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After a strenuous workout, top athletes and everyday exercisers regularly reach for energy bars, protein powders, or recovery drinks, thinking that these dietary supplements provide boosts that normal foods do not.
A new study, however, finds that -- when it comes to exercise recovery -- supplements are no better than fast food.
The multi-billion-dollar sports supplement industry is a true behemoth. With catchy taglines and sparkling testimonials from top athletes, they've convinced millions of people to use their products. University of Montana graduate student Michael Cramer decided to find out if their claims of superiority stood the test of science, so he pit some of the most oft-used supplements, including Gatorade, PowerBar, and Cytomax "energy" powder, against a few of McDonald's most vaunted contenders: hotcakes, hash browns, hamburgers, and fries.
Cramer invited eleven highly trained male athletes to take part in the study. After fasting for 12 hours, all of them completed a rigorous 90-minute endurance workout. Subsequently, subjects assigned to fast food were given hotcakes, orange juice, and a hash brown, while subjects assigned to supplements were given Gatorade, organic peanut butter, and Cliff Shot Bloks. Two hours later, the fast food group consumed a hamburger, Coke, and fries, while the supplement group scarfed down Cytomax powder and PowerBar products. Two hours after their second meal, all subjects rode 20 kilometers on a stationary bike as quickly as possible.
Read more here. (Real Clear Science)
A new study, however, finds that -- when it comes to exercise recovery -- supplements are no better than fast food.
The multi-billion-dollar sports supplement industry is a true behemoth. With catchy taglines and sparkling testimonials from top athletes, they've convinced millions of people to use their products. University of Montana graduate student Michael Cramer decided to find out if their claims of superiority stood the test of science, so he pit some of the most oft-used supplements, including Gatorade, PowerBar, and Cytomax "energy" powder, against a few of McDonald's most vaunted contenders: hotcakes, hash browns, hamburgers, and fries.
Cramer invited eleven highly trained male athletes to take part in the study. After fasting for 12 hours, all of them completed a rigorous 90-minute endurance workout. Subsequently, subjects assigned to fast food were given hotcakes, orange juice, and a hash brown, while subjects assigned to supplements were given Gatorade, organic peanut butter, and Cliff Shot Bloks. Two hours later, the fast food group consumed a hamburger, Coke, and fries, while the supplement group scarfed down Cytomax powder and PowerBar products. Two hours after their second meal, all subjects rode 20 kilometers on a stationary bike as quickly as possible.
Read more here. (Real Clear Science)
