Taking Supplements and the Effect on Teenagers

[tjp123]

Ok, I have writen a essay on the topic of teenagers takinng supplements. This is my first time ive researched supplements and talked about them and I am relatively new to body building. Could you please read and review the following and give me some feedback, criticism etc. it would be greatly appreciated. Here is the first part, and Ill write the seond half in the next post:


In today’s society, many teenagers are taking supplements for various reasons. A lot of teenagers simply don’t get enough of fruit, vegetable and calcium in their daily diets. The teenage years are the greatest for growth spurts, hormonal changes, bone growth and emotional stress so supplements are necessary to aid their growing bodies. Added in to this is the fact that many are actively involved in sport. Going to the gym for various reasons such as ‘to look good’ or ‘get bigger, stronger and fitter for sport’ is an ever expanding phenomenon that teenagers are involved in. As a teenager who attends the gym 4 times a week and also plays rugby, I have my own opinion which I will look to express throughout on the supplement and diet that I consume. There are hundreds and thousands of information readily available by the easily accessible internet that gives tips and advice for the teenager attending the gym, including what to do and what to take, but how much of this is necessary? In this essay, I will look to examine the main supplements for teenagers (proteins, creatine, glutamine and weight gainers) attending the gym that are actually vital and go into depth with positives and negatives.

It is imprtant to understand the fundermentals of a product when you are going to use it, so now ill examine what these supplements actually are. “Protein is made of amino acids. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of muscle. Therefore, protein is an essential ingredient for muscle building. You can't build muscle without it! You will want to take in about 1-2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight throughout the day. So an average person who weighs 150 lbs. would want to consume between 150 and 300 grams of protein in a day.”4 Protein shakes and bars are convenient and provide high quality protein. There are many advantages of protein which include: “Muscle growth, enhanced recovery, optimal immune response and a normal, healthy appetite.”5 “There are 20 amino acids in the body, and 8 are considered to be vital”11 (including creatine and glutamine).

A healthy diet is vital to any growing teenager when you consider the school, work, social life, and not to mention the stress levels. This is all in a time where the body is still growing and maturing. How easy is it for a teenager to consume a healthy diet? This quite often depends on the family life at home. It is imprtant the parents are cooking dinners that contain meat, vegetables, rice potatoes etc. but how easy is this for them to make? After a long day at work in the typical 9-5 kiwi fashion, parents last things on their mind is cooking a tea that is healthy and nutritious when they consider the time it takes. Other then the classic 5+ a day adverts that we see advertised on television, little is publicised about how important food is. A wholesome breakfast is always important to kick start a teenagers day to have them on top of the ball for learning in the class room. A packed lunch is also of importance which contains sandwiches, fruit etc. But now adays it is all to easy for the working school kid to spend their well deserved weekly wages on a pie down at the local bakery or a quick stop at McDonalds or KFC. Dinner is the easiest meal to get the nutrients a growing teenagers need, so here are a few examples of food that contain vital nutrients and are easily accessible. Eggs is the one of the few foods that contain all 9 amino acids that are considered essential to the human body, not to mention the 0g carbohydrates and 6g of protein found in the egg white. Red meat, chicken and fish all contain protein and amino acids. ”Vegetables are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and low in calories that is why vegetable are good for you long with helping maintain a healthy weight.”12 Vegetables are a low to moderate source of fat and green vegetables are lower in simple sugars which are also a plus for your blood sugar.

Because the development and use of protein supplements are relatively new fashioned, little research is known on the long term effects taking these products may have. Overuse of protein shakes can lead to high blood acidity. "Blood pH should be in the 7.0 range. When blood becomes very acidic, the body must correct itself by making blood more basic."9 Breakdown of calcium from bones in the body is the result of this process to regain basic blood levels. "Another concern from this process is the possibility of calcium deposits passing in the kidneys, causing kidney stones. Another result of excess protein use is the body entering a state known as ketosis. Project Swole reports that "ketosis is a dangerous state which unnecessarily stresses the liver and causes destruction of muscle tissues."9

There are several forms of protein including: Whey, Soy, Egg, and Casein. So which kind is best? Well that depends on how and when you want to use them.
Whey protein is awesome for post-workout supplementation because that's the time when your body needs protein the most, and whey is digested very quickly (about 30 minutes). “The benefits of using a whey protein powder include: Ease and convenience of not having to prepare whole food, tastes great that will satisfy your craving for something sweet, promoting strength gains and cardiovascular function and immune system optimization.”2 Because whey protein is derived from dairy products, it is possible to get stomach cramps as a result due to the increase in lactose. It can also cause low blood pressure so diabetics need to be extremely careful.

Casein, on the other hand, is digested very slowly (over 2 - 7 hours). This means it's great to use a protein supplement with casein before bed because the longest time your body goes without protein is during the night while you are sleeping.
“Egg protein (albumen) digests at a medium pace (1.5-3 hours) so it's a good anytime protein to provide a good sustained release of aminos to the body.”1
Soy protein is the vegetarian's friend because it's one of the only complete protein sources derived from plants. Whether you vegetarian, vegan or lactose intolerant, soy protein is good for you. Soy is a good overall protein, although it's not as effective in terms of absorption as whey or egg albumen. Additionally, soy has many recognized health benefits for women. “Soy protein has many advantages, such as: Having a high protein digestibility score, containing reduced fat and carbohydrates, being lactose-free and being a high-protein baking alternative.”3

“Creatine works very well for increasing muscle mass. It is naturally occurring in the body. It's safe and very effective for anybody, especially if you've never used it before. The basics behind it are this: it increases ATP (the main energy source muscles use for explosive power) availability so that you can perform more reps and sets and lift more weight, consequently growing more muscle tissue. Creatine should be cycled. Many have found great results taking it for four weeks, followed by one to two weeks off. There are quite a few different types of creatine, for example, there is pure creatine monohydrate, liquid creatine, micronized creatine and many more.”1 There are no known major side effects to creatine, although there are reports of the supplement causing bloating and gas. There has not been much long term study on creatine so some unknown factors may still existon. Creatine also pulls water away from the body and brings it into the muscle so it is extremely important to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Many people claim the added muscle is just water weight and the strength increase and weight increase is temporary. Only 2 - 3 pounds is said to be water weight and weight gains can range from 2-10 pounds. The unknown risk in taking creatine should really be taken into account, especially for teenagers.

“L-Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in muscle tissue. It helps prevent muscle wasting and improves recovery. The better and quicker you recovery, the sooner and harder you can hit it in the gym.”1 Each time you lift weight, a large amount of stress is placed on the body. Unless something is done to help your body recover during training, fatigue will always be there to ruin your training. Additionally, longer recovery time means longer time to reach your goals. The body can lose “up to 50% of its glutamine levels during training, and if your immune system or other parts of your body become glutamine-deficient, the muscles' glutamine stores are first to be robbed, creating the risk for catabolism.”7 Often overlooked as a simple amino acid, Glutamine is one of the best anti-catabolic ingredients around. Both Glutamine and Creatine are usually found in protein powders and weight gainers as they are both an amino acid. General side effects that seem to be common among individuals inclue stomach discomfort, nausea and diarrhoea. Because teenagers internal body systems aren’t fully developed, it is highly recommended to only take minor doses when taking this as a supplement.

“Weight gainers are high calorie protein products that are great for people who are looking to bulk up. If you are having trouble gaining weight, taking in extra high quality calories will usually do the trick.”1 Many people have trouble putting on muscle mass. The old saying is true - you have to eat big to get big. It can be difficult to keep your calorie intake up, and those of us with fast metabolisms burn most of what we take in. “Weight gainer supplements may help with: quality protein and carbohydrate source, convenient and packed with high quality calories.”6 Hitting a muscle building plateau is one of the most frustrating situations for anybody trying to put on some serious muscle mass. Weight gainers are different than normal protein powders because they contain more protein, carbohydrates, and calories per serving. “By adding a weight gainer shake to your daily diet, you can support: plenty of good calories, protein, and carbs for building muscle, quick recovery from workout sessions with nutrient availability and the prevention of catabolism (the breakdown of nutrients and muscles).”6 Because weight gainers are also usually high in protein it may be harmful for the kidneys (although in a recent study on male body builders showed that kidney functions and excrement were in normal ranges10). Another risk is that nitrogen levels begin to rise, which will make you dehydrate quickly, so an adequate amount of water must be consumed to prevent this.

[tjp123]

Part 2
The costs of these supplements are not very cheap to the common household. Many would argue that the cost outweighs the benefits. To put it into perspective, here are some prices off the shotgun supplements website. This website is a NZ based franchise that buys their products in bulk and can offer large discounts to their customers. A 5lb container of the popular ‘Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein Powder’ will cost the consumer $112.00, down from $150.00. There are 77 servings per container, which means that each ‘shake’ will cost around $1.25 per serving. Each serve contains 24g of pure protein, which is about 1/5 of a teenagers daily requirements. It also contains 5g of glutamine which is a 1/3 of a male adults needs per day. Whey protein is quite a cheap option, compared to weight/mass gainers.

A mass gainer that I have bought for myself off this website before was PVL Mutant Mass. Shotgun Supplements sell this for $150.00, down from $194.00. When I was using this product whilst attending the gym, I manage to gain over 10kgs of body weight within 6 months. To be fair I started at the gym as what some might label as a ‘runt’ but this was over 1/7th of my body weight. 15lbs of Mutant Mass contain a mere 26 servings per pack. To be fair, the serving size is 260g and contains 170g of carbohydrates (57% DI) and 52g of protein, which is twice as much as Optimum Nutrition’s 100% Whey Protein Powder. It also contained 7g of glutamine It can be used as half measures though, which I done. I found that I didn’t need that many carbs and proteins per shake, and I could save money in doing so by making it last longer. Each shake would cost around $3.00, which isn’t cheap when I would have anywhere between 4 to 8 shakes a week. The bag would last me 2 months, and if I took it regularly all year round, I could pay close to $1000.00 on this product alone.
800g of BSN Cellmass Creatine contained 50 servings. It cost consumers $99.00 (down from $130.00). “Cellmass is a post workout creatine, packed full of amino acids, minerals and electrolytes designed to rapidly refuel depeleted muscle cells and accelerate muscle growth.”8 This creatine will cost $2.00 per serve. Some argue that creatine is a pre workout supplement but BSN Cellmass state that “There is nothing more important than loading your muscles with creatine after a workout to supply them with the fuel they need to recover quickly and rebuild bigger and stronger than ever. BSN Cellmass is absorbed into the muscle cells rapidly with no loading phase and no cycling on or off the product.”8

When ‘stacking’ (combining) these products together for a pre, during and post workout hit, costs really start to stack up. When you also consider other factors for gym training such as memberships (around $600.00 per year), gym equipment (shoes $100.00, gloves $35.00 and lifting straps ($40.00), it really doesn’t look too exciting. But to counteract this argument, you have to ask yourself if you’re paying to go to the gym, do you want to see results but also get the essential proteins and carbohydrates your body needs daily?

Time is another factor that plays a large role in any teenager’s life. Most teens need to have a part time job, especially just to pay for the gym side of things. Around $50 worth of work a week would be required to pay for supplements, memberships and gear alone. On top of this, there is school and homework which should be a priority. Then there is sports which requires trainings and games each week. How a teenager fits the gym into their already busy schedule is a tough question contrasting to is it worth it? Is the gym taking over teenagers lives and putting important things aside such as school work and socialising?

To conclude, it seems these supplements seem to be essential for teenagers that are attending the gym that aren’t eating a healthy diet. It is very hard to stick to a healthy diet with the busy lives people live. It is important to remember that these supplements should only be used in moderation and to consider that the recommendations are usually for fully grown adults. The side effcts seem to be minor but little research has been done, especially on the long term effects, but if used in moderation the side effetcs should be little to none. Another important thing to remember is that protein shakes shouldn’t be taken as a meal replacement; your normal diet should be consumed and these supplements should be taken on the side ONLY when nec cessary. As a teenager who attends the gym, I have found supplements to be very beneficial when taking them but I havent relied on them. I have managed to survive long periods without them, obviously not making as many gains, but changing my diet and eating more to accommodate the loss. At the end of the day, every person has their own circumstances, wether it be money, time or health requirements so a decision should be made by the individual.

[TimMason91]

tl;dr

[BigBoLuke93]

I actually took the time to read it all... not sure why

Besides the myriad of grammatical and spelling errors (hope you're not planning to major in English),

There is a lot of misinformation, and outdated information. I don't think you did your research very well. It also looks like you just copy and pasted a lot of stuff from bad resources. I would go back and do some more research on more up to date knowledge. There is also not very much 'connectivity' throughout the whole thing. It kind of jumps around a lot.

What is your goal with this essay?

[BlueAngel319]

Yes hopefully not majoring in English or literature...

[tjp123]

Sorry guys, no I am definitely not looking to major in English. I am a New Zealander so our grammar is sometimes different from yours. I realize there are spelling mistakes but this is only a draft and I wanted some advice before finishing it off. A lot of my resources were actually found on this website. I tried posting them but wasn't aloud as I am only a newbie. The reason for this essay is that our sport science class needs to research a sporting issue and what effects it has on society, so I have done it on teenagers taking supplements

[Bateman2]

Just a question seeing as you have done the research. I was planning on purchasing and using various proteins but im not sure if it would be healthy. Going to the gym 4 times a week I was planning on using MP Amino 1 intra workout, MP Combat powder post-workout and Nutabolics Mass fusion twice a day. Im 16 weighing 55kgs and need to put on muscle except im not sure if its fully safe taking all of that. If its healthy thats fine i just dont want to **** up my body. Im currently at boarding school so its hard to get proper nutrition.

[71Avido]

The various forms of proteins are just processed/dehydrated food. You do like food right?

They're safe in moderation. What I'm saying is don't use them for 100% of your protein, micronutrient sufficiency is important too. Whole/minimally processed foods are better than supplements, but supps have their place.
They're supposed to supplement a diet deficient in one area or another.

[toplads]

Part 2
The costs of these supplements are not very cheap to the common household. Many would argue that the cost outweighs the benefits. To put it into perspective, here are some prices off the shotgun supplements website. This website is a NZ based franchise that buys their products in bulk and can offer large discounts to their customers. A 5lb container of the popular ‘Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein Powder’ will cost the consumer $112.00, down from $150.00. There are 77 servings per container, which means that each ‘shake’ will cost around $1.25 per serving. Each serve contains 24g of pure protein, which is about 1/5 of a teenagers daily requirements. It also contains 5g of glutamine which is a 1/3 of a male adults needs per day. Whey protein is quite a cheap option, compared to weight/mass gainers.

A mass gainer that I have bought for myself off this website before was PVL Mutant Mass. Shotgun Supplements sell this for $150.00, down from $194.00. When I was using this product whilst attending the gym, I manage to gain over 10kgs of body weight within 6 months. To be fair I started at the gym as what some might label as a ‘runt’ but this was over 1/7th of my body weight. 15lbs of Mutant Mass contain a mere 26 servings per pack. To be fair, the serving size is 260g and contains 170g of carbohydrates (57% DI) and 52g of protein, which is twice as much as Optimum Nutrition’s 100% Whey Protein Powder. It also contained 7g of glutamine It can be used as half measures though, which I done. I found that I didn’t need that many carbs and proteins per shake, and I could save money in doing so by making it last longer. Each shake would cost around $3.00, which isn’t cheap when I would have anywhere between 4 to 8 shakes a week. The bag would last me 2 months, and if I took it regularly all year round, I could pay close to $1000.00 on this product alone.
800g of BSN Cellmass Creatine contained 50 servings. It cost consumers $99.00 (down from $130.00). “Cellmass is a post workout creatine, packed full of amino acids, minerals and electrolytes designed to rapidly refuel depeleted muscle cells and accelerate muscle growth.”8 This creatine will cost $2.00 per serve. Some argue that creatine is a pre workout supplement but BSN Cellmass state that “There is nothing more important than loading your muscles with creatine after a workout to supply them with the fuel they need to recover quickly and rebuild bigger and stronger than ever. BSN Cellmass is absorbed into the muscle cells rapidly with no loading phase and no cycling on or off the product.”8

When ‘stacking’ (combining) these products together for a pre, during and post workout hit, costs really start to stack up. When you also consider other factors for gym training such as memberships (around $600.00 per year), gym equipment (shoes $100.00, gloves $35.00 and lifting straps ($40.00), it really doesn’t look too exciting. But to counteract this argument, you have to ask yourself if you’re paying to go to the gym, do you want to see results but also get the essential proteins and carbohydrates your body needs daily?

Time is another factor that plays a large role in any teenager’s life. Most teens need to have a part time job, especially just to pay for the gym side of things. Around $50 worth of work a week would be required to pay for supplements, memberships and gear alone. On top of this, there is school and homework which should be a priority. Then there is sports which requires trainings and games each week. How a teenager fits the gym into their already busy schedule is a tough question contrasting to is it worth it? Is the gym taking over teenagers lives and putting important things aside such as school work and socialising?

To conclude, it seems these supplements seem to be essential for teenagers that are attending the gym that aren’t eating a healthy diet. It is very hard to stick to a healthy diet with the busy lives people live. It is important to remember that these supplements should only be used in moderation and to consider that the recommendations are usually for fully grown adults. The side effcts seem to be minor but little research has been done, especially on the long term effects, but if used in moderation the side effetcs should be little to none. Another important thing to remember is that protein shakes shouldn’t be taken as a meal replacement; your normal diet should be consumed and these supplements should be taken on the side ONLY when nec cessary. As a teenager who attends the gym, I have found supplements to be very beneficial when taking them but I havent relied on them. I have managed to survive long periods without them, obviously not making as many gains, but changing my diet and eating more to accommodate the loss. At the end of the day, every person has their own circumstances, wether it be money, time or health requirements so a decision should be made by the individual.

You are really, really **** at english.. hope you don't major in it. btw most of this stuff is so incredibly untrue and outdated