do feel you want to use any supplements, choose ones that make no lofty claims. Look for products that only claim to boost calories or can be used as occasional meal replacements like protein powders, or claim to supplement nutrition like multi-vitamins. Don't let yourself fall victim to false advertising schemes made by companies only looking to help you find useless ways to spend your hard earned money.