In 2005, health-conscious consumers and athletes combined spent approximately $6 billion on various sport supplements that promised to enhance their health, physical development, or performance. But do these supplements really offer the benefits they claim in their advertising and on their packaging? And are they safe?David Lightsey, MS, a nutrition and food science advisor to an award-winning consumer advocacy Web site, maintains that the sports supplement industry regularly and knowingly makes false claims, and since it has yet to be properly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, consumers are unprotected from products that are unnecessary, may cause great harm, or even lead to death. Aware that much of the problem stems from a lack of information about general nutrition, dietary supplements, and beneficial lifestyle changes, Lightsey provides answers to such questions as:
Amazon Sales Rank: #428873 in Books Published on: 2006-06-01 Original language: English Number of items: 1 Dimensions: .1 pounds Binding: Hardcover 224 pages
Review "The most thorough investigation [of the sport supplement industry] has been conducted by David Lightsey, an exercise physiologist and nutritionist who coordinates the National Council Against Health Frauds Task Force on Ergogenic Aids." --Stephen Barrett, MD, and Victor Herbert, MD, JD, authors of The Vitamin Pushers: How the Health Food Industry Is Selling America a Bill of Goods
Most helpful customer reviews 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Too bad this book is not better known By T. Bachman Anyone interested in physical fitness will soon encounter a dizzying array of competing, and sometimes contradictory, claims regarding optimal diets and supplements. Lightsey's book is a thoughtful and thoroughly documented guide through these claims. What he finds is that most of the claims made by supplement companies and diet gurus are either demonstrably false, or at least, have no reason to be believed. In fact, many of the lies he documents here are so outrageous as to be deeply disturbing. I read an interview in Fitness RX for Men a while ago with a big name UFC fighter, and I was surprised when he reported that he took absolutely no supplements. After reading Lightsey's book, I can see why. Bottom line is, this book is worth buying for anyone interested in fitness, especially trainers and athletes. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Must read if you're into sports or care about your health By Ivan Tarasov This is book consists of two parts: the overview of credible scientific results on supplements and the way the supplement industry companies lie their way into your wallet, and the part containing overview of diets, research on sports nutrition, and some practical suggestions on how to balance one's food consumption to improve the health and sports fitness. The first part is really detailed, and provides examples of tricks, marketing lies, misrepresentation of the products, etc., used to lure the consumers into buying supplements they don't need, or in quantities much bigger than they need. Do you buy vitamins? Or protein powder, to increase muscle growth? Or some wonderful dieting pills? - Then read this book, you'll learn a lot. The second part is a bit more practical, and contains some good guidelines on how to structure your diet, especially if you're trying to lose weight, or trying to reach your peak sports form. Some of the common myths are debunked, several popular diets are analyzed (and some even showed to be dangerous, e.g. low-carbohydrate consumption diets). All the facts presented in the book are substantiated by research, you'll find a lot of references to the scientific papers. The author is really serious about presenting the correct facts about nutrition, to the best of current scientific knowledge. One minor annoyance: the first part of the book reads not like a book, more like an internet article. However that's just a personal reflection, and in no way does it diminish the quality of the content. See all 2 customer reviews...